Police: Man may have shot self at Mississippi university
JACKSON, Miss. — Police said Friday they’re investigating whether a former student at a Mississippi university shot himself, after a multi-hour campus lockdown earlier in the day and a building-to-building search for what had been described as another gunman. Columbus Police Chief Fred Shelton told The Associated Press in a...
L.A. teachers’ strike has mayor in a bind
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles mayors do not control the L.A. Unified School District, but that hasn’t stopped some of them from trying to use their highly visible office to assert authority over the sprawling system. In the 1990s, Mayor Richard Riordan tried to elect school board members who would...
California attorney general leads Trump resistance into 2019
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Xavier Becerra became perhaps the nation’s most influential attorney general when he was named California’s top lawyer two years ago, and he has since used his post atop what some call the “Resistance State” to pummel President Donald Trump’s administration with dozens of legal actions. Heading into...
Greensburg man leaves behind legacy in mushroom club
John Plischke often found himself in nature either hunting or fishing — but mainly surrounded by mushrooms. As founding member and past president of the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club, Plischke worked to bring other mushroom fanatics together as one of the first fungus-based organizations in the area, but not without...
Baby sitter accused of killing boy and giving body to mother
WAUSAU, Wis. — A Wisconsin baby sitter who allegedly killed a 2-month-old boy then pretended he was alive when she gave the boy back to his mother has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide. A criminal complaint filed Friday says 28-year-old Marissa Tietsort of Wausau caused the infant’s death in...
Slain officer honored with procession across California town
NEWMAN, Calif. — The flag-draped casket of a California police officer who authorities say was shot to death by a man in the country illegally was carried in a procession Friday through the streets he once patrolled to a public viewing in a community theater. The killing of Cpl. Ronil...
Texas man charged in slayings of 3 kids, wounding of mother
DALLAS — The father of one of three children found stabbed and beaten to death in a Southeast Texas apartment they shared with their mother was charged with capital murder Friday in the attack that left the woman with severe injuries. Texas City police Chief Joe Stanton said Junaid Hashim...
Police say UPS driver caused multi-vehicle crash
A UPS truck driver is accused of having an open container of alcohol as well as marijuana Friday night when his truck hit three vehicles traveling southbound on Route 28 near the RIDC Park in O’Hara, state police at Kittanning said. Passengers in the vehicles hit by the UPS truck...
Allegheny County narcotics investigation in Munhall nets 3 arrests, drugs, stolen guns
Three Munhall residents were arrested and three firearms were recovered in connection with a narcotics investigation in the borough. Allegheny County Police Inspector Andrew Schurman said narcotics officers conducted an undercover investigation the past few months into a drug distribution network in Munhall. Officers apprehended Deondre Broadus, 28, Gerald Ford,...
Man, 2 juveniles arrested in McKees Rocks shooting investigation
A McKees Rocks man and two juveniles are charged in connection with Thursday morning’s shooting in McKees Rocks, Allegheny County police said. William Davis Sr., 37, is charged with obstructing justice, tampering with evidence, having a firearm with an altered serial number, carrying a firearm without a license, and receiving...
Allegheny County Democrats name new interim executive director
The Allegheny County Democratic Committee has a named new interim executive director just three months after the former resigned amid allegations of racially insensitive Facebook posts. Steve Kochanowski, 34, of Beaver County, replaces Mark Salvas of Plum, who abruptly left the post in October after several weeks on the job....
Nancy Pelosi doesn’t want to talk impeachment, but some Democrats do
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had only been in office for a few hours when a handful of Democrats defied her persistent calls not to begin the new Congress by talking about impeachment. Just after Pelosi was sworn in on Thursday, longtime Democratic Reps. Brad Sherman of California and...
Pittsburgh, guns rights group spar over signs posted ahead of Monday rally
Call it a first shot in what is expected to be a lengthy and emotional battle over proposed gun regulations in Pittsburgh. The city and gun rights groups butted heads Friday over signs put up this week warning City-County Building visitors that firearms are prohibited in the building in advance...
Latrobe machinist George Schrack loved family, working on cars
Deborah Kosor of Ligonier remembers going on Sunday drives in her father’s Chevy Chevelle, and listening to eight-track oldies as she and her siblings fought over who would get to sit on “the hump” in the back seat. She remembers waiting for him to come home from work at Morgan...
2 women charged in $35K McCandless bank robbery
An anonymous tip led McCandless police to two women suspected of robbing a PNC Bank of more than $35,000 last year, according to charges filed against the women. Jasmine Parrish, 29, and Donna Poremski, 42, are both charged with robbery, conspiracy, receiving stolen property, possession of an instrument of crime...
Top Democrats balk at new lawmaker’s profane Trump impeachment remarks
Senior Democrats quickly distanced themselves Friday from a freshman House member’s profanity-laced call for President Donald Trump’s impeachment, the latest example of how some of the party’s newly elected members are pushing boundaries and creating headaches for leadership. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., told supporters Thursday that “we’re gonna go in...
Hempfield’s Paul Kosko announces bid for county commissioner
The man who oversees the computer systems at the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County announced Friday he will run for county commissioner. Paul Kosko, 57, a Republican from Hempfield, told about a dozen supporters who gathered in front of the courthouse he wants to serve as a bipartisan elected official...
Agency: U.S. gas prices ended 2018 lower than they began
U.S. average retail gasoline prices ended the year lower than they began for the first time since 2015, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. Regular gas prices averaged $2.72 per gallon in 2018 — 30 cents per gallon higher than in 2017 and 57 cents per gallon higher than in...
Allegheny County officers receive honors for Tree of Life response
Allegheny County police officials on Friday honored SWAT and bomb squad officers who ran toward the gunfire last year when a mass shooter stormed a Squirrel Hill synagogue. The Oct. 27 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue brought officers from Pittsburgh and beyond to the scene, including county police...
Sick of Pa. Turnpike toll increases? Here’s how and why this is happening
It’s a new year, which means there’s a new toll hike for commuters on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Northeast Extension. Lo and behold, motorists aren’t thrilled. • I travel the Pennsylvania Turnpike every day for my work. I have seen tolls increase and continue to increase at an alarming rate...
$7.5M Ligonier estate owned by former EDMC exec to be auctioned with no reserve
The man who spent four decades assembling one of the nation’s largest for-profit higher education systems from a single art school in Pittsburgh before it was sold for billions of dollars is auctioning off his Ligonier country estate. The rolling 198-acre compound belonging to Robert Knutson and his wife, Miryam,...
Scout affiliate accused of secretly filming boys indicted
CLEVELAND — A man accused of secretly recording boys changing clothes at a YMCA, his home bathroom and in teepees at an Ohio scout reservation has been indicted on federal charges including sexual exploitation of children. The four counts against 39-year-old Thomas Close also include having child pornography. An affidavit...
Free gun locks available for veterans at Westmoreland County courthouse
Local veterans can obtain free gun locks at Westmoreland County’s veterans affairs department. Supplies of the locks are limited and anyone who wants one should check with the agency to confirm availability at 724-830-3530. Locks are available through a partnership between the Westmoreland County Department of Veterans Affairs and the...
Hitchhiker Brewing’s hops get national props
A love of beer brewing is translating into national recognition. It’s almost overwhelming for Hitchhiker Brewing Co. founder Gary Olden after being named “One of the Best Breweries to Watch in 2019” by online magazine Hop Culture. “It’s certainly very humbling and really awesome that people respect our work, and...
Assault charge dismissed against woman accused of pointing gun at man walking his dog in New Kensington
A 70-year-old New Kensington woman accused of pointing a gun at a man who was walking his dog near her home pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. In addition to pleading guilty Thursday to the summary offense, Sharon Shirley was required to pay a $25 fine. District Judge Frank J. Pallone...
