Husband-to-be U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb taking Turnpike to get ‘to the church on time’
A day after taking his seat in the 116th Congress, U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb raced back to Western Pennsylvania to get hitched. “I’m getting married in the morning,” Lamb posted to his Twitter account Friday afternoon. “Hurrying back from DC with my team & making sure they get me to...
Successfully start those peppers from seed
Question: I’m interested in growing some unusual peppers this season that I can’t get as transplants at the nursery. I’ll need to start my own seeds. I know peppers can take longer to grow from seed than other vegetables, so I’m looking for some tips to get started. Answer: Starting...
Leechburg fire Thursday night contained to couch
Everything appeared to work out Thursday night in Leechburg. When Hannah Bauer smelled smoke in the River Avenue house she shares with Zane Walter, she called 911. Walter said he bought the house at a tax sale last June and was still working on it. Luna, the border collie, smelled...
Police investigate threat at Shaler Area High School
Shaler Township police will patrol Shaler Area High School Friday in response to an unspecified threat discovered by district officials, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. The district told families about the threat Thursday evening, calling it an “unsubstantiated rumor.” Other than the extra police, the high school will operate...
Snowboarder dies after suffering head injury at Seven Springs
Officials at Seven Springs Mountain Resort released details this morning of a snowboarding run on Dec. 27 that led to a Crescent Township man’s death. Matthew Camacho-Cook, 35, died Thursday after suffering a head injury while snowboarding with his family at the Laurel Mountain getaway. Alex Moser, director of marketing...
House Democrats pass government funding bills Trump won’t sign
WASHINGTON — The new House Democratic majority passed two government funding bills late Thursday to open shuttered federal agencies that President Trump has said he will not sign, as Republicans predicted the partial government shutdown will be a long one. Before the votes Speaker Nancy Pelosi reiterated that Democrats will...
House fire reported in Monessen
First-responders battled a house fire in Monessen on Thursday night. The fully involved fire on the corner of Graham Avenue and Dunlap Street was reported shortly before 10:20 p.m. No injuries were reported. Emergency radio broadcasts said the burning one-story brick building was apparently vacant. The Monessen Volunteer Fire Department...
Sheriff: Michigan college student who called seeking help found dead in water
SEBEWAING TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A Michigan sheriff says a man found dead in waist-deep water had fallen through ice on a Thumb region river. Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson says 21-year-old Parker J. Haire of Cass City was found dead Wednesday morning in the Sebewaing River, more than 2 miles...
Court rules doctors not liable for 2012 Western Psych shooting spree
The Pennsylvania Superior Court has upheld an earlier ruling that doctors who treated a mentally ill man who shot five people in Pittsburgh in 2012 can’t be held responsible for the shooting. On March 8, 2012, John Shick, 30, went on a shooting spree at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic...
Traffic on Sewickley Township road restricted by landslide
A section of Guffey Road in Sewickley Township has been reduced to a single lane of traffic because of a landslide. PennDOT officials Thursday announced the restriction, between Turner Valley and Mickanin roads, and advised that traffic will be controlled by stop signs until the problem is addressed. The curving...
Sketch released of suspect in shooting of Texas girl
HOUSTON — Authorities on Thursday released a composite sketch of a man accused in the death of a 7-year-old black girl during a Houston-area shooting that her family believes might have been racially motivated. The suspect is described as a white man in his 30s or 40s, wearing a black...
Police identify woman sought in Las Vegas manicurist death
LAS VEGAS — A 21-year-old Las Vegas woman was being sought Thursday for allegedly using a stolen car to run over and kill a Las Vegas nail salon owner who chased her last weekend for failing to pay for a $35 manicure, police said. Las Vegas police released an April...
7 killed after fiery crash, fuel spill on Florida highway
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Two big rigs and two passenger vehicles collided and spilled diesel fuel across a Florida highway Thursday, sparking a massive fire that killed seven people, authorities said. The wreck occurred on Interstate 75 about a mile south of Alachua, near Gainesville. The flames were fed by...
Beny, the drug-sniffing dog, hitting the road with state police trooper to fight drugs
Beny has a nose for drugs. The 1-year-old Belgian Malinois dog from the Czech Republic — hence only one “n” in his name — and handler Trooper Jason Young are newly assigned to the Kittanning state police station. The state bought the dog for about $8,500 and paid for his...
Allegheny County sheriff: McKees Rocks man held infant daughter while trying to hold deputies at bay
Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies on Thursday had to break into a residence in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln Place neighborhood and then into a bedroom to arrest a fugitive who had been on the run since last summer, authorities said. The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Department said Joshua Currington, 32, of McKees Rocks, held...
Westmoreland’s chief public defender announces judicial candidacy
Westmoreland County’s chief public defender announced Thursday he will be a candidate for one of two judicial vacancies this year on the Common Pleas Court. Republican Wayne McGrew, 50, of Sewickley Township, is making his first run for judge. “Court appearances can be some of the most stressful times in...
14-year-old boy arrested on murder charge after fatal crash from egg prank
HOUSTON — A 14-year-old boy who authorities say was driving an SUV that caused a fatal car accident has been arrested on a murder charge. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says the SUV was filled with teens who were throwing eggs at other cars Tuesday afternoon when another driver began...
Mother of Trayvon Martin to speak in Pittsburgh
Sybrina Fulton, mother of slain black teenager Trayvon Martin, will speak at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary later this month. Martin was 17 when he was shot and killed in 2012 by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. He was walking through the neighborhood when Zimmerman called 911 to...
Former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy honored with ceremonial key to city
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Thursday honored the city’s second longest-serving mayor — Tom Murphy — with a ceremonial key to the city, crediting the North Side resident with creating the city’s riverfront parks and trails and for his long record of public service. Peduto noted that Murphy’s tenure from...
Pittsburgh investigating whether private police training violates ethics
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said it’s still unclear whether two Pittsburgh police commanders violated department, city or state ethics rules by taking training they received through the department and turning it into a private business. City officials are looking into whether Cmdrs. Jason Lando and Cristyn Zett and Officer Jason...
Flu is widespread in Pennsylvania, but numbers are down from last year
The flu is widespread in Pennsylvania for the first time this season, but overall numbers are down compared to last year. Allegheny County has seen a dramatic drop in cumulative cases of the flu, just 126 so far this year compared with 1,241 in 2017-18. The cumulative number of hospitalizations...
Federal investigation closed after Mattress Factory settles sexual harassment claims
A National Labor Relations Board investigation into allegations that the Mattress Factory violated federal labor laws has been closed, the museum’s acting director, Judith O’Toole, announced Thursday. The news comes more than a week after the Mattress Factory settled with a group of former and current employees who accused supervisors...
Police: More than 60 victims in Virginia changing-room camera case
FAIRFAX, Va. — Police believe more than 60 women and girls were secretly recorded undressing in changing rooms at northern Virginia shopping malls in the weeks before Christmas. Fairfax County Police arrested 39-year-old Mumtaz Rauf of Alexandria on Christmas Eve and charged him with unlawful filming of a minor after...
Valve replacements could cause short water outages in Tarentum
Tarentum businesses and residents may experience brief water outages over the next two weeks as crews install new water valves throughout the borough. The project of close to $70,000 is being done by Tarentum Public Works crews in conjunction with Meyer Excavating, Inc. According to the borough’s website, installation of...
Bicyclist back in hot seat for ignoring court order to stay off Westmoreland roads
The Hempfield bicyclist who served nearly two years behind bars for obstructing traffic on county roadways could roll his way back to jail soon. Westmoreland County prosecutors contend David Smith, 59, violated terms of his probation by riding his bicycle on county roads in late October. “I don’t know what...
