Springdale residents could experience low water pressure, discolored water on Friday
Springdale Borough residents may experience low water pressure and discolored water on Friday. The changes could occur between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. as crews continue to work on the borough’s water improvement project. The $7.5 million project includes upgrades to the borough’s water treatment plant and replacing aging waterlines....
Allegheny Township to push for state, federal consensus on stormwater
Allegheny Township officials want the state and federal governments to decide what agency should be contacted about problems with stormwater. The idea, they say, is to give local officials a central resource to tap for a quick resolution when dealing with drainage problems and issues that often create flooding. The...
U.S.-led coalition airstrikes pound IS areas in eastern Syria
BEIRUT — Syrian activists are reporting intense airstrikes on the last area held by the Islamic State group in the country’s east where the extremists’ control has been shrinking over the past weeks. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday the airstrikes hit the 5.8 square miles controlled...
9 dead in car bombing at police academy in Colombia capital
BOTOGA, Colombia — At least nine people were killed and dozens more injured in a car bombing at a police academy in Colombia’s capital on Thursday, recalling the high-profile attacks associated with bloodiest chapters of the country’s drug-fueled guerrilla conlfict. The scene outside the General Santander police academy in southern...
Police: Trucker in deadly Indiana bus crash was removing jacket
Indiana State Police say the driver of a truck that rear-ended a school bus in December, killing one student, was removing a jacket and a sweatshirt just before the collision. A crash report released Wednesday says the truck driver was traveling behind the bus Dec. 5 when he “pulled the...
Remains of Monongahela airman who died in WWII identified
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Military authorities have announced the identification of remains of a Pennsylvania airman and two other servicemen who died in Europe during World War II. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Thursday that 19-year-old Air Forces Sgt. Vernon L. Hamilton of Monongahela was accounted for last month. On...
Man charged in Penn Hills abduction was on probation for similar incident last year
A man on probation for assaulting a Penn Hills teenager broke into the girl’s home Wednesday and forced her into his car, prompting a statewide Amber Alert and search before she was found relatively safe in McKeesport, authorities said. Police arrested Jermaine LaQuay Rodgers, 19, after a standoff at a...
Recalls of romaine, Goldfish are only the tip of the contamination iceberg
If it feels like you’re reading about a new food recall practically everyday, it’s not all in your head — or stomach. A report released Thursday by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund found that recalls of food have increased 10 percent since 2013, with meat and poultry incidents soaring 67...
Droves of shoppers line up for grand opening of Aldi near Mt. PleasantVideo
A festive atmosphere pervaded the grand opening of the newest Aldi grocery store in Westmoreland County, as dozens of eager shoppers lined the sidewalk and braved temperatures in the low 20s early Thursday morning. The Aldi fans were there not only to see the gleaming new store in East Huntingdon...
Pa. police department overwhelmed by response looking for volunteers to get drunk
Sorry, you’re too late. After a police department in central Pennsylvania posted to social media that they were looking for people to get drunk — for testing purposes, of course — the post quickly went viral. The Kutztown Police Department posted to Facebook Wednesday that they were looking for 3...
Sweden charges man in royal jewels heist
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A man was charged Thursday with stealing 65 million kronor — $7.2 million — worth of Swedish royal treasure including a jeweled crown from a cathedral where they were on display. The two crowns and an orb used for the funerals of King Karl IX and Queen...
New Kensington Post Office to host passport fair
The New Kensington Post Office will host a passport fair next weekend. The location is among select post offices in the Western Pennsylvania District hosting a fair to help customers obtain passports. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the post office,...
Westmoreland school officials to form legislative action committee
Westmoreland County public school officials are forming a committee to present a common front when they address legislative issues that affect local education. The planned Westmoreland County Committee On Legislative Action, or COLA, is expected to include representatives from the county’s 17 public school districts, three associated career and technology...
Newborn baby found dead in trash can at Amazon warehouse
A newborn baby was discovered dead in a trash can Wednesday night in an Amazon warehouse in Phoenix. The Associated Press reports police and firefighters responded to a 911 call about “a deceased infant in the women’s restroom located inside the secured facility,” the Phoenix Police Department said. ABC15 in...
Rudy Giuliani: ‘I never said there was no collusion’ between Trump campaign and Russia
Rudy Giuliani claimed Wednesday night that he “never said there was no collusion” between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia leading up to the 2016 presidential election. In a remarkable, and at times contentious, interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, the president’s lawyer appeared to contradict his own past statements about...
2020 Democrats face a choice: Fight Trump or ignore him?
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — When Sen. Elizabeth Warren took the stage earlier this month at this city’s ornate Orpheum Theatre, Tricia Currans-Sheehan posed a pointed question to the expected presidential contender. “Why did you undergo the DNA testing and give Donald Trump more fodder to be a bully?” the Iowa...
GOP dismisses suggestion that State of Union be postponed
WASHINGTON— A grand Washington ritual became a potential casualty of the partial government shutdown as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked President Donald Trump to postpone his Jan. 29 State of the Union speech. She cited concerns about whether the hobbled government can provide adequate security, but Republicans cast her move...
Deteriorating Arnold building creates problems for neighboring property
Arnold Volunteer Fire Company 2 is asking city council to demolish a Fifth Avenue structure that is damaging a building it owns. Chris O’Leath, who recently stepped down as Company 2 chief after five years, spoke to council on behalf of the company to request 1708 Fifth Ave. be torn...
TV documentary series featuring Dakota James case premieres Saturday
The television documentary series purporting Duquesne University student Dakota James was the victim of something more than an accidental drowning premieres 7 p.m. Saturday on the Oxygen Network. The series, called “Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice,” chronicles retired New York City detective Kevin Gannon and colleagues as they...
Meteorologist: Today’s snow nothing compared to what’s coming this weekend
Some snow this afternoon and evening will be an appetizer for the main course expected on Saturday. Between 1 and 2 inches of snow is in the forecast for today, starting in the mid-afternoon and ending around midnight, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Kennedy said. “It doesn’t look like it’s...
Lawrenceville Distilling selling absinthe named for legendary haunted house
The Green Fairy is alive and well in Pittsburgh. Lawrenceville Distilling recently debuted its own brand of absinthe, after years of research and experimentation and approval by the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Nicknamed “The Green Fairy,” it became notorious for its hallucinogenic effects. The Swiss spirit...
Pittsburgh food truck owner buys, re-brands Wilkinsburg diner
When Jordan Robarge visited Nancy’s East End Diner in Wilkinsburg last spring, he knew it was the place he had been searching for. The 25-year-old founder of Pittsburgh food truck Revival Chili had been criss-crossing the city, looking for a spot to set up a brick-and-mortar restaurant. “There was just...
Judge limits evidence allowed in alleged Hempfield rape case
Statements that a Hempfield woman made — and later recanted — to police and medical personnel that she was raped last year cannot be used against the man she initially accused, a judge ruled on Thursday. Common Pleas Court Judge Timothy Krieger also said prosecutors will not be able to...
Chelsa Wagner launches site to show impact of UPMC-Highmark split
Judy Hays credits her oncologist and team of health care workers at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center with saving her life. Hays, 75, of Crescent Township has spent the past nine years battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia. After undergoing four types of chemotherapy and several new drug treatments, she’s finally found a...
Irwin OKs lawsuits to enforce rental ordinance
Irwin officials plan to crack down on landlords who are not complying with the borough’s tenant registry and inspection ordinance enacted last year. Borough council has authorized borough solicitor Zachary Kansler to file lawsuits against property owners to enforce the local rule requiring the inspection of rental units for a...
