Jeannette seeking donations for new holidays light fixtures for Clay Avenue
Jeannette is accepting donations for the purchase of new holiday light fixtures to decorate Clay Avenue. Two types of light bulbs will be purchased — warm white and red, white and blue — so the fixtures can be used for Christmas and patriotic holidays. The larger fixture is about 7...
Stan Lee to get superhero send-off at Hollywood memorial
LOS ANGELES— Among comics lovers, Stan Lee was as much a superhero as the characters he helped create. Those fans, along with Lee’s friends and colleagues, will get to pay their final respects at a Los Angeles memorial Wednesday night for the Marvel Comics mastermind who helped bring the world...
Brown University criticized for using live pigs in medical training
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A prominent physicians’ group has asked federal regulators to investigate Brown University’s medical school, arguing it is violating the law by using live pigs for training in emergency medicine. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine on Tuesday asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health...
Snow squalls, icy roads causing traffic headaches in Pittsburgh region
Crashes are slowing commute times along several major roadways in the Pittsburgh area this morning because of icy conditions and snow squalls. All crashes have been cleared. Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tony at 724-772-6368 or tlarussa@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TonyLaRussaTrib....
Police still searching for 1 in violent Stowe home invasion
Three men opened fire during an early morning home invasion in Stowe on Wednesday, and police continued searching into the evening for one who eluded capture. The home invasion happened about 3:10 a.m., and two people were home at the time, said Inspector Andrew Schurman of the Allegheny County Police....
County courts, controller, other facilities closed today because of cold weather
Allegheny County courts was closed Wednesday along with the controller’s office and several recreation facilities because of the frigid weather. Common Pleas President Judge Kim Clark ordered the courts closed late Tuesday. As a result, the county District Attorney’s Office was closed. Those scheduled to appear Wednesday was to be...
Uber rolls out frequent flyer-type program in Pittsburgh
Rewards are coming for people who frequently use Uber to get around Pittsburgh. Uber announced it will roll out its new rider rewards program this week. Riders can opt in to the program and start earning points toward rewards such as cash back, flexible cancelations, price protection and extra upgrades....
6 deaths linked to blast of arctic cold
CHICAGO — Police say at least two people in the Detroit area have died in the extremely cold weather, including a former member of the City Council in the town of Ecorse, Mich. Ecorse detective Tim Sassak tells TV station WDIV that the man was discovered Wednesday. Sassak says the...
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin: Closing schools for cold shows ‘we’re getting soft’
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Political rivals and educators took Gov. Matt Bevin to task this week, when he told a talk-radio host that canceling schools for cold weather is an indication that “we’re getting soft.” Bevin followed up the comment by saying that “it’s better to err on the side of...
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam faces fierce conservative backlash over abortion bill
RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam faced intense backlash on Wednesday for comments he made about a fellow Democrat’s abortion-rights bill, whose sponsor said it would allow abortion right up to the final moments of pregnancy. In a radio interview, Northam was asked about the bill brought by Del. Kathy...
Grenade thrown into Philippine mosque kills 2 Islam teachers
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — A grenade was thrown into a mosque in the southern Philippines where Muslim teachers were sleeping early Wednesday morning, killing two of them and injuring four, authorities said. It was the second explosion at a religious site in the south this week, though authorities didn’t see it...
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 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 security...
Texas inmate set to be executed for Houston officer’s death
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A 61-year-old Texas inmate was set to be executed Wednesday for killing a Houston police officer more than three decades ago during a robbery. Robert Jennings was condemned for the July 1988 slaying of Officer Elston Howard during a robbery at an adult bookstore. Jennings would be...
Waste unleashed from Brazil dam on its way to larger river
RIO DE JANEIRO — A torrent of muddy mining waste unleashed by a dam breach that killed at least 84 people in southeastern Brazil is now heading down a small river with high concentrations of iron oxide, threatening to contaminate a much larger river that provides drinking water to communities...
Indonesia’s Merapi volcano unleashes river of lava
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s volatile Mount Merapi volcano has unleashed a river of lava that flowed 4,590 feet down its slopes. Kasbani, head of the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center, says Merapi on the island of Java has entered an “effusive eruption phase.” Kasbani, who goes by a single...
GOP leaders signal distaste for renewing shutdown over border wall
WASHINGTON — Wary of reigniting a clash that proved damaging to Republicans, congressional GOP leaders signaled Tuesday that they want to de-escalate the battle over President Trump’s border wall and suggested they could be flexible as bargainers seek a bipartisan agreement. In what seemed a message aimed at the White...
Most Americans see nation on the wrong track, new poll reveals
PAWTUCKET, R.I. — The state of the union is dark. A large majority of Americans say they are pessimistic about the state of the country and few expect things will get better in the year ahead, according to a poll released Tuesday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs...
Opinions split on proposal to start deer season on the Saturday after Thanksgiving
Black Friday would become Buck Eve under a proposed change to Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season given preliminary approval this week by the state Game Commission. The start of the season would be the Saturday after Thanksgiving instead of the following Monday, which has been opening day for more than 50...
Democratic candidates face political risks when pressed on health care specifics
When Sen. Kamala D. Harris spoke about health care at a CNN forum Monday evening, she threw her support behind a “Medicare-for-all” plan, sounding similar to other candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. But when pressed for details, the senator from California explained the idea in a way most Democrats...
Grant for homeless placement comes at the right time for Feeding the Spirit in Greensburg
A $10,000 grant from Dominion Energy could not have come at a better time for Greensburg nonprofit Feeding the Spirit. With subzero temperatures on the way Wednesday and Thursday, President Debbie Thackrah said group members had already spoken with eight people about finding them a place for relief from the...
Sub-zero temperatures cancel most schools for Wednesday
Most Western Pennsylvania schools have canceled classes and activities Wednesday in anticipation of sub-zero temperatures. Allegheny County courts and district attorney’s office will be closed as well. The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium will be closed Wednesday through Friday. The National Weather Service’s Pittsburgh branch has projected temperatures Wednesday could...
Tyson chicken nuggets recalled, may contain rubber
Tyson Foods is recalling more than 36,400 pounds of chicken nuggets that may be contaminated with rubber. Announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the recall applies to 5-pound plastic packages of Tyson White Meat Panko Chicken Nuggets with a “best if used by”...
Goodwill and Girl Scouts team up for regional clothing drive
Girls Scouts of Western Pennsylvania and Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania will team up next month to collect clothing. The gently used items will be sold by Goodwill to provide job training and education to help people with barriers to gain employment. It will also be a service project for the...
Fatal Carrick fire intentionally set, police say
A White Hall native died in an intentionally set fire in a vacant house in Carrick last August, Pittsburgh police said Tuesday. Martin Thomas Boehm, 53, died in an Aug. 17 fire. However, his remains were not found until three days later by a cadaver dog after police learned Boehm...
Suggestions sought for Allegheny Parks’ mascot nameVideo
Allegheny County Parks is looking for the public’s help to name its new chipmunk mascot. Park patrons got a chance to meet the oversized rodent representative during Saturday’s Boyce Park Snowfest. Visit the county parks Facebook page to submit a name suggestion. The winning name will be announced on Feb....
