Top Stories category, Page 1056
Early-morning fire damages Bird Dog’s Sports Bar & Grill in Harrison
A fire early Saturday extensively damaged and broke up a Christmas party at a Harrison bar and restaurant, according to social media posts from Hilltop Hose Co. The fire at Bird Dog’s Sports Bar & Grill, at 2615 Freeport Road, was reported at 12:12 a.m. Saturday, the fire department’s Facebook...
Fresh-cut Christmas trees in short supply this season
Where are the fresh-cut Christmas trees? That’s what some Alle-Kiski Valley businesses are asking as fresh-cut trees are in short supply — or completely sold out. A large vacant lot has been empty for weeks at Kiski Garden Center in Allegheny Township. In previous years, it still would be offering...
Shots fired in Penn Hills as police set up a perimeter
Penn Hills police established a perimeter around Dollman and Mount Carmel roads and began searching the area around 10 p.m. Friday after responding to a call for shots fired, according to police Chief Howard Burton. Burton said officers initiated the search when they arrived at the scene and believed that...
Shetler hearing continued; injured deputy unable to testify
A New Florence man accused of injuring a Westmoreland County deputy sheriff when he was arrested earlier this month had his court hearing continued until Jan. 7 because the deputy sheriff is recovering from “serious bodily injuries” he allegedly sustained during a fight with the suspect, a prosecutor said Friday....
Court allows Biden employer vaccine mandate to take effect
A federal appeals court panel on Friday allowed President Joe Biden’s covid-19 vaccine mandate for larger private employers to move ahead. The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a decision by a federal judge in a separate court that had paused the...
Mistaken identity has Pittsburgh eatery taking blame for Arkansas restaurant’s unpopular tipping policy
Suzanne Hrach, owner of Downtown Pittsburgh’s Proper Brick Oven & Tap Room, was in Philadelphia last week celebrating her wedding anniversary when she got a notification that her restaurant received eight new Google reviews. They were not good. “Seven of them were ‘one-star’ reviews, and I don’t think we’ve gotten...
Volunteers lay wreaths on all 14,500 veterans’ graves in National Cemetery of the Alleghenies
Green wreaths with red bows lay against the white tombstones. As they place the greenery at each of the 14,500 veterans graves at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil, Washington County, this weekend, volunteers will say the deceased’s name. They will take a moment to pause and thank...
Etna man found guilty of threatening FBI agent on social media
A former student at the University of Pittsburgh was found guilty Friday of using Twitter to threaten an FBI agent who was investigating him. A jury deliberated three hours before finding Khaled Miah guilty of seven counts, including interstate threats, retaliating against a federal officer by threats and destruction of...
Family of man who died after being tased by Pittsburgh police calls for charges against officers
Family and friends of a man who died in October after being tased by Pittsburgh police in the city’s Bloomfield neighborhood gathered in front of the City-County Building on Friday to demand accountability in his death. “We’ve heard almost nothing in the months we’ve been fighting for this,” said Devon...
Westmoreland County Transit Authority union rejects covid vaccine incentive
Leadership of the union that represents Westmoreland County Transit Authority fixed-route bus drivers and mechanics said Friday a proposal to offer additional sick leave to vaccinated employees who test positive for the coronavirus is not fair and won’t present the plan to its members. Dave Conley, president of the Amalgamated...
Police seek tips in attempt to solve slaying of Tarentum mother of 2
Kristina Arndt thought somebody suffered a medical emergency when she arrived at her apartment building on Fifth Avenue in Tarentum late Thursday night and saw police cars and ambulances lining the block. It wasn’t long before she learned they were there because her neighbor and friend had been shot to...
Ex-Shaler substitute teacher charged in Capitol riot poses ‘ongoing danger,’ judge says
A former Shaler substitute teacher facing numerous charges for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot will remain in federal custody, a judge said Friday in Washington, D.C. Robert Morss, 28, filed a motion last month seeking to be released from custody pending trial, alleging he was subjected...
‘Mr. Mt. Pleasant’ Gerald Lucia, longtime mayor and fire chief, dies unexpectedly
There wasn’t much in Mt. Pleasant that didn’t bear Jerry Lucia’s fingerprints. Some say he was the lifeblood of the small town at the foot of the Laurel Highlands. Gerald Lucia, the longtime Mt. Pleasant mayor and fire chief, died unexpectedly Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, in his home. He was...
Carnegie Mellon to require covid-19 boosters, tests, masks for spring semester
Carnegie Mellon University said Friday that it will require everyone who will be on campus for the spring semester to get a booster dose of the covid-19 vaccine. In a letter to the campus community outlining covid protocols for the upcoming semester, university officials said they would provide further information...
UPMC creating in-house traveling nurse program to combat shortages across system
As hospitals grapple with soaring patient numbers and dwindling staff, UPMC is creating an in-house traveling program that will offer scheduling flexibility to nurses while also helping hospitals in its system that need it. The health care system with facilities in Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland will draw from its...
Mercer County man pleads guilty to involvement in Capitol riot
A Mercer County man who participated in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol pleaded guilty Friday to all four counts against him. Matthew Perna, 37, of Sharon, will be sentenced on March 3 before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates in Washington, D.C. He pleaded guilty Friday by...
Penn State says omicron could lead to remote learning in spring semester
As Penn State University officials monitor the spread of the omicron variant, they are urging those in the University Park campus community to prepare to work remotely next semester. Penn State is planning to begin the spring semester in person. But with local covid-19 hospitalizations at an all-time high and...
$1.65M Pennsylvania Lottery winner sold at Kiski Township gas station
A Pennsylvania Lottery Cash 5 with Quick Cash ticket that won a $1.65 million jackpot was sold at a Kiski Township gas station. The ticket matched all five balls drawn Thursday — 8, 12, 18, 31 and 35 — to win the prize, less withholding, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Friday....
Covid-19 fears dash hopes for the holiday season — again
Lines again stretch around blocks at some covid-19 testing sites. Refrigerated mobile morgues are on order, and parts of Europe are re-tightening borders amid a winter spike in coronavirus infections. This year’s holiday season was supposed to be a do-over for last year’s subdued celebrations. Instead it’s turning into a...
1 person flown by medical helicopter, another taken by ambulance after Salem Township crash
One person was flown by medical helicopter to an area hospital and another taken by ambulance after a crash Friday morning in Salem Township, a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher said. Crews responded to the intersection of Route 22 and East Pittsburgh Street around 7 a.m. for reports of the crash involving...
Officials: Aliquippa woman dead after 2 crashes on Route 22 in Washington County
An Aliquippa woman involved in two separate crashes on Route 22 in Washington County early Friday morning has died, according to authorities. The Washington County Coroner’s Office identified the woman as Lori Ann Dickey, 47. According to the coroner’s initial report, Dickey was driving east on Route 22 in Hanover...
Ex-cop who used police gear to stalk woman pleads guilty; sentenced to jail, probation
A former police officer who worked for three Alle-Kiski Valley police departments has pleaded guilty to charges filed in connection with his arrest for using police-tracking software to monitor a woman who ended a relationship with him. Michael McSherry, 29, of Harrison pleaded guilty Wednesday, Dec. 15 to two counts,...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 17-19
We’ve made it to the weekend. Here are some ways to spend it. Bakery Square for the holidays Walnut Capital, which manages Bakery Square in Larimer, will host a variety of free holiday happenings from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday in the...
Commissioners halt reading of emailed comments during public meetings
Time is an asset Westmoreland County commissioners said they can no longer waste. Starting next year, commissioners will save some of it by no longer listening to emailed comments at the start of each public meeting. “It is time constraints, and we do have back-to-back meetings,” Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher...
Police seek tips from public about late-night fatal shooting in Tarentum
Homicide detectives are seeking tips from the public about a fatal shooting in Tarentum late Thursday night. The shooting was reported at about 11:08 p.m. in the 300 block of Main Street. Neighbors reported hearing between five and seven shots fired in rapid succession. The location is near the intersection...
