Top Stories category, Page 1047
New Year’s Day dodgeball tournament draws small, but enthusiastic turnout in first year
The Dodgefathers arrived dressed to impress. The five-member dodgeball team, made up of middle school-age boys from Wheeling, W.Va., journeyed Saturday to West Deer to compete in the inaugural New Year Smash Em Dodgeball Tournament. Sporting matching custom T-shirts with a sporty play on the classic Italian mafia film, the...
In nation at war with itself, one town tries cup of civility
LOVETTSVILLE, Va. — When Maureen Donnelly Morris came from nearby Leesburg to open her café in Lovettsville, she got a warm welcome. Neighbors rallied to her aid. Divisions ripping at their town and their country were set aside. America’s thunderous rage felt distant. They sank posts for her parking signs....
Vomit-fumed ‘Bradford’ pear tree lands on Pa. noxious weeds list, with sales to be banned
As an urban landscaping option, a certain ornamental, flowering pear tree might be nice and compact — even with a bit of an odorous downside. After some unfortunate cross-breeding between varieties, however, it now finds itself in the crosshairs of Pennsylvania horticulture officials. Callery pear, scientifically known as Pyrus calleryana...
Police: Spat over missing item leads to man’s shooting in Kiski Twp.; woman jailed
A Kiski Township woman was jailed in Armstrong County after shooting a man she had forced out of the car on the night of New Year’s Day, Kiski Township police said. Police said Patricia Kettering-Pierce, 55, of Clarks Hollow Road, shot the man along Edmond Road in Armstrong County about...
Twitter bans Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene account for covid-19 misinfo
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter on Sunday banned the personal account of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for multiple violations of its covid-19 misinformation policy, according to a statement from the company. The Georgia Republican’s account was permanently suspended under the “strike” system Twitter launched in March, which uses artificial intelligence to...
Fauci: CDC mulling covid test requirement for asymptomatic
WASHINGTON — As the covid-19 omicron variant surges across the United States, top federal health officials are looking to add a negative test along with its five-day isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who catch the coronavirus, the White House’s top medical adviser said Sunday. Dr. Anthony Fauci said the Centers...
Capitol rioters’ tears, remorse don’t spare them from jail
WASHINGTON — Florida business owner Robert Palmer cheered on the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 before he joined the fray. Screaming obscenities, he hurled a wooden plank and a fire extinguisher at police officers trying to ward off the mob. Nearly a year later, Palmer fought back...
Police struggle to deter rising catalytic converter thefts
RICHMOND, Va. — In the tiny town of Lawrenceville, Virginia, a van owned by Poplar Mount Baptist Church was knocked out of commission for weeks after thieves cut the catalytic converter out of its exhaust system. Several months later, across town, a catalytic converter was ripped from a van owned...
Slippery Rock program for students with intellectual disabilities offers Greensburg woman chance to thrive
Lizzie Ammons had fought too hard to let the prospect of college slip from her grasp when word began circulating that Slippery Rock University might shutter its Rock Life program — one of about 300 college programs across the nation for students with intellectual disabilities. Ammons, 21, of Greensburg was...
Police: Suspect arrested in fatal New Year’s road rage shooting in Rostraver
A Rostraver woman was shot to death early New Year’s morning in what Rostraver police are calling an act of road rage. Holly B. Vadella, 59, of Pawnee Drive, was driving home from visiting her mother on New Year’s Eve when she was shot once at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday...
Kentucky storm brings flooding, lost power, possible tornado
HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency Saturday as powerful storms ripped through the state causing flash floods, power outages and property damage, including from a possible tornado in Hopkinsville. There were no immediate reports of any injuries or deaths. The storms come just three...
Irwin man charged with homicide in woman’s death at a Monroeville hotel
An Irwin man accused of killing a woman in a Monroeville hotel told police he “made a mistake” and “didn’t like murdering a woman” but he “had to do what I had to do,” according to the charges filed against him. Matthew Gribschaw, 37, is charged with homicide, abuse of...
Outgoing Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto reflects on time in office, what’s next
When outgoing Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s political career began about three decades ago, the city was far different from the one he said he’s leaving Mayor-elect Ed Gainey. Peduto said he started out working in “a city that was in a depression, a city that had been left for dead...
Meet Kai Vigna of Harrison City — Allegheny Health Network’s 1st baby born in 2022
When Crissy Torres checked into Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, she certainly wasn’t expecting to be holding the first baby born in 2022 in the Allegheny Health Network. That’s because she initially checked into the hospital four days ago. But at 1:56 a.m. on New Year’s Day — and after labor...
National Weather Service says meteors are likely to blame for New Year’s Day boom in Pittsburgh
The National Weather Service said the loud boom and shaking ground reported Saturday by people across a large swath of suburban Pittsburgh likely was caused by an exploding meteor. Shannon Hefferan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon Township, said a flash was reported on satellite data about...
Pittsburgh City Council approves plan to designate 6 greenways as city parks
Six greenways, spanning more than 300 acres, will now become parks, after city council on Tuesday approved a measure to add the green spaces to Pittsburgh’s park system. The new park space will be created in neighborhoods including Allentown, Beechview, Brookline, Glen Hazel, Greenfield, Hazelwood, the Hill District, Mount Washington,...
Conspiracy theories paint fraudulent reality of Jan. 6 riot
Millions of Americans watched the events in Washington last Jan. 6 unfold on live television. Police officers testified to the violence and mayhem. Criminal proceedings in open court detailed what happened. Yet the hoaxes, conspiracy theories and attempts to rewrite history persist, muddying the public’s understanding of what actually occurred...
Updated plans for Jeannette’s former Monsour property could come in 2022, developer says
Kathie Tanyer looks at the Colony Holding commercial developments ongoing in North Huntingdon and hopes something similar can be replicated at the old Monsour Medical Center property in Jeannette. The local resident wants city officials to press developer Don Tarosky Jr. on his plans for redevelopment at the Route 30...
1 in critical condition, 2 others shot following early New Year’s fight on the South Side
Three people were shot on Pittsburgh’s South Side in the early-morning hours of New Year’s Day, including one who is in critical condition, according to city police. Officers responded to the 1700 block of East Carson Street around 2 a.m. for a report of shots fired. they found a man...
Trail book great resource for Great Allegheny Passage hiking, biking
If your New Year’s resolution is to get into shape and lose weight — a perpetual wish for many Americans — by hiking, biking or jogging along parts of the 150-mile trail that connects Pittsburgh with Cumberland, Md., there’s a new book that will enhance your time doing it. In...
Derry native killed in 1993 battle of Mogadishu in line for Army’s Distinguished Service Cross
A Derry native, who was killed in action 28 years ago while serving in Somalia, is in line to posthumously receive the Army’s second-highest decoration. Sgt. First Class Earl Fillmore Jr. was 28 on Oct. 3, 1993, when he was fatally wounded in the battle of Mogadishu while fighting his...
Looking ahead to 2022: Pandemic continues, campaigns heat up, new mayor for Pittsburgh and more
The New Year in Southwestern Pennsylvania is expected to carry over storylines popular in 2021 — especially in how the pandemic will play out in its third year and intense political races among the crowded field of candidates vying for U.S. Senate and governor as well as those slugging it...
Pittsburgh celebrates New Year’s Eve, rings in 2022 with First Night activities
Thousands of people flocked to Downtown Pittsburgh on Friday night to ring in 2022. Among the main attractions of the night was a 50-foot inflatable rabbit, and three smaller, similar creatures, courtesy of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Joining the giant rabbits for the New Year’s Eve festivities was a full...
3 popular Oakmont restaurants have new owner; The Chelsea Grille to go Mexican
The end of 2021 also became an end of an era as three beloved Oakmont restaurants have been sold. Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco, The Chelsea Grille and Oakmont Tavern were purchased by Oakmont resident and entrepreneur John Keefe. Keefe owns three other eateries in Oakmont — The Lot at Edgewater, Pub...
Nutting family completes sale of Seven Springs, Hidden Valley, Laurel Mountain to Vail Resorts
The Nutting family and Vail Resorts have completed the sale of Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Hidden Valley Resort and the Laurel Mountain Ski Area for $118 million. “Looking back over the past 15 years, I am proud to be leaving all three properties much better than we had found them,”...
