Top Stories category, Page 1167
3 candidates vie to fill vacancy in 59th district special election
Ligonier Democrat Mariah Fisher, Unity Republican Leslie Baum Rossi and Ligonier Libertarian Robb Luther will square off Tuesday in a special election to fill the vacancy in the 59th Legislative District created by the Jan. 2 death of state Rep. Mike Reese. Reese, a 42-year-old Republican rising star from Mt....
2-story Duquesne building evacuated as crews battle fire
Occupants were evacuated safely Wednesday night as crews battled flames in a two-story building in Duquesne, WPXI-TV reported. However, some pets may have perished, the station said. The two-alarm fire was reported just before 10 p.m. in the 400 block of Grant Avenue, according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatch...
Man taken from scene of 6-hour SWAT standoff in Baldwin Township
A man was handcuffed and taken in an ambulance from the scene of a SWAT standoff Wednesday night in Baldwin Township, according to WPXI-TV. According to the station, township police said a mental health warrant was issued for the man, who barricaded himself in an apartment on McNeilly Road after...
Western Pa. gas prices creep up by 6 to 9 cents; demand likely to climb even as Colonial pipeline reopensVideo
Western Pennsylvania gasoline prices have crept up by 6 to 9 cents in the past week, and drivers should expect a sustained climb in prices as the nation rebounds from pandemic-spurred shutdowns and more people hit the road for vacations this summer. Analysts say the uptick can be attributed primarily...
UPMC study finds tubes have no lasting benefit over antibiotics for kids with ear infections
When a young child has chronic ear infections, a common form of treatment is to surgically place tubes in their ears for two years. But researchers from UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh have found no long-term benefit to the tubes compared with the alternative: giving...
Drivers scrambling for fuel as hacked pipeline restartsVideo
CLEMMONS, N.C. — Drivers waited in long lines Wednesday at gas stations in the Southeast after a hack of the nation’s largest fuel pipeline led to distribution problems and panic-buying, draining supplies at thousands of gas stations. Although there was no gasoline shortage, there was a problem getting the fuel...
Pittsburgh officials showboat new River Rescue vesselVideo
Pittsburgh city and public safety officials unveiled a new River Rescue boat Wednesday, one equipped with advanced lifesaving equipment and a sonar system for searching underwater. The advanced capabilities mean that River Rescue personnel — trained dive paramedics and police — will be more equipped not only to get people...
Airport grants help with Pittsburgh International cargo expansion, Arnold Palmer Regional signs
Pittsburgh International Airport’s cargo amenities and Arnold Palmer Regional Airport’s passenger terminal got a boost Wednesday from PennDOT grants totaling more than $2.8 million. The bulk of the funding, $2.4 million, will assist the Allegheny County Airport Authority’s plan to develop expanded air cargo facilities at Pittsburgh International, including buildings...
Power restored, road reopened after bucket truck rolls over, pulls lines down in Buffalo Township
A bucket truck rolled onto its side Wednesday afternoon and pulled power lines down in Buffalo Township. A Butler County emergency dispatcher said the crash occurred around 4:15 p.m. in the 200 block of Ekastown Road, near Hranica’s Auto Services. No injuries were reported. The road was blocked off in...
Allegheny County entering ‘new phase’ of the pandemic, officials say
Allegheny County officials on Wednesday said the region soon will move into a new phase of the covid-19 pandemic, as infection levels drop and the state braces for loosened restrictions next week. “We’re going to be following the governor’s guidelines where they are,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said at...
In Pittsburgh appearance, Wolf urges residents not to limit his office’s emergency powers
Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday urged voters in Allegheny County to vote against two ballot questions that would limit the governor’s authority in a declared emergency. One ballot question asks voters to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to require the governor to seek lawmakers’ approval to continue an emergency declaration past...
Republicans purge Liz Cheney for ‘unity,’ but Trump bent on retribution
WASHINGTON — Republican leaders insisted that purging Trump critic Rep. Liz Cheney from their ranks was necessary to unify the party ahead of next year’s midterm elections. But former President Donald Trump, who celebrated Cheney’s ouster by calling her a “bitter, horrible human being,” has made clear he has no...
U.S. advisers endorse Pfizer covid shot for kids 12 and upVideo
U.S. health advisers endorsed use of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine in kids as young as 12 on Wednesday, just as expected new guidelines say it’s OK for people of any age to get the shot at the same time as other needed vaccinations. The sprint to vaccinate millions of middle and...
Congressional hearing on Jan. 6 violence at Capitol devolves into partisan divisionsVideo
WASHINGTON — Republicans sought to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 insurrection during a rancorous congressional hearing Wednesday, painting the Trump supporters who attacked the building as mostly peaceful patriots and downplaying repeatedly the violence of the day. Democrats, meanwhile, clashed with Donald Trump’s former Pentagon chief about the...
Man pleads guilty to assault, taunting police animals in last year’s Downtown Pittsburgh protest
A Crafton man pleaded guilty to damaging a police car and assaulting police horses during last year’s protests Downtown following the death in Minnesota of George Floyd. Raekwon Blankenship, 25, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Judge Thomas E. Flaherty on Aug. 12. He is the first to plead to...
Infant showing ‘signs of improvement’ after falling into 55-gallon fish tank at Murrysville home
A 9-month-old boy showed signs of improvement late last night after falling into a 55-gallon fish tank at a home, Murrysville police said Wednesday. Shortly after 6 p.m., emergency crews responded to the home in the 5200 block of Sardis Road after the infant had been pulled out of the...
Three Rivers Arts Festival expanding plans in response to lifting of covid restrictions
The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival is adjusting its plans in response to the ending of mass gathering restrictions effective at the end of the month, expanding its footprint into Point State Park and nixing plans to require timed tickets for entry. The 10-day event will be offered in...
Artists expand their palettes during pandemic, just in time for ‘Art of the State’ competition
At the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, people across the globe found themselves with a bit of extra time on their hands, and many used it to try something new — baking bread for the first time, or learning a skill they couldn’t make time for normally. The State Museum...
Police: Wilkinsburg man shot pregnant girlfriend
A Wilkinsburg man shot his pregnant girlfriend Tuesday night, leaving the woman in critical condition, according to Allegheny County Police. Dorian McIntosh, 28, is charged with attempted homicide, accused of shooting his 23-year-old girlfriend who is seven weeks pregnant. The shooting happened just after 10 p.m. at a home on...
Some Pa. lawmakers tout expense transparency, but their websites tell a different story
Over the next year, The Caucus and Spotlight PA will examine and make public specific areas of spending by the legislature as part of their ongoing efforts to follow the money and track taxpayer dollars. Be the first to know by signing up for Spotlight PA’s free newsletters. Spotlight PA...
Allegheny County nears 100,000 covid cases, but at slower pace than rest of year
As Allegheny County draws nearer to reaching the 100,000 mark for covid-19 cases, it’s doing so at a slower pace in May than it has the rest of the year. The Allegheny County Health Department reported 183 additional cases on Wednesday, with the county’s total reaching 99,567. For May, the...
Squirrel Hill Theater coming down to make room for housing complexVideo
A piece of history crumbled on Forward Avenue on Tuesday, as a bulldozer and other equipment began the demolition of the Squirrel Hill Theater. The movie theater, part of the neighborhood for 74 years, closed in 2010. The demolition will give way to a housing complex and office space called...
Judge backs aggravating factors in Chauvin trial, clears way for longer prison term
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota judge has ruled that there were aggravating factors in the death of George Floyd, paving the way for the possibility of a longer sentence for Derek Chauvin, according to an order made public Wednesday. In his ruling dated Tuesday, Judge Peter Cahill found Chauvin abused his...
West Deer man pleads guilty to crash that killed his passenger, bond revoked
A West Deer man who was driving under the influence of marijuana pleaded guilty Wednesday to homicide by vehicle for a 2019 crash that killed his passenger. Carl Keating, 33, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Beth A. Lazzara on Aug. 10. She said he is likely...
Lawyer: No evidence to support homicide charge in Derry mother’s shooting death
The lawyer for a Unity man accused in the shooting death of a Derry mother contends murder charges should be dismissed for a lack of evidence. Police contend Nathan Quidetto, 21, sought revenge for a drug deal gone awry when at 4 a.m. July 20 he fired shots into a...
