Century III Mall granted $5M line of credit to keep operating during bankruptcy
Owners of West Mifflin’s struggling Century III Mall have been granted a $5 million line of credit by a bankruptcy court to keep operating during its case even as it remains closed by order of the borough code enforcement office. West Mifflin ordered the mall’s closure on Feb. 6 and...
Vulgar anti-Trump message in comic strip ‘Non Sequitur’ stirs anger
At first glance, Sunday’s “Non Sequitur” comic strip just showed bears dressed up like Leonardo da Vinci. The syndicated strip opens with Bear-Vinci holding a picture of a Virtruvian Bear. It ends with the ursine artist painting a Mona Lisa, who is also, you guessed it, a bear. They are...
Pa. Turnpike traffic restrictions lifted
Weather-related traffic restrictions for some commercial vehicles, all recreational vehicles and motorcycles were lifted at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday on a section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike between New Stanton and Carlisle. The move ended all vehicle restrictions on the Turnpike mainline, which had gone into effect beginning at midnight Monday in...
Fairfield cruelty case involving 99 animals to head to trial
Hundreds of animal cruelty charges against a Fairfield woman and her parents will go to trial after a Westmoreland County judge Monday refused to dismiss the cases. “It’s clear to me there is enough evidence to make a … case,” Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani said after hearing testimony from...
Storm prompts vehicle limits, lower speeds on major highways
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania officials are announcing restrictions on some interstates will take effect overnight Monday into Tuesday as a significant winter storm is forecast. PennDOT is banning commercial vehicles at midnight on Interstate 70 from the Maryland line north to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. That’s when it’ll also ban commercial vehicles...
Vandergrift Dollar General open, free $10 gift cards given for Saturday grand reopening
The new Dollar General in Vandergrift, located in the former Sprankle’s building, opened this weekend with a grand reopening set for Saturday. Sprankle’s, with stores in Leechburg and Kittanning, sold their Vandergrift site to Dollar General last year after they learned the national low-priced market was interested in locating there....
Isolated ‘casing issue’ likely caused problems at gas well near Beaver Run Reservoir, company reports
A pressure anomaly that recently forced the shutdown of a Utica shale gas well near Beaver Run Reservoir was likely caused by a “casing integrity issue” about a mile underground, CNX Resources told investors. The update was contained in a footnote in the company’s 2018 annual report, posted late last...
Injured hawk takes to the sky after successful rehabVideo
After two months of bed rest, an injured red-tailed hawk again took to the skies Monday over Western Pennsylvania. A man found the hawk in December lying in the street in Ohio Township and rescued it, bringing it to Wildlife Works animal rehabilitation facility in Youngwood. The cause of the...
More than 4 tons of deli meats, cheeses donated to Pittsburgh food bank
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is getting a sizable donation Thursday — about four and a half tons — from a Philadelphia company specializing in deli meats and cheeses. This is the third year that Dietz & Watson Inc. has donated to the Duquesne-based food bank at the suggestion...
Tube City Center opens in storied Daily News building in McKeesport
The storied Daily News building in downtown McKeesport came back to life Monday with the grand opening of Tube City Center, a multi-use, co-working space that will bring, among other things, media coverage back to the city. Trib Total Media donated the building to the city in late 2017, about...
W.Va. GOP chief rebukes delegate’s remarks on gay community
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The head of the West Virginia Republican Party has denounced comments from a GOP member of the House of Delegates about the gay community. State GOP chairwoman Melody Potter says in a statement Mercer County Delegate Eric Porterfield’s comments were “hateful, hurtful, and do not reflect the...
Rep. Ilhan Omar apologizes for tweets on AIPAC’s influence
WASHINGTON — Freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar “unequivocally” apologized on Monday for tweets about the influence in Congress of an American organization that supports Israel, which drew bipartisan criticism and a rebuke from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Minnesota Democrat said she had no intention offending anyone, including Jewish Americans,...
Poems about Pittsburgh neighborhoods will be displayed in Port Authority vehicles
A Pittsburgh nonprofit literacy organization is sponsoring a poetry contest designed to bring people together and help heal wounds left by violence in the city, including the October murders at Tree of Life synagogue. Crossing Limits has partnered with Port Authority of Allegheny County on the contest dubbed I Too...
Future of Penn Plaza site in East Liberty about to be finalized
The Pittsburgh Planning Commission has scheduled a hearing and vote for Tuesday on final plans for the controversial redevelopment of the former site of Penn Plaza Apartments in East Liberty. Pennley Park South, a subsidiary of Downtown-based LG Realty Advisors, is seeking to build a $100 million retail and office...
Judge finds suspended Westmoreland sheriff’s captain not guilty of trespassing charge
A suspended Westmoreland County sheriff’s captain was acquitted Monday of trespassing at the state police barracks in Greensburg. Senior Common Pleas Judge Richard E. McCormick Jr., following testimony from three witnesses during a summary appeal hearing, ruled there was not enough evidence to support the citation issued against Travis Day...
2-1-1 to have statewide coverage by end of year
All Pennsylvania residents should have access to 2-1-1 by the end of the year, the United Way of Pennsylvania and PA 2-1-1 announced Monday. The organizations are recognizing Feb. 11 as PA 2-1-1 Day. 2-1-1 is a free, confidential, 24-hour information and referral service. Residents can contact 2-1-1 to find...
August Wilson Center celebrates its 10th anniversary with some exciting changes
The August Wilson Center has a star-studded gala and a new name planned for its 10th anniversary celebration in April. The party and name change to the August Wilson Cultural Center were announced at a news conference Monday. After a tumultuous first decade where the Downtown Pittsburgh center nearly faced...
Pittsburgh gas prices stay steady ahead of summer fuel switch
Pittsburgh gasoline prices are unchanged in the past week, while the national average increased less than a penny. “The national average price of gasoline barely nudged higher last week, driven primarily by stations hiking prices notably in the Great Lakes early last week, pushing the national average to $2.30 per...
Cops: Jeannette man jailed on $30K bond after 12-mile chase
State police arrested a Jeannette man early Sunday after allegedly leading police through multiple Westmoreland County communities for 12 miles at speeds often exceeding 90 mph. Darrick L. Brown, 22, was charged with one felony count of fleeing and eluding police and 70 multiple traffic counts, including driving without a...
Past president of Riverlife named new president of Pittsburgh Foundation
The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Board of Directors has named Lisa M. Schroeder as the philanthropic organization’s new president. Schroeder becomes the sixth president of the foundation and the first woman to lead the organization in its 75-year history. She succeeds Maxwell King, who is retiring in September after serving a five-year...
GOP pummels Gov. Tom Wolf’s minimum wage proposal
HARRISBURG — Hearings on Gov. Tom Wolf’s $34.1 billion budget plan kicked off with a volley of Republican attacks on the Democrat’s new proposal to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage. Monday’s first House budget hearing featured Republicans repeatedly criticizing the broader impact of a minimum wage increase, including whether it would...
Outer Banks vacationers will have use of replacement Bonner Bridge in 2019Video
For Western Pennsylvanians who like to vacation in the Outer Banks, there’s some good news out of Dare County, N.C. — home of Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Roanoke Island and other tourist destinations. The three-year project to replace the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, which spans the Oregon...
Michael Jackson wax statue removed by Danish mall
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark’s oldest shopping mall has removed a wax statue of Michael Jackson out of fears it could offend customers and may be vandalized because of accusations that the late pop star molested boys. Charlotte Andersen, marketing manager for the Roedovre Centrum mall in suburban Copenhagen, told Denmark’s...
Truck driver charged in fatal Route 28 crash headed to trial
A tractor-trailer driver involved in a fatal crash on Route 28 in O’Hara more than a year ago is headed to trial, but his lawyer hopes the case won’t make it that far. Arther Wells, 70, of Mississippi, is charged with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person,...
Allegheny Township Eagle Scout makes enduring contribution to Roaring Run TrailVideo
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle- Kiski Valley people and the notable things that they do. Kiski Area senior Cody Endress wished for a project with enduring benefits when he set out to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. “I spend a lot of...
