2nd Avenue in Hazelwood reopened after fatal morning crash
At least one person died when a car lost control on an icy road and struck a tree in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood early Tuesday. The crash occurred just after 5:45 a.m. in the area of Second Avenue and Greenfield Avenue, officials said. Pittsburgh’s Public Safety Department tweeted that a driver heading...
Firefighters battle flames and freezing temperatures in Cook Township
A vacant house was destroyed in an early morning fire Tuesday in Cook Township. Fire Chief Shawn Kestner said no one was living at the Jefferson School Road home when flames broke out at 1 a.m. The structure was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived amid bone-chilling cold. Fire trucks...
Fox News host Bret Baier, family survive motor vehicle crash
Fox News host Bret Baier and his family have survived a motor vehicle crash in Montana. In a statement released Tuesday, the anchor and executive editor of Fox News Channel’s “Special Report” says that after a weekend of skiing he was driving to the airport on icy roads with his...
Orangutan bites Toledo Zoo volunteer, detaches her thumb
TOLEDO, Ohio — A zoo in Ohio says one of its volunteer’s thumbs became detached when an orangutan reached through a barrier and bit her arm. The Toledo zoo says the volunteer’s injuries were not life-threatening and that she was treated at a hospital. Zoo officials tell The Blade that...
3 arrested after police find Ecstasy, marijuana in Hempfield apartment
Three Hempfield men are behind bars after police seized 721 Ecstasy pills and about 200 grams of an “unknown crystal-like substance” from their apartment, according to court papers. Kangin Jacob Louis Ayo and Dimitri Nigel Victor, both 24 and Demarrius Quave Antoine, 22, were arrested Friday on drug and conspiracy...
Pittsburgh considers moving Thursday’s public hearing on gun ban bills
Pittsburgh’s anticipated public hearing Thursday on a proposed firearms ban could end up being held in the lobby of the City-County Building instead of Council Chambers on the fifth floor, officials said Tuesday. Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said he suggested the move because of logistical concerns. City fire code...
Trump tells Sarah Sanders ‘not to bother’ and stop holding press briefings
Because he claims the media covers the press secretary ” so rudely & inaccurately,” President Trump has told Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday to stop holding press briefings. On Twitter, the president added, “I told her not to bother, the word gets out anyway! Most will never cover us fairly...
Former Brackenridge man pleads guilty to 2012 double murder in Arnold
An Allegheny County man was sentenced Tuesday to serve up to 30 years in prison for the fatal beating of an Arnold woman and her adult son more than six years ago. Robert Briestensky, 45, formerly of Brackenridge, pleaded guilty to two lesser counts of third-degree murder in connection with...
Alcohol-linked disease passes hepatitis C as top reason for liver transplant
An estimated 17,000 Americans are on the waiting list for a liver transplant, and there’s a strong chance that many of them have alcohol-associated liver disease. ALD now edges out hepatitis C as the No. 1 reason for liver transplants in the United States, according to research published Tuesday in...
How did Western Pa. meme the winter storm that wasn’t?Video
We went out and bought bread. And milk. And all the street salt. And then … not so much. But at least Western Pennsylvania residents got some humor out of the fizzled-out forecast for last weekend’s winter storm. Once the local forecast became rain for good, the memes started coming...
Water line leak forces closure of 40th Street Bridge ramp to Route 28
A water line leak has prompted crews to shut down the ramp that links the 40th Street Bridge to northbound Route 28 in Millvale, PennDOT officials said Monday night. The ramp will be closed to traffic “until further notice” because of “safety reasons,” PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said shortly after...
Girl, 12, dies after snow fort collapses near church
CHICAGO — A 12-year-old girl who was playing in the snow with a friend died after a fort they had built by a suburban church collapsed on top of them Sunday afternoon, authorities said. The girl was playing with a 9-year-old girl near Rothem Church in Arlington Heights, Ill., when...
Kiski Area School Board votes against renewing contract for girls soccer coach
In a 5-4 vote Monday night, Kiski Area School District board members voted not to renew the contract of girls soccer coach Melisa O’Toole. At least one parent said she was not comfortable with O’Toole coaching her daughter given the charges and the alleged behavior of her husband, Ryan O’Toole,...
Retired legislative assistant was cycling enthusiast, steady friend
Terri Mickolay Selembo lived life to the fullest, bringing her friends along for the ride. She loved cycling with others, a passion that led her to complete multi-day treks in multiple states. In one memorable trip, she and her wife, Lori Cramer, were joined by friends in a south-to-north journey...
Part of Trump’s base is faulting him for the shutdown
MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. — Two years ago, Jeff Daudert was fed up with politics. He wanted to shake up the status quo. He didn’t mind sending a message to the establishment — and, frankly, he liked the idea of a disruptive president. But the 49-year-old retired Navy reservist has had...
Beaver County driver dies after crashing into Pennsylvania Turnpike building
A Beaver County woman died Monday after her SUV crashed into a Pennsylvania Turnpike building near a toll plaza in Lawrence County, officials said. The crash, which happened just after 10 p.m., caused traffic delays and temporarily blocked the right lanes of the Turnpike near mile-marker 18.6 between the Moravia...
Highlands to seek exceptions to increase property taxes by more than state limit
Property owners in the Highlands School District could be facing another increase in their school taxes. The school board on Monday approved advertising a preliminary budget, a step toward increasing the property tax beyond the district’s state-imposed limit. The board did not discuss specifics of the budget at the voting...
Norwin superintendent, asst. superintendent take retirement incentives
Norwin’s superintendent and one of its assistant superintendents will get incentives to retire one year early, under deals the Norwin School Board approved Monday. Superintendent William Kerr will receive an early retirement incentive of $56,353, while Timothy Kotch Sr., assistant superintendent for secondary education, will receive benefits equal to $76,871....
Western Pennsylvania school districts schedule two-hour delays ahead of frigid Tuesday
Freezing temperatures spurred many Western Pennsylvania school districts to call for two-hour delays Tuesday morning. The temperature in the Pittsburgh area was negative one degree just before 5 a.m., National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Frazier said. With the wind chill, it may feel like negative 3 to 5 degrees. “Winds...
Pitt students make a happy home for Humane Animal Rescue residents
Humane Animal Rescue officials hosted nearly 30 student volunteers at their East Shelter for a “Day of Service” in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The group of students was bussed to the Homewood shelter on Hamilton Avenue in the city’s East End, and spent hours decorating the windows...
Trump’s shutdown solution hangs in limbo
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s proposal to break through the budget deadlock appeared to be gaining little traction Monday, as another missed paycheck loomed for hundreds of thousands of workers and the partial federal shutdown stretched into its fifth week. Despite the fanfare of the president’s announcement, voting in Congress was...
Two students leave Oklahoma University over blackface video
NORMAN, Okla. — Two University of Oklahoma students have voluntarily withdrawn from the school after one appeared in a video posted on social media wearing black face paint and using a racial epithet, the university’s president said Monday. The Rev. Jim Gallogly said the two women apologized for what he...
Rotary seeking host clubs, families for exchange students
The Murrysville-Export Rotary Club is seeking host clubs and families for exchange students in the 2019-20 school year. Rotary Exchange students arrive in August and spend a year in a local high school. Many stay with up to three host families, each for a few months. Rotary Exchange students have...
Undeclared missile bases have been discovered in North Korea, according to new report
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will have something new to discuss in February. An undisclosed North Korean missile base has been found 132 miles from the South Korean border, according to the nonpartisan think tank Beyond Parallel. The Sino-ri Missile Operating Base is the latest of...
Tower of Voices named No. 8 Best New Attraction in USA Today vote
The Tower of Voices at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County has been named the No. 8 Best New Attraction in the nation by USA Today’s 10Best.com. The Laurel Highlands memorial was selected from an initial list of 20 nominees, which was then pared down to 10 by...
