Guy Costa to retire from public service for 2nd time, this time for good
Guy Costa parlayed a part-time job during college in the 1970s sweeping out the old Civic Arena into a public service career that spanned 40 years. Costa, 63, of Squirrel Hill announced Wednesday that he will retire at the end of March. It is the second time Costa has retired...
Venezuela’s Juan Guaido declares himself president amid protests
CARACAS — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president in a defiant speech Wednesday before masses of anti-government demonstrators who took to the streets to demand President Nicolas Maduro’s removal — a bold move that was immediately recognized by the Trump administration and a growing number of other...
Pittsburgh police save baby who wasn’t breathing
A baby who wasn’t breathing prompted quick action by two Pittsburgh police officers and is recovering, according to a post on Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Zone 5 Facebook page. The officers, Jena Bednarowicz and Bryce Valencic, were on patrol Sunday in the city’s Larimer neighborhood when they were dispatched to...
Delmont food bank gains food windfall after winter storm fails to materialize
The fact that Winter Storm Harper was a bust turned out to be a boon for the Westmoreland County Food Bank. The Delmont food bank got a sizeable donation from West Penn Power over the weekend when the storm failed to materialize and the utility was stuck with 16,000 pounds...
Norwin seeks nominees for distinguished alum honors
The Norwin Alumni & Friends Association is seeking nominations by Feb. 1 for the Distinguished Alumni Award to be presented at the third annual Knight of Distinguished Alumni Recognition Dinner on May 23 at the Stratigos Banquet Center, North Huntingdon. To be eligible for the award a person must have...
Hempfield man charged for exposing himself to convenience store clerk
State police on Wednesday charged a Hempfield man with exposing himself to a clerk at a nearby convenience store in August. Troopers said Paul Aaron Montella, 33, recognized himself on surveillance images released to the media in December and turned himself in. He is charged with indecent exposure, open lewdness...
Mamma bear, 4 cubs get new home in McKean County
The Pennsylvania Game Commission relocated a female bear and her four cubs spending the winter in a den located against a home in Galeton, Potter County. The bear is believed to have hibernated in a den against the same house before, according to a report from the game commission on...
Pitt Medical School leader transitions to research
A physician who led the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine to national prominence in research circles announced Wednesday he is stepping aside from his post as senior vice chancellor for health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine. Pitt officials said Dr. Arthur S. Levine, who came to...
Police: Mother of dead baby denied knowing she was pregnant
PHOENIX — Police say a worker accused of putting her newborn in a bathroom trash can at an Amazon distribution center in Phoenix, where the child was found dead, told investigators she didn’t know she was pregnant. Samantha Vivier of Tonopah, Ariz., was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of unlawful disposal...
Nancy Pelosi denies Trump access to House for State of the Union
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday derailed President Trump’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, forcing the president to put his views before the nation another way. She said he can’t have access to the House chamber for the speech until the government...
East Deer bridge near Sheetz finished, open to traffic
Work to replace the bridge over Crawford Run on Freeport Road in East Deer is finished and the new bridge is open to traffic, the contractor announced Wednesday. Work on the bridge, near Sheetz, started in July. It was scheduled to be finished in December, but was delayed into January...
Transgender woman sues over ‘false personation’ arrest
NEW YORK — New York City police officers charged a transgender woman with “false personation” and used pink handcuffs to mock her after they arrested her for walking through a park after hours, a lawsuit charges. Linda Dominguez says in her lawsuit filed Tuesday that she was hit with the...
Court picks Virginia redistricting plan that helps Democrats
RICHMOND, Va. — A panel of federal judges has chosen a redistricting map for Virginia’s House of Delegates that could shift some districts toward Democrats and help the party regain control in this year’s election. The judges ordered a new map after ruling that lawmakers had racially gerrymandered 11 House...
Man accused of stabbing dog in retaliation for chicken’s death, affidavit says
AUSTIN, Texas — A man accused of stabbing a dog that he said killed his chicken a year ago was arrested in northwestern Travis County, Texas, over the weekend, according to an arrest affidavit filed in Travis County on Tuesday. Owen Jay Pettit, 45, was charged with cruelty to animals...
Police: Drunken man took wrong Lyft to wrong home
CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — Police in Maine say a drunken man took the wrong Lyft and tried to get into a house he mistakenly thought was his home. Cape Elizabeth police say the Falmouth man mistakenly got into a Lyft summoned by a man who lived next door. Police say...
Youth basketball tournament to remember Highlands coach, support Callender family
The shock of the loss of a beloved Highlands coach is subsiding, but the need to help his family and keep his memory alive remains. The second annual Coach Tom Callender Memorial Basketball Tournament will bring people together to celebrate his life and help his family, said Kate Bielak of...
Could Kansas abandon daylight saving time?
TOPEKA, Kan. — Imagine no longer “falling back” or “springing ahead.” Imagine a world where you don’t have to figure out how to set your microwave or dashboard clock. If you live in Kansas, imagine it’s a day that may be closer than you think. A bill before state lawmakers...
Hempfield man accused of DUI twice in less than an hour
A Hempfield man was arrested twice in less than an hour Sunday for drunken driving, according to state police. The first time troopers pulled over William Brandon Bartley, 31, was at 1:22 a.m. on Route 130 in Hempfield near North Greengate Road. Police said in court papers that Bartley was...
White supremacist pleads guilty to NYC sword killing
NEW YORK — A white supremacist has pleaded guilty to killing a black man with a sword as part of a racist plot that prosecutors described as a hate crime. James Jackson admitted to fatally stabbing 66-year-old Timothy Caughman in 2017 after stalking a number of black men in New...
Downtown Pittsburgh’s Bea Taco Town allowed to reopen
Bea Taco Town in Pittsburgh’s Downtown has been allowed to reopen, according to Allegheny County Department of Health records. The Smithfield Street restaurant was ordered to close earlier this month after failing to have a valid health permit and issues with wastewater draining in to the basement, according to a...
Pittsburgh Diocese opens compensation fund for sexual abuse survivors
Five months after a scathing grand jury report detailed rampant allegations of clergy sexual abuse in Catholics diocese across Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese has begun accepting compensation claims from clergy sexual abuse survivors. Church officials said they began reaching out this week to inform survivors who notified the church...
Parrot rescued after nearly 3 nights in storm drain
LOS ANGELES — An African Grey parrot is home after being trapped for nearly three nights in a storm drain in Los Angeles. Arturo Vasquez tells KABC-TV he turned to YouTube parrot advocate Marlene Mc’Cohen when no one would help him try to free his 10-year-old parrot Milly. Mc’Cohen says...
Shutdown makes it tough for groups to help endangered whales
PORTLAND, Maine — Rescuers who respond to distressed whales and other marine animals say the federal government shutdown is making it more difficult to do their work. A network of rescue groups in the U.S. works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to respond to marine mammals, including whales...
Alec Baldwin pleads guilty to harassing motorist
NEW YORK — Alec Baldwin has pleaded guilty to harassing a man during a dispute over a parking spot last fall. The 60-year-old actor appeared in a New York City courtroom Wednesday. He agreed to complete a one-day anger management class to resolve the criminal case. The charge is a...
Lower Burrell police warn of man asking for gas money in the city
Lower Burrell police are warning residents about a suspicious man allegedly going around the city, asking residents for gas money. Police shared information about the situation on Facebook on Wednesday, asking residents to call 911 if they are approached by the man. “There is a local Facebook post circulating about...
