Top Stories category, Page 1082
Perry County man charged with felony, jailed on $50k cash bond for 43-cent ‘theft’
Joseph Sobolewski stopped at a convenience store in Perry County last month where he saw a sign for 20-ounce Mountain Dew bottles: 2 for $3. He grabbed a bottle, slapped $2 on the counter and walked out. What he didn’t know was a single bottle was $2.29, not $1.50. So...
Hempfield school directors consider joining lawsuits against school mask mandate
Members of the Hempfield Area School Board are considering whether to join a lawsuit or file their own against a mask mandate issued by the state earlier this month. In a 7-1 vote Monday night, board members directed Solicitor Michael Korns to gather information regarding already filed suits that are...
Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board votes to end contract with controversial training company
The Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board on Monday night voted to cancel a controversial contract with a corrections special operations group whose founder’s background raised significant questions about his history and qualifications. The vote was 4-3 with one abstention to cancel a $347,000 contract for training and weaponry with Corrections...
Hempfield, Highlands students face consequences for ‘Devious Licks’ TikTok challenge
A national social media trend to plunder school restrooms has made its way to at least two more Western Pennsylvania school districts, officials at Hempfield Area and Highlands school districts reported. The “Devious Licks” TikTok challenge dares children to vandalize schools — in most cases, bathrooms — and nab items...
Kinloch neighbors say Saturday’s triple shooting out of character for Lower Burrell
Teddy Hare has lived most of his his life in a home along Pittsburgh Street in Lower Burrell that’s in eyesight of the Kinloch fire hall. When he spotted police lights in the club’s parking lot on Saturday evening, he assumed it was just another speeding driver who got pulled...
Cafeteria worker faces charges for bringing gun to Pittsburgh elementary school
A Pittsburgh Public Schools employee was arrested after bringing a gun to Grandview Elementary in the city’s Allentown neighborhood on Monday, school officials confirmed. “While the employee does have a license to carry a firearm, they are not permitted on school grounds,” said district spokeswomen Ebony Pugh. The employee, a...
Pittsburgh pediatrician hopes ‘a lot of kids’ get vaccinated by HalloweenVideo
Parents eager to get children under 12 vaccinated for covid-19 received some encouraging news Monday. Pfizer announced its covid-19 vaccine works for children 5 to 11 and that it will apply to the Food and Drug Administration by the end of the month for emergency use in that age group....
Portion of Center Road to be closed for 28 days in October
A portion of Center Road in Plum, near the Monroeville border, will be closed for a 28-day period at the beginning of October. Plum Contracting Inc., along with the PA Turnpike Commission, will implement a 28-day detour of Center Road, effective Oct. 1. The purpose of the closure will be...
Supreme Court sets arguments in big abortion case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will hear arguments Dec. 1 in Mississippi’s bid to have the landmark Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing a woman’s right to an abortion overturned. The court issued its arguments calendar for late November and early December on Monday. Mississippi is asking the high court to...
Stocks drop the most since May on worries over China, Fed
Stocks on Wall Street closed sharply lower Monday, mirroring losses overseas and handing the S&P 500 index its biggest drop in four months. Worries about debt-engorged Chinese property developers — and the damage they could do to investors worldwide if they default — rippled across markets. Investors are also concerned...
$7.1 million deposited in fund to revitalize Pittsburgh’s Hill District
A $7.1 million infusion of cash has been deposited into a fund that aims to revitalize Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood, the city announced Monday. The money is now in the Greater Hill District Neighborhood Reinvestment Fund. Administered by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the fund will make grants for development projects...
Former Pittsburgh Public Schools principal faces $750 fine for state ethics violations
A former Pittsburgh Public Schools principal is facing a $750 fine from the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission for failing to complete statements of financial interests between 2016 and 2018. Deonne M. Arrington has until Oct. 17 to pay the civil penalty, the commission said when it released its findings Friday....
Covid has killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu
Covid-19 has now killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic did — approximately 675,000. The U.S. population a century ago was just one-third of what it is today, meaning the flu cut a much bigger, more lethal swath through the country. But the covid-19 crisis is...
Church bus crash in central Pa. sends 30 to hospitals, some critically hurt
DONALDSON, Pa. — A bus carrying high school students and leaders returning from a church retreat crashed Sunday in Pennsylvania, injuring more than two dozen people, at least three critically, authorities said. State police in Schuylkill County said the bus was heading south on Interstate 81 in Frailey Township shortly...
New Kensington seeks funding to tear down Fourth Avenue building
New Kensington will seek money from Westmoreland County to tear down a building across from the Pioneer Apartments on Fourth Avenue. Council recently approved having City Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti apply for funding from the Westmoreland County Demo Fund to demolish the building at 1026 Fourth Ave. The city owns the...
Cooler temps, rain coming as if on schedule for start of autumn
Autumn arrives Wednesday afternoon and, as if on cue, it’s going to feel like it. After a high in the 80s on Sunday and expected again Monday, a high of 74 is forecast for Wednesday, which is right around average, National Weather Service meteorologist Myranda Fullerton said. Autumn will officially...
Pfizer says covid-19 vaccine works in kids ages 5 to 11
Pfizer said Monday its covid-19 vaccine works for children ages 5 to 11 and that it will seek U.S. authorization for this age group soon — a key step toward beginning vaccinations for youngsters. The vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech already is available for anyone 12...
Foreign exchange: German student donates part of his liver to former host father in Regent Square
Eric Baysinger messaged a photo of himself hooked to an oxygen machine, plastic tubing in his nose, to help him breathe. “This is my current situation,” Baysinger said. The recipient of the picture, Moritz Jahr, was 4,026 miles away. The minute he saw the image he asked what was wrong....
Senate parliamentarian deals blow to Dems’ immigration push
WASHINGTON — Democrats can’t use their $3.5 trillion package bolstering social and climate programs to give millions of immigrants a chance to become citizens, the Senate’s parliamentarian said late Sunday, a crushing blow to what was the party’s clearest pathway in years to attaining that long-sought goal. The decision by...
Croquet tournament: hitting balls for fun and fundraisingVideo
On a beautiful sun-drenched summer day, more than 120 men, women and children were hitting croquet balls for fun and raising thousands of dollars for a variety of good causes at the Westmoreland Croquet Club’s annual tournament Sunday at the Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood. The croquet club tournament,...
Banged-up Steelers drop home opener to Raiders
Forget all of the positive vibes the Pittsburgh Steelers generated with their season-opening win at Buffalo. Any goodwill the Steelers established a week ago wilted in the 79-degree heat at Heinz Field amid a sea of injuries and big second-half plays that enabled the Las Vegas Raiders to spoil the...
Health official: Booster use may be expandedVideo
WASHINGTON — The National Institutes of Health director says a government advisory panel’s decision to limit Pfizer covid-19 booster shots to Americans 65 and older as well as those at high risk of severe disease is a preliminary step and predicts broader approval for most Americans “in the next few...
U.S. closes part of Texas border, begins flying Haitians homeVideo
DEL RIO, Texas — The United States acted Sunday to stem the flow of migrants into Texas by blocking the Mexican border at an isolated town where thousands of Haitian refugees set up a camp, and American officials began flying some of the migrants back to their homeland. About a...
Police investigate Homewood shooting
A man was in critical condition Sunday after being shot in Homewood, authorities said. Pittsburgh police responded to the incident just before 8:30 a.m. in the 7100 block of Frankstown Avenue. Emergency responders found a male suffering from gunshot wounds to the chest, public safety Spokesperson Maurice Matthews said. He...
U.S. closes part of Texas border, begins flying Haitians home
DEL RIO, Texas — Hoping to stop the flow of migrants, the United States on Sunday tried to block the Mexican border at an isolated Texas town where thousands of Haitian refugees have set up a camp, but the migrants quickly found other ways to cross nearby. The attempted border...
