Norovirus outbreak sickens 277 on Oasis of the Seas
MIAMI — Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas is returning to a Florida port a day early and giving passengers full refunds of their fare after 277 guests and crew members were hit with an outbreak of Norovirus as it sailed to Jamaica. Cruise line spokesman Owen Torres told The...
Lenape vo-tech head hopes strong bond will continue with the school districts it serves
School officials are hoping the solid bonds the Freeport Area School District has with the Lenape Vocational School continue. Wesley P. Kuchta, Lenape’s new administrative director, spoke before the school board Wednesday night and emphasized the success Freeport Area students have had at Lenape. “It’s important that superintendents and I...
Driver injured in tractor-trailer rollover on Route 28 exit near Tarentum
The driver of a tractor-trailer truck was injured late Thursday morning after he lost control of his truck and it flipped onto its side on the off-ramp of Route 28 near Tarentum. State police charged the driver, Brian Dawson, 52, of Cabot, with driving a vehicle at unsafe speeds. State...
West Virginia lawmaker to resign, focus on run for president
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A retired Army paratrooper and West Virginia lawmaker who formalized his campaign for the presidency on Veterans Day is stepping down from the state Senate. Democrat Richard Ojeda told news outlets that he’s resigning as of next week because he doesn’t want his seat to sit...
Charges dropped against woman in North Versailles theater altercation that went viral
A judge on Thursday dismissed all charges against a Wilkinsburg woman arrested last year during an incident at a North Versailles movie theater. Charges against Melanie Carter, 36, of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and defiant trespass were dismissed by Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge David Cashman. The charges...
Cops: Burglar who ate officer’s chicken dinner in closed police substation left own ID
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — To identify the burglary suspect who broke into a closed Florida police substation and ate an officer’s chicken dinner, detectives didn’t need to lift fingerprints or get DNA from the discarded meal. The ID cards authorities say the suspect left behind did the trick. Boynton Beach...
As Trump visits border, Texas landowners prepare wall fight
HIDALGO, Texas — As President Donald Trump travels to the border in Texas to make the case for his $5.7 billion wall , landowner Eloisa Cavazos says she knows firsthand how the project will play out if the White House gets its way. The federal government has started surveying land...
Lawyer: Pa. woman’s coat-chewing could’ve thrown off breath test
BERWICK, Pa. — An attorney for a Pennsylvania woman charged with drunken driving hinted his client’s coat-chewing could’ve thrown off the results of her breath test. The (Bloomsburg) Press Enterprise reports the argument came during a hearing Tuesday for 47-year-old Jana Moschgat. An officer who pulled Moschgat over testified she...
UPMC Mercy moving women’s care to Magee
UPMC plans to transition its inpatient women’s health, obstetrics and neonatal intensive care unit from UPMC Mercy to UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. Officials said in a news release Thursday that UPMC Magee already provides deliveries as well as other clinical care provided by specialists for high-risk mothers and newborns. UPMC Magee...
Pa. school board votes to postpone policy to arm teachers
TAMAQUA, Pa. — School board members in Pennsylvania have voted to postpone a policy allowing teachers to carry guns in school. In a 2-1 vote Tuesday evening, the Tamaqua school board’s Security Committee says it will suspend the implementation of the policy pending a court hearing on its validity. Both...
Much pared down, Penn State frat death case plods ahead
HARRISBURG — A string of guilty pleas has left just five defendants still fighting charges in the hazing-related death of a pledge at a Penn State fraternity two years ago. The case centers on what occurred at the Beta Theta Pi house in February 2017, when 19-year-old Tim Piazza of...
Elderly man staying in South Buffalo still missing after 2 weeks
Police still have not found the elderly man who went missing from South Buffalo more than two weeks ago. Several hundred emergency volunteers, family and friends searched for Kenneth L. Himes, 70, after he left the home of a family member along Cadogan-Slate Lick Road between 11:30 p.m. Christmas night...
Woman, cat safe after fire breaks out at Greensburg apartmentVideo
Linda Erickson wasn’t sure what the loud noise was that she heard Thursday morning from inside her Greensburg apartment. But when a neighbor started banging on her door on Park Street around 9 a.m., she raced down the steps of her second-floor unit amid heavy smoke, leaving behind her 5-year-old...
WCCC nursing professor honored as outstanding teacher
There is no question that longtime Westmoreland County Community College nursing professor Rebecca Gediminskas has the respect of her students and her peers. For the third time in 20 years, they honored her as WCCC’s Outstanding Teacher of the year. Gediminskas, of Irwin, previously received the award, which faculty present...
Lawyer: Georgia prosecutor seeking info about R. KellyVideo
STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. (AP) — A lawyer representing a couple who appeared in a recent documentary detailing abuse allegations against R. Kelly said prosecutors in Georgia have reached out to him. Atlanta-based lawyer Gerald Griggs represents Timothy and Jonjelyn Savage, who have said repeatedly that Kelly has kept their daughter from...
Jeannette police start using electronic ticketing system for traffic violations
Lead-footed drivers and other traffic scofflaws are getting a speedy response from Jeannette police, who are now using an electronic ticketing system that cuts down on the time needed to complete traffic stops. For the last month, officers have used a new system that improves their safety and lessens downtime...
Rebel drone bombs Yemen military parade, kills at least 6
SANAA, Yemen — A bomb-laden drone launched by Yemen’s Shiite rebels exploded over a military parade for the Saudi-led coalition and its allies on Thursday near the southern port city of Aden, killing at least six people in a brazen attack that threatened U.N.-brokered peace efforts to end the yearslong...
Liberal lawmakers challenge Trump with drug cost legislation
WASHINGTON — Challenging the Trump administration on a high-profile consumer issue, leading congressional liberals plan to unveil a package of bills Thursday designed to radically reduce what Americans pay for prescription drugs by linking prices to lower costs in other countries. The legislation has little chance of becoming law under...
Scientists seek ways to finally take a real measure of pain
WASHINGTON — Is the pain stabbing or burning? On a scale from 1 to 10, is it a 6 or an 8? Over and over, 17-year-old Sarah Taylor struggled to make doctors understand her sometimes debilitating levels of pain, first from joint-damaging childhood arthritis and then from fibromyalgia. “It’s really...
Trump threatens emergency declaration ahead of border visit
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to declare a national emergency to circumvent Congress if he can’t reach a deal with Democrats to fund his promised border wall. He headed to the U.S.-Mexico border to draw further attention to his case after negotiations with lawmakers blew up. The...
One injured in North Side shooting
One man taken to the hospital in critical condition after a shooting in Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood, according to the city department of public safety. Pittsburgh police are investigating the shooting at an apartment building on Carrington Street, which happened around 3:20 a.m. The unidentified man was shot several times....
5 Pittsburgh bands to watch in 2019
If your New Year’s resolution this year is to listen to more music or see more shows, we’ve got you covered. Here are five Pittsburgh-based bands you may want to keep your eyes on in 2019. They already have promising catalogs, and we’re hoping for more in the coming months....
Police: Ohio man doing doughnuts crashes new carVideo
RIVERSIDE, Ohio — Police say a man doing doughnuts in a just-purchased car struck a power pole in Ohio, sending him and his two children to the hospital. Authorities tell the Dayton Daily News the man was doing the stunt in a Pontiac G8 in a snowy parking lot in...
Naked driver arrested after police chase through Del., Pa.
PHILADELPHIA — Police used spike strips to help apprehend a naked motorist who led officers on a chase through Delaware and Pennsylvania. Delaware State Police began pursuing the vehicle after it was spotted traveling south in the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 on Wednesday evening. The vehicle switched direction several...
Lack of document stymies Upper Burrell drilling appeal
The legal challenge to an Upper Burrell supervisors’ decision to allow unconventional gas drilling is stalled in Westmoreland County Court, in part, because not all of the paperwork has been filed. Upper Burrell Citizens Against Marcellus Pollution, a group seeking to curb gas drilling in the largely rural township, appealed...
