Top Stories category, Page 1015
Whistleblower lawsuit filed against Ruffs Dale company
A former quality assurance director at a Ruffs Dale in-home care company contends in a federal lawsuit he was fired after reporting allegations that covid-relief funds were misappropriated and staff-training documents were falsified. Bryan Kantorczyk claimed Gene Cook Supports Inc. — the company where he worked for more than six...
Recalling Jan. 6: A national day of infamy, half remembered
NEW YORK — Beneath a pale winter light and the glare of television cameras, it seemed hard not to see the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot for what it was. The violent storming of the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters bent on upending the election of Joe Biden was as...
Mark Patrick Flaherty, former Allegheny County controller, dies from covid complications
Mark Patrick Flaherty came from a well-known family of Democratic public servants. His father served as an Allegheny County commissioner and a state Commonwealth Court judge. His uncle was Pittsburgh mayor, deputy attorney general and later a county commissioner. It seemed inevitable then, that he would follow in their footsteps....
Allegheny, Westmoreland counties preparing for region’s 1st snowfall of year
The season’s first substantial snowfall appears to be heading for Western Pennsylvania, and the Allegheny and Westmoreland County public works departments want residents to know they’re ready. Snow is expected to begin Thursday night and continue into Friday morning with a total accumulation of about 1 to 3 inches, according...
Pittsburgh City Council must vote whether Wilkinsburg annexation will appear on borough’s ballot
Pittsburgh City Council must vote within three months to decide whether the city’s possible annexation of Wilkinsburg will be on the neighboring borough’s ballot later this year, a judge ruled Wednesday. The ruling came as supporters of the potential merger, in anticipation of the ruling, gathered outside the City-County Building...
Hospitals across Pittsburgh region brace as covid surge delivers more patients
Hospital systems across Southwestern Pennsylvania, including UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, are braced for another surge of patients seeking treatment for covid-19 — though they are weathering the storm for now as cases increase and staffing shortages persist. Nationally, some experts say the focus should be on the health of...
Pa. authorities cracking down on unemployment benefits fraud, some reported in Westmoreland
State officials are examining the source of a reported increase in efforts to steal unemployment compensation benefits, which they are trying to thwart by adding a new process for identity verification. Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Jennifer Berrier said the agency is working with law enforcement to investigate and...
Beaver County men get 30 days behind bars for their participation in Capitol riot
Two Beaver County men who roamed around inside the U.S. Capitol for 25 minutes during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots and bragged about smoking marijuana in the building will serve 30 days behind bars. Mitchell P. Vukich, 26, of New Brighton, and Nicholas Perretta, 27, of Baden, were sentenced in...
Pine-Richland considers segregating masked, unmasked students
Faced with soaring coronavirus cases and a decision by the Pine-Richland school board to make masks optional for staff and students, district officials are now considering a plan that would segregate masked and unmasked children in classrooms. Citing the state Supreme Court ruling that the Pennsylvania Department of Health overstepped...
Treasure hunters sue for records on FBI’s Civil War gold dig in Pennsylvania
Treasure hunters who believe they found a huge cache of fabled Civil War-era gold in Pennsylvania are now on the prowl for something as elusive as the buried booty itself: government records of the FBI’s excavation. Finders Keepers filed a federal lawsuit against the Justice Department over its failure to...
Former Congresswoman Melissa Hart announces bid for governorVideo
Former Congresswoman Melissa Hart outlined her campaign priorities Wednesday as she formally launched her bid to become Pennsylvania’s first female governor. Hart, 59, of Bradford Woods, is entering a crowded field of more than a dozen GOP candidates who so far have declared their candidacies for the state’s highest office....
1 dead in Norvelt house fire, victim identifiedVideo
A state police fire marshal was attempting to determine the cause of a fast-moving fire Wednesday that killed a woman and destroyed a two-story home in Mt. Pleasant Township. The fire was reported just before 11 a.m. at 814 Arbor Lane in the village of Norvelt. Westmoreland County Coroner Timothy...
Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy plan misses mark in vote by abuse claimants
DOVER, Del. — A preliminary voting report in the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy indicates the group’s reorganization plan has failed to win the desired support from tens of thousands of men who say they were sexually abused as children. The report, filed late Tuesday night, shows 73% of 53,888...
Friends remember dance coach gunned down in Wilkinsburg on New Year’s Day
Friends of Amariey Lei said she exuded positivity, making sure those around her were happy and knew they were loved. “She was a blessing, to our team and to our lives,” said Jazmaine Wade, a coach for the Lady Diamonds hip hop and majorette dance team, of which Lei was...
Philadelphia fire kills at least 12, including 8 childrenVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Fire tore through a duplex home early Wednesday in Philadelphia, killing 12 people, including eight children, fire officials said. At least two people were sent to hospitals, and officials warned the toll could grow as firefighters searched the brick rowhome, where 26 people had been staying. The four...
Chrysler aims to be all electric by 2028
LONDON — Chrysler plans go all electric by 2028, the latest automaker to announce a shift away from gasoline-powered engines under rising pressure to act on climate change. The company said Wednesday that it will launch its first electric vehicle by 2025. Chrysler announced its electric plans along with a...
UPMC Children’s adds covid unit as precautionary step as hospitalizations rise
A second covid-19 unit has opened at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh to prepare for the potential of rising cases. It is a precautionary step, hospital officials said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been a 114% increase in admissions for covid-positive children — from...
Robert Morris president leaving for Arizona State
Robert Morris University’s president is leaving the Moon Township-based school next month to become a top official Arizona State University, which is trying to create a national university, Robert Morris officials said Tuesday. Chris Howard, who has been RMU president since February 2016, will join Arizona State as the executive...
Sewickley Council is under new management
Sewickley Council has a new president, vice president and several new members. Borough elected officials picked their leaders at a reorganization meeting Jan. 3. Cynthia Mullins and Julie Barnes were named council president and vice president, respectively. Tom Rostek was named president pro tempore. Sworn in were newly-elected members Brian...
Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh to close for 5 days due to staffing shortages
Carnegie Science Center will be closed for five days as a result of staffing shortages, officials announced Tuesday. The closure will run from from Monday, Jan. 10 through Friday, Jan. 14. “Like many other organizations, Carnegie Science Center is managing staff shortages,” officials said via news release. “This short period...
Trump cancels Florida press conference scheduled for Jan. 6
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump has canceled a press conference he had planned to hold in Florida on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters. Trump said in a statement Tuesday evening that he would instead be discussing his grievances at a...
Jan. 6 panel seeks interview with Fox News host Sean HannityVideo
WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection on Tuesday requested an interview with Fox News personality Sean Hannity, one of former President Donald Trump’s closest allies in the media, as the committee continues to widen its scope. In a letter to Hannity, Mississippi Rep. Bennie...
Man who sought mental health treatment gets 14 to 30 years in prison for Homewood beating death
The day before he beat a man to death in Pittsburgh’s Homewood in 2020, Marlon Johnson sought help for homicidal and suicidal tendencies at an area outpatient mental health treatment facility. Instead of referring him for in-patient care, like he had received twice before, Johnson was allowed to leave soon...
Interim Westmoreland election chief handed bonus as search for new director restarts
The search to fill the vacant director’s job at the Westmoreland County Election Bureau will begin anew as work in advance of the 2022 primary will continue to be overseen by the county’s public works head. Commissioners this week gave a $5,000 bonus to Greg McCloskey, who since last summer...
Charleroi man gets state prison for Baldwin DUI crash that killed his brother
A Charleroi man will serve at least two years in state prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to a drunken driving crash that killed his younger brother. Bryan Devon Harris, 24, pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence and related counts stemming from the Jan. 11, 2020, crash...
