Regional category, Page 45
Fire displaces residents of Connellsville apartment building
Several people were left without a home Wednesday night after a fire destroyed an apartment building in Connellsville, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The building is near the intersection of North Pittsburgh and Peach streets. No injuries were reported, but at least one person was rescued by firefighters. “I...
Lawsuit accuses Washington County officials of holding infant’s decomposing body for months in death penalty case
A death penalty case against a Washington County man charged with killing his baby took a grisly turn last week when the father sued top county officials for not releasing his son’s body for seven months, delaying funeral arrangements even as the infant’s body decomposed. Jordan Clarke, the father, accused...
Health department shuts down Pittsburgh Popcorn Co.’s processing facility
The Allegheny County Health Department said it discovered a variety of violations in an inspection of Pittsburgh Popcorn Co.’s processing facility on the South Side Slopes earlier this month. Among the listed issues: Chocolate nibbled by rodents, broken sinks, grease-caked popcorn machines. Altogether, the initial report noted 13 violations out...
Unregulated Delta 8 remains a concern amid marijuana legalization talk, as teens and toddlers gain access to it
As the debate over recreational marijuana continues, a related issue medical and legal experts say poses a threat to children is a growing concern. Delta 8 edibles look like the kind of sugary, fruit-flavored gummy candy toddlers devour by the handful. But pediatricians say these products — packaged almost identically...
Pa. AG charges Allegheny County residents in vehicle ‘smash-and-grab’ spree
State authorities have accused four Allegheny County residents of breaking into dozens of vehicles last year throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania, stealing checkbooks, credit, debit and ID cards, and then draining victims’ bank accounts. On Dec. 6, the state Attorney General’s Office charged Ahmed Henderson, Theresa Imel, Elizabeth Madden and Shaquan Moore...
Police: Indiana County school security guard accidentally fires gun in elementary school
A Purchase Line School District security guard in Indiana County is under investigation after state police said he accidentally discharged his gun Friday morning in an elementary-school faculty room. Police were called to Purchase Line Elementary School around 9:15 a.m. in Green Township. They said shortly after 9 a.m., an...
TribLive wins national award in best website category
TribLive has earned a top honor in the prestigious EPPY Awards, a national competition that recognizes the best in digital journalism. TribLive placed second in the “Best Daily Newspaper Website” among news organizations with more than 1 million unique monthly visitors. The EPPY Awards, now in their 26th year, drew...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: Dec. 13
The following is a regular feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz:...
4 injured in crash in Findlay as slick road conditions persist in Pittsburgh region
A large crash early Friday morning in Findlay Township left four people hurt. Several vehicles and a bus were involved in a crash around 4:30 a.m. on the Flaugherty Run Road exit ramp to Clinton Road, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Four people were taken to the hospital. Their...
Junior Achievement of Western Pa. hosts high school students for stock market competition
In the volatile world of the stock market, the difference between finishing on top and, say, 98th place is about three minutes. At least that’s one of the lessons learned by budding Deer Lakes School District investors. “The stock market is unpredictable,” said Sam Guthrie, a Deer Lakes senior and...
Chorus to approve U.S. Steel-Nippon deal grows louder
United Steelworkers President David McCall was mentioned only once by name Thursday afternoon at a rally supporting the sale of U.S. Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel, but his intransigence over the $15 billion acquisition looms much larger with a decision on the deal likely imminent. “I want to know: Who’s...
St. Louis bakery embroiled in smiley cookies trademark dispute with Eat’n Park
Eat’n Park isn’t smiling over a St. Louis bakery producing a similarly named cookie. McArthur’s Bakery and The Pioneer Cafe in St. Louis, which employs adults with disabilities, has received a cease and desist letter from Pittsburgh-based restaurant chain Eat’n Park alleging trademark infringement over its popular Smiley Cookies. McArthur’s...
Jordan Brown loses civil case against troopers who charged him
Jordan Brown set out to prove he should never have been arrested for the 2009 shooting death of his father’s pregnant fiancee. He failed. A federal jury Thursday said the four state troopers who led the investigation and accused then-11-year-old Brown of killing Kenzie Houk had probable cause to charge...
22-car crash in Pittsburgh sends 5 to hospital amid icy road conditions
A massive crash involving 22 vehicles occurred at 6:30 a.m. on the Boulevard of the Allies/Forbes Avenue off ramp coming off of Interstate 376, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety officials. Five people were transported to hospitals with minor injuries from the crash in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, officials said. A number...
Murrysville Medic One, Mutual Aid to assist in aftermath of Saltsburg-based ambulance service closure
Two Westmoreland County ambulance services are helping to pick up the slack after Saltsburg-based Lifestat EMS abruptly closed its doors this week. Citing financial constraints, the Indiana County ambulance station terminated its services after 36 years Saturday night, according to a statement it released Tuesday. “This difficult decision comes as...
Lawyers give closing arguments to jury in Jordan Brown civil trial
It’s not about whether it was a perfect investigation. It’s not about guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or determining who actually killed Kenzie Houk and her unborn baby on Feb. 20, 2009, inside a Lawrence County farmhouse. Instead, the attorney representing the Pennsylvania State Police said Wednesday morning, all the...
Annual Geminid meteor shower will hit peak soon
This weekend, the annual Geminid meteor shower will once again appear — with shooting stars streaking across the sky. It will peak Friday and Saturday under a nearly full moon, which will reduce visibility, but bright meteors may still be spotted in the days leading up to the peak, according...
UPMC, other health care and insurance giants scrub leadership from web after CEO killing
Health care giant UPMC makes no secret of who its top executives are, but the organization isn’t advertising it, either. At least, not for now. Western Pennsylvania’s largest employer, like some other large corporations, is giving its leadership a lower online profile. CEO Leslie Davis’ photo and biography have been...
Investigator tells jury changing statements and fresh snow led to homicide charge against then 11-year-old Jordan Brown
The state trooper who interviewed Jordan Brown the morning his father’s pregnant fiancee was killed said it never even crossed her mind that the 11-year-old boy could have done it. But as that day — Feb. 20, 2009 — wore on, the most likely suspects were eliminated, now-retired Cpl. Janice...
Butler hospital authority bonds fall to ‘junk’ status
Financial problems continue for the former Butler Health System’s Clarion and Butler hospitals, with a national credit rating agency downgrading its bonds to junk status, indicating it has a negative outlook and would be a risky investment. Fitch Ratings on Dec. 3 lowered the Butler County Hospital Authority’s bonds issued...
Rep. Mike Kelly’s task force releases final report on Trump assassination attempt in Butler County
A task force led by a Republican congressman from Southwestern Pennsylvania on Tuesday capped a monthslong investigation of the attempted assassination of President-elect Donald Trump at a Butler County campaign rally in July by releasing dozens of recommendations to improve the U.S. Secret Service after widespread criticism of the agency....
Morning Roundup: Sinkhole opens up in East Liberty; man charged in stabbing; person flown to hospital following crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Dec. 10: Pittsburgh water officials investigate East Liberty sinkhole A large sinkhole was discovered in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood on Monday. TribLive news partner WTAE reports that a 10 feet wide, 4 feet deep sinkhole opened in front...
Frigid temperatures in Pittsburgh area return following rainstorm later this week
A warm-up throughout the Pittsburgh area will transition into frigid conditions with a chance of snow later this week. Temperatures on Tuesday will reach highs in the upper 50s, warming up conditions across the region, but don’t expect that to last long. Rain showers are reported to start Tuesday afternoon...
Ski season to start Saturday at Hidden Valley Resort
The ski season will begin Saturday at Hidden Valley Resort in Somerset County. Operated by Vail Resorts, Hidden Valley will offer skiing from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. The slopes will be closed on Monday, reopening on Dec. 20 for the season’s...
Altoona thrust into spotlight after suspect in UnitedHealthcare’s CEO’s killing nabbed at McDonald’s
ALTOONA — Karen Townsley praised the McDonald’s employee who reported to police Monday suspicions that a customer was the man being sought by New York City authorities in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. “I was pretty shocked,” she said. “I thought he was probably from New York City.” The...
