Top Stories category, Page 1074
Fighting gas prices, U.S. to release 50 million barrels of oil
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered a record 50 million barrels of oil released from America’s strategic reserve, aiming to bring down gasoline and other costs, in coordination with other major energy consuming nations including India, the United Kingdom and China. The U.S. action is focused on helping...
Kentucky doctor who reaped $565K in kickbacks from Hempfield lab gets 2 years of home detention
A Kentucky doctor who admitted reaping more than $500,000 in illegal kickbacks from the owner of a now-defunct Westmoreland County drug testing lab will serve two years of home detention, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. John Baird, 55, a Louisville physician who specializes in physical medicine, rehabilitation and pain management,...
Port Authority driver files race discrimination suit over Black Lives Matter masks
A Port Authority of Allegheny County bus driver already involved in a lawsuit filed by union members over Black Lives Matter masks at the agency filed his own federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging race discrimination. James Hanna, of Penn Hills, has worked for Port Authority since 1988. He said in the...
Homicide charges filed in deadly Baldwin bar fight
A man’s death following a bar fight at the Loose Moose Saloon in Baldwin earlier this year has been ruled a homicide, and the Peters man accused of punching him is charged with homicide. Zachary Blake, 22, is charged with homicide in connection with the July death of Mark Thompson,...
UPMC on pace for record-breaking revenue in 2021, health giant took in $18B through September
UPMC is poised to log another record year of billion-dollar revenue growth in 2021, records made public Tuesday show. The health giant headquartered in Downtown Pittsburgh’s U.S. Steel Tower raked in $18 billion between January and September — about $1 billion more than it made by this time last year,...
Process of pending Pennsylvania election audit remains shrouded in secrecy
An Iowa-based firm that has never conducted an election review will delve into a forensic audit of Pennsylvania’s contentious 2020 general election results and this year’s May primary. How it intends to determine election integrity remains shrouded in secrecy. Steve Lahr, president of Envoy Sage LLC, on Tuesday declined to...
Man hired as driver in deadly Wilkinsburg robbery gets life without parole
A Turtle Creek man will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance for parole after he was sentenced Monday in the robbery and shooting death of a 27-year-old woman who was killed for her tax refund. A jury found Kaijin Scott, 27, guilty of second-degree murder,...
Police: Ohio woman, son found wandering at Keystone State Park in Derry Township
An Ohio woman is facing child endangerment charges after she and her son were found Monday evening wearing wet clothes and wandering near the lake at Keystone State Park in Derry Township while temperatures were near freezing, according to court documents. The boy, whose age was not listed in the...
Pittsburgh police looking to become more engaged with faith groups
Pittsburgh City Council is considering a measure to expand partnerships between police and religious organizations. Councilman Ricky Burgess, a pastor who was recently elected moderator of the Allegheny Union Baptist Association, introduced legislation that would have the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police participate in the One Congregation One Precinct, or OneCOP,...
Jury awards millions in damages for Unite the Right violence
In a mixed verdict, a jury awarded more than $25 million in damages Tuesday against white nationalist leaders for violence that erupted during the 2017 Unite the Right rally. After a nearly monthlong civil trial, a jury in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville deadlocked on two key claims but found...
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...
