Top Stories category, Page 1132
1 flown by helicopter following Lower Burrell motorcycle crash
A motorcyclist was airlifted by medical helicopter Thursday night after crashing into a tree along Route 780 in Lower Burrell, according to emergency officials. Emergency crews responded to the 2600 block of Seventh Street Road shortly after 10 p.m.. One patient was flown from the scene, according to a Westmoreland...
Riverview School Board passes 2021-22 budget, no tax hike or program cuts
Riverview students will not have to miss out on opportunities, and Verona and Oakmont property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes as part the school district’s $24.2 million budget for 2021-22. The board unanimously approved next school year’s spending plan in June. It maintains the...
Boy Scouts of America reaches pivotal agreement with victims
DOVER, Del. — The Boy Scouts of America have reached an agreement with attorneys representing some 60,000 victims of child sex abuse in what could prove to be a pivotal moment in the organization’s bankruptcy case. Attorneys for the BSA filed court papers late Thursday outlining a restructuring support agreement,...
Attorney General Merrick Garland halts federal executions, orders review of protocols
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is halting federal executions after a historic use of capital punishment by the Trump administration, which carried out 13 executions in six months. Attorney General Merrick Garland made the announcement Thursday night, saying he was imposing a moratorium on federal executions while the Justice Department...
Wildfire consumes small British Columbia town that hit 121 degreesVideo
LILLOOET, British Columbia — A wildfire that forced people to flee a small town in British Columbia that had set record high temperatures for Canada on three consecutive days burned out of control Thursday as relatives desperately sought information on evacuees. The roughly 1,000 residents of Lytton had to abandon...
Some Wilkinsburg residents campaign for Pittsburgh merger, borough leaders opposed
Should Wilkinsburg become Pittsburgh’s 91st neighborhood? A majority of Wilkinsburg’s elected officials say “no.” “A merger would destroy Wilkinsburg,” said Denise Edwards, president pro-tem of borough council. “As an elected official how can you possibly destroy your own community. It doesn’t make sense.” “Because of the negative impact on our...
Western Pa. advocacy groups move to support sexual violence survivors after Cosby decision
Advocacy groups pushed forward Thursday, working to provide support and comfort to sexual violence survivors hurt and retraumatized by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction. “Today and yesterday, we’ve certainly seen an increase in our help line calls,” said Lisa Perry, executive director of...
Food passion fuels Milwaukee teen’s restaurant review success, leads to Primanti Bros. visit
“Holy cow!” exclaimed Dominic Dean, his eyes wide as saucers, as he stared in awe and excitement at the towering sandwich placed in front of him. The 16-year-old Milwaukee native is an up-and-coming food critic with a special twist — a focus on positivity and kindness. Dominic, who is on...
Woman accused of crashing on closed Tarentum Bridge charged with drunken driving, causing $200K damage
A Lower Burrell woman who police say drove past blinking signs onto the closed Tarentum Bridge, plowed into construction equipment, limped from the scene to a nearby gas station before police arrived and then fled an emergency room has been charged with driving under the influence. Allison Plusquellic, 39, also...
Westmoreland elections director fired days before her ouster was made public
Westmoreland County’s former election bureau director was out of a job a week before her bosses officially signed off on her removal, according to a document obtained by the Tribune-Review. JoAnn Sebastiani was fired as elections bureau director effective June 19, according to an “action form” created by the county’s...
Trump Organization, CFO Allen Weisselberg indicted on tax fraud charges
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s company and its longtime finance chief were charged Thursday in what prosecutors called a “sweeping and audacious” tax fraud scheme in which the executive collected more than $1.7 million in off-the-books compensation, including apartment rent, car payments and school tuition. Trump himself was not charged,...
‘Dangerous’ crowding on South Side prompts Pittsburgh police to step up patrols, citations
Unruly pedestrians and crowded sidewalks have created a “dangerous and untenable” situation on Pittsburgh’s South Side, according to police, and officers will step up patrols and start issuing citations Friday night. Pittsburgh police officials said Thursday the increased volume of people headed to East Carson Street has meant “nearly impassable...
New $16M apartment complex, retail project in Hill District unveiled via digital groundbreaking
A new bright facade soon to be seen on Centre Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Hill District as a mixed-use housing and retail project broke ground this week. The ceremonial shovels still hit the dirt, but the event was held digitally on Thursday. The Hill Community Development Corp. announced the New Granada...
State’s Level Up funding supplement helps 3 of Westmoreland’s least wealthy school districts
Administrators at three Westmoreland County school districts are glad to accept supplemental state funding approved this year for Pennsylvania’s least wealthy districts. But, it may take a little while to decide how best to spend the extra money, which Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday as part of a $300 million...
Neighbor Spotlight: Edgeworth’s Helen and Don Berman celebrate 74 years of marriage
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
Pittsburgh tax prep company owner, employee indicted on charges of falsifying returns
A Hill District man who owns a tax preparation business with offices in Downtown Pittsburgh and Homestead has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of tax and wire fraud. The 15-count indictment handed up on June 29 accuses Brian A. VanDusen, 51, of Webster Avenue, with filing...
Oregon resident fulfills dream of traveling to Pittsburgh to create a Terrible Towel
Daniel Seddiqui has a piece of Pittsburgh he helped create. The California native, who lives in Bend, Ore., came to the city as part of his quest to visit 65 cities to craft a meaningful piece of each destination that reflects its culture and industry. He is calling the venture...
Westbound Turnpike lanes temporarily closed between Butler Valley, Cranberry until midnight
The Pennsylvania Turnpike’s westbound lanes will be closed briefly tonight between the Butler Valley and Cranberry exits until just before midnight, Turnpike officials announced. Westbound travelers can take Route 8 north, Route 228 west and I-79 south, which will bring them to the Cranberry interchange. From there, they can follow...
Allegheny Land Trust closes deal to acquire the former Churchill Country Club for about $3 million
The Allegheny Land Trust officials announced Wednesday that they have closed on the deal to purchase the former Churchill Valley Country Club. It’s an event more than two years in the making. The 151-acre site at the Churchill/Penn Hills border will be preserved for recreation. The Sewickley-based Allegheny Land Trust...
Police: 16-year-old boy hospitalized after shooting in McKees Rocks
A 16-year-old boy was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries Wednesday after being shot in McKees Rocks, police said. Allegheny County emergency dispatchers were notified around 3:15 p.m. of a shooting victim in the 800 block of Gray Street. On scene, officers with the Allegheny County Police Department, who responded to...
Trump Organization CFO surrenders ahead of expected charges
The Trump Organization’s Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg surrendered to authorities early Thursday ahead of expected charges against him and former President Donald Trump’s company, according to multiple news outlets. Weisselberg was seen walking into the the courthouse in lower Manhattan around 6:20 a.m. with his lawyer. New York prosecutors...
Cosby’s release leaves accusers dismayed, but women’s advocates say no court can erase their ‘courage and resolve’
PHILADELPHIA — It was late morning in Las Vegas when a caretaker told Autumn Burns that Bill Cosby was about to be released from prison. Assuming it had to be a joke, Burns responded: “Oh, come on.” Then the news flickered on, and Burns, who is 74 and blind, listened...
Over 100 deaths may be tied to historic Northwest heat wave
SALEM, Ore. — The grim toll of the historic heat wave in the Pacific Northwest became more apparent as authorities in Canada, Washington state and Oregon said Wednesday that they were investigating more than 100 deaths likely caused by scorching temperatures that shattered all-time records. Oregon health officials said more...
6 more bodies pulled from tower rubble in highest daily toll; confirmed dead reaches 18
SURFSIDE, Fla. — Search crews going through the ruins of a Florida condo tower pulled six more bodies from the rubble Wednesday, bringing the number of confirmed dead to 18. It was the highest one-day toll since the building collapsed almost a week ago into a heap of broken concrete....
Arnold man facing drug charges dies after arrest
An Arnold man died Tuesday after being arrested on drug charges the previous day. Khalies Khorhid Lewis, 39, died Tuesday afternoon at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office said. Although an autopsy has been completed, no information on the cause or manner of Lewis’ death...
