Cruze Bar to close in Pittsburgh, plans farewell bash
A landmark gay bar in Pittsburgh’s Strip District is closing. Cruze Bar opened seven years ago along Smallman Street, providing a destination dance, bar and lounge experience for members of Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ+ community—offering a classic dance club environment and garnering a faithful customer base. But new development is on the...
Paws Across Pittsburgh steps in to help 9 more dog, cats
Princess was in sad shape when Paws Across Pittsburgh volunteers met her last weekend. “The dog was in shutdown,” said Paws volunteer Vicki Marietta of Harrison City. “She wasn’t eating. She didn’t want to be touched. She was depressed and broken.” Princess, Bear, Charley, Dinky and five other dogs and...
Police warn of vehicle break-ins in Lower Burrell
Lower Burrell police say several vehicles were broken into Wednesday night and are reminding people to lock their car doors. Chief Tim Weitzel said the break-ins occurred on Donnell Road, Davies Street, Fairway Street, and Mintwood Drive. Most, if not all the vehicles, were left parked and unlocked, Weitzel said....
Cops: Hempfield man inappropriately touched young girl
State police arrested an elderly Hempfield man on Wednesday on allegations that he molested a girl over five years, starting in 2008. Charles Donald Howard, 84, is charged with aggravated indecent assault. Troopers said in court papers that they received a ChildLine report about the allegations, which the accuser said...
Army aims for more combat-ready troops with new fitness testVideo
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Army soldiers struggle to haul heavy sleds backward as fast as they can down a grassy field at Fort Bragg, filling the brisk North Carolina morning air with grunts of exertion and the shouts of instruction from their coaches. Watching from the sidelines, Sgt. Maj. Harold...
New U.S.-Mexico border barrier charts tricky course near homes
ALONG THE SAN DIEGO-TIJUANA BORDER — For all practical purposes, the purple-and-white stucco shrine that Jose Arias built to celebrate his recovery from a heart attack and honor his family lies in Mexico. The only way in and out of his plywood shack is through one of Tijuana’s oldest neighborhoods,...
Netanyahu channeling Trump in Israel’s election campaign
JERUSALEM — Seeking re-election under a cloud of criminal investigations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks to be channeling his inner Donald Trump in an angry campaign against perceived domestic enemies. Drawing clear inspiration from Trump, Netanyahu’s Likud party has plastered huge billboards of the two leaders together and launched...
Suspended nurse practitioner accused of continuing to prescribe medications
A nurse practitioner is accused by federal authorities of practicing medicine and writing prescriptions after his license was suspended, according to a news release. Larry J. Goisse Jr., 34, who owns Prime Psychiatric Care at two Allegheny County locations, was indicted this week by a federal grand jury on 294...
Democrats speechless as scandal engulfs Virginia’s leaders
RICHMOND, Va. — With Virginia’s top three elected officials engulfed in scandal, fellow Democrats were rendered practically speechless, uncertain of how to thread their way through racial and sexual allegations and their tangled political implications. Gov. Ralph Northam’s career was already hanging by a thread over a racist photo in...
Anti-abortion bills: Odds good in GOP states, not Congress
President Donald Trump’s call for a ban on late-term abortions is unlikely to prevail in Congress, but Republican legislators in several states are pushing ahead with their own tough anti-abortion bills that they hope can pass muster with the Supreme Court. Two bills proposing to outlaw abortions after a fetal...
Thursday morning fog to give way to rain
Fog blanketed the region Thursday morning, limiting visibility in some places to 100 feet, according to the National Weather Service. A fog alert was in place until 10 a.m. The National Weather Service forecast drizzle Thursday afternoon with steady rain after 5 p.m. Temperatures will reach 63 degrees and then...
Developer plans to transform vacant Greensburg bank into startup hub
A New Jersey developer envisions a long-vacant bank building in downtown Greensburg as a hub for startups. Ramesh Reddy Ammana bought the Barclay-Westmoreland Trust Co. bank building at auction for $140,000 last month. He said the 12,000-square-foot building has water damage and other issues from its many years of disuse,...
3.5 magnitude quake shakes parts of northwest Oklahoma
CHEROKEE, Okla. — No damage has been reported following a 3.5 magnitude earthquake in northwestern Oklahoma. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake was recorded at 9:54 a.m. Thursday in Alfalfa County near Cherokee, about 100 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. The temblor was recorded at a depth of about...
4 homes evacuated in Pittsburgh after ‘thick, gooey’ mudslide
Pittsburgh officials were keeping a close watch Thursday on a mudslide that caused the evacuation of four homes in the Allentown neighborhood, officials said. City Operations Chief Guy Costa said “thick, gooey mud” is running down a steep hillside below McClain Street and threatening three houses along Arlington Avenue. Officials...
Freeport Area looks to make up to $600,000 in upgrades before end of school year
The Freeport Area School District has a nearly $600,000 “honey-do” list it wants to get done before the end of the school year. The school board plans to move the money from the general fund to the capital fund and consider projects on a line-item basis. Some of the projects...
Trump-GOP meeting boosts optimism about reaching border deal
WASHINGTON — President Trump appears to be taking a more positive view of Capitol Hill talks on border security, according to negotiators who struck a distinctly optimistic tone after a White House meeting with a top Republican on the broad parameters of a potential bipartisan agreement. Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard...
Tree of Life congregant Judah Samet enjoys ‘feel good’ moment at State of the UnionVideo
The night before Judah Samet sat in the House of Representatives’ gallery as President Donald Trump’s guest for his State of the Union address, he wasn’t sure the president would mention him. Not only did the president mention Samet on Tuesday night, he also wished him a happy 81st birthday....
County honors Westmoreland sheriff’s deputies for arrest
Westmoreland deputy sheriffs were honored this week by county commissioners for their role in the arrest of a suspected drug dealer following a three-mile vehicle chase last month in North Huntingdon. Deputies John Dixon, Rob Orbin and Frank Neal; Sgt. Irvin Shipley and Lt. Jesse Salandro assisted police during a...
Family escapes fire at Fox Chapel homeVideo
A family of four and two dogs escaped a large fire that started early Friday in the garage of their million-dollar Fox Chapel home, police said. Emergency crews were called at 6:40 a.m. to a home at 30 Sweet Water Lane, where flames could be seen shooting through the roof....
Penns Manor High student investigated after allegedly posting threat
An Indiana County high school student allegedly posted a threat on social media while he was at school, police said. The 16-year-old student is facing a disorderly conduct citation and disciplinary action from Penns Manor High School for allegedly posting the threat on Snapchat Tuesday. Pennsylvania State Police investigated. Megan...
Fire displaces family at Maple Street in Pittsburgh, family owned it for decades
Fire forced a family from a Maple Street house in Pittsburgh just after 6 p.m. Wednesday, but everyone inside got out safely. First District Fire Batallion Chief Greg Lowman said no one was injured in the blaze that heavily damaged the house thought to be about 100 years old. The...
2 houses in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood evacuated because of mudslide
A mudslide down a steep hill caused two houses to be evacuated Wednesday as a precaution along Arlington Avenue in Pittsburgh just after 5 p.m. The Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, said the mud and water came from the 900 block of McCain Street in Allentown. An engineer was expected to...
Boosters pay for Norwin baseball field improvements
Norwin’s high school baseball facilities will get a new scoreboard, flag pole and storage shed through money raised by the baseball team’s booster group. The school board authorized administrators to buy the $20,000 scoreboard from OES Inc. of London, Ontario. Het Construction Corp. of Irwin will install it free of...
Paul Erickson, boyfriend of admitted covert Russian agent, accused of fraud
PIERRE, S.D. — The boyfriend of a Russian woman who admitted she was a secret agent for the Kremlin has been charged with fraud in South Dakota, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday. Businessman and conservative political operative Paul Erickson, 56, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 11 counts of wire...
Veteran from Connellsville drove for Patton during Battle of the Bulge
When it came to vehicular ability, Eugene Craig of Connellsville had it in spades. He raced a snowmobile for fun, flew a plane for work and drove Gen. George Patton’s jeep during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. “He loved ‘Old Blood and Guts,’ ” said son...
