Top Stories category, Page 1011
Pennsylvania high court picks new map of U.S. House districts
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court broke a partisan deadlock Wednesday over a new map of congressional districts by selecting boundaries that broadly adhere to the outlines of current districts, even as the state loses one seat because of sluggish population growth. The Democratic-majority state Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision...
Shorty’s Pins x Pints opens on Pittsburgh’s North Shore
Shorty came up tall on Monday. By 3:30 p.m., there was a line to get into Shorty’s Pins x Pints on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. The take-you-back-in-time game room and bar establishment opened at 4 p.m. after nearly two years because of delays from the pandemic. People of all ages filled...
Is omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against covid?
Is omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against covid-19? Experts say it’s not likely that the highly transmissible variant — or any other variant — will lead to herd immunity. “Herd immunity is an elusive concept and doesn’t apply to coronavirus,” says Dr. Don Milton at the University of...
Pittsburgh police respond to 3 armed robberies overnight
Pittsburgh Police are investigating three armed robberies that happened over about three hours Tuesday night. Police said the robberies appear to be related. The first reported robbery happened around 9 p.m. at the Family Dollar store on Lincoln Avenue in the city’s Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhood, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV....
Ross commissioners president defends police chief after ‘no confidence’ vote from union
Dan DeMarco, president of the Ross Board of Commissioners, defended his police chief at Tuesday night’s meeting following a “no confidence” vote from the township’s police union. A letter sent earlier that day from the executive board of the Ross Township Police Association announced that 27 officers voted in favor...
Pittsburgh man sentenced to nearly 4 years in federal prison for heroin trafficking
A Pittsburgh man has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for his involvement in a heroin trafficking ring, federal officials announced Tuesday. David Joyner, 26, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin. US District Judge William S. Stickman IV sentenced him...
Pittsburgh man sentenced to more than 3 years in federal prison for drugs, guns
A Pittsburgh man has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for violating federal narcotics and gun laws, federal authorities announced Tuesday. Prosecutors say Don Eric Copeland, 20, possessed illicit drugs with intent to distribute them — crack cocaine and a mixture containing cocaine and fentanyl. Pittsburgh police seized...
Baristas at Coffee Tree Roasters vote to unionize in Allegheny County
Baristas and employees of local coffee chain Coffee Tree Roasters voted to unionize Tuesday. Workers at five coffee shops across Allegheny County voted to join Local 1776 of the United Food and Commercial Workers labor union, according to UFCW Local 1776 President Wendell Young. “This is a great win for...
Hempfield man convicted of killing Pitt student Alina Sheykhet withdraws appeal
The Hempfield man who pleaded guilty to brutally killing his ex-girlfriend at her apartment in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood in October 2017 withdrew his appeal request Tuesday. After extensive questioning by both attorneys involved in the case, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski allowed Matthew Darby, 25, to withdraw...
International forces costing American drivers $375M more every day on gas, analyst says
Americans are spending about $375 million more on gasoline every day compared to a year ago, as prices continue to rise in the Pittsburgh area and across the nation, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. While there are concerns about how Russia’s actions in Ukraine could...
National Guard to help D.C. control traffic for truck convoys
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has approved the deployment of 700 unarmed National Guard troops to the nation’s capital as it prepares for trucker convoys that are planning protests against pandemic restrictions beginning next week. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved the request Tuesday from the District of Columbia government and the...
Ross police union members cast ‘no confidence’ vote for chief
For a second time, members of the union representing police officers in Ross have taken a “no-confidence” vote in the leadership of Chief Joe Ley. A letter sent on Tuesday from the executive board of the Ross Township Police Association announced that 27 officers voted in favor of the no...
Norwin director claims assignment on racism was critical race theory teaching
A Norwin school board member claims that a high school social studies teacher gave students an assignment on systemic racism in America, which was an example of critical race theory instruction, despite the school administration’s previous assertion that it was not being taught in the district. Director Shawna Ilagan contended...
Biden announces sanctions against Russia for invasion of UkraineVideo
MOSCOW — President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the United States will impose its first tranche of economic sanctions against Moscow in response to what he described as “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.” “I’m going to begin to impose sanctions in response far beyond the steps we...
Renovate or build a new school? That’s the question being posed in Hempfield Area
Officials with the Hempfield Area School District are gearing up to make a decision next month on whether they will renovate or build a new high school. School board members this week unanimously voted to retain PNC Capital Markets LLC as underwriters once a project is chosen and hired Krakoff...
Speed limits in most Pittsburgh parks dropping to 15 mph
Pittsburgh City Council voted Tuesday to reduce the speed limit in the city’s parks to 15 mph, down from 25 mph. The measure allows the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure to make exceptions. Councilman Bobby Wilson, who sponsored the bill, said there will likely be higher speed limits on...
Pittsburgh recognizes February as Mayor Ed Gainey Month
Pittsburgh City Council announced Tuesday that the city is dedicating February as Mayor Ed Gainey Month. “I can’t imagine recognizing Black History Month without recognizing our own mayor in the city of Pittsburgh,” said Council President Theresa Kail-Smith. Gainey, of Lincoln-Lemington, became the city’s first Black mayor when he took...
Pittsburgh City Council approves $12.8M allocation for Bus Rapid Transit project
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday allocated $12.8 million to Port Authority of Allegheny County’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit project. Port Authority has touted the BRT project as a “high-quality, bus-based transit system that delivers fast, comfortable and cost-effective services via dedicated lanes and frequent operations.” The plan for the Downtown-Uptown-Oakland-East...
Lawsuit seeks halt to Pa. justices picking congressional map
HARRISBURG — A federal lawsuit claims the Pennsylvania Supreme Court would overstep its authority by selecting a new set of congressional district maps, and the plaintiffs also want a restraining order to prevent the state justices from changing the election calendar. Two Republicans running for Congress, a member of the...
Alta Via restaurant to expand into Pittsburgh’s Market Square
The Downtown Pittsburgh hospitality scene is buzzing again and adding another popular restaurant to the neighborhood. Alta Via, an Italian restaurant inspired by California cuisine, is expanding from its original home and into Market Square, according to the big Burrito Restaurant Group. The group owns the Mad Mex chain and...
Former Leechburg police chief Michael Diebold ordered to prison for failing to register as sex offender
Despite an impassioned plea to serve his sentence on house arrest, former Leechburg police Chief Michael Diebold will spend 18 to 36 months in prison for failing to properly register as a sex offender. Diebold, 44, pleaded guilty in December 2018 to soliciting sex online from a state trooper posing...
Pittsburgh protester gets 2 years of probation, social media ban
A prominent protester from Pittsburgh will serve two years of probation after pleading guilty Tuesday in six separate cases. Shawn Green, who goes by the name Lorenzo Rulli, also must also stay off social media as part of the agreement. Rulli, 20, of the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood, pleaded guilty to...
Man arrested in theft of $8,200 bicycle from Greensburg shop
Several search warrants led Greensburg police to arrest a New York City man who they believe stole an $8,200 bicycle from a local shop, according to court papers. Joziha J. Clemens, 21, was arraigned Friday after being extradited to Westmoreland County. He was being held on $75,000 bail at the...
Tull Family Foundation donates $20 million to Sewickley Academy
The Tull Family Foundation donated $20 million to Sewickley Academy, making it the largest donation in the school’s history, according to the school’s press release on Tuesday. Head of Sewickley Academy Ashley Birtwell expressed how thrilled she was about the possibilities the donation brought for the school. “As we continue...
Seeing double: 2-22-22 is not your ordinary Tuesday
Some dates just stick out. Today is one of those. It’s Feb. 22, 2022, or 2-22-22. People are calling it “Twosday” and it falls on a Tuesday, which makes it even more of an anomaly. Known as a palindrome, which means it reads the same backward and forward, people take...
