Snow too thick to plow keeps skiers from California resorts
SAN FRANCISCO — Winter weather enveloping California’s mountains for a fourth straight day Friday kept skiers from hitting the slopes at the start of the Presidents Day holiday weekend, with snow so deep that plows could not tackle it and cities scrambled to find places to pile it. Several routes...
Pittsburgh teen charged with kidnapping, robbery in January home invasion
Police have charged a Pittsburgh teen as an adult in connection with an alleged kidnapping and home invasion last month in the city’s Sheraden neighborhood, court records show. Ayah Stamps, 17, allegedly burst into a home on Merwyn Avenue around 11 p.m. Jan. 17 with another man, according to the...
4 sent to hospital after 5-vehicle wreck on McKees Rocks Bridge
Four people were sent to the hospital after a five-vehicle crash on the McKees Rocks Bridge on Friday night. Allegheny County officials say nine people were involved in the crash, which occurred just before 9 p.m. Friday. The bridge was shut down and reopened about 2:30 a.m. Saturday. Two people...
Spray paint defaces veterans memorial in Brackenridge Memorial ParkVideo
Someone used silver spray paint to deface the bronze on the veterans monument in Brackenridge Memorial Park. Who did it and why is unknown — for now. “Someone took it upon themselves in the middle of the night to come to Memorial Park to spray paint all of original bronze,”...
Body found in Bellevue, foul play not suspected ‘at this time’
Allegheny County and Bellevue police are looking for an identity and circumstances for a body found in a wooded area late Friday afternoon. The body was found near railroad property near Ohio River Boulevard and Bellevue Station. At about 5:40 p.m., Allegheny County 9-1-1 received a call from two juveniles...
Car crashes into Arby’s in West Mifflin; no one injured
A car crashed into an Arby’s restaurant in West Mifflin during dinnertime Friday, narrowly missing a couple of customers as it came to a rest inside the building, officials said. Shortly after 5:30 p.m., the car slammed into the Arby’s customer entrance, stunning employees and at least two people eating...
Underground fire at East Deer site is getting smaller, officials say
The plan for dealing with an underground fire at the former Pittsburgh Glass Works plant in East Deer appears to be a simple one: Let it burn. East Deer Commissioners Chairman Tony Taliani said representatives from the state Department of Environmental Protection, Allegheny County Health Department and Vitro, the property...
Unity supervisors want CPA to take over audit from elected board
Certified public accountant Mike Miller has for several years been double-checking Unity Township’s financial accounts and has prepared annual reports that have to be filed with state agencies such as the Department of Community and Economic Development. The township supervisors would like to expand his duties to include a full...
150 people lose jobs as UPMC Pinnacle hospital closes in Lancaster
About 150 employees are losing their jobs with UPMC this month as the Pittsburgh-based health giant closes a hospital in Lancaster. UPMC Pinnacle, a 185-bed hospital, stopped taking new patient admissions from physicians on Friday. Scheduled surgeries and procedures and emergency room referrals will continue as needed through 7 a.m....
Westmoreland prosecutors appeal judge’s evidence rulings in alleged rape case
Westmoreland County prosecutors have appealed a judge’s ruling that limited the evidence they can present in the trial of a Hempfield man accused of raping a woman who has since recanted the allegations. Assistant District Attorney Barbara Jollie contends Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger made five errors that substantially...
Pa. candy company exec who mass-produced Peeps gets his own day
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — With prime Peeps season about to get underway, the Pennsylvania city where they’re “born” is honoring the man who brought marshallow chicks to the masses. The (Allentown) Morning Call reports that Bethlehem Mayor Robert Donchez proclaimed Friday as “Bob Born Day” in a ceremony at company offices....
Slippery Rock president responds to racial incident on campus
Slippery Rock University’s president on Monday plans to join other university officials and student leaders to discuss how to make the university more welcoming and a safer place for all after a racial incident in which a Black History Month poster was defaced with hateful and racist comments last weekend....
Somerset County still struggling to expand broadband service
Somerset County officials are nearly two years into a project to expand broadband internet service at four industrial parks and still have little to show for it. County commissioners, who have been unable to reach an agreement with a qualified firm, referred questions to Jason Roblin of MCM Consulting Group....
9/11 fund running out of money for those with illnesses
NEW YORK — The compensation fund for victims of 9/11 is running out of money and will cut future payments by 50 to 70 percent, officials announced Friday. September 11th Victim Compensation Fund special master Rupa Bhattacharyya said she was “painfully aware of the inequity of the situation” but stressed...
Stained glass windows stolen from historic Braddock church
Police are investigating the theft of more than a dozen stained-glass window panes from a 126-year-old church in Braddock. A passerby noticed the theft Thursday morning at the former First United Presbyterian Church on Parker Avenue, according to a spokesman for the Mon-Valley Initiative. The church, built in 1893, shut...
Power outage planned in Lower Burrell next week
There will be a planned power outage in Lower Burrell next week. According to the city, First Energy-West Penn Power will interrupt service in the area of Michigan Avenue between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21 to upgrade facilities. In case of inclement weather, the outage will...
Gunman kills 5 people, wounds 5 police at Illinois business
AURORA, Ill. — An employee of a manufacturing company opened fire at its suburban Chicago plant Friday, killing five people and wounding five police officers before he was fatally shot, police said. Aurora, Illinois, Police Chief Kristen Ziman told a news conference that the gunman was 45-year-old Gary Martin and...
Report of ‘suspicious bicyclist’ in Hempfield leads to arrest by troopers
A man riding a bicycle through a Hempfield neighborhood before dawn Friday allegedly entered unlocked vehicles and took items, including a handgun, state police at Greensburg reported. Troopers arrested Douglas A. Bartrug, 32, of Pittsburgh, at 3:50 a.m. in the Farmbrook Drive area of Fort Allen after he was discovered...
Percussion, auxiliary band units to compete in Penn-Trafford indoor shows
The Penn-Trafford High School Music Department will sponsor two competitive band shows Feb. 23 in the high school gym that will feature color guard, baton, dance and percussion units from area high schools, universities and independent groups. A Tournament of Bands Indoor Association show will begin at 10 a.m., with...
McArdle Roadway to be closed Saturday
People looking to visit Mt. Washington on Saturday who planned to use the McArdle Roadway to get there will have to use an alternative route. The road will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to allow a contractor to remove debris along the road, according to the city’s...
Raccoon in Green Tree is 3rd animal to test positive for rabies in Allegheny County in 2019
The Allegheny County Health Department confirmed Friday that a raccoon brought to one of its facilities earlier this week tested positive for rabies. The raccoon is the third animal this year to test positive for rabies. The raccoon was discovered near the 1500 block of Glencoe Avenue in Green Tree....
Tarentum considering regulations governing solar panels
Tarentum is considering regulations that would govern the installation and use of solar panels in the borough. The proposed ordinance includes proposed fees and technical requirements for what are broadly referred to as “customer-owned generation of electricity,” which could include things besides solar panels, such as windmills. Tarentum operates its...
Rye revolution: Craft distillers in Pittsburgh, elsewhere bring back pre-Prohibition whiskey favorite
The revival of centuries-old rye whiskeys — including Monongahela and Maryland styles — is helping foster a renewed interest in historic spirits. “Rye whiskey in general is swinging upward in the market,” said Teresa DeFlitch, director of people and education at Pittsburgh-based Wigle Whiskey. The volume of rye whiskey produced...
Disabilities awareness event at Westmoreland Mall to focus on wellness
Health and wellness will be the focus of Westmoreland County’s annual Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Awareness event March 2 at Westmoreland Mall. Part of IDD Awareness Month, the free event will bring together more than 20 organizations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the mall’s center court — to...
Clay target shooting club proposed at Norwin
Norwin High School students who want to shoot clay targets could get the chance to compete against other schools this spring. About 20 students are interested in competing for Norwin in the Pennsylvania Clay Target League, said Lt. Col. David Sandala, high school senior aerospace science instructor. The co-curricular club...
