Top Stories category, Page 1133
Carjacking, kidnapping outside Westmoreland prison nets Jeannette man up to 30 years
A Jeannette man will serve up to 30 years in prison for carjacking a West Leechburg woman parked in front of the Westmoreland County Prison as her 13-month-old grandson was in the vehicle, which later crashed two miles from the lockup. Thomas Lee Williams, 38, formerly of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty...
‘The numbers prove it’: Allegheny County officials point to rising vaccination rates and falling case counts
Eighty percent of Allegheny County’s adult population is at least partially vaccinated against covid-19, officials said Wednesday, a rate that continues to rise as case counts and positivity rates continue to fall. “Let’s get that last 20%,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, “so we can all feel safe, we...
Business owner sues Pittsburgh police, judge after parking lot dispute
A woman who says she was unlawfully detained after she called Pittsburgh police about a person illegally parked in a Greenfield lot that she owns filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday alleging retaliation and excessive force. Marsha Simonds, and her husband, Matthew, sued the City of Pittsburgh, as well as...
Guy Fieri says discrimination claim stemming from Hempfield restaurant ‘has been resolved’
Celebrity chef Guy Fieri in an interview with The New York Times this week said a situation involving a former line cook who alleged racial discrimination at Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar at Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield was resolved. “The situation has been resolved,” Fieri said. “And I...
House creates committee to investigate Jan. 6 Capitol attack
WASHINGTON — The House voted largely along party lines Wednesday to create a special committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump crowd. The attack occurred while Congress was certifying the 2020 presidential results and forced Vice President Mike Pence and hundreds of lawmakers to...
Atlanta mayor: 2 officers ambushed, 1 wounded in shooting
ATLANTA — Two police officers responding to reports of gunfire in one of Atlanta’s busiest commercial districts were ambushed Wednesday, leaving one of them shot and wounded, the city’s mayor said. A bystander reported hearing a barrage of shots and said he later saw an officer, bleeding badly and, being...
2nd Oath Keeper pleads guilty to conspiracy in Jan. 6 riot
An Alabama man who stormed the U.S. Capitol with other members of the Oath Keepers extremist group pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy and is cooperating with prosecutors in another major boost for the Justice Department in its sweeping Jan. 6 investigation. Mark Grods, 54, is the second member of the...
Controller: Pittsburgh’s finances took hit in 2020, but population loss is bigger worry
If the reason the Pittsburgh labor force is shrinking is a decline in the city’s population, there’s reason to be alarmed, Controller Michael Lamb said Wednesday. “That’s the biggest concern to me,” Lamb said during a virtual news conference when he released the 2020 Popular Annual Financial Report. The report...
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dies at 88
WASHINGTON — Donald Rumsfeld, the two-time defense secretary and one-time presidential candidate whose reputation as a skilled bureaucrat and visionary of a modern U.S. military was unraveled by the long and costly Iraq war, died Tuesday. He was 88. In a statement Wednesday, Rumsfeld’s family said he “was surrounded by...
Hempfield resident John Ventre announces bid for Pa. governor
Hempfield Republican John Ventre said he’s been stewing for years, believing Gov. Tom Wolf’s “one size fits all and scorched earth policies” hurt state residents. Ventre, 64, announced Wednesday he is running for governor in 2022. Wolf, a Democrat, will leave office in 2023 because of term limits. “You don’t...
Greensburg, area firefighters bid final farewell to one of their own, Richard A. Fry
In the sweltering summer sun, the firehouse bell rang out 21 times Wednesday as firefighters from across the greater Greensburg and Pittsburgh areas lined the driveways outside their departments to honor the death of one of their own. Richard A. Fry was a member of Greensburg Hose Company No. 7...
Pennsylvania governor vetoes GOP-led election overhaul, citing voter ID restrictions
This article is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan reporting project covering local election integrity and voting access. This article is available for reprint under the terms of Votebeat’s republishing policy. HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a Republican rewrite of Pennsylvania’s Election Code on Wednesday, making clear his...
Shaler man wins $1 million from Publishers Clearing House sweepstakesVideo
Each time Lou Isabella of Shaler has entered the Publishers Clearing House contest during the past three years, he’s said a silent prayer in hopes of winning. Isabella believes his appeals to the Almighty were answered June 30 when a three-member Prize Patrol team knocked on his door to present...
Westmoreland County, 8 jail staffers added as defendants in lawsuit over inmate beating
A federal civil lawsuit by a former Westmoreland County Prison inmate who was assaulted by a guard last year claims incident reports filed by a dozen other jail staffers contained no mention of the beating. The lawsuit was amended June 15 and asserts that the omission of the assault of...
Bill Cosby released from prison after sex assault conviction overturned by Pa. Supreme Court
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania’s highest court threw out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction and released him from prison Wednesday in a stunning reversal of fortune for the comedian once known as “America’s Dad,” ruling that the prosecutor who brought the case was bound by his predecessor’s agreement not to charge Cosby....
Woman, whose attorney refused representation amid dispute with Allegheny Co. DA, pleads guilty to DUI crash
A Corliss woman whose case became embroiled in the controversy between a Black defense attorney and Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to drunken driving-related charges with a new attorney by her side. Vanessa Williams, 59, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault while driving under the...
Pa. covid hospitalizations drop to levels not seen since early days of pandemic
Pennsylvania’s covid-19 hospitalizations dropped to a level not seen since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, there are 313 covid-19 patients currently hospitalized throughout the state. That’s the lowest total since March 27, 2020, when there were 252 people hospitalized. The state’s...
Youngwood man charged with having boy steal packages from neighborhood porches
A Youngwood man was arrested Tuesday, accused by police of directing an 8-year-old boy to follow delivery trucks around the borough and steal packages dropped off at homes, according to court papers. Alexander Leon Soroka, 39, is charged with theft, receiving stolen property and child endangerment. Troopers were called to...
‘Severe’ blood shortage prompts donation centers to make a call to arms
Clentin Martin was found where he usually is every 56th day or so — giving blood. “I always felt that it was an obligation to do,” Martin, 74, said while donating at the American Red Cross blood drive at St. Bruno Catholic Church in Greensburg. “It’s something that everybody needs.”...
Heat, humidity to give way to rain, cooler temperatures
The Pittsburgh region is expected to get a break Wednesday from the blistering heat and oppressive humidity when storms roll through in the afternoon. The three-day stretch of hot weather began Sunday when the temperature hit 88 degrees followed by highs of 92 on Monday and Tuesday. The average temperature...
Wolf signs $40M budget package, celebrates public school funding
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday signed a roughly $40 billion budget package that passed last week, as he touted the importance of new funding for public schools. The hundreds of pages of budget legislation emerged publicly from closed-door negotiations on Friday and won approval within hours in the...
Point Park University requiring covid vaccine for students attending in-person classes this fall
Point Park University will require students to be vaccinated against covid-19 if they want to attend in-person classes or participate in activities this fall, officials announced. University President Paul Hennigan said the decision to require vaccinations is “based on on the success of the covid-19 vaccinations now widely available, and...
Man critical after being shot near the Allegheny Commons in Pittsburgh
A man was in critical condition early Wednesday after Pittsburgh police say he arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the back. Pittsburgh police officers from Zone 1 responded to reports of gunfire in the area of East Ohio Street at Allegheny Commons around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, according...
Washington County man gets 28 years for child sex abuse convictions
A Washington County man has been sentenced to 28 years behind bars for documenting acts of child sexual exploitation and abuse, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Sean Houston, 48, of Centerville also must pay nearly $29,000 — $13,700 in victim restitution and a $15,000 fine to the court, Acting U.S. Attorney...
Westmoreland County election bureau director ousted
The Westmoreland County commissioners said Tuesday they will hire a new election bureau director. Election Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani was suspended with pay on June 8, and none of the three commissioners has disclosed reasons for that disciplinary action. Sebastiani, 63, was hired last August to run the department. She...
