Iraqi president slams Trump’s remarks about staying in Iraq
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s president on Monday criticized Donald Trump for saying he wants to keep U.S. troops in Iraq “to watch Iran,” saying the U.S. leader did not ask Iraq’s permission to do so. “We find these comments strange,” said Barham Salih, speaking at a forum in Baghdad. Salih said...
Virginia gov. resists resignation call over blackface photo
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam was clinging to office Monday morning amid nearly unanimous calls from his own party to resign over a racist photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook, after a bizarre weekend in which he first admitted he was in the picture, and then denied...
Weak demand, strong supply keeping gas prices in check, analyst says
Weak demand for gasoline and strong supply has keep prices at the pump in check despite oil rising to its highest price in months because of instability in Venezuela, according to the price-checking website GasBuddy.com. “As the record gasoline supply continues to overshadow markets ahead of the road to summer...
Work to fix water line closes Tarentum’s Fourth Avenue
A block of Tarentum’s Fourth Avenue closed Monday morning because of a water line break. A service line to the building housing Wesley Family Services broke on Saturday, said Ted Bajack, the borough’s water distribution coordinator. Crews dug into the road and shut off the water that day. They were...
Coroner: Woman died from natural causes after becoming unresponsive at Westmoreland jail
A Monessen woman who became unresponsive at the Westmoreland County Prison in November died of natural causes, according to the county coroner’s office. Ashlee Jackson, 35, died Nov. 25 at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital, two days after she was found unresponsive in her cell. She had a medical condition, according...
Korean War veteran devoted life to military, fellow vets
Jim Findle saw combat action in Korea and then devoted the rest of his life to the Army, the National Guard and the VFW. “He was very service-oriented. He gave of himself to others his entire life,” said his son, Jeffery. An Army veteran, Mr. Findle served in the Korean...
Troopers looking for man, woman who stole credit cards from Panera customer
A man and woman slipped three credit cards out of a Greensburg woman’s purse last month at a Panera Bread location in Westmoreland County and bought two Apple laptop computers at Best Buy, according to state police. Troopers are looking for the suspects who they said sat behind the victim...
Trump campaign takes steps to prevent a challenge within GOP
WASHINGTON — Worried about a potential Republican primary challenge, President Donald Trump’s campaign has launched a state-by-state effort to prevent an intraparty fight that could spill over into the general-election campaign. The nascent initiative has been an intense focus in recent weeks and includes taking steps to change state party...
Dump truck rollover closes a portion of Davidson Road in Plum
An overturned dump truck has closed a portion of Davidson Road in Plum. The vehicle rolled over near Saltsburg Road. Part of the truck is leaning against a utility pole but no outages have been reported. Motorists are recommended to use Universal Road as a detour. Large equipment will be...
Water main break limits Route 68 in Evans City
One lane of Route 68 in Evans City is closed after a water main break was discovered overnight. Motorists who travel the busy road should expect delays this morning while crews work to repair the line. PennDOT crews were on the scene to salt the road and thwart any potential...
Sen. Bob Casey invites Pittsburgh TSA officer to State of the Union
A Pittsburgh woman who worked without a paycheck during the recent government shutdown will attend President Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday. Monica Hughes, an Army reservist and TSA officer at Pittsburgh International Airport, was invited to the event by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. In a press release, Casey’s...
Man in critical condition after shooting near Penn Hills bar
One person remained in critical condition Monday after being shot multiple times overnight near H’s Bar and Grill along Verona Road in Penn Hills. Allegheny County police said they received calls just before 1:15 a.m. for an unidentified 26-year-old man shot and lying in the roadway of the 4200 block...
Victim identified in Duquesne Heights shooting
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner has identified the victim of a fatal shooting yesterday in Duquesne Heights. Aaron Wade, 18, of Munhall was found unresponsive in a front yard in the 200 block of Plymouth Street. Officers responded at about 2:45 a.m. to the incident, which is a few blocks...
After $12,000 reward, leads are scant for missing elderly man in South Buffalo
There are few leads after a $12,000 reward was offered two weeks ago for information leading to the whereabouts of a missing elderly man last seen at a family member’s house in South Buffalo Township. Kenneth Himes, 70, of Pittsburgh, who is autistic and has early-onset dementia, was last seen...
Irwin revives proposed amusement tax
Irwin officials are reviving a controversial proposal to create an amusement tax that would increase the price of event tickets sold in the borough by 5 percent — a levy that would hit hardest the revitalized Lamp Theatre. Council is expected to discuss the ordinance during a workshop meeting at...
Role-playing group offers support for veterans
Veteran X isn’t a real person, but his problems are. He might have housing issues or a drug addiction. Maybe he isn’t sure how to get his discharge paperwork or health care. The solutions Veteran X finds to deal with situations like those are aimed at helping real veterans through...
Land use change proposed to add homes at Unity development
Unity supervisors are expected to vote in February on a land use change that would allow developer Don Paulone to construct 17 dwelling units along Route 30, on an undeveloped portion of the Villas at Grayhawk planned residential community. In 2004, the township approved a plan for commercial use of...
Police: Greensburg company stiffed $25K on work done at Somerset County home
A Somerset County man is accused of using four laborers supplied by a Greensburg company for work at his home and failing to pay them. Joseph William Battisto, 56, owes the workers $25,424, according to police. He was arrested Monday evening. Authorities said Battisto in July contacted People Ready in...
African penguin wows Mother of Sorrows students in Murrysville
National Aviary officials brought their “Penguins Are Cool” program to Mother of Sorrows School in Murrysville on Monday as part of Catholic Schools Week. Students learned about the world’s 18 species of penguin and had a chance to meet an African penguin as they learned about its special adaptations and...
PWSA rates would increase by nearly 14 percent under recommendation
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority would hike rates nearly 14 percent for average residential customers under a recommendation from an administrative law judge. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is expected to vote on the recommendation during its regularly monthly meeting Thursday, according to Robert Weimar, PWSA’s executive director. A...
Trump’s health care threats led to a boom in long-term birth control
Did the election of Donald Trump lead to a stampede of women getting IUDs? Well, maybe not a stampede. But there was a measurable uptick in women getting long-acting contraceptives, namely intrauterine devices and hormonal implants, according to a new analysis published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine. Trump’s vow to...
Hempfield consultant announces GOP bid for Westmoreland County commissioner
A microbiologist who left a university teaching job last summer to open his own consulting business announced Monday he will be a Republican candidate for Westmoreland County commissioner. Doug Chew, 48, of Hempfield said if elected he will donate a portion of his salary to help fund the county’s drug...
South Buffalo looks for ways to bring public sewage to township
South Buffalo officials are looking for ways to bring public sewage service to the township, and believe doing so could help spur growth there. “When you drive up Route 28, we are the first township you enter (in Armstrong County). If Armstrong County has a chance to grow, it will...
Woman critical after struck by vehicle in Brighton Heights
A woman is in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle in Pittsburgh. WPXI-TV reports the incident happened at about 8:30 p.m. on California Avenue near Davis Avenue in the city’s Brighton Heights neighborhood while the woman was crossing the street in a pedestrian crosswalk. Pittsburgh police are investigating....
Student art from 1940s gives glimpse of Manor Borough history
Nestled behind desks and under a water pipe in Hempfield Area High School’s basement sat five pieces of Manor history in the form of original art. The paintings give a glimpse into what the borough looked like in 1943-44 from the perspective of Manor School students. “You see the age...
