Top Stories category, Page 1016
Josh Shapiro backs Pittsburgh-area lawmaker to be running mateVideo
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Democratic Party’s presumed nominee for governor this year, endorsed a Pittsburgh-area state lawmaker, Austin Davis, to be his running mate and lieutenant governor Tuesday. Davis announced his candidacy alongside Shapiro and top Democrats from the area at a park in McKeesport next to...
Joe Manchin wary of changing Senate rules to advance voting billVideo
WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin sounded a skeptical note Tuesday about the prospects of easing the Senate’s filibuster rules, raising doubts about whether he will provide crucial support to the Democrats’ renewed push to advance stalled voting legislation they say is needed to protect democracy. Manchin told reporters it was...
Season’s 1st winter snowfall headed to Western Pennsylvania
Just when it seemed like the region was headed for the winter that wasn’t, the first significant snowfall of the season is expected to arrive later this week. Up to 2-3 inches of accumulation is predicted for Thursday, with 4-6 inches in the higher elevations, according to meteorologist Pat Herald...
Meals on wheels: Yak Diner makes journey to new North Apollo home as Dolly’s DinerVideo
Local history was made in only 10 minutes Tuesday morning when a semitractor-trailer picked up the former Yak Diner in North Apollo and plunked it down one-third of a mile along River Road. The classic 1955 stainless steel dining car will begin a new life, after some renovation, as Dolly’s...
3 accused of abandoning pet ferrets at county park in Hempfield
Westmoreland County Park Police cited three people Tuesday with animal cruelty-related charges, saying they abandoned two pet ferrets at Twin Lakes Park in Hempfield, according to court records. Sonia Hermann, 40, of Delmont and Danette Hermann and Jesse Lucas, both, 21, of Little River, S.C., were cited for animal cruelty...
Police say 15-year-old charged with felony for Snapchat threat that locked down Leechburg Area schools
Police charged a 15-year-old boy in connection with a threat made on social media Monday that resulted in all Leechburg Area School District buildings being placed on lockdown for a portion of the day. Parents were notified about the lockdown by an automated voicemail message sent out by Superintendent Tiffany...
GOP state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe won’t seek reelection
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe announced Tuesday he will not seek reelection this year. The Republican from Cranberry is in his 12th term representing a district that encompasses part of Butler County, including Adams, Clinton, Cranberry, Forward, Middlesex and Penn townships and Callery, Mars, Seven Fields and Valencia boroughs. “After family...
How to stay in touch with Peduto now that he’s no longer Pittsburgh’s mayor
Former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto says he wants to stay connected with his former constituents … sort of. On his first full day out of office after eight years of running the city, Peduto posted a tongue-in-cheek “Top Ten ways we can stay connected” on his website Tuesday. Number 8...
Man who killed Pitt student Alina Sheykhet to get hearing on effectiveness of former attorney
A man who pleaded guilty to killing a University of Pittsburgh student to avoid a possible death penalty will get a hearing to try to prove his attorney was ineffective. The state Superior Court ruled Monday in favor of Matthew Darby, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Oct. 17, 2018,...
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey names 1st appointments to his administration
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Tuesday announced the first appointments to his mayoral administration, naming Jake Pawlak as deputy mayor and state Rep. Jake Wheatley as chief of staff. Pawlak, who served as Gainey’s transition director, will be appointed as the director of the Office of Management and Budget. He...
Lower body of Twin Lakes drained to fix retaining wall, to be refilled by trout season
Water in the lower lake at Twin Lakes Park will remain low for most of the winter as crews repair a retaining wall and restore walkways that wind around the lake, officials said. The water level was dropped by about 6 feet when the project began in late November, allowing...
Kiski Township woman accused of shooting man she thought stole pistol from her SUV
Kiski Township police accused a woman of kicking a man out of her vehicle and shooting him because she thought he stole one of her handguns. Patricia Marie Kettering-Pierce, 55, of Clarks Hollow Road, Kiski Township was charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault, which includes a count of...
12-year-old boy, 2 women killed in Pittsburgh’s Homewood remembered in tearful vigil
Friends and family members gathered Monday night in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood to remember the 12-year-old youth football player the neighborhood knew as “Buddy Business.” “He was the first up at the field and the last to leave,” said Mubarik Ismaeli, president of the Homewood football team, the Bulldawgs. Denzel “Buddy”...
Port Authority services impacted by covid cases as 7th transit driver dies from virus
A seventh Port Authority employee has died, officials announced, as covid-19 and its omicron variant continue to take a toll on the transit service in Allegheny County. The employee, a five-year bus driver, died Jan. 3, according to Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph. Nearly 30 employees of the transit service...
Hempfield-based rescue group foots medical bills to promote senior dog adoptions
Bones takes arthritis medication twice a day to relieve pain in his legs, while Bruce relies on pills to help control his seizures. Those ongoing medical problems didn’t prevent respective owners Makayla Losteter and Jessica Sullenberger from welcoming the older dogs into their homes, but a program recently introduced by...
Staffing shortages prompt Pittsburgh Public Schools to move to remote instruction
Pittsburgh Public Schools will be moving to remote instruction at 17 of its schools because of covid-related staffing shortages, the district announced Monday. Eight school buildings will be closed Tuesday. They include: • Carrick High School • Greenfield PreK-8 • Liberty PreK-5 • South Hills 6-8 • Whittier PreK-5 •...
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes guilty of fraud and conspiracyVideo
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A jury found fallen Silicon Valley star Elizabeth Holmes guilty of fraud for turning her blood-testing startup Theranos into a sophisticated sham — one that duped billionaires and other unwitting investors into backing a seemingly revolutionary company whose medical technology never worked as Holmes promised. The...
Allegheny County Medical Examiner rules Jim Rogers’ death was accidental
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Monday that a homeless man who died a day after being tased repeatedly by Pittsburgh police died as a result of a lack of oxygen to his brain. Medical Examiner Karl Williams’ office said the manner of death is accidental. Jim Rogers was...
Increased salaries set for new Westmoreland DA office heads
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli won her first case Monday. Ziccarelli’s victory came not in the courtroom but in the boardroom as the county’s salary board unanimously backed her plan to increase the pay for a newly appointed first assistant and chief detective. The annual salary for First Assistant...
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey promises to unite city in inaugural addressVideo
Pittsburgh’s new mayor, Ed Gainey, reiterated his campaign promise of making Pittsburgh a city for all during his inauguration Monday. Formerly a state representative, Gainey — who campaigned on promises to reimagine the police, create more affordable housing and unite a divided city — was sworn in as Pittsburgh’s 61st...
Police: Allegheny Township woman charged with felony for breaking into home after being evicted
A woman from Allegheny Township and her accomplice are charged with breaking into a house after she was evicted from the residence, police said. Vandergrift police charged Lauren Renee Decapite, 35, of Rebecca Avenue with one felony count of criminal trespass in connection with the Dec. 30 incident. She is...
Trump, Ivanka, Don Jr. subpoenaed in New York AG’s investigationVideo
NEW YORK — The New York attorney general’s office confirmed Monday that it has subpoenaed former President Donald Trump and his two eldest children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., demanding their testimony in an investigation into the family’s business practices. Attorney General Letitia James’ office said in a court filing...
Vandergrift woman accused of stabbing man with kitchen knives during argument
Kiski Township police charged a Vandergrift woman with felony aggravated assault because a man told them she stabbed him multiple times with kitchen knives during an argument last month, authorities say. Amy Lee Hepler, 38, of Longfellow Street also was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault, as well...
Gas prices stabilize on rising oil prices, easing omicron fears
After a run of declines, gasoline prices are largely unchanged in the Pittsburgh area and across the nation, according to price tracking service GasBuddy. In Pittsburgh, prices are down less than 1 cent per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.51 on Monday, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 731 stations....
Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show founder John DeSantis dies at age 69
John DeSantis gave the best advice. “Growing up, my friends would always ask my dad for advice and my sons always asked him for advice. They felt comfortable around him – and he gave great advice. They would talk to him in confidence and know he wouldn’t tell anyone what...
