Top Stories category, Page 1082
Pennsylvania will fully ban sale of Japanese barberry by fall 2023
State agriculture officials have had it with Japanese barberry. After considering it previously in 2018, Pennsylvania officials have added the invasive shrub to their list of noxious weeds, and merchants will not be permitted to sell it by the fall of 2023. The shrub is popular with landscapers. Unfortunately, it...
Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger out vs. Lions, on covid list
Ben Roethlisberger will be placed on the reserve/covid list and will not play Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Detroit Lions at Heinz Field. The Steelers made the announcement Saturday night. Mason Rudolph will make his first start of the season at quarterback in place of Roethlisberger, and Dwayne...
Lack of local police a surprise to some in Freeport
The news of no local police protection came as a surprise Saturday to many Freeport businesses. The borough hasn’t had a police officer on duty since Nov. 3, when the newly hired police chief quit at the end of his first shift. “I’m shocked,” Fifth Street Bistro owner Jess Stobert...
Toys for Tots rail car caravan collects gifts to spread holiday joy
The Marine Corps Reserve’s annual Toys for Tots mini rail car caravan Saturday traveled through several communities in central and southern Westmoreland County and into Fayette County, collecting Christmas gifts and donations to make the upcoming holiday a bit brighter for children in need. “What a special meaning, to share...
Nations strike climate deal with coal compromise
GLASGOW, Scotland — Almost 200 nations accepted a contentious climate compromise Saturday aimed at keeping a key global warming target alive, but it contained a last-minute change that watered down crucial language about coal. Several countries, including small island states, said they were deeply disappointed by the change promoted by...
Small crowd, big effort for Salvation Army Red Kettle Race in Brackenridge
Participants of the third annual Salvation Army Red Kettle Race in Brackenridge didn’t appear to mind that the temperatures only crept into the mid-30s on Saturday morning. “It’s not something you really want to get out of bed for on an early winter morning, but it’s a great cause,” said...
Carnegie Mellon University trustee who traveled to space killed in New Jersey plane crash
A Carnegie Mellon University trustee who had realized his lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut when he piloted the New Shepard Spacecraft with actor William Shatner last month, died in a private plane crash Thursday in New Jersey. Glen de Vries, 49, a 1994 Carnegie Mellon science graduate who co-founded...
Freeport has no cops after chief quits at end of 1st shift; state police covering borough
Freeport hasn’t had a police officer on duty since Nov. 3, when the newly hired police chief quit at the end of his first shift. With no officers left on the force, state police are handling calls in the 1.3-square-mile borough of about 1,700 residents, officials said. Retired Plum police...
Pittsburgh doctor on pandemic: ‘We will be living with this virus, there is no covid zero’
Pittsburgh-based Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert and critical care and emergency medicine physician, wrote in a opinion piece this week that it is impossible “to eliminate or eradicate covid-19.” “This is not possible with an efficiently spreading respiratory virus that has an animal reservoir and can spread from...
5 Questions with incoming bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh
Ketlen Solak can remember a time when others were taken aback by her telling them she would one day like to lead the Episcopal Church. But on Saturday, Solak’s wish will be fulfilled when she succeeds Bishop Dorsey McConnell at a consecration ceremony making her the ninth bishop of the...
Determined Highlands kindergartner says, ‘They cut off my foot. And I’m getting a new one!’
Highlands kindergartner Annabel Grant isn’t shy when classmates ask why she uses a wheelchair. “They cut off my foot,” the 5-year-old says bluntly. “And I’m getting a new one!” Born with fibular hemimelia — the absence of a fibula bone — in her lower right leg, Annabel doesn’t appear to...
Missing Westmoreland County teen found to be safe, state police say
State police say a missing 13-year-old girl who had been last seen in Derry Borough has been found. Serenity Adams, 13, had been reported missing on Wednesday evening....
Protesters block Grant Street, demand prosecution in Jim Rogers’ death
A group of protesters carrying a banner advocating “People’s Justice for Jim Rogers” demonstrated on the steps of the City-County Building in Downtown Pittsburgh and blocked Grant Street on Friday night. Rogers died Oct. 14, about 24 hours after being struck with a Taser deployed by a Pittsburgh police officer,...
Pa. lawmakers look to expand parole eligibility for aging, sick inmatesVideo
Avis Lee, convicted of second-degree murder for serving as the lookout in a robbery-turned-fatal shooting, served 40 years, six months and 12 days in prison. In February, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf commuted her sentence of life without the possibility of parole to life with parole. She was released from prison...
Steve Bannon indicted on contempt charges for defying 1/6 subpoena
Steve Bannon, a longtime ally to former President Donald Trump, was indicted Friday on two counts of contempt of Congress after he defied a congressional subpoena from the House committee investigating the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The Justice Department said Bannon, 67, was indicted on one count for refusing...
Sept. 11 Memorial Trail to Shanksville gets boost from land purchase in New Jersey
The 9/11 National Memorial Trail, which will link to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, has advanced with action in New Jersey. N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy announced plans to spend $65 million to buy a 9-mile greenway, which will be a segment of the 9/11 Trail. The trail is...
Tree of Life synagogue shooting suspect won’t pursue insanity or intellectual disability defense
The man accused of killing 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill will not pursue an insanity defense, his attorneys said this week. Robert Bowers also will not raise an intellectual disability claim when he goes on trial for the Oct. 27, 2018, mass shooting at the Tree...
Pittsburgh Christmas tree set for Downtown delivery, prompting road closures
Pittsburgh’s official Christmas tree will be making its debut at the City-County Building’s Grant Street entrance this weekend. The Forestry Division will transport and install the 106th City of Pittsburgh Christmas tree at the site this weekend ahead of a tree lighting ceremony Nov. 20. As officials get the tree...
Pa. woman sues over slot game payout; 13 others make same claim
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A Pennsylvania woman is suing the manufacturer of a popular online slots game, claiming it wrongly refused to pay her a $100,000 jackpot due to “a bug” in the product. New Jersey regulators revealed Friday that 14 gamblers have filed the same complaint against the company,...
Missing Penn State student found dead
A Penn State student reported missing Thursday has been found dead, according to State College Police. Police did not name the 19-year-old woman. The Centre Daily Times, citing the university and family members’ social media, identified her as Justine Gross. Police said early indications are her death was accidental. It...
Allegheny County municipalities sue PennDOT over proposed I-79 bridge tolling project
Three Allegheny County municipalities have sued PennDOT to halt a bridge project along Interstate 79 that could result in tolls being imposed there to help pay for the work. The bridge, which borders Collier and is located in Bridgeville and South Fayette, goes over Route 50. It has been targeted...
Pittsburgh, Glasgow finalize sister city partnership
The cities of Pittsburgh and Glasgow, Scotland, finalized their partnership as sister cities Thursday with an in-person ceremony. The meeting between Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Leader of Glasgow City Council Susan Aitken came after a virtual signing ceremony last year and formalized the relationship between the cities. Thursday’s meeting...
Johnson & Johnson to split into two companies
Johnson & Johnson is splitting into two companies, peeling off the division selling Band-Aids and Listerine from its medical device and prescription drug business. The world’s biggest maker of health care products, founded in 1886, said Friday the move will help improve the focus and speed of each company to...
Police charge suspect with killing 70-year-old found on train tracks in Scott
Allegheny County police charged a 28-year-old with homicide after officers found a man dead along railroad tracks in Scott on Thursday evening. Joseph Williams, 70, was pronounced dead at the scene after he was found lying on railroad tracks behind South Hills Self Storage near a homeless encampment, officials said....
Highmark CEO David Holmberg’s pay dipped to $7.8M in 2020
Highmark Health CEO David Holmberg made $7.82 million in total compensation in 2020, about $325,000 less than the previous year, records filed Friday show. The reduced compensation and bonus package amid the covid-19 pandemic follows Holmberg reaping a pay increase of about $660,000 in 2019, an 8.8% hike, according to...
