Pat Catan’s craft stores to close, some rebranded as Michaels
Most Pat Catan’s Arts and Craft stores will be closing soon, the company that owns the regional chain announced Wednesday. The Michaels Cos. Inc. will rebrand up to 12 of the Pat Catan’s locations as Michaels stores and close the remaining stores. There are 36 Pat Catan’s stores in the...
Delmont fire officials: State audit recommendations met
Delmont volunteer firefighters report their department is continuing to “move forward” after a recent report by the state auditor general disclosed not all of its recommendations from prior financial audits had been followed. “For audited period Jan. 1, 2016, to Dec. 31, 2017, the relief association took appropriate corrective action...
Health aid accused of assaulting 92-year-old Pittsburgh woman
A home health care aid allegedly assaulted a 92-year-old woman, kicking her so hard that she required stitches, police said. Brightstar Healthcare aid Kweilin Wofford told city police she was headed to the apartment of Bunny Pittsburgh in the Riverview Towers in Squirrel Hill when she heard screaming and swearing,...
Foxconn reconsiders plan for Wisconsin manufacturing hub
MADISON, Wis. — Electronics giant Foxconn reversed course and announced Wednesday that the massive Wisconsin operation that was supposed to bring a bounty of blue-collar manufacturing jobs back to the Midwest — and was offered billions of dollars in incentives from the state — will instead be devoted mostly to...
‘Severely neglected’ farm animals rescued from Butler County home
A New Kensington cat shelter rescued 30 severely neglected farm animals including donkeys, goats, sheep and rabbits at a residence in Harmony, Butler County. The animals were emaciated when they were rescued on Saturday, according to Dr. Becky Morrow, founder and veterinarian with Frankie’s Friends Cat Rescue in New Kensington....
Connellsville residents take the snow angel challenge
It was a cold snowy Sunday and Amelia Lincoln, 8, of Connellsville, was restless. Her father, Mayor Greg Lincoln was a little bored himself, so he told Amelia to get her coat — they were going outside to make snow angels. However, before they ever hit the snow-covered ground, the...
Official: Air traffic safety system will take time to recover after shutdown
WASHINGTON — The pipeline that produces air traffic controllers essential to the aviation system and the economy will reopen Monday, but union officials warn that it may be years before the system rebounds from consequences of the 35-day federal government shutdown. “We’re not sure what the damage really is,” said...
Gov. Wolf renews bid to put Pennsylvania’s minimum wage among highest
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf is rolling out a second-term proposal to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage after similar first-term proposals by the Democrat fell flat in the Republican-controlled Legislature. Wolf said Wednesday he wants to raise Pennsylvania’s hourly minimum to $12 this year, making it one of the highest in...
Prosecutor calls evidence against El Chapo overwhelming
NEW YORK — Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman orchestrated a two-decade campaign to flood the United States with tons of cocaine as a ruthless leader of the Sinaloa cartel, a prosecutor said in closing arguments on Wednesday at Guzman’s U.S. trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Goldbarg began her...
Police: No footage yet of alleged attack on ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett
CHICAGO (AP) — Detectives have reviewed surveillance footage of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett walking to a downtown Chicago apartment after an early-morning visit to a Subway restaurant, but none of it showed the alleged attack on the actor, a police official said Wednesday. Investigators “for the most part” can confirm...
Analysis: This is what 40 below zero feels like
The fact of the matter is I don’t know exactly how cold it got at my house today. The mercury thermometer on our porch only goes down to minus 30. The digital thermometer in our backyard weather station bottoms out at minus 40. For roughly two hours on Wednesday, this...
Braddock Council appoints interim mayor
After weeks of dispute, the Braddock Council has appointed an interim mayor. Chardae Jones, 29, was selected by the six-member council in a unanimous vote at a special meeting Tuesday, council President Tina Doose said. “I’m excited to continue my work with the community,” said Jones, who has co-chaired Braddock...
Trump says ‘wall’ must be part of lawmakers’ border deal
WASHINGTON — Capitol Hill negotiators are hopeful of an agreement as they officially kick off talks Wednesday on a homeland security spending bill stalled over funding for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall. Left on their own, the seasoned House and Senate lawmakers say they could easily reach a border...
Milo Ventimiglia named Hasty Pudding Man of the Year
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Milo Ventimiglia, who stars in NBC’s award-winning hit TV drama “This is Us,” has been named 2019 Man of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals. The oldest theatrical organization in the United States announced Wednesday that Ventimiglia was selected because he has made “significant impressions...
Suspect in Tampa serial killings says jail making him sick
TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida man charged with being the serial killer who terrorized a Tampa neighborhood says jail is making him sick. The Tampa Bay Times reports that 26-year-old Howell Donaldson III asked Judge Mark Wolfe on Tuesday for “some professional help” for unspecified ailments. The former college basketball...
Police: Would-be bank robber gets cold feet, rips up note
FALL RIVER, Mass. — Police in Massachusetts are looking for a woman they say intended to rob a bank but got cold feet and left without a penny. Fall River police tell the Herald News the woman walked into the Fall River Municipal Credit Union on Monday afternoon and approached...
State police seek 4 men suspected of $4K Walmart theft in White Township
State police in Indiana County are seeking information on four men suspected of stealing $4,000 in merchandise from a Walmart in White Township. Police said that after loading shopping carts and leaving the store without paying on Jan. 26, the four suspects fled in a silver Infinity QX80 shortly after...
Pa. officials warn residents to avoid drinking and driving during Super Bowl
The Pennsylvania DUI Association warned people to avoid drinking and driving during the Super Bowl on Sunday. The association said police officers across the state will be out looking for impaired drivers and increasing patrols to ensure the safety of all drivers. The association advised football fans need to be...
Region flirts with record-breaking cold with warmup on the way
The Pittsburgh region could reach record-breaking cold temperatures this week as the region continues to experience a sub-zero cold snap. But if you can make it through the next few days, warmer temperatures are on the way. Myranda Fullerton, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon, said the coldest...
New Mexico school delays classes because of … vegetable oil
EUNICE, N.M. — A New Mexico high school was forced to delay classes after authorities say vandals poured vegetable oil throughout the hallways. The Hobbs News-Sun reports the oil was poured at Eunice High School in the small city of Eunice late Sunday and forced janitors to clean up the...
Police: Derry Township men stole ATVs, dirt bikes
Two Derry Township men were arrested Tuesday by state police in connection with a rash of all-terrain vehicle and dirt bike thefts since mid-December. Seth A. McIntire, 20, and Cody E. Stiffey, 24, are charged before District Judge Mark Bilik with counts of theft, receiving stolen property, altering vehicle identification...
Snow plow truck catches fire in Cranberry
Emergency crews responded to a snow plow truck that caught fire in Cranberry on Wednesday morning. The fire was reported shortly before 10 a.m. along Route 19 near Heights Drive, according to a Butler County 911 dispatcher. The vehicle involved is a township snow plow, according to the dispatcher. Cranberry...
Police: Greensburg man fought with agents while they investigated his son for child porn
A Greensburg father and son were arrested Tuesday during a child pornography investigation by agents from the state Attorney General’s Office. Joshua Walker Bittner, 20, is accused of contacting young girls through Instagram and requesting nude photographs of them. Authorities found at least 14 images of child pornography on a...
One lane of Route 356 in Allegheny Township reopens after morning closure
Traffic is flowing again on a portion of Route 356 in Allegheny Township that was closed Wednesday morning, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. The road was closed between Route 56 and the Freeport Bridge as officials waited for the road to be salted. One lane remained closed as crews...
Report: Half of U.S. coal mines operating in 2008 have closed
More than half of the U.S. coal mines operating in 2008 have since closed, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Most of the mine closures were in the Appalachian states of Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania, the EIA said. The closings were driven by the decreasing demand...
