Wisconsin judge tosses wrestler’s suspension, worrying refs
MILWAUKEE — A Wisconsin judge overturned a high school wrestler’s suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct after the student’s parents took legal action, worrying referees and the state’s athletic association that officiating decisions could be undermined by courts. At issue is a Feb. 2 wrestling contest in which the victor was suspended...
Texas sheriff: 2 malnourished children found in dog cage
DECATUR, Texas — Sheriff’s deputies discovered four malnourished children, including two locked inside a dog cage, when they responded to a domestic disturbance at a Northeast Texas home. Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin says deputies found the children aged 5 and younger Tuesday morning at the home near Rhome, about...
Pennsylvania university system pledges to transform amid struggles
HARRISBURG — Leaders of Pennsylvania’s state-owned university system are promising a transformation amid declining enrollments, rising costs and lackluster state support. Tuesday’s hearing before the House Appropriations Committee comes after enrollment at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education fell below 100,000 for the first time since 2001. The system...
Probation officers ask Greensburg man’s parole be revoked after multiple arrests last week
The Westmoreland County Adult Probation office has asked a judge to revoke the parole of a 19-year-old man who was arrested twice last week by Greensburg police for allegedly stiffing a cab driver out of a $90 fare just a few hours after he was accused of illegal possession of...
At major colleges, sexual assaults most likely off-campus
WASHINGTON — At some of the nation’s largest universities, the vast majority of sexual assaults take place not in dorm rooms or even on school property, but in the neighborhoods beyond campus boundaries, according to data obtained by The Associated Press. But the schools’ obligation to investigate and respond to...
Group to launch program to help homeless youth in Western Pa.
The problem of youth homelessness in Western Pennsylvania is getting renewed attention from an agency on the opposite end of the state. Valley Youth House, based in Bethlehem, recently received $407,348 in grant funding for youth homelessness programs, including $175,460 to start a Host Home Program in four Western Pennsylvania...
Police: Apollo man gave pot and booze to children, one as young as 7
An Apollo man is accused of giving marijuana to two children, in one case starting when the boy was 7. Police said they received a Childline complaint about Dale Edward Bash, 33, in January. A woman told investigators that Bash had been giving marijuana to her children, ages 15 and...
Man pulled from Feb. 4 Pittsburgh house fire dies
A man pulled from a house fire in Pittsburgh’s Homewood section last week died Tuesday, authorities said. The man, who the medical examiner has not identified, was one of two people pulled from the Feb. 4 fire, according to Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri. Crews responded at about 3 p.m....
Man who dumped 400-pound, headless tuna in woods pleads guilty, fined $16,000
A fisherman’s plans went adrift when he caught a fish out of season and disposed of the evidence in the woods. Harold Wentworth, 41, of Gloucester, Mass., pleaded guilty on Monday for catching a bluefin tuna worth an estimated $10,000, The Salem News reports. Surveillance footage showed the fish being...
Scientists reveal climate forecast for 2080 — and it’s a whole lot warmer
Scientists have just revealed the climate forecast for the year 2080 in hundreds of cities across North America, and — surprise! — it looks like it’s going to get a whole lot warmer in all of them. If humanity continues to emit greenhouse gases at the same rate it does...
Rare, tiny monkey stolen from Palm Beach Zoo
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Police in Florida are on the lookout for a little monkey, stolen from the Palm Beach Zoo. Zoo spokeswoman Naki Carter announced Tuesday that 12-year-old Kali, a rare Goeldi’s monkey, was taken from the zoo in West Palm Beach on Monday. A zookeeper discovered the...
Pittsburgh getting $350K grant to buy recycling bins
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is giving Pittsburgh a $350,000 grant to purchase recycling bins for city residents. Pittsburgh will use the money to buy 13,000 residential curbside recycling containers and pay for a recycling education program consisting of leaflets, website updates and a social media campaign, according to...
Greensburg man accused of sexually abusing girl
A Greensburg man is accused of sexually abusing a girl when she was 8 and 15 years old, according to court papers. Charles Samuel Battistoni, 60, is charged with numerous sex assault-related offenses including rape. He is free on $5,000 unsecured bail. State police allege the sexual abuse occurred in...
U.S. jury convicts Mexican drug lord El Chapo on all counts
NEW YORK – Mexico’s most notorious drug lord, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, was convicted Tuesday of running an industrial-scale smuggling operation after a three-month trial packed with Hollywood-style tales of grisly killings, political payoffs, cocaine hidden in jalapeno cans, jewel-encrusted guns and a naked escape with his mistress through a...
140K pre-verify for REAL ID, PennDOT says
About 140,000 Pennsylvania residents have pre-verified for REAL ID, PennDOT announced Tuesday. Pre-verification will allow state residents to apply for REAL ID online once they are available in March, and get their REAL ID driver’s license or photo identification card in the mail. A REAL ID is optional for state...
Deer Lakes shortens spring break for make-up snow days
Deer Lakes School District students will have a shorter spring break thanks to snow make-up days. The district announced it will use three of its scheduled spring break days — April 18, April 22 and April 23 – as three of its four snow make-up days. The other will be...
Highlands to repair, not remove, clock tower atop Tarentum school
There’s apparently no reason to recreate the “Save the clock tower!” scene from the movie “Back to the Future” in Tarentum. Highlands School District is moving forward with repairing the landmark tower atop Highlands Elementary School, formerly known as Grandview, school board President Debbie Beale said. The district also will...
Cardi B deactivates Instagram account after Grammy criticism
NEW YORK — Cardi B has deactivated her Instagram account following social media criticism of her winning a Grammy for best rap album. Some people said the 26-year-old rapper didn’t deserve the Grammy over other nominees. The criticism was amplified by a now-deleted BET tweet that pitted Cardi B against...
McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge reopen after reported barge strike
The McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge reopened Tuesday afternoon, about an hour after loose barges that might have struck the bridge forced its closure. The barges went through around 11:45 a.m., and Allegheny County officials said via Twitter that at least one barge might have struck the piers. Coast Guard Lt. Shawn Simeral...
Starzl documentary to premiere at Science Center’s Rangos Cinema
The Carnegie Science Center will host the first public showing of the documentary on organ transplant pioneer Dr. Thomas Starzl in April. “Burden of Genius” chronicles the late Starzl’s journey from the world’s first successful liver transplant in 1967 to his start at the University of Pittsburgh in 1981 and...
Police investigating shots that broke synagogue’s windows
LIMA, Ohio — Police are investigating several shots that broke windows at a synagogue in Ohio. Officers in Lima say they believe it’s a case of vandalism and not a hate crime. They say it appears that several windows at the Temple Beth Israel-Shaare Zedek synagogue were broken Friday night...
Brackenridge church sees increased fee for Easter egg hunt on Highlands property
It’s going to cost a Brackenridge church a lot more to use Highlands School District facilities for its annual Easter egg hunt, but not as much as church members first thought. Generations House of Worship, which is planning its third egg hunt at the district’s middle school, initially thought it...
Pittsburgh Council confirms mayor’s choice to head city technology department
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday confirmed Mayor Bill Peduto’s pick to head the city’s Department of Innovation and Performance. Council unanimously confirmed Santiago Garces, who formerly served as chief innovation officer in South Bend, Indiana. Garces, a native of Bogotá, Colombia, started South Bend’s Department of Innovation and Technology in...
Archaeologists discover ancient workshop in Egypt’s Sinai
CAIRO — Egypt says archaeologists have uncovered an ancient workshop used to build and repair ships that dates back to the Ptolemaic era (332 B.C.-30 B.C.) in the Sinai Peninsula. The Antiquities Ministry says Tuesday that excavations took place in the Tel Abu Saifi archaeological site in Northern Sinai. The...
Police: Man charged with DUI in funeral procession crash
LILBURN, Ga. — A hearse was struck and flipped several times during a funeral procession in metro Atlanta and police say the man who hit it is charged with DUI, drug and traffic offenses. News outlets cite a Lilburn police report as saying Troy Hickey is accused of ignoring officers...
