Top Stories category, Page 1010
Westmoreland Republicans disappointed with current redistricting proposal
If State Rep. Bob Brooks, R-Murrysville, wants to continue representing the 54th Legislative District, he may have to move to southeastern Pennsylvania to do it. Under the proposal for redistricting House seats in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Brooks’ hometown of Murrysville would be split in two. It would be absorbed...
Retired Fox Chapel surgeon puts down scalpel and picks up welding torchVideo
Robert Quinlin spent the better part of the past two pandemic years toiling away with sheet metal and geometric shapes. The retired bariatric surgeon from Fox Chapel handles a welding torch like a scalpel, cutting triangles, cubes, dodecahedrons — a circular-type structure with 12 flat faces — and other “golden...
Allegheny Health Network to require people wear surgical-type masks in all facilities
Allegheny Health Network officials announced changes late Friday to mask requirements for all facilities. AHN now requires all patients, visitors and care teams to wear a surgical-type, N95 or KN95 face mask. Such masks will be provided to those who do not have one. Officials said cloth face masks were...
UPMC insurance sets covid test reimbursement guidelines
UPMC Health Plan announced procedures Friday night for employers and individuals covered under UPMC insurance to get reimbursed for eligible home covid tests. The Pittsburgh-based health insurer said that it will take requests for reimbursement by mail and also is creating an online system. The health plan, associated with UPMC’s...
Rostraver animal shelter destroyed by fire; other groups step in to help
Animal lovers have come to the rescue of a Rostraver woman who lost about a dozen cats early Friday when her house, which also served as an animal shelter, was destroyed by fire. About two dozen of her cats and eight dogs survived the fire that destroyed Wendi Kraemer’s home...
Westmoreland jail inmate charged with making over 200 calls to victim demanding she drop charges
A New Kensington man awaiting trial on charges of ramming a car with two young children inside is now accused of making more than 200 calls from the county jail to the woman driving that car, asking her not to testify against him, according to county detectives. Jamar L. Freshley,...
Meteorologists say predicting this particular storm is tricky stuff
Preparing for a storm is tough, but predicting one is even harder. Just ask a meteorologist. But WPXI-TV ’s chief meteorologist, Stephen Cropper, isn’t complaining. In fact, he loves the challenge of predicting the kind of severe weather we’re expected to have this weekend. “We’re looking at the temperature, the...
Police: Baldwin man charged in connection with Stowe bar fight shooting
Allegheny County Police said a Baldwin man was responsible for a Thursday night shooting in Stowe that left another man hospitalized. Sedrick Riddick, 22, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and taken to the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh on Friday. Charges stem from a shooting around 7:30...
Allegheny County corrections officer suspended amid allegations of assault on inmate
An Allegheny County Jail corrections officer was escorted out of the building and suspended pending potential termination Friday following allegations that they assaulted an inmate. Warden Orlando Harper provided little other detail on the incident during a news conference Friday afternoon. Harper said a jail employee received a phone call...
National Weather Service issues winter storm warning for region
A major winter storm headed for Western Pennsylvania might dump 6 to 11 inches of snow from mid-afternoon Sunday into Monday afternoon, according to the latest prediction from the National Weather Service office in Moon Township. The National Weather Service in Moon issued a winter storm warning Saturday afternoon. Snow...
Experts say too soon to tell what drop in covid counts means for Western Pa.
As some countries and major U.S. cities emerge from suspected omicron peaks, experts and health officials in Southwestern Pennsylvania say it’s too soon to say whether this region also has passed the worst of omicron. Cases have flattened in New York City, according to The New York Times, as well...
Voters could be flooded with proposed changes to the Pa. Constitution in 2023
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters could face at least five ballot questions about changing the state constitution next year after House Republicans...
Lifetime sex offender charged with failing to update address after moving from Tarentum apartment
A former Tarentum man who is on the state Megan’s Law list as a lifetime sex offender was accused by the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office of failing to inform authorities when he moved out of his home last fall. James Edward Sundberg, 66, who lived in the 200 block of...
Pittsburgh riverfront building formerly owned by Mark Cuban could house apartments
A developer wants to transform a vacant riverfront building formerly owned by celebrity billionaire Mark Cuban on Pittsburgh’s Fort Duquesne Boulevard into an apartment building with more than 100 units. Douglas Development Corp. of Washington, D.C., bought the Downtown building at 642 Fort Duquesne Blvd. Terms of the deal, which...
Pittsburgh officials say snow response will be better ahead of Sunday stormVideo
Pittsburgh officials said they’re planning for an improved response this weekend when a snow storm is expected to hit the region. Just days into Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration, the season’s first major snow event dropped between 1.5 and 2 inches of snow. Gainey joined Department of Public Works crews on...
Court puts hold on GOP inspection of county voting machines
An inspection of voting machines in a heavily Republican county in Pennsylvania had been poised to go forward Friday until an 11th-hour appeal to the state Supreme Court by lawyers for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf put it on hold. The high court decision came hours after a state judge rejected...
State police warn of counterfeit $100 bills circulating in Westmoreland
Pennsylvania State Police are warning area businesses that some counterfeit $100 bills have been circulated in the area that appear to defy rapid detection using the standard counterfeit detector pens. “We’ve had two reports in the past few days of the counterfeits being passed locally. In over 20 years as...
Unity woman’s angel food cake snags red ribbon at Pa. Farm Show
A Greater Latrobe teacher brought home a second-place award from the Pennsylvania Farm Show this week with a specialty that has been a mainstay in her family — angel food cake. Abigail Mehalic, 36, of Unity said she picked up the light and fluffy dessert after her father would make...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Jan. 14-16
The weekend has arrived, including three days off for some with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. We’ve got some ideas of how to spend it. Lace up your skates CitiParks will host the annual “Mascot Skate” from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at Schenley Park Skating Rink....
2nd person charged with drug, gun offenses in connection with Upper Burrell traffic stop
A second person has been charged with drug and gun-related offenses in connection with a traffic stop by Upper Burrell police in late December. Shane Thomas Buccieri, 23, of Sixth Avenue in Tarentum is charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance and a count of illegal possession...
State audit raps North Huntingdon fireman’s relief group
State auditors reprimanded the North Huntingdon Volunteer Fireman’s Relief Association for incorrectly titling the ownership of two rescue vehicles to North Huntingdon EMS/Rescue and not to the association, as well as for not having someone serve as vice president. The auditor general’s review of the relief association’s finances for January...
12 cats die in Rostraver fire; foster homes needed for rescued pets
A dozen cats are dead after a fire Friday morning at a Rostraver home that also served as an animal shelter, a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor said. Emergency responders reported that the house was engulfed in flames when they arrived on scene shortly after 3:45 a.m., the supervisor said. The...
How Highmark and other insurers will cover at-home covid tests
Highmark will begin reimbursing its customers for at-home covid-19 tests this weekend and is looking to eliminate the need for customers to pay first, a vice president of the insurance company said Thursday. Under federal rules, Highmark and other private health insurers are required to cover up to eight over-the...
Police: Man shot in gunfight in Stowe
One man was shot in a gunfight Thursday night as a result of a bar fight in Stowe, Allegheny County Police said. A 28-year-old man was reported hospitalized in critical condition with gunshot wounds to the chest and legs, police said. The shooting was reported at about 7:30 p.m. in...
Wrong-way crash closes Route 30 bridge over Route 119
A multiple-vehicle crash on the Route 30 bridge over Route 119 in Southwest Greensburg on Thursday night closed the westbound lanes of Route 30 at the Cedar Street exit, according to a Westmoreland County Public Safety supervisor. The crash occurred when a motorist who was traveling east got onto the...
