Mercer County woman gets up to 52 years in prison for killing husband after he asked for divorce
A Mercer County woman accused of killing her husband in a fit of rage after he asked her for a divorce was sentenced to 23 ½ to 52 years in prison, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Tuesday. Amy Emmett, 49, of Hempfield Township pleaded no contest to third-degree murder...
House rebukes GOP’s Steve King over racist remarks
WASHINGTON — A Democratic measure rebuking Republican Rep. Steve King for his comments about white supremacy won easy approval Tuesday in the House. In a twist, the nine-term Iowa congressman was among those supporting the measure of disapproval, which was adopted, 416-1. King said he agreed with Majority Whip James...
Wave of resignations leaves Cheswick police short-handed
Cheswick officials say the resignation of seven part-time officers from the borough’s police department last month has led to shifts going unstaffed and a reliance on neighboring police departments to respond to calls. The resignations come as the department adjusts to the loss of former Chief Bob Scott, who retired...
Man who stabbed 5 at Homestead mental health facility gets 30 to 60 years
JoAnn Latshaw spent years organizing medications for her patients at Turtle Creek Valley Mental Health. Now, more than two years after she was critically injured in Dustin Johnson’s 2016 stabbing spree at the facility, she cannot keep track of her own medications. “It’s frustrating to not be able to do...
Tom Wolf begins second term as Pennsylvania governor
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf kicked off his second term Tuesday with a call for Pennsylvanians to work together to build a stronger, fairer and more prosperous future, and said progress in his first term is proof the state can overcome its challenges. Wolf, 70, returns for a second term...
United Way offers aid to furloughed government employees
As the partial federal government shutdown edged toward its 25th day, officials at the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania urged government employees facing financial difficulties to contact its 2-1-1 services for assistance. Some 800,000 federal employees across the nation have been furloughed or ordered to work without pay and thousands...
Extended No Wake Zone proposed at Pittsburgh’s Point
Relief is on the way for boaters who know the bump and grind of wakes from speeding boats when they dock along the Allegheny River as the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has proposed an extension to the No Wake Zone at Pittsburgh’s Point. The change is intended to create...
3 new police officers hired in New Kensington
New Kensington council Monday hired three new police officers to fill vacancies created by retirements, city Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti said. Michael A. McSherry of Leechburg, Jerry Hobeck of New Kensington and Jeffrey Vertullo of Export were selected from a list approved last week by the city’s Civil Service Commission. They...
Derry Township farmer: To save dairies, modernize milk pricing system
Faced with chronically low milk prices, some Pennsylvania dairy farmers are calling for reforms in the way those prices are set. The U.S. system for determining what dairy farmers are paid for their product is notoriously complex — and has become even more so under the influence of global markets...
Silicon Valley landlord rents $1,500 studio to 2 cats
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Two cats are living large at a $1,500-a-month studio apartment their owner rents for them in Silicon Valley, where a housing shortage has sent rents skyrocketing. The Mercury News reports the 20-pound (9-kilogram) cats named Tina and Louise moved to the studio in San Jose after...
Joy Riders program will provide bike rides to people with limited mobilityVideo
As soon as Karen Primm of Smithton saw the video — about an Australian man who designed a tandem bicycle with a wheelchair in the front, so that his disabled wife could go out on rides with him — she knew she needed to bring something similar to Pittsburgh. Luckily...
New Kensington authorities raise water, sewer rates
Water and sewer bills are going up this year for people who live in Arnold, Lower Burrell, New Kensington and portions of Plum. The 15,000 water customers of the Municipal Authority of New Kensington, which also serves Upper Burrell and parts of Allegheny and Washington townships, will see a 12...
British Parliament rejects Theresa May’s Brexit deal, putting EU withdrawal in doubt
LONDON — Prime Minister Theresa May was defeated in a landslide vote Tuesday in Parliament, where lawmakers rejected her Brexit deal by a vote of 432 to 202 — a pure humiliation for a British leader who has spent the past two years negotiating her failed withdrawal agreement with Brussels....
Ambulance driver gets 6 to 23 months in Lancaster crash that killed 2
LANCASTER, Pa. — An ambulance driver wept as he was sentenced to six to 23 month in prison in a crash that killed his passenger and another driver. LNP newspaper reports that 22-year-old Jeffrey Gable told a Lancaster County judge Monday that he never intended to hurt anyone in the...
Joanne Rogers to get George Romero Legacy Award at the ‘Elly Awards Gala’
Joanne Rogers, wife of the late Fred Rogers, will accept The George Romero Legacy Award at the 2019 Steeltown Elly Awards, presented by PNC at The Rivers Casino Ballroom on April 11. Past awardees include film legend George Romero, former Fred Rogers Company CEO Bill Isler, and philanthropist Audrey Hillman...
West Virginia: Proposal to give $10M for Trump’s border wall
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Some lawmakers in drug-ravaged West Virginia want to pitch in millions of dollars for President Trump’s wall-building effort along the U.S.-Mexico border. The GOP-led House of Delegates issued a statement Monday that a bill planned by three delegates would divert $10 million from West Virginia’s current $186...
Police: Driver was drunk during head-on crash in Murrysville that left man seriously injured
A Delmont woman is accused of being drunk at the time of a head-on crash Friday in Murrysville that left a man seriously injured. Lane J. Weiner, 56, had two cold 12-packs of Bud Light that had been opened in the back seat of her car at the time of...
New migrant caravan sets out from Honduras for U.S.
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — Hundreds of Hondurans trekked out of a violent northern city Tuesday, part of a new caravan of migrants hoping to reach the United States or Mexico, following in the path of another group last year that U.S. President Donald Trump turned into a hot political...
Judge voids Alabama law protecting Confederate monuments
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A judge has overturned an Alabama law meant to prevent the removal of Confederate monuments from public property, ruling the act infringed on the rights of citizens in a mostly black city who are “repulsed” by the memorial. The 10-page ruling issued late Monday by Jefferson County...
South Korea stops calling North Korea ‘enemy’ in defense report
South Korea dropped a reference to North Korea as its “enemy” in a Defense Ministry white paper for the first time since 2010, reflecting warming ties between the neighbors still technically at war. In a report released on Tuesday, the ministry said that North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction remained...
Pittsburgh police to get domestic violence unit with $500K grant
A Pittsburgh police unit focused solely on domestic violence is in the works thanks to a $500,000 grant from the local Nina Baldwin Fisher Foundation. Legislation to accept the grant was introduced before City Council on Tuesday, said Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto. The money will pay for...
Lower Burrell Police looking for participants for Citizen Police Academy
Lower Burrell police are accepting applications from city residents for its Citizen Police Academy. Classes start in March and will be limited to 25 residents, who must be 18 or older. Topics of discussion include criminal and drug investigation, patrol techniques, firearms, juveniles and our youth commission, crime prevention, community...
Forward Avenue and Commercial Street in Squirrel Hill to close Jan. 21
A portion of Forward Avenue and Commercial Street in Squirrel Hill and Swisshelm Park will be closed to traffic next week for landslide work. The road will be closed between Summerset Drive and Whipple Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting Monday, Jan. 21 through Friday, Jan. 25, according...
Westmoreland happenings: Jan. 16 and beyond
Classes/programs • Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe has planned days of observances to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: — Mass of Celebration will be held 12:05 p.m. Monday in the Mary, Mother of Wisdom Chapel. Following the Mass, a dream center...
Westmoreland County seeking 30 participants for citizen workshop
The Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety is looking for 30 citizens to participate in a workshop aimed at mitigating hazards. The workshop will be held Feb. 19 and March 19 from 7-9 p.m. at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg campus. Citizens will only be required to attend one of...
