Deep freeze expected to ease, but disruptions persist
CHICAGO — The painfully cold weather system that put much of the Midwest into a historic deep freeze was expected to ease Thursday, though temperatures still tumbled to record lows in some places. Disruptions caused by the cold will persist, too, including power outages and canceled flights and trains. Crews...
Torch used to thaw frozen pipes blamed for Mt. Lebanon apartment building fire
Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish a fire in the basement of a a multi-story apartment building in Mt. Lebanon. The fire was reported shortly before 9:30 a.m. at 460 Washington Road, according to an Allegheny County 911 supervisor. The fire in the 7-story Penndale Towers broke out when maintenance...
Route 119 reconstruction earns industry honors
A project that reconstructed a section of Route 119 in East Huntingdon has gained national recognition, receiving an award for excellence in concrete paving workmanship. Completed during the 2016 and 2017 construction seasons, the PennDOT project updated a 5-mile section of the highway, from the Westec Drive exit to the...
4 express interest in empty Tarentum Council seat
Four people have expressed interest in claiming a vacant seat on Tarentum Council, Borough Manager Michael Nestico said Thursday. They will be in contention for replacing Rhonda Dzugan, who had represented the borough’s 3rd Ward and resigned from council in January. Letters of interest to be considered for the seat...
Trump appears to sour on congressional border security talks
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Thursday to ratchet up his demands on his long-stalled border wall, appearing to sour on congressional talks aimed at striking a deal with Democrats that he could sign. In a barrage of morning tweets, Trump sent mixed messages in which he...
Man accused of livestreamed sex assault is arrested, charged
ATLANTA — A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman who captured the apparent attack on Facebook Live has been arrested and charged with forcible sodomy. News outlets report Atlanta police say 34-year-old Dominique Williams surrendered to police Tuesday. Williams is accused of assaulting the woman this month at the...
Nearly half of U.S. adults have heart or blood vessel disease
A new report estimates that nearly half of all U.S. adults have some form of heart or blood vessel disease, a medical milestone that’s mostly due to recent guidelines that expanded how many people have high blood pressure. The American Heart Association said Thursday that more than 121 million adults...
Democrats gain in statehouses as some GOP lawmakers defect
TRENTON, N.J. — Democrats’ gains in state legislatures didn’t end with last November’s elections. Over the past two months, as lawmakers were sworn in and this year’s statehouse sessions got underway, Republicans in California, Kansas and New Jersey switched their party affiliations to become Democrats. They cited various reasons, but...
10 escape mobile home fire in Sewickley Township
A family of 10 escaped a fire early Thursday that destroyed their Sewickley Township mobile home. The structure on Finch Lane was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived at Sewickley Pines Manor after the call at 3:42 a.m., Hutchinson Fire Capt. Frank Sever Jr. said. It took about 90 minutes...
Cleanup begins after massive fire at Lindy Paving facility in Beaver County
A massive fire Thursday morning that burned a maintenance building at a major regional paving company’s Beaver County location was fed by natural gas, Big Beaver Fire Chief Adam Crepp said. The fire at the Lindy Paving equipment warehouse along Shenango Road in Big Beaver was reported at about 5...
Pittsburgh region breaks low-temperature record for second-straight day; relief on the way
The region’s temperature has dipped below the historic low-temperature mark for a second consecutive day, according to the National Weather Service. The overnight low was minus 5 degrees, shattering the previous low temperature of minus 3 on Jan. 31, 1971, according to meteorologist Bill Modzelewskiof the weather service in Moon...
Temporary head of Mattress Factory aims to set museum right after scandal
The temporary head of a North Side art museum will be laser-focused on an overarching goal when she starts next month. Hayley Haldeman, newly tapped interim director of the museum in Pittsburgh’s North Side, will work to prove to employees as well as the public that the Mattress Factory art...
Crafters sip and stitch at McWalker Yarns in Millvale
There’s a party going on in Millvale. Beer and conversation flow. Laughter fills the room. But these people aren’t congregating at one of the borough’s many bars. They’re hanging out at McWalker Yarns, a boutique store for fiber arts crafters. Every Friday from 6 to 8:30 p.m., folks are welcome...
Chicago police still looking for video of attack on actor
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago police have recovered more surveillance footage of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett walking before and after he says he was attacked by two masked men, but they haven’t found video of the attack. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi also said Thursday that Smollett and his manager say they...
Allegheny River steams while nearly frozenVideo
Ice was flowing down the Allegheny River past Tarentum Thursday morning, when the region set a new low temperature record. The temperature bottomed out at 5 below zero, besting the previous record of 3 below for the day that had stood since 1971, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jason...
Woman wanted in alleged screwdriver attack arrested in North Carolina
A woman wanted for an alleged screwdriver attack and carjacking Monday in Pittsburgh was arrested in North Carolina, court records show. An extradition hearing for Marin Oreski of Washington is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, according to arrest records. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrested Oreski early Tuesday morning, though details of the arrest...
Woman accused of pouring water on sleeping baby as ‘payback’
SUMTER, S.C. — Authorities say a South Carolina woman has been arrested after a video she posted on social media showed her pouring water on her sleeping 9-month-old daughter as “payback.” News outlets report the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office says 33-year-old Caitlyn Alyse Hardy was charged with cruelty to children....
Conservatives head to Texas to try to build their own wall
HOUSTON — What started as an online fundraiser to provide President Donald Trump with donations for his southern border wall has morphed into a foundation whose members vow to build a wall themselves. The “We The People Will Build the Wall” campaign has surpassed $20 million since it was created...
Malaysia crowns Sultan Abdullah as 16th king
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah of central Pahang state was crowned Thursday as Malaysia’s 16th king under a unique rotating monarchy system, nearly a month after the sudden abdication of Sultan Muhammad V. Garbed in aqua blue regalia, Sultan Abdullah, 59, took his oath of office...
Record-breaking cold snap kicks Allegheny County warming center, shelters ‘into overdrive’
More than a dozen people bustled about the basement of The River - A Community Church in New Kensington on midday Wednesday. Pots of chicken noodle and vegetable broth soups simmered on a stovetop while flaky, doughy biscuits baked in the oven below. Some volunteers prepped a refreshment area offering...
Alaska governor proposes constitutional changes to give voters say on taxes
JUNEAU, Alaska — Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday proposed constitutional changes that would limit legislative authority and give voters a say on taxes and any changes to the annual check residents receive from the state’s oil-wealth fund. One of the proposed amendments is aimed at ensuring the Alaska Permanent Fund...
Federal government secretly shipped plutonium from South Carolina to Nevada
RENO, Nev. — The U.S. Department of Energy revealed on Wednesday that it secretly shipped weapons-grade plutonium from South Carolina to a nuclear security site in Nevada months ago despite the state’s protests. The Justice Department notified a federal judge in Reno that the government trucked in the radioactive material...
Elephant seals take over California beach during shutdown
SAN FRANCISCO — A colony of elephant seals took over a beach in Northern California during the government shutdown when there was no staff to discourage the animals from congregating in the popular tourist area, an official said. Now they’re not going anywhere. About 60 adult seals that gave birth...
Democrats offer no money for border wall
WASHINGTON — House Democrats unveiled a new border security plan Wednesday that contains no money for physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico divide, defying President Trump’s insistence on a wall of some kind to stave off another government shutdown. The Democrats’ proposal was their opening bid in bipartisan House-Senate negotiations aimed...
Texas executes man in Houston officer’s slaying
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A 61-year-old Texas inmate was executed Wednesday evening for killing a Houston police officer more than three decades ago. Robert Jennings received lethal injection for the July 1988 fatal shooting of Officer Elston Howard during a robbery at an adult bookstore that authorities said was part of...
