Top Stories category, Page 1003
Children, adults happy for return of ‘hands-on’ Community Day at The Westmoreland
Seven-year-old Escher Beldham of Plum was eager to have his quilt artwork, designed and cut from colorful construction paper, added to the art masterpieces already displayed on the walls of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. Beldham and his brother, Aven, 4, worked feverishly Sunday with scissors, construction...
Ringer’s Dog Training faces one last hurdle for day care operations
The owner of a Harrison dog training business said she’ll try one last time to seek township approval to operate a pet day care and boarding service at her Freeport Road location. Kim Ringer, owner of Ringer’s Pet Dog Training, will present her case to the township’s planning commission Monday....
More stocking planned after opening day of Pa. trout season
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, with some help from the Tri-County Trout Club, has stocked Deer Creek in Emmerling Park, Indiana Township. It was the first time since the beginning of the covid pandemic that volunteers from the trout club could assist in transferring thousands of trout from commission...
Trump’s praise of Putin, ‘America First’ view tested by war
WASHINGTON — From the earliest days of his first presidential campaign, Donald Trump aggressively challenged the pillars of Republican foreign policy that defined the party since World War II. He mocked John McCain’s capture during the Vietnam War, validated autocrats with his platitudes, questioned longtime military and security alliances and...
Whitmer plot underlines growing abuse of women officials
Angry over covid-19 restrictions such as the closing of gyms, people from several states met in Ohio in June 2020 to plot ways to overthrow government “tyrants,” prosecutors say. Within a week, they chose Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as a target. The plan, as outlined in a federal court indictment,...
Death toll surpasses 6 million for pandemic now in 3rd year
BANGKOK — The official global death toll from covid-19 eclipsed 6 million on Monday — underscoring that the pandemic, now entering its third year, is far from over. The milestone, recorded by Johns Hopkins University, is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people...
Ukraine says Russia steps up shelling of residential areas
LVIV, Ukraine — Russian forces intensified shelling of cities in Ukraine’s center, north and south, a Ukrainian official said, upending attempts to evacuate besieged civilians. With the Ukrainian leader urging his people to fight in the streets, Russian President Vladimir Putin shifted blame for the invasion, saying Moscow’s attacks could...
Ukrainian traditions, roots abound in Westmoreland County
Ukrainian customs are second nature to Mary Alice Hoffer. She is a pierogi “dough roller” at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church in Derry Township. A small bowl of pysanky eggs sits on a table full of religious icons in her home. It’s a testament to...
Ukrainian immigrants have become part of fabric of Western Pa.
They came seeking jobs, determined to escape religious persecution, flee the Russians and provide a better life for their families. The influx of Ukrainian immigrants to the Pittsburgh region covers four distinct waves over the past 150 years. As Russia’s current war in Ukraine rages on, it seems possible that...
Officials: 7 dead after tornadoes tore through central Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa — Seven people were killed, including two children, when several tornadoes swept through central Iowa, damaging buildings and knocking down trees and power lines, authorities said. Emergency management officials in Madison County said four were injured and six people were killed Saturday when one tornado touched down...
Motorcyclist killed in West End Bridge crash
One man died in a motorcycle crash Saturday evening in Pittsburgh, according to police. Police responded to the West End Bridge about 7:30 p.m. and found a motorcyclist on the roadway. Two other vehicles were also involved in the crash, a police spokesman said. The motorcyclist, who was wearing a...
Hundreds celebrate St. Patrick’s Day early at New Kensington pub crawl
Green beer, Irish whiskey, and everything in between flowed a week early in New Kensington on Saturday as hundreds turned out for the Pre-Patty’s Pub Crawl event that saw patrons shuttled from bar to bar, decked out in as much green as possible. The event was put together by the...
New offices for the hybrid era? Many companies are on board
OMAHA, Neb. — If you build a shiny new office building, will your employees show up to work in it? Many U.S. companies are banking on it because they believe working in person is better for collaboration and training young employees. So even though most employees are still working from...
Greensburg residents lay out pros, cons to planners as update to city development plan starts
Greensburg planners and consultants listened to suggestions from residents Saturday to clear residential blight, improve playgrounds, repair sidewalks, restore old homes and expand downtown redevelopment in round one of an effort to update the city’s 14-year-old development plan. “I think the city could clean up a little better. I know...
Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh region hit record high gas prices
Pennsylvania gas prices hit a record high Saturday, according to AAA. The average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline in the state rose to $4.08, topping the previous high of $4.05 set in June 2008. Officials with AAA said earlier in the week that increases in demand for gas...
Putin says Ukraine’s future in doubt as cease-fires collapse
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Saturday that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy and likened the West’s sanctions on Russia to “declaring war,” while a promised cease-fire in the port city of Mariupol collapsed amid scenes of terror in the besieged town. With the Kremlin’s rhetoric growing fiercer and a reprieve...
Western Pennsylvanians from Ukraine tell their stories
Tears. Helplessness. Heartache. Nightmare. Denial. These are some of the reactions from people of Ukraine living in Western Pennsylvania when they heard about the military assault on Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. They’ve spent the past 11 days seeing videos and photographs documenting the destruction of their...
Contractor charged after Kiski Township woman accuses him of cashing $16K check, failing to finish work
Kiski Township police filed felony charges against a contractor after a property owner accused him of cashing a $16,000 check for work in August 2020 and not completing the project. David Lynn Patton, 67, of Limestone Township, Clarion County, was charged with felony counts of theft by deception and failing...
Victims identified who died in separate crashes Wednesday in Allegheny County
A White Oak man and a Carnegie woman were killed Wednesday in separate vehicle accidents. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims last Friday. • John D. Semenko, 59, died Wednesday, March 2 in an area hospital as a result of a crash at the intersection of Fifth...
‘Holy moly!’ Pittsburgh woman’s Jeopardy! win streak continues; tops $79,000
A Pittsburgh homemaker is a Jeopardy! winning machine, cruising to her fourth consecutive victory as a contestant on Friday’s show. Margaret Shelton, of the city’s East End, won for the fourth consecutive game on Friday. She earned another $21,500 to bring her total winnings to $79,700. Shelton had to stage...
‘Indefensible’ social media posts cited as Derry Area School Board asks member to step down
The Derry Area School Board this week issued a 7-0 no-confidence vote regarding one of its members, Sean Kemmerer, and asked him to step down. In a lengthy resolution, the board condemned social media posts by Kemmerer, indicating that statements he’s made “relating to women and girls, people of faith...
Pitt professor in Ukraine scrambling to survive amid war with RussiaVideo
A University of Pittsburgh associate professor of economics is doing his best to stay alive in his native country as Russian President Vladimir Putin wages war on Ukraine. Tymofiy Mylovanov is a Ukrainian citizen who splits time between Pittsburgh and Kyiv where he is president of the Kyiv School of...
Motorcyclist, 45, critically injured in 2-vehicle crash in Harrison
A motorcyclist was critically injured Friday when his bike collided with the rear of an SUV near the Walmart plaza off Freeport Road, according to Allegheny County Police. The crash occurred at the intersection of Freeport Road and Evergreen Drive, county police said. First responders found the 45-year-old motorcyclist suffered...
Pittsburgh’s Art Commission wants more public input on Fern Hollow Bridge rebuild
Pittsburgh’s Art Commission has raised concerns that the process to replace the collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge might not include enough public input or consideration of the new bridge’s design. Because the work is being done under an emergency declaration, officials can bypass the Art Commission and other elements of public...
Elderly mother of Unity man suspected in ex’s disappearance pleads guilty to $9 fraud, gets no jail time
The 85-year-old mother of a Unity man authorities have called a person of interest in the 2018 disappearance of Cassandra Gross pleaded guilty Friday in a conspiracy to swindle government benefits while her son was in jail on pending charges. Police said Almira Stanko, at her son’s direction, used his...
