Body of Pittsburgh man found below I-79 overpass in Collier
Police found a man’s body Sunday next to Chartiers Creek below an Interstate 79 overpass in Collier Township, officials said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Stuart Hayman Hunt, 36, of Pittsburgh. Shortly after 9 a.m., police received a report of an unresponsive man found by...
Christians celebrate Epiphany across Europe
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Christians across Europe celebrated Epiphany on Sunday, with worshippers plunging into icy waters and parades being held in Poland and elsewhere. At the Vatican, Pope Francis marked the Epiphany feast day by urging people to follow the path of “humble love” and care for those who can...
Husband dies while trying to rescue wife from burning Pa. home
UPPER DARBY — A man who tried to rescue his wife from their burning Pennsylvania home died after he was overcome by smoke, unaware that she had safely fled the residence. Authorities say the fire broke out around 1:45 p.m. Saturday in the garage of a home in Upper Darby,...
Pacific Northwest storm cuts power for at least 218,000
SEATTLE — Windstorms that pummeled parts of Washington state and Oregon over the weekend have left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity, officials said Sunday. The storm brought winds that registered gusts of about 60 mph at Sea-Tac Airport in Washington, the National Weather Service in Seattle said. Puget...
South Philly dog walker killed after getting punched in park
A South Philadelphia dog walker was killed in front of his fiancee Saturday night after a dispute with another dog walker at Gold Star Park. Police were called shortly after 9 p.m. to Sixth and Wharton Streets to respond to a “person screaming.” When they arrived, officers found a 38-year-old...
Trump says he needs to deal with Dem leaders to end shutdown
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump held out little hope Sunday that another round of talks between top aides and congressional staff would produce meaningful progress toward ending the partial government shutdown, seeming to undercut his team by saying he needed to deal directly with Democratic leaders. “Ultimately, it’s going to...
Police confront 2 men, 1 white, 1 black: Only 1 is shot
MILWAUKEE — In the course of 15 months and in the space of one city block, Milwaukee police twice encountered two suspects they believed were armed. One was black; one was white. One was in fact unarmed; one had a gun. One was shot; one was not. That the black...
California highway closed by mudslides, motorists trapped
LOS ANGELES — A winter storm unleashed mudslides in Southern California wildfire burn areas and trapped motorists on a major highway, and the northern part of the state is bracing for more wet weather. Saturday’s deluge loosened hillsides in Malibu where a major fire burned last year, clogging the Pacific...
Inmates dine on steak, shrimp as prison staff work without pay
Over Christmas and New Year’s, inmates at dozens of federal prisons ate like kings in front of staffers who continued to work without pay amid the partial government shutdown. NBC News reports the ironic scene played out at FCI Pekin prison in Illinois, where inmates were treated to a meal...
Feds have nabbed over 700 people in northeast PA for immigration violations
Federal agents nabbed more than 700 people in northeast Pennsylvania for immigration violations from late 2014 through May, an analysis of immigration arrests data found. However, a local lawyer specializing in immigration defense cases says the numbers are much higher — and rising under President Donald Trump. “No way,” Scranton...
Trump adviser outlines conditions for U.S. pullout from Syria
JERUSALEM — President Donald Trump’s national security adviser said Sunday that the American military withdrawal from northeastern Syria is conditioned on defeating the remnants of the Islamic State group and on Turkey assuring the safety of U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters. John Bolton said there is no timetable for the pullout, but...
At least 30 gold miners killed in Afghanistan landslide
KABUL, Afghanistan – At least 30 workers were killed in a landslide in northeastern Afghanistan while illegally sifting for gold, a lawmaker said Sunday. The landslide occurred in Badakhshan province, Mohammad Zekriya, a lawmaker from the province, told The Washington Post. The mining activity did not prompt the landslide, he...
Couple killed taking shortcut across train tracks in Germany
BERLIN — German police say a 71-year-old man and his 67-year-old wife were killed by a train late Saturday after trying to take a shortcut across the tracks. Police in the southwestern city of Reutlingen said Sunday that the couple had disembarked from a regional train at a suburban stop...
Fire damages Pitcairn house early Sunday
The Allegheny County fire marshal is investigating the cause of a blaze that damaged an unoccupied Pitcairn house early Sunday morning, authorities said. The fire apparently started on a second-floor, rear porch of the three-story house and spread to the interior walls on the second and third floors, said Thomas...
Shutdown impact could intensify as political stalemate pushes into week 3
Union leaders representing at least 7,000 federal workers in Western Pennsylvania have started asking credit unions and mortgage companies to cut furloughed employees a break as the partial government shutdown continues to stretch their dollars. Workers could miss their next paycheck if the government doesn’t open by Friday, said Philip...
Alaska Airlines flights back in the air after power outage
SEATTLE — Alaska Airlines flights are back in the air after a nationwide ground stop that was apparently caused by a power outage. The airline says all its flights were grounded between about 4:20 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. after a power outage in the Seattle area, where the airline’s operations...
High avalanche risk in Alps amid heavy snow; 2 dead
BERLIN — Authorities warned Sunday of a high risk of avalanches on the northern side of the Alps, after heavy snowfall in recent days created dangerous conditions across parts of southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland. A 20-year-old skier died in an avalanche Saturday on Mount Teisen, near the Austrian border,...
Poland shuts down 13 escape game sites due to safety flaws
WARSAW, Poland — Polish officials have shut down 13 escape room entertainment sites for safety flaws and the prime minister asked people Sunday to report such lapses to firefighters and police after five teenage girls were killed in a fire. Firefighter chief Leszek Suski said the escape room at a...
Springdale Township could face state fines for not properly testing water, failing to document
Springdale Township officials worry they could be facing hefty fines for failing to properly test and report their water quality to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Commissioners President Tony Rozzano said Thursday that the DEP will be fining the township for not submitting the documentation from 2011-17. “We’re in...
Leechburg Area biology students raising brook trout — from eggs to spring release
A new project at Leechburg Area High School is making a splash with students. There are 17 juniors and seniors enrolled in Ann Fischer’s Biology 2 “college in high school” course. It’s being offered at Leechburg through Westmoreland County Community College. And they’re getting up close and personal with Pennsylvania’s...
UniFirst buys New Kensington property, proceeds to aid new city playground
A New Kensington business recently bought property next to city hall to give itself some additional space, and some proceeds from the sale will go toward building a new playground nearby. UniFirst Corp. in November purchased the small park and basketball court at 301 11th St. from the Redevelopment Authority...
Man charged with murder in Houston girl’s death
HOUSTON — A black man was arrested and charged with murder in the killing of a 7-year-old black girl in a drive-by shooting in Houston that her family believed was racially motivated but that prosecutors said Sunday was a case of mistaken identity. Jazmine Barnes’ family had described the gunman...
Woman, 2 grandchildren killed in Philadelphia rowhome fire
PHILADELPHIA — Authorities say a fire at a Philadelphia rowhome packed with personal items has killed a woman and her two young grandchildren. The fire broke out in the woman’s home around 1 p.m. Saturday and was brought under control about 90 minutes later. The victims were all found in...
Gas restored to most customers in Donora outage
Natural gas service was restored to about three quarters of the 1,700 customers of Columbia Gas in Donora, Washington County as of early Monday morning, according to the company. About 425 customers remain without power. Gas company technicians will go door-to-door this morning to perform safety checks and restart gas...
Floating row cover has many uses in the garden
While many vegetable gardeners probably got a few new gardening tools and books from their holiday wish list, there’s another must-have gardening tool that should be in every green thumb’s garden shed for 2019 and beyond. It might not be as shiny as a new shovel or as glamorous as...
