Butler County state rep. accused of drugging woman, sexually assaulting her
HARRISBURG — A woman who alleges that a Western Pennsylvania lawmaker sexually assaulted her while she was incapacitated believes she was drugged on the night the incident occurred, according to Pennsylvania’s top advocate for crime victims. Jennifer Storm, head of the state’s Office of the Victim Advocate, said the woman...
Retired Munhall Catholic priest arrested, charged with child sex abuse
Allegheny County police Friday arrested a retired Catholic priest for the alleged assault of a 10-year-old boy in 2001, authorities said. The Rev. Hugh J. Lang, 88, was a priest at St. Therese in Munhall at the time of the alleged assault, said police Inspector Andrew Schurman. Schurman said the...
Faraway space snowman is pitted and has bright ‘collar’
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The space snowman visited by NASA on New Year’s Day is pitted all over and has a bright “collar” between its two fused spheres. These are the newest details to emerge about Ultima Thule, the most distant object ever explored. A close-up picture taken by NASA’s...
Rapper Nelly seeks dismissal of lawsuit alleging sex assault
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The rapper Nelly is asking a federal court in St. Louis to dismiss a British woman’s lawsuit that alleges he sexually assaulted her after a concert in England. The lawsuit was filed in November in the rapper’s hometown. The woman accuses Nelly, whose real name is...
Bethel Park High School to host inductions into the school’s Great Alumni Hall of Fame
Actress, comedienne and reality television personality April Brucker will be inducted into the Bethel Park High School Great Alumni Hall of Fame during halftime of Friday’s boys varsity basketball game. The hall of fame was created in 2013 to recognize and honor alumni who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments either personally...
Trump, Congress agree to end longest government shutdown for 3 weeks
Submitting to mounting pressure and growing disruption, President Donald Trump agreed to a deal Friday to reopen the government for three weeks, backing down from his demand that Congress give him money for his border wall before federal agencies get back to work. Standing alone in the Rose Garden, Trump...
Jack’s Run bridge replacement will detour Hempfield motorists
A detour is ahead for motorists in Hempfield as PennDOT plans to replace a bridge on Keystone Avenue. The bridge over Jack’s Run will be closed beginning Feb. 7, shutting down traffic on a section of Keystone between Route 119 South and Club Way, according to PennDOT. The posted detour,...
National Aviary to offer discounts, activities to celebrate RAD 25th anniversary
Cheers to 25 years! In celebration of the Allegheny Regional Asset District’s 25th year and the significant support it has provided the National Aviary through the years, the aviary announced Friday that on the 25th day of each month it will offer special activities, prizes or discounts for visitors. To...
Harrison judge slams commissioners for not reaching deal with police chief
An obviously exasperated District Judge Carolyn Bengel tore into the Harrison commissioners in public Thursday night, taking officials to task for not reaching an employment agreement with the township’s longtime police chief that would facilitate his retirement. In May, commissioners deadlocked 2-2, with one absent, to approve a four-year contract...
Report: U.S. pedestrian deaths exceed 49,000 in 10 years
DETROIT — The authors of a new report are calling on federal, state and local governments to do more to address a staggering spike in pedestrian fatalities. The report, “Dangerous By Design 2019,” urges swift action to curb the death toll, approximately 49,340 people in the 10-year period ending in...
Police in Canada charge minor with terrorism
TORONTO — Canadian police have charged a minor with a terrorism-related offense as part of a national security investigation that also involved the FBI. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement Friday that an adult male has also been arrested in Kingston, Ontario, but was not charged. The...
Apollo moves to fill borough official vacancies
Following a rash of resignations and redefining positions, Apollo is hoping to move forward after a series of appointments Thursday night. However, one of the council members resigned Thursday night. Council members said salaries of Thursday’s appointees have yet to be determined. Borough council appointed Deanne Shupe as part-time borough...
Marijuana business owners plead to drug, racketeering counts
DENVER — The owners of a Denver marijuana business have pleaded guilty to drug and racketeering charges, stemming from a yearlong grand jury investigation that prosecutors say uncovered more than two tons of marijuana entering the black market. Matthew Aiken, Christian Johnson and Anthony Sauro pleaded guilty Friday to violating...
Parkland shooting survivor: ‘We need more mayors like Peduto’
A high school shooting survivor praised Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Friday for his gun reform efforts during a Washington, D.C., panel aimed at reducing gun violence. The panel, “City Initiatives to Reduce Gun Violence,” saw Peduto seated next to 18-year-old anti-gun violence activist David Hogg. Hogg rose to national...
K-9 with bone cancer gets final salute outside Pa. vet’s office
ETTERS — A beloved K-9 suffering from bone cancer got a final salute at the Pennsylvania veterinarian’s office where he was euthanized. Newberry Township Police Chief Steven Lutz says 9-year-old German Shephard Tazer didn’t seem well after his last shift Saturday night. Sgt. Chris Martinez, his handler, took him to...
Several flights between Pittsburgh, New York delayed over FAA staffing
Several flights between Pittsburgh and New York were delayed Friday morning following a “slight increase in sick leave” at two East Coast air traffic control facilities, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. At least four flights traveling from LaGuardia to Pittsburgh were delayed, along with at least seven flights from...
Mike Diebold’s pending release from jail irks some Leechburg residents
Former Leechburg police Chief Mike Diebold’s plan to move into his mother’s Siberian Avenue home after his expected release from prison on Sunday is irking some residents, who say the convicted sex offender shouldn’t be allowed to live there because it’s too close to three schools. But there’s nothing they...
Sanders says White House wants shutdown deal
WASHINGTON — White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the administration wants to negotiate a government shutdown deal but is not saying how much President Donald Trump wants as a “down payment” on his long-promised U.S.-Mexico border wall. Sanders spoke to reporters at the White House on Friday, a day...
Coast Guard halts search for missing Royal Caribbean crewmember
MIAMI — The Coast Guard has ended the search for a crewmember from a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida’s coast. According to the Royal Caribbean cruise line, co-workers saw the 26-year-old crewmember go overboard from the Majesty of the Seas early Thursday. The ship was about 40...
New Florence man accused of shooting woman with BB gun
A New Florence man faces aggravated assault charges after police say he shot a 24-year-old woman multiple times with a BB gun. State police charged Allen K. Palmer, 31, with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment. During an altercation at a Climax Road residence in West Wheatfield on Tuesday ,...
Price of Forever stamps to increase to 55 cents
Nothing is forever, including the price of stamps. Starting Jan. 27, the price of Forever stamps is expected to increase by five cents, from 50 cents to 55 cents, according to a release from the United States Postal Service. Other mailing and shipping services also are expected to increase. For...
North Allegheny student grows massive cabbage, earns $1,000 scholarship
If she were so inclined, Lily Ries could probably use the cabbage she grew in 2018 to make a life-sized version of pigs-in-a-blanket — with actual pigs. Ries, 9, now a fourth-grader at Peebles Elementary School in the North Allegheny School District, earned a $1,000 scholarship as the Pennsylvania winner...
Japan court upholds sterilization to register gender change
TOKYO — Human rights and LGBT activists on Friday denounced a ruling by Japan’s Supreme Court upholding a law that effectively requires transgender people to be sterilized before they can have their gender changed on official documents. The court said the law is constitutional because it was meant to reduce...
Pakistan to ease restrictions on visas to promote tourism
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has announced plans to ease visa restrictions for tourists from 90 countries, including the U.S. and Europe, in a bid to revive its tourism sector, decimated by years of negligence and problems with militants. Cabinet minister Fahmida Mirza announces the plans on Friday in Islamabad. She pledged...
2 UN peacekeepers killed in attack in central Mali
BAMAKO, Mali — The spokeswoman for the United Nations mission in Mali says two Sri Lankan peacekeepers have been killed after their convoy struck an explosive device in the central Mopti region. Myriam Dessables says the blast occurred early Friday in the Douentza area. She says several other people were...
