Top Stories category, Page 1168
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...
House GOP ousts Trump critic Liz Cheney from top post
WASHINGTON — House Republicans ousted Rep. Liz Cheney from her post as the chamber’s No. 3 GOP leader on Wednesday, punishing her after she repeatedly rebuked former President Donald Trump for his false claims of election fraud and his role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Meeting behind closed...
Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and Go-Go’s in Rock Hall on 1st try
NEW YORK — Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and the Go-Go’s were elected Wednesday to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame their first time on the ballot, leading a class that also includes Tina Turner, Carole King and Todd Rundgren. Each will be honored during an induction ceremony in Cleveland on...
39 candidates fight for 9 Allegheny County Common Pleas judicial seats
Voters on Tuesday will have the chance to impact the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court’s future as nine seats are up for election. Thirty-nine candidates are vying for 10-year positions on the bench. Judges earn $189,794. Although there is a large slate of candidates this year, it’s not even close...
Public service in the U.S.: Increasingly thankless, exhausting
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — He scurries through his apartment, downing a quick mug of coffee, brushing his teeth, feeding his pet rabbit, Auggie, before leaving. Not so long ago, Bill Mathis would have headed to his high school classroom to discuss great literature like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The...
Teen arrested after Hempfield crash in stolen car
A 16-year-old boy was taken into custody Tuesday night after troopers spotted him driving a stolen car, according to state police. The Cadillac Northstar had been reported stolen to Latrobe police and troopers spotted it speeding on Route 119 south around 8:30 p.m. The driver attempted to make a right...
Carnegie Mellon to require students receive covid-19 vaccine for fall semester
Carnegie Mellon University will require students to be vaccinated for covid-19 to the extent permissible by law, school officials announced Tuesday. The policy, which is “consistent with scientific evidence on the importance of vaccine adoption to control spread of the virus,” according to a letter posted on the university’s website,...
Trump-backed Sean Parnell announces bid for U.S. Sen. Toomey’s seatVideo
Sean Parnell has officially declared his candidacy to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate. Parnell, a Republican, is a former Army platoon leader, veterans charity founder and published author who resides in Ohio Township. On Tuesday, he joined a growing field of candidates vying for the seat held by Sen....
Gas stations report shortages as pipeline shutdown continuesVideo
CHAMBLEE, Ga. — More than 1,000 gas stations in the Southeast reported running out of fuel, primarily because of what analysts say is unwarranted panic-buying among drivers, as the shutdown of a major pipeline by a gang of hackers entered its fifth day Tuesday. Government officials acted swiftly to waive...
