Top Stories category, Page 1124
Pa. Game Commission addressing lag in new hunting license system
Pennsylania’s system for issuing hunting licenses has experienced a slowdown. According to Game Commission officials, the new system for issuing state licenses, including antlerless deer licenses, has operated slowly during peak sales periods. One such period began Monday, when the system began accepting applications for antlerless licenses. “While the new...
Tioga County won’t offer up voting machines to election audit
HARRISBURG — One of three counties targeted by a Pennsylvania state lawmaker for an Arizona-style “forensic investigation” of the state’s 2020 presidential election sought by former President Donald Trump will not allow third-party access to its voting machines. The three commissioners in rural Republican-controlled Tioga County announced the decision Tuesday,...
Michigan couple arrested in stolen pickup on Pennsylvania Turnpike
A traffic stop along the Pennsylvania Turnpike near New Stanton this week resulted in the arrest of a man wanted for questioning in connection with the theft of two pickup trucks, according to court documents. After troopers stopped Allan J. Brady, 35, of Adrian, Mich., for speeding on the toll...
Plan approved to continue with consolidation of California, Clarion and Edinboro universities
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education will move forward to consolidate California, Clarion and Edinboro universities into a single university in Western Pennsylvania, the state schools’ board of governors decided unanimously Wednesday. Work also is underway to combine Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield universities into a single unit in...
Database of police misconduct launches in PennsylvaniaVideo
Police departments statewide must now use a database to track complaints and misconduct allegations against officers, a move meant to keep problem officers from moving from department to department. The launch of the Police Misconduct Database comes one year after Gov. Tom Wolf signed the legislation into law. The legislation...
No recent covid deaths in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties; cases trending up slightly
While case numbers might be trending slightly upward, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have gone nearly a dozen days without recording a death related to the coronavirus. With 25 new covid-19 cases reported Wednesday, the seven-day average in Allegheny County has ticked up to 19, the highest it has been in...
Pennsylvania recruiting new school bus drivers amid shortage
Over 1.5 million Pennsylvania students rely on bus drivers to get to and from school, sporting events and other activities — but the industry is struggling to overcome a driver shortage. The Pennsylvania School Bus Association (PSBA) — which consists of over 300 school bus contractors and industry partners —...
Robert Morris reverses course, eyes path to resurrect men’s and women’s hockey programs
Robert Morris hockey might have a path back to existence. Three months after university officials said they were eliminating the men’s and women’s hockey programs, the school announced Wednesday it had reversed course and is hoping to resurrect the programs. University officials said they would work with the recently formed...
Mayoral candidate of North Braddock facing assault charges
A candidate for mayor of North Braddock is facing charges of aggravated assault after being accused of beating two women with a bat, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. Cletus Lee was arrested Tuesday after a confrontation that police said resulted from a domestic dispute. The victims were taken to...
Several residents displaced after McKeesport fire spreads to 3 homes
Several McKeesport residents were displaced in a fire that spread to three homes early Wednesday, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. No one was injured in the fires, which started at about 12:30 a.m. along Stewart Street. Flames destroyed one of home’s porches and scorched the sides of the others....
Senate Democrats announce $3.5 trillion budget agreement
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats announced Tuesday that they have reached a budget agreement among themselves that envisions spending an enormous $3.5 trillion over the coming decade. The fiscal plan would pave the way for Democrats’ drive to direct a huge pool of federal resources at climate change, health care and...
Route 30 reopens in North Huntingdon following car fire at auto repair shop
A fire Tuesday night at an auto repair shop Route 30 in North Huntingdon closed both the eastbound and westbound lanes of the busy highway, police said. Route 30 was closed between Route 48 and the Ardara Road intersection in the western end of the township. It reopened shortly after...
Woman killed in Etna house fire identified as grandmother of 12, food pantry volunteer
The woman who died soon after a fire ripped through her Etna home last week was 80-year-old Janet Wilson, authorities confirmed Tuesday. Wilson was pronounced dead around 5:30 a.m. last Thursday, about a half-hour after emergency responders received the report of thick black smoke and flames shooting out of a...
United Steelworkers ratify new, 4-year contract with ATI, ending strike
Members of the United Steelworkers ratified a new, four-year contract with Allegheny Technologies, Inc., the specialty steelmaker announced Tuesday night. The agreement ends a strike by 1,300 union members at nine ATI locations that began March 30. ATI employees will begin returning to their jobs the week of July 19,...
TV Talk: Susan Koeppen returns to anchor new WPXI-TV newscast
Because the ratings for “Ellen” have been terrible in Pittsburgh for several years, it was unsurprising this month when WTAE-TV announced a 4 p.m. newscast. Similarly, with original episodes of “Judge Judy” ending on broadcast TV — she’ll have a new, similar show on free, ad-supported streamer IMDbTV in late...
Rash of scam calls prompts warning from Latrobe police, victims duped out of thousands of dollars
Latrobe police are cautioning residents not to provide personal information over the phone after learning of a rash of scam calls. Police Chief John Sleasman said his department received reports of about two dozen such scams over the preceding week. According to Sleasman, bogus callers have falsely presented themselves as...
Advance registration and fee required to bid on tax delinquent Westmoreland properties
Potential buyers at Westmoreland County’s next sale of tax-delinquent properties will have to register in advance and pay a required fee to be eligible to bid at auction. County commissioners are expected on Thursday to approve a new $25 registration fee to cover administrative costs. New registration provisions, enacted through...
‘I’m considering leaving the country’: Prosecutors read texts from Glenshaw man charged in Capitol riot
In text messages sent in the days and weeks after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, prosecutors said, a Shaler area substitute teacher worried that he would be arrested and that his actions would prohibit him from being able to teach in the future. Robert Morss, 27, was arrested last month...
Westmoreland commissioners blast airport authority over vote on Arnold Palmer restaurant lease
It’s been a month since the Westmoreland County Airport Authority approved a new lease for Arnold Palmer Regional Airport’s restaurant, but it continues to draw flak about the move from county commissioners. The new restaurant lease was approved by a 7-2 vote in June, allowing DeNunzio’s Italian Chophouse to continue...
Vandergrift police officer, suspended after encounter with Black restaurant patron, returns to work
Vandergrift Police Officer William Moore, who was suspended last month for unprofessional conduct, is back on duty. Council member Casimer Maszgay confirmed Tuesday that Moore returned to his beat last week. Vandergrift Police Chief Joe Caporali refused to comment on Moore’s return, citing a personnel matter. Moore also declined to...
National covid-19 cases rising again, doubling over 3 weeks
The covid-19 curve in the United States is rising again after months of decline, with the number of new cases per day doubling over the past three weeks, driven by the fast-spreading delta variant, lagging vaccination rates and Fourth of July gatherings. Confirmed infections climbed to an average of about...
‘This is a test of our time,’ Biden says in Philly speech on voting rightsVideo
PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden called the right to vote “a test of our time” and called on Americans to protect it amid GOP-led changes to election laws and threats to voting rights in a speech Tuesday at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. “Some things in America should be...
Doctor who ran North Hills pill mill pleads guilty in federal court
A former doctor from Hampton pleaded guilty Tuesday to health care fraud and money laundering stemming from his illegal prescription of painkillers. Andrzej Zielke, 66, will be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer on Nov. 1 on six counts, including unlawful dispensing of a controlled substance. “Mr....
Driver clung to tree ‘for dear life’ after turnpike crash in Mt. Pleasant Township, fire chief saysVideo
A Butler area man was “holding on for dear life” to tree branches Monday night along the Pennsylvania Turnpike after being ejected from his SUV that launched over a hillside after crashing, Mt. Pleasant fire Chief Jerry Lucia said. “He was about 8 or 9 feet up in the branches...
Wolf administration refuses to release details on multimillion-dollar unemployment mistake
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is refusing to provide details on the scope and timeline of an internal investigation...
