TribLive stories, Page 1113
Video shows route that police say man took to get gasoline before burning Homewood house, killing 3
When Rico Carter arrived at his burning house early on the morning of Dec. 20, 2017, he raced toward it, hoping to save his mother, girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter. But in a chaotic scene capture in a police car dashcam video, Carter was intercepted near the front porch by...
Debate persists over proposed zoning changes for Oakland neighborhood
Residents and community leaders remain at odds about a package of proposed zoning changes for Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. The future of development and zoning regulations in the neighborhood has been a hotly contested issue for months as a controversial development, neighborhood plan and zoning package have left the neighborhood divided....
Hempfield man stopped at Delmont Dairy Queen with guns told police he was ‘fighting the shadow fake presidency’
A 2021 involuntary mental health commitment prohibited a Hempfield man from possessing a firearm, but Delmont police said they confiscated three loaded handguns from him after an incident at a Dairy Queen on Saturday, according to court papers released Wednesday. The man claimed to be an undercover state trooper who...
PnB Rock’s stolen jewelry could be key to solving his killingVideo
LOS ANGELES — Jewelry and other items stolen from rapper PnB Rock, who was shot and killed Monday at Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles in South L.A., could hold the key to finding the gunman. Los Angeles Police Department detectives have put pawn shops on alert about items stolen...
Pittsburgh man accused of killing off-duty Oakdale officer ordered to stand trial
A Pittsburgh man accused of killing an off-duty Oakdale police officer following a road rage incident in July will stand trial. Kevin McSwiggen, 40, appeared for a preliminary hearing Wednesday before Magistrate Judge Nick Martini. Following testimony, all charges were held for trial including charges of criminal homicide and two...
U.S. men’s soccer team missing key players ahead of World Cup warm-up matchesVideo
When the U.S. national team gathers next week for its final two warm-ups ahead of this fall’s World Cup, four players who were expected to have key roles won’t be there. Missing from the 26-man roster coach Gregg Berhalter summoned Wednesday are defenders Antonee Robinson and Miles Robinson, goalkeeper Zack...
Former NFL player attacked North Versailles woman in front of her 11-year-old son, police say
A former NFL player is accused of breaking into a North Versailles home and beating a woman in front of her 11-year-old son earlier this week. Rontez Miles, 33, of Forest Hills, is charged with burglary, aggravated assault, simple assault and criminal mischief in connection with the alleged attack. A...
Florida sees sharp rise in white power, anti-Semitic incidents, report finds
Florida saw a sharp increase in anti-Semitic incidents last year, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League, the New York-based organization that tracks anti-Semitic incidents and other extremist activity across the country. The state saw a 50% increase in anti-Semitic incidents in 2021 compared to the year before,...
Man who stabbed cousin to death gets reduction in sentence
An Allegheny County Common Pleas judge on Wednesday reduced the sentence for a man convicted of stabbing his cousin to death. Emmanual Jones, who was originally ordered to serve 8 1/2 to 17 years in prison will now serve seven to 14 years. Judge Kevin G. Sasinoski handed down the...
Patrick Beaty: Pa. voters deserve all the facts on proposed constitutional amendments
Earlier this summer, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Elections posted a notice on its website about six proposed constitutional amendments approved by the General Assembly in its 2021-22 session. As our Constitution requires, the Elections Bureau then sent this official notice to newspapers across the commonwealth so it could be published...
Former Penn State president Graham Spanier defends himself in new book
Former Penn State University President Graham Spanier has written a book alleging that he, deceased Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and two other university administrators were falsely accused of — and unjustly punished for — covering up child abuse by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. “The book is an...
Here’s how to make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice blend
Do you know what’s in that pumpkin pie spice blend you purchased? Chances are, if you’re a fan of pumpkin spice, you might have some idea. But I’m here to convince you that making your own is the way to go. Here’s why: You’ll save money Spices don’t come cheap....
Dennis Roddy: Dead monarch a hit in London
LONDON — Life might be for the living, but death is enjoying a renaissance here. People are lining up for miles to stare at the queen’s coffin and be inspired. The late queen’s utterances, calculatedly unremarkable in life, are imbued by commentators with a Lincolnesque aura. This is dangerous. The...
Penn State’s front-seven to be tested by Auburn’s running attack
Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell attempted 60 passes by design, and Ohio threw 40 times out of necessity. Penn State is two games into its 2022 season, and it has yet to face an offense that prioritizes running the ball. That’s going to change this weekend. Auburn is dependent on its ground...
Pa. law protects workers who are approved for medical marijuana — but once they use it, it’s a different story
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. Vague legal safeguards for medical marijuana users in Pennsylvania are forcing patients to choose between their job and a drug they...
Iowa teen who killed rapist sentenced, ordered to pay $150K
A teenage human trafficking victim who was initially charged with first-degree murder after she stabbed her accused rapist to death was sentenced Tuesday in an Iowa court to five years of closely supervised probation and ordered to pay $150,000 restitution to the man’s family. Pieper Lewis, 17, was sentenced Tuesday...
John Eckenrode: Pa.’s state prison staffing crisis shows no sign of ending
Pennsylvanians are getting back to work. The economy is on the rebound. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate is now lower than its pre-pandemic level. That’s great news, but not for everyone, including those who work some of the most dangerous jobs in the commonwealth. Right now, the commonwealth’s prison system continues to...
Can Al Michaels make streaming the NFL on Amazon Prime Video a Thursday night ritual?
LOS ANGELES — Veteran sports broadcaster Al Michaels has a 20-year-old answering machine in his Brentwood home, and it will likely never be thrown out. The device contains several messages from the late Dodgers announcer Vin Scully who died Aug. 2. Michaels, 77, spent his early years in Brooklyn, where...
Letter to the editor: Fetterman not fit for office
Stroke or no stroke, I don’t believe John Fetterman has ever been fit for any political office. He has been a sponge off his parents and is now a sponge off the taxpayer. While he was mayor of Braddock, the borough’s population declined precipitously. He is right about one thing:...
Westmoreland happenings: Community picnic, rummage sale, band festival, more
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to Carol Pinto-Smith at cpinto-smith@triblive.com or mailed to Briefly Speaking, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks before the event. Each announcement is printed once; there...
Island hopping the Aloha State: no kids, no car, no agenda
In my early 20s, I worked as a nanny for a Swiss billionaire, caring for his four children, seven dogs and 14 homes. For five years I was entrusted with those little kinder as if they were my own, so much that one day the parents said, “We thought perhaps...
Letter to the editor: Signs of a thriving economy
Letter-writer Ray Schratz (”Biden’s uncivilized discourse,” Sept. 13, TribLIVE) states that President Biden has destroyed our economy. Schratz might want to consider a few facts: We have an unemployment rate of only 3.7%, which is very close to the lowest in 50 years. Combined U.S. corporate profits reached $2.62 trillion...
Letter to the editor: Upcoming Supreme Court case could harm millions
There is an upcoming Supreme Court case that, to my shock, no one is talking about: Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, Ind. (HHC) v. Talevski. This case has the potential to harm tens of millions of people beyond the state’s borders. With Talevski, the Supreme Court could strip...
Letter to the editor: Biden doesn’t address his failures
Have you ever heard worse lies from any administration than President Biden’s? This administration tells us the surrender in Afghanistan was successful, the border is secure, inflation is transitory, the 87,000 new IRS agent to be hired under the so-called Inflation Reduction Act will not add to the deficit, nor...
Editorial: Westmoreland County should focus on doling out opioid settlement dollars it has before eyeing next lawsuit
Westmoreland County is planning to file another opioid lawsuit. The county — like communities across the nation — has been pursuing those who made money off the opioid epidemic for years. It’s the kind of opportunity not seen since the tobacco settlement of 1998, when states were able to take...
