Landslide-damaged Prospect Road in Baldwin Borough reopens to traffic
Prospect Road in Baldwin Borough reopened to traffic Thursday following a landslide that shut down the South Hills thoroughfare earlier this week, officials said. A landslide during Tuesday’s severe weather conditions prompted Allegheny County Department of Public Works crews to close Prospect Road between Beryl Drive and Streets Run Road....
Pittsburgh man sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for robbing 3 banks in 2017
A Pittsburgh man has been sentenced in federal court to more than 15 years in prison for robbing three banks. Authorities say the suspect’s lavish spending and his girlfriend’s bragging about it led to his demise. U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Bryan Campbell, 27,, federal...
Ligonier mother sues N.J. home health care provider, nurse over son’s death
The mother of a disabled 5-year-old Ligonier boy who died last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a New Jersey-based home health care provider and a nurse who the family claimed did not properly care for the child. According to the lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County, Gabrielle Bronson,...
Pittsburgh URA approves construction for $50M Produce Terminal
Work to convert Pittsburgh’s landmark Produce Terminal into a restaurant, retail and office complex will begin soon following a unanimous vote Thursday by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Pamela Austin, senior project manager of development for Chicago-based McCaffery Interests, said the $50 million project could begin in March and wrap up...
Sick days force Westmoreland Transit to cancel some Pittsburgh routes due to driver shortage
Driver shortages that caused Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus routes to be canceled this week are expected to continue for some time and could further disrupt daily schedules, officials said. One outgoing route from Pittsburgh was canceled Thursday, a day after the authority was forced to cut two bus runs...
Audit blasts failures in student loan servicers
A new audit by the U.S. Department of Education’s in-house watchdog blasts the agency for failing to ensure oustside contractors entrusted with overseeing the payment of more than $1 trillion in student debt are serving millions of Americans struggling to pay their federal student loans. NPR reported that an audit...
Search fails to find body in Brush Creek
Following another search for several hours on Thursday, dive teams found no signs of a reported body in a section of swollen Brush Creek in North Huntingdon, an EMS official said. Shane Spielvogle, executive director of North Huntingdon EMS/Rescue, said he intends to meet with North Huntingdon Police Chief Robert...
State Police nab 1,800 drivers for ignoring restrictions during winter storms
Pennsylvania State Police issued citations to more than 800 drivers of commercial vehicles — including tractor-trailers, flatbeds, box trucks and buses — for ignoring or violating emergency road restrictions during severe storms this week. Troopers have issued more than 1,800 such citations so far this year, figures provided by state...
Coal-fired power plant set to close, despite Trump support
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A federal utility board voted Thursday to close a coal-fired power plant in Kentucky, rejecting pleas from President Donald Trump and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and handing the coal industry a defeat in its backyard. The Tennessee Valley Authority voted to retire the remaining coal-fired...
House fire kills Lancaster couple on Valentine’s Day
LANCASTER, Pa. — A Pennsylvania couple have died in a Valentine’s Day fire at their home. Officials tell LNP that Jose and Lydia Montes, both 59, were found unconscious on the second floor of their Lancaster home early Thursday. They died at the hospital. Family members say the couple had...
Missing 87-year-old man discovered dead in Fayette County, cops say
An 87-year-old Fayette County man who wandered from his home Monday was discovered dead about one mile from his residence on Thursday, according to state police in Uniontown. Troopers and the family had issued a missing persons alert for Luther Bryner of Dunbar Township, who was last seen in the...
‘Roadmap’ puts DEP squarely behind greater use of electric vehicles
It may not be the Green New Deal, but a new report by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection tries to nudge the state toward greater use of electric vehicles. The Pennsylvania Electric Vehicle Roadmap, developed over two years by the Drive Electric Pennsylvania Coalition, attempts to lay out strategies...
Trump to sign border deal, but will declare emergency
WASHINGTON — Congress lopsidedly approved a border security compromise that would avert a second painful government shutdown. But a new confrontation has been ignited — this time over President Donald Trump’s plan to bypass lawmakers and declare a national emergency to siphon billions of dollars from other federal coffers for...
Montana women sue border patrol over racial profiling claims
HELENA, Mont. — Two Montana women questioned by a U.S. border agent who overheard them speaking Spanish in a convenience store sued U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Thursday, saying the agent illegally detained them without reason. The agent held Ana Suda and Martha Hernandez for 40 minutes in a...
Ligonier Valley students share Valentine’s Day party with schoolmatesVideo
Valentine’s Day came early Tuesday at Ligonier Valley High School, where life skills students and their guests from the school’s student council enjoyed a 40-minute party packed with fun, fellowship and treats both savory and sweet. Life skills class member Dakota Ansell, 19, of Seward mingled with many friends from...
Patients get preview of new Excela family medicine office in Mt. PleasantVideo
Excela Health’s “medical mall” approach to providing ambulatory care will see its newest expression Monday when patients begin arriving for appointments at Excela Square at Frick Family Medicine in Mt. Pleasant. The blended practice incorporates staff from two existing Excela primary care locations that will wrap up operations Friday —...
Police: Irwin woman stole $30K from Upper Burrell trucking business, owners
A former employee is charged with stealing more than $30,000 from an Upper Burrell trucking company and its owners while working there in 2017. Westmoreland County detectives allege Mary Jane Mousley, 51, of Irwin, used the money for herself, in one case spending at least $2,000 to pay personal bills....
Chicago police question 2 ‘persons of interest’ in Jussie Smollett assault case
Chicago police say they have identified two “persons of interest” in the assault case involving Jussie Smollett, just hours after ABC’s “Good Morning America” aired an interview with the “Empire” actor in which he described his alleged attack. “After a meticulous investigation with the use of advance technology, interviews with...
California murder suspected arrested in Coraopolis
The suspect in a murder on the other side of the country fled to his father’s home in Coraopolis where he was arrested Thursday morning by sheriff’s deputies, authorities said. Police in Bakersfield filed charges against 19-year-old Isaiah Starns and four others in what was, at the time, an attempted...
Middle school students compete in video contest that asks ‘What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?’
The winners of a contest that paired 20 Western Pennsylvania manufacturers with 20 middle schools will be announced at Catalyst Connection’s annual manufacturing reception on Wednesday. The middle school students were encouraged to go behind the scenes and interview employees of local companies and submit videos for the “What’s So...
3 men, alligator snagged in Pennsylvania drug bust
A drug bust in Coatesville took a surprising turn when police discovered a 3-foot-long alligator during the search of a home. Authorities also found heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana, more than $5,000 in cash, and drug packaging materials, a discovery that led to the arrests of three men. Irvin “Gotti” Hawkins,...
$1.5B Mega Millions lottery jackpot still unclaimed
If you still have a Mega Millions ticket from October and you bought it in South Carolina, maybe check it again. There’s a $1.537 billion jackpot still waiting to be claimed. No one has come forward yet and time is running out as the price must be claimed within 180...
Meet the Hill staffers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hired to upend Washington
WASHINGTON — One is the daughter of an immigrant from Nigeria who wanted to understand the causes of her mom’s plight, starting a search that would lead her to Spelman, Oxford, Harvard, Georgetown, the State Department and, eventually, the halls of Congress. The other was raised by a single mother...
Public shaming threat moves 1 delinquent Tarentum property owner to pay taxes
The threat of publicly shaming delinquent taxpayers in Tarentum hasn’t produced the desired results as far as the borough is concerned. As of Thursday, just one person had come forward to pay $1,500 in delinquent property taxes. A week before, Tarentum Council approved a proposal to post the names of...
Gilpin certified public accountant makes bid for Armstrong County treasurer
Gilpin resident Jean Stull has thrown her hat into the ring for Armstrong County treasurer. Stull, a Democrat, announced she will run in the primary election on May 21 for the four-year position. Would-be candidates cannot start collecting signatures on their nomination petitions until Tuesday, Feb. 19, according to Jennifer...
