Highlands to repair, not remove, clock tower atop Tarentum school
There’s apparently no reason to recreate the “Save the clock tower!” scene from the movie “Back to the Future” in Tarentum. Highlands School District is moving forward with repairing the landmark tower atop Highlands Elementary School, formerly known as Grandview, school board President Debbie Beale said. The district also will...
Cardi B deactivates Instagram account after Grammy criticism
NEW YORK — Cardi B has deactivated her Instagram account following social media criticism of her winning a Grammy for best rap album. Some people said the 26-year-old rapper didn’t deserve the Grammy over other nominees. The criticism was amplified by a now-deleted BET tweet that pitted Cardi B against...
McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge reopen after reported barge strike
The McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge reopened Tuesday afternoon, about an hour after loose barges that might have struck the bridge forced its closure. The barges went through around 11:45 a.m., and Allegheny County officials said via Twitter that at least one barge might have struck the piers. Coast Guard Lt. Shawn Simeral...
Starzl documentary to premiere at Science Center’s Rangos Cinema
The Carnegie Science Center will host the first public showing of the documentary on organ transplant pioneer Dr. Thomas Starzl in April. “Burden of Genius” chronicles the late Starzl’s journey from the world’s first successful liver transplant in 1967 to his start at the University of Pittsburgh in 1981 and...
Police investigating shots that broke synagogue’s windows
LIMA, Ohio — Police are investigating several shots that broke windows at a synagogue in Ohio. Officers in Lima say they believe it’s a case of vandalism and not a hate crime. They say it appears that several windows at the Temple Beth Israel-Shaare Zedek synagogue were broken Friday night...
Brackenridge church sees increased fee for Easter egg hunt on Highlands property
It’s going to cost a Brackenridge church a lot more to use Highlands School District facilities for its annual Easter egg hunt, but not as much as church members first thought. Generations House of Worship, which is planning its third egg hunt at the district’s middle school, initially thought it...
Pittsburgh Council confirms mayor’s choice to head city technology department
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday confirmed Mayor Bill Peduto’s pick to head the city’s Department of Innovation and Performance. Council unanimously confirmed Santiago Garces, who formerly served as chief innovation officer in South Bend, Indiana. Garces, a native of Bogotá, Colombia, started South Bend’s Department of Innovation and Technology in...
Archaeologists discover ancient workshop in Egypt’s Sinai
CAIRO — Egypt says archaeologists have uncovered an ancient workshop used to build and repair ships that dates back to the Ptolemaic era (332 B.C.-30 B.C.) in the Sinai Peninsula. The Antiquities Ministry says Tuesday that excavations took place in the Tel Abu Saifi archaeological site in Northern Sinai. The...
Police: Man charged with DUI in funeral procession crash
LILBURN, Ga. — A hearse was struck and flipped several times during a funeral procession in metro Atlanta and police say the man who hit it is charged with DUI, drug and traffic offenses. News outlets cite a Lilburn police report as saying Troy Hickey is accused of ignoring officers...
Nicki Minaj pulls out of BET concert after network’s tweet
LOS ANGELES — Nicki Minaj says she’s canceling her appearance at the BET Experience Concert after the network tweeted about her and fellow rapper Cardi B. Minaj said Monday on social media that she won’t perform at the concert or BET Awards. It comes after BET tweeted Sunday that Minaj...
Ex-congressman Tom Marino now cites health for resigning
HARRISBURG — Recently resigned U.S. Rep Tom Marino now says problems with his remaining kidney prompted him to leave Congress just three weeks after starting his fifth term. The 66-year-old Marino abruptly announced his resignation last month, saying he was taking a job outside government. But Marino told The Daily...
Court: Prisoner’s tobacco spit complaint against SCI Fayette guard ‘frivolous’
A complaint by a former SCI Fayette prisoner alleging his food was tainted by chewing tobacco spit has been dismissed as frivolous by a Pennsylvania appellate court. The Commonwealth Court three-judge panel said prisoner William Mayo, 40, failed to show harm or to state a claim under the Eighth Amendment...
Trump undecided on tentative border deal in Congress, official says
President Donald Trump hasn’t decided if he’ll support the bipartisan congressional agreement on border security that’s contingent on him accepting less wall construction money than he’s been demanding as a way to avert another government shutdown, an administration official said. The White House is waiting to review the full language...
Steelers’ Antonio Brown a no-show at reckless driving hearing
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown failed to show up in court Tuesday for a summary trial related to a reckless driving charge, court records show. His no-show led to a disposition of guilty for the reckless driving charge, which carries a fine of $200. The hearing was scheduled for...
Wine lounge, eatery to open in vacant Rankin churchVideo
A family of five from California is on a renovation mission in Rankin. The Stasinowsky family from Sacramento purchased the former Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Rankin from the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh in February 2018 for $50,000. They are creating a new, unique destination they...
Western Pennsylvania precipitation on pace with wettest-year ever so far in 2019
Residents of Western Pennsylvania might want to invest in some rain gear, or maybe an ark. After surviving the wettest year on record in 2018, the region is on pace to match that through the first 42 days of 2019. Through Feb. 11, 2018, the Pittsburgh area saw 5.62 inches...
Police: Men demanded $50K, 4 pounds of marijuana, guns for kidnapped Monroeville womanVideo
Two men are accused of kidnapping a Monroeville woman, tying her up, and demanding $50,000, four pounds of marijuana and guns from her son for her release. Police say the men video chatted with the son, showing him his mother bound to a chair with her eyes covered, according to...
Latrobe hires new police officer, commends 2 othersVideo
Latrobe shored up its police roster Monday by hiring a local native as the force’s newest officer. Council also commended two city officers for recently administering an opioid overdose reversal drug to revive unresponsive patients. Unity District Judge Michael Mahady administered the oath of office Monday to Latrobe’s newest police...
Allegiant Air announces flights between Pittsburgh and Tennessee
Allegiant Air is preparing to debut new directs flight between Pittsburgh International Airport and McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee, and offering tickets for as low as $49 each way. The new seasonal route will start May 17. Flights will run twice weekly, with full details about scheduling and fares...
Mark Kelly announces run for McCain Senate seat in Arizona
PHOENIX — Retired astronaut Mark Kelly, who rocketed to the national spotlight when his congresswoman wife Gabrielle Giffords was shot in a failed assassination attempt, announced Tuesday he’s running to finish John McCain’s last term in the U.S. Senate. Kelly, 54, is a top Democratic recruit to take on Republican...
New Pittsburgh Foundation president happy to be coming home
The Pittsburgh Foundation’s new president, Lisa M. Schroeder, is a Baltimore native but insists that she has two hometowns. And Pittsburgh is one of them. “I think that I learned some of the most important lessons of my life living and working in Pittsburgh,” Schroeder said shortly after it was...
Pittsburgh man pleads guilty to counterfeit check scam
A Pittsburgh man pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to defrauding Pittsburgh-area banks, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady. Deshaun A. McGeorge, 27, is scheduled for sentencing on June 18. McGeorge and two others were indicted by a federal grand jury for the conspiracy that occurred between February and...
Police: Pot smokers find caged tiger in abandoned house
HOUSTON — Houston police say some people who went into an abandoned home to smoke marijuana found a caged tiger. They called police on Monday and the major offender animal cruelty unit and animal shelter volunteers arrived on the scene. Authorities nicknamed the tiger “Tyson” after the movie “The Hangover.”...
2 Parkland moms now divided over guns
PARKLAND, Fla. — It’s an image that has become emblematic of the Parkland school massacre : two terrified moms outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, one of them a tall, weeping blonde with the black smudge of Ash Wednesday on her forehead, the other a petite redhead crying in despair on...
Budget deal allows far less money than Trump wanted for wall
WASHINGTON — Congressional negotiators reached agreement to prevent a government shutdown and finance construction of new barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, overcoming a late-stage hang-up over immigration enforcement issues that had threatened to scuttle the talks. Republicans were desperate to avoid another bruising shutdown. They tentatively agreed Monday night to...
