Regional category, Page 127
Congresswoman Summer Lee speaks out on House floor about hoax shooting reports
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, decried Wednesday’s hoax shooting reports that shut down schools in Pittsburgh and other Pennsylvania communities in remarks on the House floor. “Active shootings aren’t normal. Shooting hoaxes aren’t normal. The evacuations and drills are not normal. There’s nothing about this that’s normal,” Lee said Wednesday....
Morning Roundup: SWAT response in Allentown
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, March 30, 2023: SWAT response in Allentown A police SWAT team responded to a home in the 600 block of Eureka Street in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood just before midnight Wednesday. A police spokeswoman said the response was for...
Fishermen plead guilty in cheating scandal
CLEVELAND — Two men charged with cheating in a fishing tournament last year, including one Mercer County resident, pleaded guilty in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. Chase Cominsky, 36, of Hermitage, and Jacob Runyan, 43, of Ashtabula, Ohio, each pleaded guilty to one charge of cheating, a fifth-degree felony,...
How ‘swatting’ hoax threats cause chaos and panic
As Quaker Valley School District’s police chief, Aaron Vanatta is responsible for the well-being of 1,900 children. But, on Wednesday, he needed to tend to a student outside his jurisdiction: his daughter, a seventh grader 40 miles away in Washington County. A morning flurry of hoax threats that triggered lockdowns,...
Tennessee man gets 25 years in roadside killing of Butler County native
NASHVILLE — The man who shot and killed a Tennessee nurse as she was driving to work two years ago was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday, according to the Nashville district attorney’s office. In January, a jury found Devaunte Hill guilty of murder in the death of...
Ohio lawmakers OK rail safety rules after train derailment
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rail safety measures proposed after the February train derailment and toxic chemical burn in East Palestine are closer to becoming law in Ohio, as part of a nearly $13.5 billion transportation budget that cleared the Legislature on Wednesday. A compromise budget plan that chiefly funds work on...
Active shooter calls send panic across Western Pa. before deemed a hoax by investigators
Panic, confusion and then relief spread across the region Wednesday morning after two Pittsburgh Catholic schools received what investigators deemed were hoax active shooter threats that prompted evacuations, lockdowns and large responses from police. Families raced to Oakland Catholic and Central Catholic high schools as the news unfolded, but soon...
Morning Roundup: Squirrel Hill tunnel crash snarls traffic, man found shot in Stanton Heights
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, March 29, 2023: Parkway East traffic snarled A multivehicle crash inside the Squirrel Hill tunnel has snarled traffic on the Parkway East. The crash in the outbound direction was reported about 7:45 a.m., PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said....
Morning Roundup: Police investigating crash, shots fired in McKees Rocks
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, March 28, 2023: Police investigate crash, shots fired in McKees Rocks Police are investigating a crash and shots fired in the area of the crash in McKees Rocks early Tuesday morning. Allegheny County Police said 911 was notified...
Several treated, released after apartment floor collapse near IUP; video shows packed party
An Indiana University of Pennsylvania student who is friends with several people injured when an apartment floor collapsed during an off-campus party was shaken by the severity of the incident. Reaction of other students have been mixed, said Corryn Miller, an IUP junior from Johnstown. “Some people are taking it...
Attorney: Cranberry woman to tell judge she killed boyfriend in self-defense
A Cranberry woman will tell a judge she shot and killed her boyfriend Feb. 12 in self-defense, her attorney said Monday. Amanda Mariah Hughes, who turns 27 on Friday, faces one count of criminal homicide and is being held without bail in Butler County Jail. She is set to be...
Gas prices down in Pennsylvania while national average unchanged
Pennsylvania is among a majority of states that saw gas prices fall in the past week but downward trends are likely to be temporary, an industry analyst said. According to AAA, the average price in Pennsylvania on Monday was about $3.56 per gallon. That’s about 4 cents per gallon less...
CDC report: Tick-borne illness babesiosis on rise in Northeast
As a rare tick-borne disease is on the rise in the northeastern United States, a local professor is awaiting test results to see whether babesiosis is taking hold in the Keystone State. Pennsylvania is among the worst states in the nation for Lyme cases, and concern about its prevalence has...
Morning Roundup: Weekend winds knock out power in Western Pa.
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, March 27, 2023: Weekend winds knock out power in Western Pa. Power outages stemming from high winds over the weekend were impacting several schools in the Pittsburgh area Monday morning. Duquesne Light and West Penn Power were reporting...
12 hurt after floor collapses in apartment building near Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Twelve people were injured late Saturday after a second-story floor collapsed inside an apartment complex near Indiana University of Pennsylvania, state police said. Five people were treated at the scene, and seven others were taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment of injuries ranging from minor to serious, Trooper...
Local athletes prove age isn’t an issue in extreme sports
A nationally ranked triathlete and mother of five, 54-year-old Heather Melzer likens her participation in the sport to the adage about fine wine. “You can get better as you get older,” the North Allegheny woman said. “My bike just keeps getting better, and, right now, it’s my only weapon against...
New Kensington woman accused of repeatedly hitting a state police horse, 1 of 2 incidents during IUPatty’s revelry
A New Kensington woman is facing charges after troopers said she struck a state police horse in Indiana during a delayed St. Patrick’s Day celebration by college-age revelers dubbed IUPatty’s. State and local police boost enforcement during the annual weekend that is student-planned and not associated with Indiana University of...
Pittsburgh area Muslims observe Ramadan
Muslims all around the world fast from dawn to dusk during the holy month of Ramadan. Such was the case at the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh in North Oakland. Water and dates are usually eaten to break the fast after prayers. Muslims believe they are God’s guests during the month...
Flooding closes several Western Pa. roads
Several roads in the region are closed because of flooding. In Westmoreland County, Route 381 in Ligonier Township is closed from Rolling Rock Lane to Route 30. PennDOT announced the closure at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. That stretch of road often is subject to flooding during heavy rains. In Washington County,...
Morning Roundup: Wigle Whiskey turns 11
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, March 24, 2023: Wigle Whiskey turns 11 with special release Pittsburgh distillery Wigle Whiskey is celebrating its 11th birthday by releasing its longest-aged spirits to date: Single Barrel Straight Bourbon and Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey — aged...
Rain, possible flooding projected for Southwestern Pa.
Southwestern Pennsylvania — particularly areas south of Pittsburgh — will see increased rainfall and potential flooding heading into Saturday as a cold front enters the region. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Western Pennsylvania, east central Ohio and northern West Virginia through Saturday, and a...
Aliquippa man found dead in house filled with snakes had old bite wound, officials say
Officials say a man found dead Tuesday in an Aliquippa house where dozens of venomous snakes were kept had been bitten by a snake, but the bite was not what killed him. The Beaver County Coroner has not yet ruled on the cause of death for the man, whose identity...
Morning Roundup: Fire shuts down bridge on South Side
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, March 23, 2023: Fire shuts down bridge on South Side Part of P.J. McArdle Roadway on the South Side of Pittsburgh is closed after a fire under the span overnight, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. The station...
Report shows Pittsburgh region attracted $1B in tech investments amid economic downturn
Tech investment in the Pittsburgh region slipped in 2022 compared to the record set in the previous year, attracting about $1.05 billion across 176 deals. The latest report from North Side-based Innovation Works and Ernst & Young noted that the economic downturn and shrinking valuations took their toll in 2022....
At least 60 venomous snakes removed from Aliquippa home; resident found dead
A man was found dead Tuesday in an Aliquippa home where more than 200 snakes were being kept. City code enforcement officer Jim Bologna said the man was found in a bathroom and appeared to have puncture marks on his wrist, but he could not say if they were the...
