Suspect in Tampa serial killings says jail making him sick
TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida man charged with being the serial killer who terrorized a Tampa neighborhood says jail is making him sick. The Tampa Bay Times reports that 26-year-old Howell Donaldson III asked Judge Mark Wolfe on Tuesday for “some professional help” for unspecified ailments. The former college basketball...
Police: Would-be bank robber gets cold feet, rips up note
FALL RIVER, Mass. — Police in Massachusetts are looking for a woman they say intended to rob a bank but got cold feet and left without a penny. Fall River police tell the Herald News the woman walked into the Fall River Municipal Credit Union on Monday afternoon and approached...
State police seek 4 men suspected of $4K Walmart theft in White Township
State police in Indiana County are seeking information on four men suspected of stealing $4,000 in merchandise from a Walmart in White Township. Police said that after loading shopping carts and leaving the store without paying on Jan. 26, the four suspects fled in a silver Infinity QX80 shortly after...
Pa. officials warn residents to avoid drinking and driving during Super Bowl
The Pennsylvania DUI Association warned people to avoid drinking and driving during the Super Bowl on Sunday. The association said police officers across the state will be out looking for impaired drivers and increasing patrols to ensure the safety of all drivers. The association advised football fans need to be...
Region flirts with record-breaking cold with warmup on the way
The Pittsburgh region could reach record-breaking cold temperatures this week as the region continues to experience a sub-zero cold snap. But if you can make it through the next few days, warmer temperatures are on the way. Myranda Fullerton, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon, said the coldest...
New Mexico school delays classes because of … vegetable oil
EUNICE, N.M. — A New Mexico high school was forced to delay classes after authorities say vandals poured vegetable oil throughout the hallways. The Hobbs News-Sun reports the oil was poured at Eunice High School in the small city of Eunice late Sunday and forced janitors to clean up the...
Police: Derry Township men stole ATVs, dirt bikes
Two Derry Township men were arrested Tuesday by state police in connection with a rash of all-terrain vehicle and dirt bike thefts since mid-December. Seth A. McIntire, 20, and Cody E. Stiffey, 24, are charged before District Judge Mark Bilik with counts of theft, receiving stolen property, altering vehicle identification...
Snow plow truck catches fire in Cranberry
Emergency crews responded to a snow plow truck that caught fire in Cranberry on Wednesday morning. The fire was reported shortly before 10 a.m. along Route 19 near Heights Drive, according to a Butler County 911 dispatcher. The vehicle involved is a township snow plow, according to the dispatcher. Cranberry...
Police: Greensburg man fought with agents while they investigated his son for child porn
A Greensburg father and son were arrested Tuesday during a child pornography investigation by agents from the state Attorney General’s Office. Joshua Walker Bittner, 20, is accused of contacting young girls through Instagram and requesting nude photographs of them. Authorities found at least 14 images of child pornography on a...
One lane of Route 356 in Allegheny Township reopens after morning closure
Traffic is flowing again on a portion of Route 356 in Allegheny Township that was closed Wednesday morning, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. The road was closed between Route 56 and the Freeport Bridge as officials waited for the road to be salted. One lane remained closed as crews...
Report: Half of U.S. coal mines operating in 2008 have closed
More than half of the U.S. coal mines operating in 2008 have since closed, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Most of the mine closures were in the Appalachian states of Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania, the EIA said. The closings were driven by the decreasing demand...
Jeannette seeking donations for new holidays light fixtures for Clay Avenue
Jeannette is accepting donations for the purchase of new holiday light fixtures to decorate Clay Avenue. Two types of light bulbs will be purchased — warm white and red, white and blue — so the fixtures can be used for Christmas and patriotic holidays. The larger fixture is about 7...
Stan Lee to get superhero send-off at Hollywood memorial
LOS ANGELES— Among comics lovers, Stan Lee was as much a superhero as the characters he helped create. Those fans, along with Lee’s friends and colleagues, will get to pay their final respects at a Los Angeles memorial Wednesday night for the Marvel Comics mastermind who helped bring the world...
Brown University criticized for using live pigs in medical training
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A prominent physicians’ group has asked federal regulators to investigate Brown University’s medical school, arguing it is violating the law by using live pigs for training in emergency medicine. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine on Tuesday asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health...
Snow squalls, icy roads causing traffic headaches in Pittsburgh region
Crashes are slowing commute times along several major roadways in the Pittsburgh area this morning because of icy conditions and snow squalls. All crashes have been cleared. Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tony at 724-772-6368 or tlarussa@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TonyLaRussaTrib....
Police still searching for 1 in violent Stowe home invasion
Three men opened fire during an early morning home invasion in Stowe on Wednesday, and police continued searching into the evening for one who eluded capture. The home invasion happened about 3:10 a.m., and two people were home at the time, said Inspector Andrew Schurman of the Allegheny County Police....
County courts, controller, other facilities closed today because of cold weather
Allegheny County courts was closed Wednesday along with the controller’s office and several recreation facilities because of the frigid weather. Common Pleas President Judge Kim Clark ordered the courts closed late Tuesday. As a result, the county District Attorney’s Office was closed. Those scheduled to appear Wednesday was to be...
Uber rolls out frequent flyer-type program in Pittsburgh
Rewards are coming for people who frequently use Uber to get around Pittsburgh. Uber announced it will roll out its new rider rewards program this week. Riders can opt in to the program and start earning points toward rewards such as cash back, flexible cancelations, price protection and extra upgrades....
6 deaths linked to blast of arctic cold
CHICAGO — Police say at least two people in the Detroit area have died in the extremely cold weather, including a former member of the City Council in the town of Ecorse, Mich. Ecorse detective Tim Sassak tells TV station WDIV that the man was discovered Wednesday. Sassak says the...
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin: Closing schools for cold shows ‘we’re getting soft’
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Political rivals and educators took Gov. Matt Bevin to task this week, when he told a talk-radio host that canceling schools for cold weather is an indication that “we’re getting soft.” Bevin followed up the comment by saying that “it’s better to err on the side of...
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam faces fierce conservative backlash over abortion bill
RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam faced intense backlash on Wednesday for comments he made about a fellow Democrat’s abortion-rights bill, whose sponsor said it would allow abortion right up to the final moments of pregnancy. In a radio interview, Northam was asked about the bill brought by Del. Kathy...
Grenade thrown into Philippine mosque kills 2 Islam teachers
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — A grenade was thrown into a mosque in the southern Philippines where Muslim teachers were sleeping early Wednesday morning, killing two of them and injuring four, authorities said. It was the second explosion at a religious site in the south this week, though authorities didn’t see it...
Trump says ‘wall’ must be part of lawmakers’ border deal
WASHINGTON — Capitol Hill negotiators are hopeful of an agreement as they officially kick off talks on a homeland security spending bill stalled over funding for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall. Left on their own, the seasoned House and Senate lawmakers say they could easily reach a border security...
Texas inmate set to be executed for Houston officer’s death
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A 61-year-old Texas inmate was set to be executed Wednesday for killing a Houston police officer more than three decades ago during a robbery. Robert Jennings was condemned for the July 1988 slaying of Officer Elston Howard during a robbery at an adult bookstore. Jennings would be...
Waste unleashed from Brazil dam on its way to larger river
RIO DE JANEIRO — A torrent of muddy mining waste unleashed by a dam breach that killed at least 84 people in southeastern Brazil is now heading down a small river with high concentrations of iron oxide, threatening to contaminate a much larger river that provides drinking water to communities...
