Ice jam on Allegheny River in Armstrong County starting to break up
An almost 9-mile-long ice jam in Armstrong County is slowly breaking up between the Mosgrove and Rimer locks and dams on the Allegheny River. Flooding is a threat in areas with tributaries north of Kittanning in the Allegheny River area, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the...
Pa. Supreme Court justice denies benefit from alleged stolen union funds
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice who is the brother of an indicted Philadelphia labor leader is denying that he knowingly benefited from any money allegedly embezzled from the union. The Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday cited five unidentified people familiar with the investigation as confirming Justice Kevin Dougherty is...
‘The View’ host Joy Behar under fire for use of blackface
NEW YORK — Joy Behar and ABC were silent Thursday after an old photo resurfaced of “The View” co-host using makeup to darken her skin for a Halloween costume, the latest flashpoint in a series of blackface scandals making national headlines. The 76-year-old didn’t mention the clip on Thursday’s show,...
‘I see the same eyes,’ jitney driver who was robbed tells court during hearing in Brackenridge
A jitney driver couldn’t definitively say whether a man who appeared in a Brackenridge courtroom Wednesday was the same man who robbed and threatened to shoot her last month. “I see the same eyes that I seen that night,” the woman said in court Wednesday. “I can’t tell you a...
Western Pa. colleges take steps to reduce plastic usage
Colleges are taking steps to reduce the amount of plastic tossed out, or even recycled, by encouraging students and staff to reuse plastic bottles. At Saint Vincent College, the student environmental awareness club recently acquired multi-purpose reusable cups that can be bought at the college bookstore for $8. Although Saint...
WVU research touts value of vegetarian diets for diabetes management
Pass the celery sticks, please. Our friends at West Virginia University are tackling wellness issues that cross state lines into Western Pennsylvania, specifically type 2 diabetes. Researchers at WVU have looked at the relationship between vegetarian diets and diabetes outcomes. And, surprise, they found that a diet based on whole...
Democrats seek Green New Deal to address climate change
WASHINGTON — Democrats are calling for a Green New Deal intended to transform the U.S. economy to combat climate change and create thousands of jobs in renewable energy. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is teaming up with veteran Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts on the plan, which aims to...
More than ever, people are trying to board planes with guns
Travelers moving through Pittsburgh International Airport continued to bring firearms to security checkpoints at a rate of more than two per month. Transportation Security Administration agents at the airport caught 34 guns at checkpoints last year, up slightly from the 32 caught in 2017, according to Lisa Farbstein, a TSA...
Pittsburgh residents don’t fear driverless vehicles, survey says
Pittsburghers are – by and large – comfortable sharing the road with autonomous vehicles, bucking national trends that show most U.S. drivers distrust driverless technology. This week Bike Pittsburgh, which advocates for safe streets to bike and walk, released a biennial survey showing people feel safer sharing the road with...
Acme sisters in running for state Miss Agriculture USA Queen titles
Two young sisters from Acme will compete for state Miss Agriculture USA Queen titles. Brystoll Ament, 8, a second-grader at Donegal Elementary School, recently was named the 2019 Westmoreland County Miss Agriculture USA Queen in the petite division, and her sister, Maci Ament, 1, was named the 2019 Westmoreland County...
McArdle Roadway to close for part of the weekend
McArdle Roadway between the Liberty Bridge and Mt. Washington will close for part of the weekend, Pittsburgh officials said Thursday. The road will close between the bridge and Grandview Avenue on Feb. 9 and 10 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. while crews remove debris along the road. The work...
Open house at Gateway Rehab’s Mt. Pleasant location set for Friday
Gateway Rehab will show off its expanded drug and alcohol treatment center in Mt. Pleasant during an open house Friday. The public is invited to the inpatient facility at Excela Health Frick Hospital from 1-3 p.m. A short program will begin around 1 p.m. Staff members will be available afterwards...
AG Shapiro: UPMC’s ‘corporate greed’ hurting patients
Attorney General Josh Shapiro accused UPMC on Thursday of violating its obligation as a public charity and asked a state court to intervene in its breakup with rival Highmark by forcing it to accept out-of-network patients at affordable rates. In a 73-page legal challenge filed in Commonwealth Court, Shapiro accused...
Vandergrift finally gets to move on its 2018 paving projects
Although the calendar says 2019, Vandergrift is still working on its 2018 paving program. Money from the federal Community Development Block Grant program didn’t arrive until mid-November, after the hot asphalt facilities closed for the winter. The borough will seek new contract bids on paving and, if Punxsutawney Phil is...
Pedestrian run over when he takes shortcut underneath truck
EDISON, N.J. — Authorities say a pedestrian who tried to take a shortcut by scooting underneath a parked tractor-trailer was critically injured when the driver started up the vehicle and drove away. Edison police say the 30-year-old Princeton man and a friend were walking back to a hotel around 9:30...
Comedy-skit benefit explores ‘How Heartbreak Changed History’ in Johnstown
The Friends of Flight 93, the National Western Parks of Pennsylvania and the Johnstown Area Heritage Association will partner for a night of comedy and history to support a program that encourages students to work in national parks over their spring break. “Hydration History,” modeled on the popular Comedy Central...
House Democrats turn focus to getting Trump’s tax returns
WASHINGTON — The new Democratic-controlled House is looking at proposals to compel presidents and presidential candidates to make public years of their tax returns. But the burning question is what Democrats might do more immediately to get such files from President Donald Trump. That goal has been high on their...
Nominating petitions for spring primary in Allegheny County available Feb. 12
Allegheny County residents interested in seeking their party’s nod in the upcoming municipal primary can pick up nominating petitions starting on Tuesday. Petitions for all elected offices on the May 21 ballot with the exception of state judicial seats are available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the county...
West Virginia deer kill up slightly in 2018
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State wildlife officials say the number of white-tailed deer killed in West Virginia during the recently completed hunting seasons rose slightly compared to a year ago. The Division of Natural Resources says in a news release that hunters killed 108,856 deer last year. That’s compared to 108,160...
Police write 171 traffic tickets during Indiana County operation
State police issued more than 170 traffic citations during an Operation Yellow Jacket speed enforcement detail Tuesday and Wednesday along Indiana County highways. According to spokesman Trooper First Class Cliff Greenfield, police wrote 171 traffic citations and three citations for motor carrier violations. They also issued 70 written warnings and...
Bill Cosby, 81, moved to general unit at Pennsylvania prison
COLLEGEVILLE — Bill Cosby has been moved to a general population unit as he serves three to 10 years in prison for sexual assault in Pennsylvania. The move last week comes after the 81-year-old actor spent about four months in special housing as he acclimated to the SCI-Phoenix in suburban...
Bail reduced for Leechburg pair accused of trying to pick lock at Armstrong methadone clinic
A judge lowered bail to $25,000 on Wednesday for two people accused of trying to break into a Parks Township methadone clinic in January. Richard Samuel Thomas, 37, and Natalie Nicole Milanak, 36, both of Leechburg, remained at the Armstrong County Jail Thursday after they each failed to post the...
Humanitarian Awards to honor Tree of Life Congregation, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Tree of Life Congregation will be among the recipients of the fourth annual Dr. Cyril H. Wecht Western Pennsylvania Humanitarian Awards this weekend. The awards ceremony, scheduled for 12-4 p.m. Saturday at Sugar and Smoke Southern Kitchen/Bar in Bloomfield, recognizes people and institutions whose impact...
Flood watch issued in Pittsburgh region through Friday morning
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch through 7 a.m. Friday for the region, including Allegheny, Armstrong and Westmoreland counties. With the ground already saturated by recent rain and an additional inch expected by the end of Thursday, flooding is possible on small streams, according to forecasters. Those who...
PUC approves nearly 14 percent PWSA water rate increase for Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority customers will pay about 14 percent more for water and sewer services under a rate hike approved Thursday morning by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Public utility commissioners unanimously approved the increase, which represents a settlement between PWSA and various objectors, including the state’s Office...
