Regional category, Page 340
Election guide: Here’s what you need to know for the primary
Primary Election Day is Tuesday. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Some of the notable races include Allegheny County district attorney, Allegheny County council, Pittsburgh city council, Westmoreland County sheriff and Westmoreland County commissioner. To get more information on polling places, go to the official election pages...
Philly animal shelter suspends adoptions, intakes after infections
A Philadelphia animal shelter is temporarily suspending adoptions and most intakes following upper respiratory infections in a number of dogs, some leading to death. The Animal Care and Control Team of Philadelphia says new dogs surrendered by their owners will not be accepted for two weeks beginning Saturday, except for...
2 DAs obtain injunction against municipal authority, warn of pollution to Mon River
Two county district attorneys are intervening in a dispute between a local municipal authority and a Rostraver landfill over concerns fracking waste is polluting the Monongahela River. On Saturday, Washington County District Attorney Eugene Vittone and Fayette County District Attorney Richard Bower announced they had obtained a temporary injunction against...
Peters Township School District investigating racist post on board member’s Facebook
McMURRAY — Peters Township School District says it’s investigating a racist Facebook post that appeared to have been published on a school board member’s personal page. Screenshots have been circulating of the since-removed post which looked like it was been made by Peters Township School Board member William Merrell. Merrell...
Low voter turnout expected in Tuesday’s primary despite key local races
Between 75% and 80% of the region’s registered voters aren’t expected to cast a ballot in Tuesday’s primary, according to elections officials. The primary features county, municipal and school board races for Republican and Democratic party nominations to run in November’s general election. Local taxes are traditionally one of the...
17 indicted in suspected Western Pennsylvania cocaine ring
Seventeen members of a drug ring spanning four states have been indicted on 34 counts involving a scheme to deliver cocaine to the Pittsburgh area and other states, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said Friday. “This is one of the largest cocaine distribution rings in Western Pennsylvania,” Brady said in a...
Thunderstorms could bring damaging winds, large hail this afternoon
A hazardous weather alert was issued early Friday morning calling for severe thunderstorms with damaging wind and large hail for the afternoon and evening. The alert issued by the National Weather Service in Moon covers southwestern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, east central Ohio, northern West Virginia and the northern West Virginia...
Johnstown church commemorates 130th anniversary of deadly flood
Behind the altar of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in downtown Johnstown are engraved the words, “Many waters cannot quench love.” The verse from the Song of Solomon is a perpetual reminder of the Locust Street church’s role in the 1889 Johnstown Flood and its aftermath. “I think that we here...
Packsaddle Paddle features Conemaugh River trip, picnic
Those who’d like to try a recreational trip down the Conemaugh River but don’t want to wait for the annual Stony-Kiski-Conemaugh Rivers Sojourn next month may want to sign up for the May 25 Packsaddle Gap Paddle and Picnic. The fifth annual kayaking paddle is scheduled to begin at 9...
Police: Indiana County nursery worker foils attempted holdup
An employee disarmed a man who attempted to hold up an Indiana County nursery with an unloaded gun that the man stole from a nearby home, state police said. Justin S. Ludwig, 37, of Warren, is charged with robbery, attempted theft and terroristic threats in the confrontation Wednesday afternoon at...
Retrial planned for man who broke $4.5M statue’s thumb at Philly museum
PHILADELPHIA — Federal prosecutors plan to retry a Delaware man who admitted he broke a thumb off a $4.5 million statue at a Philadelphia museum. Philly.com reports prosecutors told a judge Thursday they’re refiling charges against Michael Rohana for theft and concealment of an object of cultural heritage. A jury...
Giant Eagle adding car-charging stations thanks to $660K in state grants
The state Department of Environmental Protection on Thursday announced $660,000 in grants for Giant Eagle to add electric car charging stations in Allegheny, Butler and Washington counties aimed at expansion of the state’s alternative fuel highway network. “Pennsylvanians are increasingly interested in protecting the environment and saving money by driving...
UPMC, Attorney General’s legal teams face off before state Supreme CourtVideo
HARRISBURG — UPMC’s looming prepayment rule for out-of-network patients demonstrates the health giant’s efforts to serve the public have “deteriorated” in the past five years, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office argued Thursday before the state Supreme Court. Bart DeLone, chief attorney general, told justices that the controversial prepay rule —...
Washington County clinic owner pleads guilty to unlawful drug distribution
A Washington County woman has pleaded guilty to helping illegally peddle drugs from the addiction treatment clinic she owned, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady. Jennifer Hess, 50, founded and owned Redirections Treatment Advocates LLC, which had operated five clinics in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Hess used pre-signed prescriptions...
Western Pa. farmers prefer free market trade to tariff-compensation handout
It’s déjà vu all over again for Pennsylvania farmers. This time last year, farmers were contemplating a federal bailout to the tune of $12 billion to offset the negative impact of retaliatory tariffs from China. Now the figure being floated by President Trump in his ongoing trade war with China...
Lawmaker says pets should be given special consideration in divorces
In a divorce, deciding who gets a pet should be treated differently than deciding who gets a piece of furniture, according to a state legislator from Allegheny County. But Pennsylvania law treats pets as chattel to be divvied up, said state Rep. Anita Kulik, D-Kennedy Township. Kulik wants to change...
Ohio teen loses 115 pounds while walking to school every day
An Ohio student will graduate 115 pounds lighter than when he started high school. Michael Watson, 18, of Canton decided two years ago to do something about his weight. He was 6 foot, 4 inches tall and tipped the scale at 335 pounds, reports CNN. “My self-confidence was zero,” Watson...
Ex-Butler man accused of forcing boy and pregnant woman to have sex
A former Butler County man forced a 12-year-old boy and 29-year-old woman to have sex, according to police. Butler Township police charged Chester Henry Thompson Jr., 55, formerly of Lyndora, with several sex crimes. The woman told police she was about two-months pregnant when she was forced to have sex...
Fallen law enforcement remembered on National Peace Officers Memorial Day
Law enforcement officers on Wednesday are gathering in Washington, D.C., to remember their fallen on National Peace Officers Memorial Day. Four Pennsylvania officers are among those being honored during the national memorial service, including New Castle Detective Sgt. Brian S. Cuscino, 44, and state prison guard Sgt. Mark Baserman, 60,...
Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics will host open house
The Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics will host an open house May 18 for those with an interest in flight-related careers. Representatives from Endeavor Air will be at the school’s main campus, at the Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin, to talk with prospective students. PIA President Suzanne Markle said the...
Pittsburgh region’s rainfall above average in 2019, but behind 2018 pace
If it seems to have been wet for a solid week, it wasn’t your imagination. The Pittsburgh area saw rain for six consecutive days, with about an inch of rain recorded at Pittsburgh International Airport from Thursday through Monday, according to the National Weather Service Pittsburgh office in Moon. The...
USDA funds available to communities trying solve stormwater runoff problems
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering grants to small, rural communities to help them deal with stormwater runoff problems. USDA announced on Monday the latest round of grants awarded through its Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program. Rural communities, water districts and other eligible entities can use...
China trade deal could reverse relief at gas pump
Gas prices have come down a bit in Pittsburgh in the past week, although they’re still higher than they were both a month and a year ago. Prices in the Pittsburgh region are down 2.1 cents per gallon to an average of $3.12, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 731 stations....
Allegheny Health Network opens cancer center in Beaver County
Allegheny Health Network officially opened its new cancer center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday in Beaver County. AHN Cancer Institute – Beaver is located in Center Township and provides clinical and support services, including radiation oncology capabilities, medical oncology and infusion therapy, nutritional counseling, social services and access to cancer...
1 dead in Fayette County apartment building fire
One person died in a fire that broke out Sunday at an apartment building along Second Street in Brownsville. The early-morning fire in Fayette County is believed to have started on the building’s top floor where the man who died had lived, authorities told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Authorities did...
