More than ever, people are trying to board planes with guns
Travelers moving through Pittsburgh International Airport continued to bring firearms to security checkpoints at a rate of more than two per month. Transportation Security Administration agents at the airport caught 34 guns at checkpoints last year, up slightly from the 32 caught in 2017, according to Lisa Farbstein, a TSA...
Pittsburgh residents don’t fear driverless vehicles, survey says
Pittsburghers are – by and large – comfortable sharing the road with autonomous vehicles, bucking national trends that show most U.S. drivers distrust driverless technology. This week Bike Pittsburgh, which advocates for safe streets to bike and walk, released a biennial survey showing people feel safer sharing the road with...
Acme sisters in running for state Miss Agriculture USA Queen titles
Two young sisters from Acme will compete for state Miss Agriculture USA Queen titles. Brystoll Ament, 8, a second-grader at Donegal Elementary School, recently was named the 2019 Westmoreland County Miss Agriculture USA Queen in the petite division, and her sister, Maci Ament, 1, was named the 2019 Westmoreland County...
McArdle Roadway to close for part of the weekend
McArdle Roadway between the Liberty Bridge and Mt. Washington will close for part of the weekend, Pittsburgh officials said Thursday. The road will close between the bridge and Grandview Avenue on Feb. 9 and 10 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. while crews remove debris along the road. The work...
Open house at Gateway Rehab’s Mt. Pleasant location set for Friday
Gateway Rehab will show off its expanded drug and alcohol treatment center in Mt. Pleasant during an open house Friday. The public is invited to the inpatient facility at Excela Health Frick Hospital from 1-3 p.m. A short program will begin around 1 p.m. Staff members will be available afterwards...
AG Shapiro: UPMC’s ‘corporate greed’ hurting patients
Attorney General Josh Shapiro accused UPMC on Thursday of violating its obligation as a public charity and asked a state court to intervene in its breakup with rival Highmark by forcing it to accept out-of-network patients at affordable rates. In a 73-page legal challenge filed in Commonwealth Court, Shapiro accused...
Vandergrift finally gets to move on its 2018 paving projects
Although the calendar says 2019, Vandergrift is still working on its 2018 paving program. Money from the federal Community Development Block Grant program didn’t arrive until mid-November, after the hot asphalt facilities closed for the winter. The borough will seek new contract bids on paving and, if Punxsutawney Phil is...
Pedestrian run over when he takes shortcut underneath truck
EDISON, N.J. — Authorities say a pedestrian who tried to take a shortcut by scooting underneath a parked tractor-trailer was critically injured when the driver started up the vehicle and drove away. Edison police say the 30-year-old Princeton man and a friend were walking back to a hotel around 9:30...
Comedy-skit benefit explores ‘How Heartbreak Changed History’ in Johnstown
The Friends of Flight 93, the National Western Parks of Pennsylvania and the Johnstown Area Heritage Association will partner for a night of comedy and history to support a program that encourages students to work in national parks over their spring break. “Hydration History,” modeled on the popular Comedy Central...
House Democrats turn focus to getting Trump’s tax returns
WASHINGTON — The new Democratic-controlled House is looking at proposals to compel presidents and presidential candidates to make public years of their tax returns. But the burning question is what Democrats might do more immediately to get such files from President Donald Trump. That goal has been high on their...
Nominating petitions for spring primary in Allegheny County available Feb. 12
Allegheny County residents interested in seeking their party’s nod in the upcoming municipal primary can pick up nominating petitions starting on Tuesday. Petitions for all elected offices on the May 21 ballot with the exception of state judicial seats are available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the county...
West Virginia deer kill up slightly in 2018
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State wildlife officials say the number of white-tailed deer killed in West Virginia during the recently completed hunting seasons rose slightly compared to a year ago. The Division of Natural Resources says in a news release that hunters killed 108,856 deer last year. That’s compared to 108,160...
Police write 171 traffic tickets during Indiana County operation
State police issued more than 170 traffic citations during an Operation Yellow Jacket speed enforcement detail Tuesday and Wednesday along Indiana County highways. According to spokesman Trooper First Class Cliff Greenfield, police wrote 171 traffic citations and three citations for motor carrier violations. They also issued 70 written warnings and...
Bill Cosby, 81, moved to general unit at Pennsylvania prison
COLLEGEVILLE — Bill Cosby has been moved to a general population unit as he serves three to 10 years in prison for sexual assault in Pennsylvania. The move last week comes after the 81-year-old actor spent about four months in special housing as he acclimated to the SCI-Phoenix in suburban...
Bail reduced for Leechburg pair accused of trying to pick lock at Armstrong methadone clinic
A judge lowered bail to $25,000 on Wednesday for two people accused of trying to break into a Parks Township methadone clinic in January. Richard Samuel Thomas, 37, and Natalie Nicole Milanak, 36, both of Leechburg, remained at the Armstrong County Jail Thursday after they each failed to post the...
Humanitarian Awards to honor Tree of Life Congregation, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Tree of Life Congregation will be among the recipients of the fourth annual Dr. Cyril H. Wecht Western Pennsylvania Humanitarian Awards this weekend. The awards ceremony, scheduled for 12-4 p.m. Saturday at Sugar and Smoke Southern Kitchen/Bar in Bloomfield, recognizes people and institutions whose impact...
Flood watch issued in Pittsburgh region through Friday morning
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch through 7 a.m. Friday for the region, including Allegheny, Armstrong and Westmoreland counties. With the ground already saturated by recent rain and an additional inch expected by the end of Thursday, flooding is possible on small streams, according to forecasters. Those who...
PUC approves nearly 14 percent PWSA water rate increase for Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority customers will pay about 14 percent more for water and sewer services under a rate hike approved Thursday morning by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Public utility commissioners unanimously approved the increase, which represents a settlement between PWSA and various objectors, including the state’s Office...
Mail truck driver in North Huntingdon crash dies
A U.S. Postal Service truck driver whose vehicle crashed into a North Huntingdon house Thursday morning died at Excela Westmoreland Hospital, the Westmoreland County coroner said. The victim, Ronald Sopko, 47, of Murrysville, apparently died as a result of a medical event, said Coroner Kenneth Bacha. The coroner’s office was...
Cruze Bar to close in Pittsburgh, plans farewell bash
A landmark gay bar in Pittsburgh’s Strip District is closing. Cruze Bar opened seven years ago along Smallman Street, providing a destination dance, bar and lounge experience for members of Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ+ community—offering a classic dance club environment and garnering a faithful customer base. But new development is on the...
Paws Across Pittsburgh steps in to help 9 more dog, cats
Princess was in sad shape when Paws Across Pittsburgh volunteers met her last weekend. “The dog was in shutdown,” said Paws volunteer Vicki Marietta of Harrison City. “She wasn’t eating. She didn’t want to be touched. She was depressed and broken.” Princess, Bear, Charley, Dinky and five other dogs and...
Police warn of vehicle break-ins in Lower Burrell
Lower Burrell police say several vehicles were broken into Wednesday night and are reminding people to lock their car doors. Chief Tim Weitzel said the break-ins occurred on Donnell Road, Davies Street, Fairway Street, and Mintwood Drive. Most, if not all the vehicles, were left parked and unlocked, Weitzel said....
Cops: Hempfield man inappropriately touched young girl
State police arrested an elderly Hempfield man on Wednesday on allegations that he molested a girl over five years, starting in 2008. Charles Donald Howard, 84, is charged with aggravated indecent assault. Troopers said in court papers that they received a ChildLine report about the allegations, which the accuser said...
Army aims for more combat-ready troops with new fitness testVideo
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Army soldiers struggle to haul heavy sleds backward as fast as they can down a grassy field at Fort Bragg, filling the brisk North Carolina morning air with grunts of exertion and the shouts of instruction from their coaches. Watching from the sidelines, Sgt. Maj. Harold...
New U.S.-Mexico border barrier charts tricky course near homes
ALONG THE SAN DIEGO-TIJUANA BORDER — For all practical purposes, the purple-and-white stucco shrine that Jose Arias built to celebrate his recovery from a heart attack and honor his family lies in Mexico. The only way in and out of his plywood shack is through one of Tijuana’s oldest neighborhoods,...
