Regional category, Page 17
VA shuffles top leaders in Pittsburgh as agency upends ‘status quo’
The top two officials overseeing care for Pittsburgh-area veterans have been pulled from their posts and reassigned. Donald Koenig is out as director of the Pittsburgh VA, a role he took in 2019 after more than two decades as a private health care executive. His tenure stopped a carousel of...
Love triangle turned deadly inside Washington County home, police say
One man is dead and another behind bars after what police described as a love triangle turned violent Sunday night inside a Washington County home. Christopher Harper, 18, of Ellsworth is accused by Pennsylvania State Police of breaking into a residence along Walnut Street in Ellsworth and shooting Elijah Johnson,...
Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General recovering from cyber incident
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General announced Monday that, following the cyber incident last week, access is being restored to employee email accounts. Outages affected the website and disabled office email accounts and landline phones. The website was rebooted early Wednesday afternoon but still had outages on the home improvement...
Storms force closure of popular spots at Ohiopyle State Park
A popular waterfall at Ohiopyle State Park is off limits after damage from storms Sunday left some trails impassable and dangerous, according to park officials. The Cucumber Falls area and Great Gorge Trail are closed for the foreseeable future, according to a post on the park’s social media. Downed trees...
Outer Banks communities face evacuations as Hurricane Erin looms
With the threat of Hurricane Erin growing, a state of emergency was issued Sunday in portions of the Outer Banks, prompting evacuations. The Outer Banks is a popular summer vacation hub in North Carolina for many families in Western Pennsylvania. The state of emergency includes all of Dare County, North...
Fayette County EMS official accused of DUI, hit-and-run that left 1 severely injured
A Fayette County EMS manager severely injured a man in a hit-and-run crash while driving under the influence Saturday night, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Matthew McKnight, 47, of Connellsville is accused of smashing his pickup truck into the back of a minivan around 10:30 p.m. in Bullskin Township and...
Conservative college student organizations more empowered to share views
Julia Cassidy says she has always felt confident expressing her conservative political views at the University of Pittsburgh, even though they aren’t shared by most of her peers. Since Donald Trump regained the Oval Office, though, Cassidy, president of Pitt’s College Republicans, says she has noticed more students sharing conservative...
Community leaders hoping to breathe new life into former Rite Aid buildings
More than 70 Rite Aid pharmacies have shuttered or are preparing to close across the Pittsburgh area as the company undergoes bankruptcy and restructuring. Customers’ prescriptions have been transferred to other pharmacies, but the empty stores will leave a large group of properties — in prime commercial locations across Western...
Woman killed in crash of side-by-side in Washington County
Editor’s note: This report was updated on Tuesday, Aug. 19 to correct the spelling of Janna Slagle’s first name. An incorrect spelling was provided by the Washington County Coroner’s Office. A 33-year-old woman was killed in an all-terrain vehicle crash early Sunday morning in Washington County. The Washington County Coroner...
1 dead in Fayette County crash involving 2 motorcycles
A Fayette County man was killed in a crash involving two motorcycles early Saturday in the county’s German Township. Fayette County Coroner Dr. Bob Baker said Delbert Valentine Jr., 25, of Adah, was pronounced dead at the scene at Route 21 and Leckrone High House Road. The death was ruled...
2 of 5 surviving ‘Knight Rider’ cars reunited in Butler County; tractor-trailer restoration nearing completion
The world’s largest collection of screen-used Knight Rider cars is now in Butler County. The first Pontiac modified to portray the Knight Industries Two Thousand — KITT for short — and seen in the 1980s TV show’s iconic opening racing toward the screen in the desert is parked alongside one...
Worm in your tequila shot? Canada’s Dawson City has that beat with the ‘Sourtoe’Video
“You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips must touch this gnarly toe.” These were the last words James “Jazz” Byers, 55, of Penn Hills heard before raising a shot of Yukon Jack to his lips. As he knocked the drink back, at the bottom...
Clairton Coke Works, site of deadly explosions, stirs both pride and pain
Brian Doyle remembers the explosion that hurled him to the coke plant’s floor — but little else from that day. It was a Wednesday — July 14, 2010 — and Doyle, a steamfitters union member and contractor for Power Piping, was inside the Clairton Coke Works getting ready to repair...
SNAP skimming escalates in Pa., officials push for secure EBT cards
Two million Pennsylvanians rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to feed themselves and their families, but skimming devices have led to a statewide rise in SNAP benefit theft, leaving thousands of low-income households without food. While negotiations over the Pennsylvania 2025-26 budget continue, local government officials, at a...
Pa. Game Commission’s elk cam returns ahead of mating season
A constant livestream in the heart of Pennsylvania’s elk country has restarted as the species begins its mating season, called the elk rut. The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced Friday it had powered up its video and audio stream of an area near Elk State Forest and State Gamelands 311 for...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: Aug. 15
The following is a feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz: 1. A local university signed a contract with Wyndham Grand hotel in Downtown that will place up to 90 freshmen in off-campus housing at the start of the fall semester. Which school is it? A/ Pitt B/ Duquesne C/...
Concerns arise over lawyer representing Washington County DA in death penalty feud
Two Pittsburgh lawyers involved in efforts before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to curb the Washington County district attorney’s use of the death penalty are questioning why his office is being represented in the matter by a private attorney who charges nearly $500 an hour. The defense lawyers for Devell Christian,...
Website upgrade, visitor center proposed for Unity-based Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor
The Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor is looking to roll out an improved website and is considering setting aside a visitor information center at its museum headquarters in Unity. Those are two ways the nonprofit organization hopes to better promote sites farther east along its six-county corridor while partnering with other...
Westmoreland Transit: State budget stalemate not hurting yet
With state funding for mass transit held hostage in the seven-week budget battle between Senate Republicans, House Democrats and the governor’s office, Westmoreland County’s bus system does not face the financial cliff looming for other transportation systems, a county transit official said. “It has not impacted us. We have sufficient...
Sheetz to bring more pop-up concert experiences to Pittsburgh
After the All-American Rejects performed a surprise pop-up concert Friday at Sheetz in Robinson, the chain said more collaborative concerts are on the way — including appearances by the Jonas Brothers. Sheetz said Wednesday it was named the official convenience partner for the JONAS20: Greetings From Your Hometown Tour, featuring...
Proposed laws, school policies target cellphone use in schools
Tony Aquilio is all in favor of using technology as an educational tool. But even Aquilio, Penn-Trafford High School’s principal, admits access to personal cellphones can be bad for learning while in school. This year, Penn-Trafford School District heads into the academic year with a new cellphone policy in place,...
The Chateau, The Grand Lodge at Nemacolin make AAA 5 Diamond list
The Chateau and The Grand Lodge at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort were recently included as members of the AAA Five Diamond Designation list. Falling Rock at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort has maintained the AAA Five Diamond Designation consecutively since 2006. The three facilities and one hotel in Philadelphia are the only Five...
Heinz Ketchup Smoothie coming to select Smoothie King locations in Pittsburgh
After launching the Heinz Ketchup Smoothie, Heinz and Smoothie King say they are bringing the concoction to Pittsburgh. “The home to HEINZ felt left out, but now, Pittsburgh is in on the fun!” the Tuesday announcement said. Starting Wednesday, the ketchup smoothie will be available at select Smoothie King locations...
Despite dangers, South Huntingdon man who died at Clairton Coke Works loved his job
Tim Quinn joined generations of Southwestern Pennsylvanians 17 years ago seeking a good-paying job with benefits at a local steel mill. A few years after the South Huntingdon man graduated from Yough Senior High School, Quinn followed his father, Tom, into U.S. Steel Corp.’s Clairton Works, the nation’s largest coke-producing...
Pittsburgh region sees driest start to an August since late 1800s
After a spring and early summer that saw several damaging storms and floods, the precipitation well has run dry in August. The last time the Pittsburgh region saw no rain in the first 10 days of August, Grover Cleveland was serving his first term as president in 1887, according to...
