Top Stories category, Page 1074
Pittsburgh police give away gun locks after accidental shootings involving kidsVideo
Pittsburgh police are offering free gun locks in an effort to combat accidental shootings after two children were killed in separate incidents on Monday. The gun locks are available at the six zone stations as well as police headquarters on the city’s North Side. “Taking five to 10 minutes to...
Travelers ditch covid fears, frustrations for Thanksgiving family time
Recent retiree Rick Garlow, 66, of North Huntingdon and his wife, Chrissy, 65, sat out Thanksgiving and Christmas travel last year as covid-19 infections surged. They dared to venture out to visit their son and his family in Baltimore for New Year’s only after they tested negative for covid-19. This...
Legislation would focus on lead paint in Pittsburgh homes
Pittsburgh City Council on Monday advanced a proposed ordinance that aims to protect city residents from harmful lead exposure, though council members said the legislation should be considered only the first step in a larger effort. The measure aims to reduce the number of lead poisoning cases in the city,...
Woman injured jumping from burning Pittsburgh home
A woman was injured Tuesday when she jumped from a burning home in Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood, authorities said. Neighbors reported the one-alarm fire around 11 a.m. at a home near Werder and Herrod streets. A woman jumped from the roof of the two-story home, authorities said. She was taken to...
Hempfield teen charged in knife threat released on unsecured bond
A Hempfield teen charged in connection with an attempted knife attack last month in a Greensburg park was granted an unsecured bond and released from custody on Tuesday. Janis Biller, 16, was charged earlier this month as an adult with multiple counts of aggravated assault, robbery and conspiracy based on...
Hearing for man accused in fatal shooting at Upper Burrell tavern delayed for 2 months
A preliminary hearing for a man charged with fatally shooting a customer at an Upper Burrell tavern on Nov. 13 has been delayed for two months to give his defense attorney more time to prepare a case. Daniel J. Moles, 61, of Dogwood Lane, Lower Burrell was scheduled to appear...
Proposal would make it illegal to park in Pittsburgh’s bike lanes
Legislation being considered by Pittsburgh City Council would make it illegal to park in bike lanes. The legislation, introduced by Councilman Bobby Wilson, would add bike lanes to a list of places in the city where drivers aren’t allowed to park. Other spots include in crosswalks, on sidewalks, on railroad...
Hempfield man sentenced to serve up to 20 years after pleading guilty to fatal shooting in Forest County
A 37-year-old Hempfield man will serve up to 20 years in a state prison after pleading guilty Monday to shooting and killing a man outside a Forest County hotel in 2020 during a confrontation over a woman. Richard M. Gardner Jr., 37, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in connection with...
Freeport officials mum on missing EMS money and its repayment
Freeport officials won’t say how much money was taken by someone working for the borough’s emergency medical service in early 2020. But the borough’s lawyer recently issued a statement to clarify what he says is false information circulating by word of mouth about how the borough handled the apparent misappropriation...
2 Western Pa. coal-fired power plants to close after new wastewater rule
Climate change isn’t what’s driving some U.S. coal-fired power plants to shut down. It’s the expense of stricter pollution controls on their wastewater. Dozens of plants nationwide plan to stop burning coal this decade to comply with more stringent federal wastewater guidelines, according to state regulatory filings, as the industry...
U.S. to release 50 million barrels of oil to ease energy costs
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered 50 million barrels of oil released from the nation’s strategic reserve to help bring down energy costs, in coordination with other major energy consuming nations, including China, India and the United Kingdom. The move is aimed at global energy markets, but also...
Wexford pedestrian killed in I-79 crash, police say
A Wexford man was killed in a crash on Interstate 79 south Monday, according to state police. Troopers said Kevin Kass, 44, was on foot at 5:20 a.m. in the left lane of the highway near milepost 68.5 in Sewickley Hills when he was hit by a Ford F-150. He...
Black Friday loses luster with retailers’ earlier push to maximize holiday sales
Black Friday isn’t what it used to be. That, of course, won’t stop sisters Jenna and Jamie Fratangelo of Scottdale. They’ll have Thanksgiving dinner with their family, get their five children ready for bed, plot their game plan and then head out before sunrise to spend the day shopping for...
Coroner called after man reportedly fell from barge in Beaver County
The coroner was called after a man reportedly fell from a barge in Beaver County, according to a 911 dispatcher. It was reported about 7:30 p.m. near the Montgomery Lock and Dam on the Ohio River between Monaca and Shippingport, the dispatcher said. The U.S. Coast Guard and multiple other...
Franklin Regional board bans using schools for covid-19 vaccine clinics
Although it’s now recommended that children 5 and older get covid-19 vaccines, they won’t be able to get one in a Franklin Regional School District building. The school board voted 7-2 this week to ban the use of district facilities as covid-19 vaccination sites for students. While other schools in...
Police: 5-year-old shot and killed by 6-year-old sibling in Penn Hills
A 6-year-old shot and killed a 5-year-old sibling Monday night in Penn Hills, according to police Chief Howard Burton. The medical examiner’s office identified the boy as Connor Wolfe. The incident happened about 5:30 p.m. at a home on Prescott Drive, Burton said. The 5-year-old was taken to UPMC Children’s...
FBI accuses Penn Hills man of preying on teens in Snapchat ‘sextortion’ scheme
A Penn Hills man is accused of co-running a child sex abuse scheme that involved using Snapchat to threaten teenage girls into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves, court records show. The far-reaching federal “sextortion” investigation targeted Kaung Myat Kyaw and a yet-to-be named co-conspirator for attempting...
Frankie Pace Park dedicated over I-579 as connection between Downtown, Hill DistrictVideo
Officials celebrated a new connection between the Hill District and Downtown Monday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the I-579 cap project and the dedication of the park it created. The $32.3 million Urban Connector, or “Cap” project, once again links Pittsburgh’s Hill District to Downtown. The areas were divided in...
Parnell decision to leave race expected after custody decision was made
Republican Sean Parnell suspended his U.S. Senate campaign Monday, saying he wanted to focus instead on his three children. The announcement came just hours after his estranged wife was given primary physical custody of the children and sole legal custody following a three-day trial. Parnell’s decision didn’t come as a...
House Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Alex Jones, Roger Stone among others
WASHINGTON — A committee investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection issued subpoenas Monday to five more individuals, including former President Donald Trump’s ally Roger Stone and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, as lawmakers deepened their probe of the rallies that preceded the deadly attack. The subpoenas include demands for documents...
Teen claimed fatal shooting of Gateway student in Pittsburgh was accidental
The weekend shooting that left one teenager dead and another facing homicide charges could have been accidental, according to charges filed by Pittsburgh police. Aliah Johnson, 17, a Gateway High School student, was pronounced dead Saturday night at a home in the city’s Point Breeze North neighborhood. A criminal complaint...
Troopers: Hempfield man used bad check to pay for $206K luxury SUV
A Hempfield man had a $206K luxury SUV delivered to his home last week but paid for it with a bad check, state police said. Jordan C. Steward, 22, of Arona Road in Hempfield, was arrested Sunday and charged with receiving stolen property, theft by deception and writing bad checks...
Judge rejects union challenge to Allegheny County employee vaccine mandate, denies injunction
A federal judge on Monday denied a request for a preliminary injunction by unions representing Allegheny County Jail corrections officers and county police officers challenging the county’s vaccine mandate for employees. That means the mandate, without any appeal, will take effect on Dec. 1. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald had...
Teen wanted in fatal McKeesport stabbing arrested in Oakmont
A 15-year-old boy wanted for the fatal stabbing of another teen in McKeesport was arrested in Oakmont on Monday, according to police. Damian Baverso is charged with homicide and making terroristic threats in connection with the Friday killing of 19-year-old Kai Brown. He was taken into custody by Oakmont police,...
Proposal would ban single-use plastic bags at Pittsburgh stores in most casesVideo
Single-use plastic bags may be a thing of the past in Pittsburgh, if a proposal to ban them earns City Council’s approval. The legislation, introduced by Councilwoman Erika Strassburger on Monday, would ban plastic bags in most instances. Rather than using the standard plastic grocery bags, shoppers would need to...
