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...
Stock market volatility belies strength of U.S. economy, experts say
The stock market roller-coaster ride of the past month may not be fun for investors, but it doesn’t have to be a harrowing experience either, financial advisers across the region said. Investor worries about stock market volatility are understandable, advisers told the Tribune-Review, but those should be balanced against the...
Trump says ‘not much headway’ in talks as shutdown drags on
WASHINGTON — White House officials and congressional aides emerged from talks to reopen the government without a breakthrough Saturday, though they planned to return to the table the following day. President Trump tweeted: “Not much headway made today.” The president later tweeted that he planned to go to his retreat...
Idaho group blasts acquittal in puppy-fed-to-turtle case
BLACKFOOT, Idaho — An Idaho animal welfare group is blasting the acquittal of an eastern Idaho teacher who was accused of feeding a live puppy to a snapping turtle in front of several students. The Idaho Humane Society called the Franklin County jury’s decision on Friday to find Robert Crosland...
Columbia Gas opening warming centers after shutting off service in Donora
Columbia Gas announced Saturday evening that it was shutting off natural gas service to about 1,700 customers in Donora, Washington County. “The shutdown of service and the steps we are taking are out of an abundance of caution,” the company said in an announcement. “There is no threat to our...
Mammoth resident devoted life to helping others
When Mary Mizikar was young, she watched her mother care for her ailing grandmother. The experience inspired Mizikar to spend her life looking after others. Eventually it would be her turn to care for her mother, as well as her husband and a friend with diabetes. “She was absolutely saintly,”...
Hundreds rally as 7-year-old girl’s killer remains at large
HOUSTON — Hundreds of people who gathered at a rally Saturday for a 7-year-old Houston girl whose killer remains at large were asked to think of the victim as their own child and to be part of an “army” that will help authorities catch the person who fatally shot her....
Laurel Ridge State Park to grow by 281 acres thanks to conservation purchase
A recent land acquisition will add 281 acres to Laurel Ridge State Park at the border of Fayette and Somerset counties later this year. The property was purchased by the Pittsburgh-based Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in December and will eventually be transferred to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources....
Aldi recalls potato chips due to potential undeclared milk allergen
Aldi is recalling potato chips from stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Ohio because they were mislabeled, the company announced. Aldi and Olde York Potato Chips voluntarily recalled 96 cases of “Clancy’s Wavy Potato Chips” as a precautionary measure due to the potential presence of milk. “This product...
Driver killed, passenger injured in Beaver County crash
A driver was killed and a passenger was hurt in a car crash in Beaver County early Saturday morning. The one-vehicle crash happened on Pine Grove Road in Brighton Township, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, reported, citing police sources. A nearby resident found the car around 6:30 a.m. The driver...
Wall debate obscures other struggles at the border
SAN DIEGO — In Washington, it’s all about the wall. At the border, it’s only part of the story. Border authorities are struggling with outdated facilities ill-equipped to handle the growing increase in family migrants, resulting in immigrants being released onto the streets every day. The immigration court system is...
Missing Greensburg area couple wanted ‘vacation’
The Greensburg area couple that went missing Thursday morning and were found safe in South Carolina on Friday left home because they “needed a spontaneous vacation,” city police said Saturday. Amanda Caldwell, 29, of Greensburg and Joseph Zyvity, 30, of Hempfield were located in the small town of Harleyville and...
Lower Burrell woman accused of firing shot on New Year’s Day in Rivers Casino parking garage
A Lower Burrell woman is accused of firing a bullet into the ninth-floor ceiling of the parking garage at Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh’s North Shore shortly after thousands of casino-goers rang in the new year, records show. State police on Saturday charged Julie Ann Renaldi, 37, with discharging a firearm...
Ocasio-Cortez jabs GOP over ‘faux-outrage’ following fellow Democrat’s comments
WASHINGTON - Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., came to the defense of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., on Saturday - denouncing what she called “faux-outrage” over profane language Tlaib used while calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. “Republican hypocrisy at its finest: saying that Trump admitting to sexual assault on tape is...
Airports seeing rise in security screeners calling off work
NEW YORK — The federal agency tasked with guaranteeing U.S. airport security acknowledged an increase in the number of its employees calling off work during the partial government shutdown . Employees of the Transportation Security Administration are expected to work without pay during the shutdown because their jobs are considered...
Jerry Brown transformed California’s justice system – twice
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — One of the advantages of being in government for 50 years, says California Gov. Jerry Brown, is “you get to make mistakes that you then get to correct.” For Brown, one of those missteps was the criminal justice overhaul he oversaw as a young governor during two...
4 people, 8 pets safe after Troy Hill house fire
Four people and eight pets are safe after a house fire in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood Saturday morning. According to the Department of Public Safety, firefighters, police, paramedics and animal care and control officers responded to the fire in a two-story duplex in the 1800 block of Lowrie Street at...
Minor injuries when car hits school bus Friday in Indiana County
A Penns Manor school bus carrying 11 students was hit by a car in northern Indiana County on Friday afternoon when the bus was stopped and preparing to unload students in Cherryhill Township, state police at Indiana said. Police said a car driven by Kara N. Paronish, 19, of Northern...
Blairsville man jailed in Derry Township assault case
A Blairsville man is in jail and awaiting trial for allegedly strangling a woman in Derry Township last year. Brian Allan Graham, 39, is accused of punching a woman in the face and choking her during an argument on Murtha Way in the early morning of Nov. 25, state police...
3 killed, 4 injured in California bowling alley shooting
TORRANCE, Calif. — Three men were fatally shot late Friday and four injured when a brawl at a popular Los Angeles-area bowling alley and karaoke bar erupted into gunfire that had terrified patrons, some children, running for their lives. Police in the coastal city of Torrance responded shortly after midnight...
Police say UPS driver with alcohol, pot caused multi-vehicle Route 28 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...
Bluefin tuna goes for $3 million at 1st 2019 sale at Tokyo market
TOKYO — A 612-pound bluefin tuna sold for a record 333.6 million yen ($3 million) at the first auction of 2019, after Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji market was moved to a new site on the city’s waterfront. The winning bid for the prized but threatened species at the predawn auction Saturday...
