Local category, Page 2885
Gov. Tom Wolf nixes $90M voting machines bill tied to nixing straight-ticket button
Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a bill Friday that would have provided $90 million to help counties statewide upgrade voting machines because Republican Senate leaders tacked on a last-minute provision that would have nixed straight-ticket voting in Pennsylvania. Wolf further said that Senate Bill 48, “while purporting to secure elections, binds...
8 arrested in Pittsburgh prostitution crackdown
Undercover detectives arrested at least eight people in a crackdown on prostitution in Pittsburgh this week, according to criminal complaints filed in Pittsburgh Municipal Court. Part of the operation involved the website Escort Babylon, which instructs potential clients to call a number to arrange for an appointment for sexual acts....
Police: Pittsburgh woman jailed after stabbing man
A Pittsburgh woman accused of stabbing a man is in jail. Rhonda Powell, 57, is charged with aggravated assault in connection with an incident 12:20 a.m. Friday along the 2500 block of Park Hill Drive in East Hills. Zone 5 officers responded to reports of a stabbing and found a...
Pitt police beef up patrols after reported burglary, attempted sexual assault
University of Pittsburgh Police have beefed up their patrols in the area of a reported burglary and attempted sexual assault of a university student early Friday, a university spokesman said. The incident happened at 4:15 a.m. in the 200 block of Oakland Avenue, according to a report posted on the...
Artisans at Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival enjoy sharing their creations
Deb Andrison finds peace amid small strips of paper and glue on the sun porch at her North Huntingdon home. She turns tiny shreds of paper into beautiful art — a group of zebras at a watering hole, a carousel, a wide-eyed owl — and then stores her quilling masterpieces...
Police seek 2 suspects after Unity armed robbery
State police are seeking two men accused of being involved in an armed robbery at a mobile home in Unity. Troopers obtained arrest warrants for John G. Struble IV, 20, of Youngstown, and Andrew Tyrell Washington, 21, of Greensburg, charging the pair with burglary, robbery, making terroristic threats, theft by...
Allegheny County Health Department to hold public hearing on U.S. Steel settlement
The Allegheny County Health Department will hold a public hearing July 30 at the Clairton Municipal Building to receive public comments on a draft settlement agreement reached with U.S. Steel over pollution violations at the Clairton Coke Works. As part of the settlement, U.S. Steel agreed to pay $2.7 million...
Furries feel the love from Pittsburghers as Anthrocon beginsVideo
A 6-foot-8-inch Asian Black Bear was spotted in Downtown Pittsburgh on Friday, which is not considered unusual in early July. Similar animal sightings will be predominant all weekend long as the annual Anthrocon Convention invades Pittsburgh through Sunday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The adult costumed furries have...
Sentence upheld for man convicted in 2015 shooting in New Stanton motel
A state appellate court rejected a McKeesport man’s argument that his 2016 murder conviction for shooting a man in a New Stanton motel should be overturned. Christopher Smarr, 22, claimed a Westmoreland County judge’s decision permitting a witness to testify while wearing a scarf over her face potentially influenced jurors....
Flash flood warnings issued for parts of Western Pennsylvania
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued flash flood warnings for parts of Western Pennsylvania until Friday afternoon. Central Allegheny County is expected to receive around an inch of rain and up to a half inch of additional rainfall, the weather service said. The flash flood warning remains in...
4-vehicle wreck in Allegheny Township sends 5 to hospitalsVideo
Five people were rushed to hospitals after police said an SUV driver drove through a red light on Route 56 at Hyde Park Road in Allegheny Township about noon Friday. Township police said John Burkett, 68, of Indiana Hill Road in the township was driving alone on Route 56 toward...
Strip District development will push into the North Side, officials say
With available land quickly disappearing in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, the Buncher Corp. and city officials are eyeing an 11-acre section of the North Side near the 16th Street bridge as the city’s next development hot spot. Buncher owns all but several parcels between the 16th Street and Veterans bridges, directly...
Schenley Plaza hosting Women’s World Cup championship watch party
If you’re looking for a place to watch one of the biggest matches in U.S. Women’s Soccer history, head for Schenley Plaza in Oakland this Sunday. The City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy are hosting a free watch party Sunday morning in Schenley Plaza for the FIFA Women’s...
State terminates Pittsburgh’s last fiscal oversight board
Pittsburgh’s last fiscal oversight agency is officially kaput. Dennis Davin, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, issued a letter on Sunday terminating the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority. State lawmakers created the ICA in 2004 to work alongside coordinators of the Act 47 oversight program to help Pittsburgh...
5 new Pittsburgh restaurants to try this summer
As the weather heats up , it’s time to get outside and check out some of Pittsburgh’s hottest new spots. From cocktail bars to fire-inspired menus, we have some suggestions for you. Spirits & Tales Where: 5130 Bigelow Blvd., Oakland, www.spiritsandtales.com Why the buzz: It’s not common to find a...
Sewickley-area real estate transactions for the week of July 1, 2019
Aleppo Robert Yeager sold property at 315 Sewickley Ridge Court to John Zimmerman Jr. and Margaret Zimmerman for $625,000. Bell Acres Melanie Pursglove sold property at 100 Bower Drive to Sean and Aimee Seningen for $400,000. James Trovato sold property at 7 Fairway Drive to Fred and Maria Raymond for...
Etna camp combines religion, science; registration open for elementary students
A day camp will be hosted this month in Etna for area elementary school children to explore “God and His World.” The camp will be hosted at Emmanuel Lutheran Church at Grant and Highland avenues. It is July 29 to Aug. 2. Cost is $10. Along with traditional activities like...
Troopers: Jeannette man assaulted Hempfield girlfriend in her apartment
A Hempfield woman who was allegedly assaulted by her boyfriend was discovered bloody, bruised and hiding in her apartment bedroom by state troopers early Friday. Police said they were responding to the woman’s pleas for help made via text messages to a friend. Police took Jason A. Hopkins, 28, of...
Citizens group puts New Kensington’s Memorial Park on the mapVideo
It’s easier to find New Kensington’s Memorial Park now that a citizens group had a modern sign installed at the entrance. Officials from the New Ken/Arnold Social in the Park Committee, a volunteer group that unofficially adopted Memorial Park and Roosevelt Park in Arnold, said some Memorial Park users felt...
Western Pa. families sought to host exchange students
Western Pennsylvania families are being sought to host international exchange students in the upcoming school year. A total of 36 students from a dozen countries are expected to arrive in early August for the coming school year, said Kathy Harenski, the AFS Intercultural Programs liaison coordinator for Western Pennsylvania. They...
Crowds brave the heat for Monroeville Independence Day parade
For more than 60 years, Monroeville has presented one of the largest Independence Day parades in the eastern suburbs. Despite the heat, crowds lined the route Thursday to watch floats, marching groups, dance teams, a salute to military veterans and units from local fire departments and first responders....
Single-lane closure planned for Route 28 southbound
Weather permitting, PennDOT crews will conduct survey work requiring a single-lane closure on Route 28 southbound Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. between the Highland Park Bridge and Millvale, exit 3. The survey is for a future paving project, according to Steve Cowan, PennDOT spokesman. The survey...
Arnold-born William T. Eckersley’s WWII diary found; N.Y. man searching for kin
The day-to-day life of a World War II naval electrician from the Alle-Kiski Valley is documented in a diary a New York man found in a bookstore four years ago. The diary was kept by William T. Eckersley, who was born Oct. 19, 1927, in Arnold. Eckersley also lived in...
Delays likely due to traffic restrictions near Highland Park Bridge
Motorists who travel Route 28 near the Highland Park Bridge can expect delays next week. Crews will be working in the southbound lanes of the expressway on Monday and Tuesday, PennDOT announced. Survey work will be done on a stretch of the highway through Etna, Sharpsburg, O’Hara and Shaler. Traffic...
Robbery with fake guns at Vandergrift park results in 2 arrests
Two people are facing charges in connection with the robbery of a girl in Vandergrift’s Kennedy Park on Tuesday. Police say Tavon Rasheed Williams, 20, who was staying at a Linden Avenue residence in the borough, and a 17-year-old accomplice approached the victim in the park along Jackson Avenue about...
