Poems about Pittsburgh neighborhoods will be displayed in Port Authority vehicles
A Pittsburgh nonprofit literacy organization is sponsoring a poetry contest designed to bring people together and help heal wounds left by violence in the city, including the October murders at Tree of Life synagogue. Crossing Limits has partnered with Port Authority of Allegheny County on the contest dubbed I Too...
Future of Penn Plaza site in East Liberty about to be finalized
The Pittsburgh Planning Commission has scheduled a hearing and vote for Tuesday on final plans for the controversial redevelopment of the former site of Penn Plaza Apartments in East Liberty. Pennley Park South, a subsidiary of Downtown-based LG Realty Advisors, is seeking to build a $100 million retail and office...
Judge finds suspended Westmoreland sheriff’s captain not guilty of trespassing charge
A suspended Westmoreland County sheriff’s captain was acquitted Monday of trespassing at the state police barracks in Greensburg. Senior Common Pleas Judge Richard E. McCormick Jr., following testimony from three witnesses during a summary appeal hearing, ruled there was not enough evidence to support the citation issued against Travis Day...
2-1-1 to have statewide coverage by end of year
All Pennsylvania residents should have access to 2-1-1 by the end of the year, the United Way of Pennsylvania and PA 2-1-1 announced Monday. The organizations are recognizing Feb. 11 as PA 2-1-1 Day. 2-1-1 is a free, confidential, 24-hour information and referral service. Residents can contact 2-1-1 to find...
August Wilson Center celebrates its 10th anniversary with some exciting changes
The August Wilson Center has a star-studded gala and a new name planned for its 10th anniversary celebration in April. The party and name change to the August Wilson Cultural Center were announced at a news conference Monday. After a tumultuous first decade where the Downtown Pittsburgh center nearly faced...
Pittsburgh gas prices stay steady ahead of summer fuel switch
Pittsburgh gasoline prices are unchanged in the past week, while the national average increased less than a penny. “The national average price of gasoline barely nudged higher last week, driven primarily by stations hiking prices notably in the Great Lakes early last week, pushing the national average to $2.30 per...
Cops: Jeannette man jailed on $30K bond after 12-mile chase
State police arrested a Jeannette man early Sunday after allegedly leading police through multiple Westmoreland County communities for 12 miles at speeds often exceeding 90 mph. Darrick L. Brown, 22, was charged with one felony count of fleeing and eluding police and 70 multiple traffic counts, including driving without a...
Past president of Riverlife named new president of Pittsburgh Foundation
The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Board of Directors has named Lisa M. Schroeder as the philanthropic organization’s new president. Schroeder becomes the sixth president of the foundation and the first woman to lead the organization in its 75-year history. She succeeds Maxwell King, who is retiring in September after serving a five-year...
GOP pummels Gov. Tom Wolf’s minimum wage proposal
HARRISBURG — Hearings on Gov. Tom Wolf’s $34.1 billion budget plan kicked off with a volley of Republican attacks on the Democrat’s new proposal to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage. Monday’s first House budget hearing featured Republicans repeatedly criticizing the broader impact of a minimum wage increase, including whether it would...
Outer Banks vacationers will have use of replacement Bonner Bridge in 2019Video
For Western Pennsylvanians who like to vacation in the Outer Banks, there’s some good news out of Dare County, N.C. — home of Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Roanoke Island and other tourist destinations. The three-year project to replace the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, which spans the Oregon...
Michael Jackson wax statue removed by Danish mall
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark’s oldest shopping mall has removed a wax statue of Michael Jackson out of fears it could offend customers and may be vandalized because of accusations that the late pop star molested boys. Charlotte Andersen, marketing manager for the Roedovre Centrum mall in suburban Copenhagen, told Denmark’s...
Truck driver charged in fatal Route 28 crash headed to trial
A tractor-trailer driver involved in a fatal crash on Route 28 in O’Hara more than a year ago is headed to trial, but his lawyer hopes the case won’t make it that far. Arther Wells, 70, of Mississippi, is charged with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person,...
Allegheny Township Eagle Scout makes enduring contribution to Roaring Run TrailVideo
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle- Kiski Valley people and the notable things that they do. Kiski Area senior Cody Endress wished for a project with enduring benefits when he set out to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. “I spend a lot of...
Historians challenge Va. governor’s ‘indentured servants’ remark
NORFOLK, Va. — Historians say they were “shocked” and “mystified” when Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam wrongly used the term “indentured servants” Sunday in reference to the first Africans to arrive in English North America 400 years ago. Most historians abandoned use of the term in the 1990s after historical records...
Social media’s ‘Plainpotatoess’ charged over viral videos
BALTIMORE — A Baltimore man who goes by ‘Plaintpotatoess’ on social media is charged with 21 counts of harassment and trespassing in connection with the making of his viral videos. The Baltimore Sun reports 20-year-old Marquel A. Carter was charged Thursday. Carter has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on...
‘Everyone deserves to be heard,’ Va. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax says; Dems explore impeachment
RICHMOND, Va. — Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax said he will not step down and will preside over the Senate on Monday regardless of any attempts to remove him from office amid allegations that he sexually assaulted two women. In a telephone interview with The Washington Post Sunday night, as fellow...
Seton Hill meets ambitious scholarship goal
Seton Hill University is celebrating its good fortune on surpassing a $10 million centennial fundraising goal for scholarships at the Catholic university. The Greensburg-based school that celebrated its 100th anniversary last year announced Monday it has beat its goal, raising slightly more than $10 million from alumni and other backers...
West Newton parents accused of refusing to have infant treated for medical concerns
The parents of an infant girl in West Newton were arrested Saturday on charges of child endangerment and reckless endangerment for failing to follow a pediatrician’s advice to have the child treated at an area hospital for concerns over low weight and having a below-normal body temperature. Tiffany M. Aquilina,...
State police looking for man suspected of stealing 5 Rokus from Walmart
State police in Indiana County are seeking information on a man who stole several television streaming devices from a Walmart in White Township. Police said the man entered the store around 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 and took five Roku streaming devices into the restroom, where he unwrapped them, placed...
Attorney for Robert Bowers hopes to resolve Tree of Life case without trial
Accused Tree of Life gunman Robert Bowers pleaded not guilty Monday to new hate-crime charges filed against him, and his renowned attorney, Judy Clarke, expressed interest in a plea deal rather than a trial. Bowers — with his feet shackled and his wrists chained to his waist — wore a...
Westmoreland asks state to investigate sale of Rivertowne tavern property
A Mt. Lebanon real estate company got quite a deal when it bought the 2.9-acre parcel containing the vacant Rivertowne tavern on Route 30 in North Huntingdon for $7,500 — or $512,500 less than the Rivertowne owners paid in 2011. The sale by Christian Fyke, who owned one-half interest in...
Female acts, rap songs win big at the Grammy Awards
LOS ANGELES — Women and rap triumphed at the Grammys on Sunday as female acts took home top prizes including album of the year and best new artist, and Childish Gambino made history when his hit “This Is America” became the first rap-based track to win record and song of...
Ripples of Parkland, Fla., school shooting still felt in Pennsylvania a year later
The cafeteria at Mt. Pleasant Area High School buzzed as 300 teenagers laughed and traded gossip while wolfing down pizza, tacos and the occasional apple. The scene Friday afternoon was far removed from the angst that gripped students across the country in the aftermath of the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting...
1 hurt when wires fall after Hempfield vehicle crash
One person was hurt Monday morning after a crash on Penn Adamsburg Road in Hempfield, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The person was taken by ambulance to an area hospital after live wires came down on the vehicle just before 8 a.m. Nearby resident Paul Berginc said he noticed...
Researcher took wood, made it better
As an undergraduate student at West Virginia University, Joseph Ayres got in on the ground floor of a technology that increased the durability and uses of wood. Mr. Ayres was involved with research efforts in the early 1960s that developed wood-plastic combinations using gamma irradiation techniques. “It had never been...
