Top Stories category, Page 1193
Legendary Pirates usher Phil Coyne, whose career spanned from Forbes Field to PNC Park, dies at age 102
Phil Coyne spent eight decades as an usher for Pittsburgh Pirates games, spanning from Forbes Field to Three Rivers Stadium to PNC Park, and only one tradition lasted longer. Known as “Philly” to family and friends, Coyne ate two Oreo cookies with a glass of milk before going to bed...
Rapper-actor DMX dead at 50
NEW YORK — DMX, the raspy-voiced hip-hop artist behind the songs “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” and “Party Up (Up in Here)” who had one of rap’s most distinctive voices — literally and metaphorically — has died, according to a statement Friday from his family. He was 50. The Grammy-nominated performer died...
‘Ice ball man’ Gus Kalaris is back on the North Side
The “ice ball man” is back on the North Side. Gus Kalaris has been manning the bright orange ice ball cart under the rainbow-colored umbrella near West Park on Pittsburgh’s North Side for seven decades. The stand opened for the season on Wednesday, just in time for the Pirates home...
Bicycle industry still booming a year into the pandemic
Bicycles continue to spin out of stores in record numbers. Last March, people began purchasing bicycles at the beginning of the pandemic. A year later, the industry continues to see an increase in sales — to the point where manufacturers are struggling to supply product, experts said. “We used to...
Lawsuit claims Sheetz assistant manager wrongly fired
A Cheswick woman claimed in a lawsuit filed this week she was wrongfully fired last summer as an assistant manager of a Sheetz store after she refused to follow a company directive that initially ordered her to not attend a criminal court hearing to which she had been called to...
As Pa. covid cases rise, hospitalizations drop for 1st time in nearly 3 weeks
With the latest numbers released Friday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, coronavirus cases are continuing to increase across the state. However, state hospitalizations for covid declined for the first time in nearly three weeks. That, combined with the fact that more than 20% of the state population has been...
Frick Park Snake makes humorous debut on social media
Frick Park Snake is back — this time on social media. It was only a matter of time. The large black rat snake that captured Western Pennsylvania’s attention on Thursday surfaced on Twitter. And it has a sense of humor. Its description: Snacking on pets since your dad was a...
Duquesne University, Dannielle Brown reach settlement in her son’s death
Dannielle Brown, the mother of a Duquesne University student who plummeted to his death from a dorm room window, has settled her claims against the university, according to a statement from her attorneys and the university. Marquis Jaylen ‘JB’ Brown had just turned 21 when, after an evening at a...
Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, dead at 99
LONDON — Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in a role that both defined and constricted his life, has died, Buckingham Palace said Friday. He was 99. His life spanned nearly a century of European history,...
1940s house in Fox Chapel updated with modern amenities on the market for $1.9M
The vintage bottle-top glass detail on the front door of the Fox Chapel home gives a glimpse into its character. Western Pennsylvania was known as a center of glass before it became famous for steel. Built in 1940, the three-story Tudor house at 900 West Waldheim Road has been updated...
Colleges prepare for a freshman class unlike any other after a pandemic year
As elementary and high schools plot strategies to combat lost learning over the pandemic year, colleges and universities across the region are preparing to support a freshman class unlike any they have ever welcomed. Thousands of high school students poised to attend college next fall likely will be stepping out...
Pittsburgh mayoral candidates take on issues during virtual forumVideo
Three of the four Pittsburgh mayoral candidates talked about the need to make drastic changes in the way the city operates during a virtual forum Thursday evening. The fourth, incumbent Mayor Bill Peduto, cited work his administration has done over the last seven years, but said he’s seeking a third...
2 fires near Ohiopyle State Park extinguished, nearly 500 acres of woodlands destroyed
Two fires at opposite ends of Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County consumed nearly 500 acres of woodlands before they were extinguished early Friday morning, according to authorities. A fire along Dunbar Road in a state game lands areas was reported shortly after 5 p.m. and consumed more than 250...
North Carolina sites halt Johnson & Johnson shots after adverse reactions
RALEIGH — North Carolina health officials said on Thursday that they stopped administering Johnson & Johnson doses at a mass vaccination site in Raleigh and at clinics in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill after at least 26 people experienced adverse reactions, including fainting. Four people were taken to hospitals for further...
Allegheny Health Network expands eligibility for weekend vaccine clinics to include Phase 1C
Allegheny Health Network is expanding eligibility for their covid-19 vaccine clinics this weekend to include those in Phase 1C of the state’s vaccine distribution plan. During clinics in Monroeville on Friday and Saturday, AHN plans to administer 13,000 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to those Phase 1A,...
Police: Employee kills 1, wounds 5 at Texas cabinet business
BRYAN, Texas — A man opened fire Thursday at a Texas cabinet-making company where he worked, killing one person and wounding five others before shooting and wounding a state trooper prior to his arrest, authorities said. Bryan Police Chief Eric Buske told reporters he believes the suspect, whose name wasn’t...
Authorities attempt to unravel double shooting in Jeannette that injured two juveniles
Jeannette police and county detectives continue to investigate daylight shootings Wednesday that sent two boys to an area hospital. No arrests have been made, but police Chief Shannon Binda expects charges will be filed. The shooting occurred just before 6 p.m. in the vicinity of the 100 block of Locust...
Pennsylvania promises quicker, easier jobless claims system
HARRISBURG — After a year of frustration over long waits for checks, jammed phone lines and confusing online filing procedures, Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry is promising a much quicker and easier unemployment compensation claims filing system in two months. The new system, scheduled to launch on June 8,...
State College construction firm accused of stealing $20 million from workers
HARRISBURG — A major Pennsylvania construction contractor was charged Thursday with stealing tens of millions of dollars from its own workers by systematically violating state and federal prevailing wage laws on taxpayer-funded public infrastructure projects. Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. of State College, a 70-year-old company that booked $1.7 billion in...
Allegheny Township teen rescues his toddler brother from drowning
No one knows who taught Griffin Croney CPR — including Griffin, himself — but everyone is relieved the 13-year-old from Allegheny Township somehow knew how to perform chest compressions. The teenager on Wednesday rescued his younger brother from drowning. “He’ll be a hero in my book forever,” said Rich Cantolina,...
Number of kids alone at U.S.-Mexico border hits all-time high
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government picked up nearly 19,000 children traveling alone across the Mexican border in March, authorities said Thursday, the largest monthly number ever recorded and a major test for President Joe Biden as he reverses many of his predecessor’s hardline immigration tactics. A complex mix of factors...
Pennsylvania sees rise in covid cases, hospitalizations
Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania continue to rise overall, while cases in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties remain cautiously steady according to the latest data available from the state. Hospitalizations also continue to be a concern as the numbers rise. The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday reported 4,746 additional cases; the...
Frick Park snake identified as native black rat snake
The search for what some might call a terrifyingly large snake in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park was called off Thursday, as it turns out he belongs there. Pittsburgh Public Safety tweeted mid-afternoon that reptile specialists helped Animal Care and Control identify the snake, captured in a photo by a parkgoer earlier...
Pirates fans return to PNC Park for home openerVideo
There are plenty of indications that spring has arrived in Pittsburgh, including the recent warm temperatures. But let’s face it, spring is really just a rumor until the Pirates return to PNC Park and the fans with them. It’s bad enough having to wait through one winter to get back...
Authorities: NFL player Phillip Adams killed 5, then himself
ROCK HILL, S.C. — Former NFL player Phillip Adams fatally shot five people, including a prominent doctor, his wife and their two grandchildren before killing himself early Thursday. York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson told a news conference that investigators had not yet determined a motive for Wednesday’s mass shooting. “There’s...
