Acting AG Matthew Whitaker: I have ‘not interfered’ with Mueller investigation
WASHINGTON — Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said Friday that he has “not interfered in any way” in the special counsel’s Russia investigation as he faced a contentious and partisan congressional hearing in his waning days on the job. The hearing before the House Judiciary Committee was the first, and...
Northbound lane re-open after multi-vehicle crash on Route 28
A multiple-vehicle crash on Route 28 near the Heinz plant briefly closed a lane of northbound traffic on Friday, according to PennDOT. PennDOT sent an alert about the crash shortly before 2 p.m. The lane was back open shortly before 2:30 p.m. Madasyn Czebiniak is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You...
Tarentum urges delinquent taxpayers to avoid having their names published
Tarentum officials are hoping they won’t have to publish the names of property owners delinquent on paying their taxes — but they’re prepared to do it. Council approved a resolution, under which the names of those owing property taxes to the borough will be made publicly available. Property taxes are...
Director Spike Lee boycotts Gucci, Prada for blackface items
MILAN — Director Spike Lee said Friday he will no longer wear Gucci or Prada until the brands hire some black designers following a pair of blackface fashion fails from the major Italian fashion houses. Lee said on Instagram that “It’s Obvious To Da Peoples That They Don’t Have A...
Scottdale Bank & Trust names new VP and retail market manager
Scottdale Bank & Trust appointed a new vice president and retail market manager Friday. The Millersburg-based bank hired Tiffany R.M. Guittap, a Uniontown resident, to help the bank reach financial goals and build and maintain strong customer relationships throughout Westmoreland and Fayette counties. With 13 years of banking and financial...
Police: Staffer shot at Baltimore school; suspect in custody
BALTIMORE — Officials say a staffer has been shot at a Baltimore high school. The Baltimore Police Department tweeted Friday afternoon that a man had been shot at Frederick Douglass High School and a suspect was taken into custody at the scene. Baltimore school officials tweeted that the school is...
Pittsburgh police arrest 1 in alleged kidnapping
Pittsburgh police arrested a man in Bloomfield early Friday morning for an alleged kidnapping that happened in Wilkinsburg, authorities said. City police responded to Cypress Street about 2:45 a.m. after a reported abduction, said Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri. He said the kidnapping was reported in Wilkinsburg, and the man...
10th Street Bypass closed with flooding expected
The 10th Street Bypass was closed Friday as PennDOT anticipated flooding. Authorities closed the bypass between the Parkway North and Fort Duquesne Boulevard after heavy rains hit the area Thursday and overnight, according to PennDOT. In addition, they also closed both ramps from the Parkway North to the 10th Street...
Female tiger at London zoo killed by prospective mate
LONDON — London Zoo says one of its female Sumatran tigers has been killed by a potential mate while the two animals were being introduced. The zoo says 10-year-old Melati died Friday during her first encounter with Asim, a 7-year-old male. The two tigers had been kept in adjoining enclosures...
Garbage dumped at empty Natrona homes is ‘a cancer,’ resident saysVideo
Harrison resident Conrad Zylinski is convinced that if garbage was piling up in Natrona Heights, it wouldn’t be tolerated. But it’s happening in the township’s Natrona section, behind abandoned houses near his Spruce Street home. And it seems to him that no one is doing anything about it. “It’s a...
‘Cherry Pie’ hikes with reenactors celebrate George Washington in Butler County
What can be better than a hike with historical reenactors? One with cherry pie. A slice of pie will be the reward for walkers and visitors to a “Cherry Pie Hike” and the “Washington’s Trail Hike” on Feb. 23 for a history tour commemorating George Washington’s Birthday at Jennings Environmental...
Plum school board member to resign over anti-Muslim Facebook share
A Plum school board member who came under fire for sharing an anti-Muslim Facebook post is resigning, according to a meeting agenda. Plum school board members have scheduled a special meeting Saturday to approve the resignation of board member Brian Wisniewski, who caused outrage by sharing the post. The post...
North Huntingdon sets public meeting on Markvue Manor sewer project
The North Huntingdon Township Municipal Authority will discuss the scope of its Markvue sewer line replacement project, the construction schedule and how the project will affect residents at a public meeting at 7 p.m., Feb. 27 at the North Huntingdon Town House on Center Highway. The authority expects to begin...
Dairy Day offers dairy farmers education, fellowship in Blairsville
Dairy farmers looking for help in a difficult time for the dairy industry will find it at the annual Southwest Pennsylvania Regional Dairy Day on March 7. The annual event, scheduled for 8:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 7 at the Chestnut Ridge Golf Resort & Conference Center, Blairsville, will...
Man charged in $5M gold heist, reward offered for capture
MIAMI — Federal prosecutors have formally charged a fugitive in the 2015 highway robbery of 10 gold bars worth almost $5 million. U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami announced Thursday that Pedro Santamaria, 56, has been indicted on robbery and gun charges. The FBI is offering up to $10,000 for information...
Police: Drunken man ticketed during Wilkes-Barre ‘Skate with a Cop’ event
Some police officers participating in a “Skate with a Cop” fundraiser at a roller rink had to take a break from the fun to deal with a drunken man who was falling over and running into other skaters. The Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department says officers asked the 31-year-old to leave,...
Kellyanne Conway claims woman assaulted her at restaurant
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s White House counselor Kellyanne Conway says she was grabbed and shaken by a woman at a Mexican restaurant in Bethesda, Md., late last year. In a CNN interview broadcast Friday, Conway claimed the woman came up to her from behind, grabbed her arms and shook...
Police: Jeannette woman’s Florida trip ruined when man steals her ID, $7,000
A Jeannette man ruined his girlfriend’s roommate’s trip to Florida last month after he allegedly stole her purse, which contained her driver’s license and $7,000, according to police. Paul Michael Fogle, 33, was arrested Friday and jailed on $10,000 bail. Police said the victim had her bags packed for a...
Report: Polar vortex broke U.S. natural gas consumption record
Last week’s polar vortex resulted in record natural gas consumption in the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The polar vortex, in which colder-than-normal temperatures blanketed much of the Midwest and Northeast, including Western Pennsylvania, set a single-day record for natural gas demand on Jan. 30, topping...
White House report tries to shift Trump health care rhetoric
WASHINGTON — A new report from the White House tries to shift the Trump administration’s combative rhetoric on health care, suggesting changes to the Affordable Care Act under President Donald Trump do not fundamentally undermine the health law. Due out Friday, the report from the Council of Economic Advisers says...
Fire at Brazilian soccer team complex leaves 10 dead, 3 hurt
RIO DE JANEIRO — A fire tore through the sprawling training complex of one of Brazil’s biggest soccer clubs Friday, killing 10 people and leaving three teenagers injured, firefighters said. Firefighters were called in just after 5 a.m. to battle a blaze at the Ninho de Urubu training ground of...
Veterinarians revive cat that nearly froze in Montana
KALISPELL, Mont. — Veterinarians in Montana revived a cat named Fluffy that nearly froze to death after being found in a snowbank covered from head to tail in ice and snow. Dr. Jevon Clark of the Animal Clinic of Kalispell said Thursday that Fluffy was unresponsive and her body temperature...
Husband accused of shooting wife in head convicted
ERIE, Pa. — A Pennsylvania man who claimed he accidentally shot his wife in the back of the head has been convicted of first-degree murder. Forty-five-year-old John Grazioli will face a mandatory sentence of life in prison with no parole under Pennsylvania law. The Erie Times-News reports jurors returned the...
Emergency demolition ordered for crumbling Wilkinsburg building
Emergency demolition was ordered Friday morning for a building along Kelly Avenue in Wilkinsburg after it partially collapsed overnight. Police were called at about 2 a.m. after reports that bricks and other materials were crumbling to the ground, WPXI reported. Bricks were falling from the upper level of the 100-year-old...
Portion of North Shore River Walk closed for flooding
A portion of the North Shore River Walk is closed Friday morning because of flooding concerns. The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh expanded a flood watch through 9:45 a.m. across the region, including Allegheny, Westmoreland, Armstrong, Butler, Clarion and Indiana counties. The Mon Wharf remains closed as well after authorities...
