24 neighborhood nonprofits share in $341K ‘Small and Mighty’ grants
The Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh Co-Op plans to spend a $15,000 infusion on expanding a neighborhood nutrition program and planning a co-op grocery store and farmers market in Homestead. Raising Achievement in Monroeville and Pitcairn, a volunteer-led organization known as RAMP, plans to offer $1,000 stipends to...
Pitt lacks details other Pennsylvania colleges included in hazing report
Reports documenting alleged incidents of hazing at the University of Pittsburgh main campus in Oakland lack the detail included in reports from other schools across the state. University officials said they provided information mandated by a new anti-hazing law that requires Pennsylvania colleges and universities to post public, online reports...
$15,000 allegedly stolen from Hempfield man, sweepstakes company warning against fraud
A sweepstakes company is warning people to watch out for a scam that caused a local man to have $15,000 taken from his bank account, police said. Scammers claiming to be from the United States Sweepstakes and Fulfillment Co. allegedly sent a mailer to a Hempfield Township man saying he...
Unloaded school bus involved in Murrysville crash
An unloaded school bus was involved in a crash Thursday morning in Murrysville, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The crash between the bus and a passenger vehicle on School Road North happened at 7:15 a.m. Traffic was being affected in the area while emergency responders worked to clear the...
Plummeting temperatures, gusty winds set to smack Pittsburgh region
Western Pennsylvania could see roughly an inch of snow in some places Thursday. A special weather statement issued early Thursday by the National Weather Service said temperatures have quickly dropped behind a cold front, allowing rain to transition to snow. A quick coating to near an inch of snow will...
Tarentum police searching for 2 people involved in hardware store theft
Tarentum Police are trying to identify two men accused of stealing a shovel from the Tarentum Hardware store on First Avenue around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Chief Bill Vakulick said. Security camera footage posted to the department’s Facebook page shows two men — one wearing a bright green, hooded sweatshirt and...
Flood advisory prompts Friday closure of Mon Wharf parking lot
Pittsburgh’s Public Parking Authority said it will close the Mon Wharf parking lot on Friday because of a flood advisory. The parking authority’s alert, issued Thursday, said all vehicles parked at the lot Thursday must be removed by 7 p.m. or face relocation. “Additional parking is available at the First...
Commerce chief asks why furloughed workers using food banks
NEW YORK (AP) — Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, one of the richest people in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, questioned Thursday why furloughed federal workers were using food banks instead of taking out loans to get through the monthlong partial government shutdown. Ross was asked on CNBC to comment on reports...
Trump postpones State of Union address until after shutdown
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he is postponing his State of the Union address until the partial government shutdown ends, yielding after a weeklong showdown with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Following a high-stakes game of dare and double-dare, Trump conceded Wednesday night that “no venue that can compete with...
Pittsburgh Police: Elderly man struck by hit-and-run driver in South Side Slopes
A pedestrian believed to be in his 70s was in critical condition after being struck by a hit-and-run driver, according to Pittsburgh police. The incident happened at about 9:40 in the 2300 block of Arlington Avenue, according to Public Safety spokeswoman Alicia George. She said that “This is an apparent...
When drones get near airports: Answers to common questions
The ability of drones to interfere with airliners — and inconvenience their passengers — has been demonstrated on two continents, and the problem is likely to get worse as the number of small, unmanned devices multiply. Law enforcement authorities are trying to figure out who flew a drone so high...
Ken Starr urges trust in system for investigating presidents
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Former independent counsel Kenneth Starr, who spearheaded the 1990s investigation into President Bill Clinton, urged public trust in the checks and balances established for holding presidential administrations accountable, saying Wednesday that the system remains widely underappreciated. Starr’s comments came ahead of a public lecture he delivered at...
Arrest made in missing Dravosburg woman’s death after her body was found
Allegheny County police arrested a man Wednesday night in connection with the death of Dravosburg woman who had been missing since early Novermber. Dale Cooper, 36, no address given, was apprehended in Homestead around 8:50 Wednesday by county officers and Homestead and Munhall police. He faces charges of criminal homicide,...
Surgery patients return from Mexico with deadly superbug
Tamika Capone thought she was making a smart call by traveling to Mexico for bariatric surgery. Her doctor had urged her to have the procedure to reduce her out-of-control weight and blood pressure. But her husband’s health insurance would not cover the $17,500 bill. After a friend got the surgery...
Mon Valley residents, advocacy groups call for more action on air qualityVideo
A month after a Dec. 24 fire at the Clairton Coke Works knocked out equipment used to clean coke oven gas, Mon Valley residents and environmental groups are calling for a “hot idle” at the facility. “We don’t want to damage the plant, we want the damage to stop,” said...
Under fire, House Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee to step down from leadership roles
WASHINGTON — A senior Democratic congresswoman is stepping down as chair of a House subcommittee and the nonprofit arm of the Congressional Black Caucus amid claims that she fired an aide who planned to sue the nonprofit after she reported a sexual assault, lawmakers said Wednesday. The move, by Rep....
‘Stronger than Hate’ shirt maker helping furloughed federal employees, too
Some Pittsburgh area furloughed federal workers are getting their first pay in about a month from a Robinson company that continues to produce Stronger than Hate shirts. The 123shirt.com company, a small family-owned and operated custom clothing venture, is employing some of the workers, said Larry Barasch, who co-owns it...
Tony Award-winning Saint Vincent grad to speak about internet’s future
A Saint Vincent College graduate who has straddled the worlds of web-based technology and Broadway entertainment will return to the Unity campus March 14 to speak about new possibilities for the internet. In his presentation, “The Once and Future Internet,” Michael Kriak will discuss new, decentralized models for use of...
Missing autistic Forest Hills boy found unharmed in Pitcairn
Allegheny County officials said a 13-year-old boy missing from Forest Hills has been found safe and sound in Pitcairn. Police said Austin Kocher, who is autistic, was last seen around 4 p.m. Wednesday at his Forest Hills home. Authorities found him a little more than two hours later. Michael DiVittorio...
Western Pennsylvania municipalities will vie for landslide, flood relief
Matt Brown, emergency services chief for Allegheny County, Wednesday urged municipalities battered by landslides and recurring flooding to compete for a new pot of federal funding. Up to $10 million in hazard-mitigation grants has been made available statewide, despite the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s denying Western Pennsylvania’s request to declare...
Ramp from 40th Street Bridge to Millvale to be closed Thursday into Friday morning
The ramp from the 40th Street Bridge to northbound Route 28 in Millvale will be closed for at least 20 hours starting Thursday morning. The closure is happening so a Pennsylvania Water and Sewer Authority contractor can install an inlet to divert water away from the off-ramp. Work is scheduled...
White House seeks list of programs that would be hurt if shutdown lasts into March
WASHINGTON — White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has pressed agency leaders to provide him with a list of the highest-impact programs that will be jeopardized if the shutdown continues into March and April, people familiar with the directive said. Mulvaney wants the list no later than Friday,...
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Laurel Region CEO announces resignation
The CEO and executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region announced her resignation Wednesday. Kelli Belanger, who served as CEO of the Greensburg-based organization for 14 years, said she has decided it’s time to move on from her position. “While I will always dearly treasure my...
California city approves 25-cent fee on disposable cups
SAN FRANCISCO — Patrons of restaurants and coffee shops in Berkeley, Calif., who don’t bring a reusable cup for their beverage will have to pay a 25-cent fee for a disposable cup as part of an ordinance approved by city officials to reduce restaurant waste. Berkeley’s City Council voted unanimously...
Uninsured rate under Trump surges to highest level since ‘Obamacare’ began
WASHINGTON — The percentage of American adults without health insurance surged upward in 2018, reaching levels not recorded since before President Trump took office, according to a new national survey that revealed widespread coverage losses over the past two years. At the end of 2018, 13.7 percent of U.S. adults...
