Top Stories category, Page 1036
Beaver County man gets 1 month behind bars in Capitol riot case
A Beaver County man will spend a month behind bars for participating in the storming of the Capitol in January, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. Russell Peterson of Rochester — who bragged about his role in the insurrection on social media — also must pay a $500 fine, U.S. District...
Pennsylvania wine and liquor sales set another record, annual report shows
If you’re headed to a holiday party this month, chances are good that either Tito’s Handmade Vodka or Fireball Cinnamon Whisky will be on the bar. Unflavored vodka remained Pennsylvanians’ drink of choice during the 2020-21 fiscal year, bringing in $307.6 million and topping the sales list in 53 of...
Greensburg man jailed, accused of leading police on 108 mph pursuit
A Greensburg man accused of leading police on a seven-mile, high-speed chase that started in in the city and ended near Murrysville was arrested after an officer recognized his car parked at a grocery store and was able to identify him, according to court documents. Greensburg patrolman Hank Fontana Jr....
Jeannette teen seeks transfer of attempted homicide case to juvenile court
The lawyer for a Jeannette teen awaiting trial on charges that he attempted to kill two men in a shooting last year says the case should be prosecuted in juvenile court. Khalil Myers was 16 when he was charged in connection with a shooting on Oct. 21, 2020, in Jeannette...
Judge accuses Westmoreland district attorney’s office of misconduct in Stanko case
A Westmoreland County judge accused the district attorney’s office of misconduct in its handling of three criminal cases against a Unity man named as a potential suspect in the disappearance of a former girlfriend missing since April 2018. In a blistering 26-page opinion made public Wednesday, Common Pleas Judge Tim...
Pittsburgh region’s jobless rate falls to 5.9%; labor force shrinks
The Pittsburgh region’s unemployment rate in October fell below 6% for the first time since the pandemic took hold of the economy in April 2020, a combination of more jobs being filled and, once again, fewer people in the labor force. “It’s just as if the economy is stuck in...
Western Pa. covid hospitalizations hit highest point in more than 10 months
As the threat of the omicron variant looms, covid-19 hospitalizations in Western Pennsylvania have hit their highest point in more than 10 months. Allegheny County on Wednesday reported 504 covid patients in hospitals, the most since there were 535 patients on Jan. 12, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department...
Pittsburgh City Council looks to ban parking in bike lanes, with some exceptions
Pittsburgh City Council advanced legislation that would ban parking in the city’s bike lanes, but there would be exceptions to the rule. The proposed ordinance, introduced by Councilman Bobby Wilson last week, would add bike lanes to the list of places city drivers can’t park. Other areas where parking is...
Pittsburgh man gets 1 year, 1 day in prison for throwing brick at police car during 2020 protest
A Pittsburgh man who threw a brick through a police cruiser window during protests last year was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day behind bars. George Allen, 33, of the city’s Sheraden neighborhood, also must spend three years on probation following his release from federal prison, U.S. Attorney...
U.S. reports 1st case of omicron variant in returning traveler
SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. recorded its first confirmed case of the omicron variant Wednesday — in a vaccinated traveler who returned to California after a trip to South Africa — as scientists around the world race to establish whether the new, mutant version of the coronavirus is more dangerous...
Heinz Endowments President Grant Oliphant stepping down to lead San Diego foundation
Grant Oliphant is stepping down as president of The Heinz Endowments, spurring a nationwide search for the next leader to helm Western Pennsylvania’s second-largest grant-making foundation. Oliphant — who has headed The Heinz Endowments for the past eight years — is leaving to become CEO of the San Diego-based Conrad...
Pittsburgh to incorporate electric vehicle charging into city renovation, construction projects
An ordinance adopted Tuesday by Pittsburgh City Council will require the city to incorporate electric vehicle charging plans into its renovation and construction projects. Under the Electric Vehicle Readiness Ordinance, new and renovated city-owned facilities will be required to have the electrical capacity and equipment installed to support the city’s...
Somerset County DA accused of sexual assault loses pay under new law
SOMERSET — A prosecutor accused of sexual assault lost his public salary and benefits by a vote of Somerset County’s salary board. Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Lynn Thomas will no longer collect his $185,000 salary, which for now goes to acting District Attorney Molly Metzgar. The move Tuesday was...
Feds: Pittsburgh restaurant illegally took workers’ tips
A Pittsburgh restaurant illegally forced workers to share tips with managers, supervisors and other employees not usually tipped by customers, federal investigators said Wednesday. The actions violate the Fair Labor Standards Act, officials said. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division said Provision PGH LLC, operator of the...
Justices signal they’ll OK new abortion limits, may toss Roe
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Wednesday signaled it would uphold Mississippi’s 15-week ban on abortion and may go much further to overturn the nationwide right to abortion that has existed for nearly 50 years. The fate of the court’s historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion...
Medical examiner identifies woman who died in McCandless shooting
A husband and wife died Monday morning after a shooting in the parking lot of a McCandless apartment complex, according to Allegheny County Police. Police said they responded to the 700 block of Duncan Avenue around 8:15 a.m. and found a 23-year-old man behind a dumpster, dead from a gunshot...
Woman who posed as FedEx worker to steal packages from Pittsburgh home being held without bail
A woman who dressed as a FedEx worker and stole packages from a home in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 8. Laura Woester, 50, was arrested Monday by Pittsburgh police and faces charges of theft by unlawful taking. She was denied bail...
Thieves swipe vehicle inspection stickers at 2 Ross auto shops
Ross police are investigating after thieves broke into at least two auto shops and stole vehicle inspection stickers, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. The thefts happened sometime over the weekend at Midas and Jiffy Lube, both on McKnight Road. The suspects pried open lock boxes to swipe the stickers,...
West Mifflin High School switches to remote learning after threat
Students at West Mifflin Area High School learned remotely on Wednesday after the district was targeted by an online threat. Superintendent Jeffrey Soles said the threat did not appear to be credible, but the district opted to keep students at home out of caution. West Mifflin police are investigating the...
Man in stable condition after being struck by vehicle in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood
A man was hospitalized in stable condition after being struck by a vehicle Tuesday in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said the incident took place around 3:50 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Shady Avenue and Beacon Street. A 31-year-old man was walking in a crosswalk...
Conservatives eagerly await Supreme Court abortion arguments
It’s the moment conservatives have been waiting for. Oral arguments at the Supreme Court on Wednesday represent the best opportunity leaders on the right have had in decades to gut the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which codified a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion before a fetus can...
Brazil and Japan report 1st cases of the omicron variant
Brazil and Japan joined the rapidly widening circle of countries to report cases of the omicron variant Tuesday, while new findings indicate the mutant coronavirus was already in Europe close to a week before South Africa sounded the alarm. The Netherlands’ RIVM health institute disclosed that patient samples dating from...
CNN suspends Chris Cuomo for helping brother in scandal
NEW YORK — CNN said Tuesday it was suspending anchor Chris Cuomo indefinitely after details emerged about how he helped his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as he faced charges of sexual harassment. The network said that documents released by New York’s attorney general Monday indicated a greater...
Butler County Community College to resume classes, reopen campuses Monday after ransomware attack
Butler County Community College will resume classes and reopen its campuses Monday, Dec.6. College officials made the announcement Tuesday evening. Both fall semester credit and noncredit classes were brought to a standstill and the campus closed as a result of a ransomware attack. The main campus in Butler Township and...
Allegheny Health Network can handle influx of covid-19 patients, but staffing, supply costs surging, CFO says
Despite confronting spiking staffing costs while covid-19 hospitalizations climb, Allegheny Health Network’s leaders say they’re confident in the 14-hospital system’s ability to treat influxes in patients as the pandemic rages on. “We have capacity and we’ve got the equipment that we need,” AHN Chief Financial Officer James Rohrbaugh told the...
