Nicole C. Brambila stories, Page 3
Pennsylvanians not getting Real IDs as fast as officials would like
The Bridgeville Driver’s License Center in Allegheny County issued more federally enhanced driver’s licenses than any other DMV in Pennsylvania, state data show. As of June 5, the Bridgeville site on Washington Pike had issued 7,645 Real IDs to cardholders, according to PennDOT data. The Summerdale DMV in Enola, Cumberland...
How the Pennsylvania liquor lottery came to be
Before the days of limited-release lotteries, savvy liquor aficionados would invade the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s website with internet bots in search of highly sought-after bourbons and whiskeys. The web robots significantly slowed down the state website, said Shawn Kelly, a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board spokesman. Pennsylvania residents often lost...
Pennsylvania’s top health official stresses need for vaccinations
Pennsylvania’s health secretary emphasized the importance of vaccination in the wake of a national measles outbreak. “Vaccines are a safe and effective way to protect yourself from a number of serious, life-threatening diseases,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in a statement. “Getting your vaccinations can help protect those...
Shadyside event to remember Stonewall raid that started gay rights movement
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pittsburghers on Friday will mark the 50th anniversary of a police raid on a bar in New York’s Greenwich Village that ignited a riot and launched the modern gay rights movement. The event Friday will be held at the intersection of Ellsworth and Maryland avenues...
Pennsylvania Auditor General plans to revisit dog-law enforcement audit
A 2013 audit that found Pennsylvania lax in dog-law enforcement will be revisited, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced this week. The 2013 performance audit of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Dog Law Enforcement Office found several problems, including: $8 million from the restrictive dog law account being spent for unrelated...
Pennsylvania highway deaths slightly increased last year, despite national dip
The number of highway fatalities dipped nationally last year even as Pennsylvania’s overall traffic deaths saw a bump, federal and state data analyzed by the Tribune-Review shows. Early estimates show 36,750 people died in motor vehicle crashes nationally in 2018, a roughly 1% year-over-year decrease, according to the National Highway...
Pennsylvania House passes pyramid scheme protection bill
A bill designed to protect consumers against pyramid schemes unanimously passed the Pennsylvania House Monday. House Bill 1534 amends the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law and highlights the distinction between direct-sale companies with a pyramid-like structure and “fly-by-night” operators attempting to rip off the public. “My bill would...
Officials: Allegheny County overdose deaths dropped significantly last year
Accidental overdose deaths in Allegheny County dropped 41% last year, according to the medical examiner’s office. Accidental overdoses claimed 432 people in 2018 compared to 737 in 2017, according to county data. This marks the fewest deaths over the past three years. In 2016, 650 people died from an overdose....
Pittsburgh cops investigate 2 shootings
Pittsburgh police are investigating two shootings involving victims at two different locations. Shortly before 6:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to a shooting in the 40 block of Briggs Street. Witnesses told police that a man had been shot by someone driving a black Acura. The man was taken to a...
Woman arrested in fatal Pittsburgh stabbing
Pittsburgh police arrested a 29-year-old woman Saturday in connection with a fatal stabbing in the Perry South neighborhood Friday night. The stabbing occurred around 7 p.m. in the 2100 block of Perrysville Avenue, where police found Gerald Dwain Walker, 41, inside a home bleeding heavily from several stab wounds. He...
Kennywood takes the Steel Curtain for a test drive
Kennywood’s Steel Curtain – touted as Pennsylvania’s tallest roller coaster at 220 feet with the most upside down scares – made a maiden run on Saturday. The 4,000 feet of track promises a two-minute ride for thrill seekers that tops out at 75 miles an hour. Saturday’s tests put riders...
Woman suspected in fatal stabbing Friday in Perry South
Pittsburgh police have arrested a woman in connection with a fatal stabbing Friday night. The stabbing occurred around 7 p.m. in the Perry South neighborhood where police found Gerald Dwain Walker, 41, inside a home bleeding heavily from several stab wounds. He was transported to a local hospital, where he...
Fans break down, cry at sight of mural at Roberto Clemente museumVideo
Duane Rieder sees the number 21 — the late Roberto Clemente’s jersey number with the Pittsburgh Pirates — everywhere. The Pirates’ 2-1 win Friday. The 21 years he’s run the Clemente Museum in Lawrenceville. The 21-inch steel beams in the old firehouse that houses the museum. So, it was only...
First responders interact with kids at Sam’s Club Safety Day in Frazer
About a half a dozen fire trucks Saturday lined up for Safety Day at the Sam’s Club in Frazer Township, drawing more than 200 children and their families, organizers said. Christian Schreckengost, 5, of Leechburg, tried on a fire helmet that engulfed his small head. “It helps kids to see...
Auditor General: Pittsburgh schools lost out on $2M in tax reimbursements
Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale released a performance audit Thursday critical of Pittsburgh Public Schools, saying the district shortchanged taxpayers by not seeking nearly $2 million in fuel-tax reimbursements and by failing to pursue competitive transportation bids. In a telephone conference with reporters, DePasquale described the district’s poor record-keeping as...
Property tax/rent rebate for seniors application deadline extended
Low-income seniors looking for a state rebate on property taxes or rent have a little more time to apply. The deadline has been extended to Dec. 31, state Rep. Joseph Petrarca, D-Westmoreland, said Wednesday. Previously, applicants had until the end of the June to apply. Those eligible for a rebate...
Report: Cereals positive for trace amounts of weed killerVideo
Popular breakfast cereals contain a controversial herbicide found in weed killers, according to a report released Wednesday. The new report, by Environmental Working Group, or EWG, an environmental advocacy group in Washington D.C., found trace levels of glyphosate in 21 oat-based cereals and snack products. Glyphosate is the main ingredient...
Pennsylvania nursing homes receive failing grade from advocacy group
Pennsylvania nursing homes received an “F” from a national advocacy group that rates and ranks states on the quality of its care. But the head of a trade group representing nursing homes in the state said the report doesn’t account for the full picture of care, including ongoing funding struggles....
Aurora partners with Fiat to build self-driving vehicles
Aurora Innovation is partnering with automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to build self-driving vehicles of different makes and models, including commercial vehicles. The company announced the partnership Monday. “As part of FCA’s autonomous vehicle strategy we will continue to work with strategic partners in this space to address the needs of...
Real ID’s slow start worries Pennsylvania officials
State transportation officials Friday expressed concern that Pennsylvanians are putting off getting the federally compliant identification card needed to board a plane next year. Fewer than 15% of those expected to get a Real ID have sought one in the first three months since Pennsylvania began issuing cards in March,...
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to hold Summer Reading Extravaganza on Sunday
It’s that time of year again. The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh on Sunday will host its annual Summer Reading Extravaganza in the Oakland neighborhood. The free, family-friendly event kicks off at noon and includes five hours of discovery for kids of all ages. Among the activities: • A bouncy house;...
Feds to go public with formerly secret lists of troubled nursing homes
Federal regulators said Wednesday they plan to go public with lists of troubled nursing homes in the future, days after Pennsylvania lawmakers unveiled a secret list of 400 such facilities. Kate Goodrich, the chief medical officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, said on a call...
Is your favorite swimming pool being inspected?
More than 3,600 swimmers took a dip in Rogers-McFeely Memorial Pool in Latrobe last year. Located in downtown Latrobe, the community pool is one of 130 public swimming facilities in Westmoreland County. Unlike ones in Derry, Greensburg and Youngwood, which were all last inspected by the Pennsylvania Department of Health...
Pittsburgh climbers hope for government action over Mount Everest deaths
Sushil Acharya thought the image of a logjam of hikers snaking a wicked ridge along Mount Everest was Photoshopped. “I’ve never seen a picture like that,” said the Robert Morris University professor, who was born in Kathmandu. “I thought it was fake news.” The now-iconic photograph exposed the stunning sight...
Former Cal U football player’s suit against NCAA headed to trial
A 2013 lawsuit against the NCAA alleging it failed to adequately warn players of the risks associated with long-term brain injuries from football is moving forward in Washington County. The lawsuit was filed by Matt Onyshko, a former football player for the California University of Pennsylvania in Washington County. It...
