Top Stories category, Page 1196
Pittsburgh church founder sentenced for labor trafficking, fraud charges
A Pittsburgh woman who founded her own church, recruited and abused women in it, then perpetrated a years-long fraud operating a fake travel agency will spend 12 years in prison. Tracie Dickey, also known as Tracie Williams, 57, was sentenced on Monday on wire fraud and labor trafficking charges in...
2 Jeannette neighbors charged with neglect of animals
Two Jeannette neighbors were charged Tuesday with neglect of animals after five pit bulls were found without water last year and infected with parasites, according to court papers. Investigators said the animals belonged to Dale A. Shaw, 65, and Elaine Decker, no age available, was their caretaker. Both live on...
CDC says British covid variant is now the most common strain in U.S.
WASHINGTON — A variant of the coronavirus first identified in Britain is now the most common strain circulating in the United States. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, says the strain, formally known as B.1.1.7, is “now the most common lineage circulating in...
Westmoreland County surpasses 30,000 covid cases
Westmoreland County became the 12th county in Pennsylvania to pass 30,000 coronavirus cases. The 119 additional cases — 37 confirmed and 82 probable — reported Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health put Westmoreland County’s total at 30,005. Westmoreland reached 20,000 cases on Jan. 4; 10,000 cases on Dec. 3;...
Black bear spotted in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington, Overbrook neighborhoodsVideo
A black bear was spotted several times early Wednesday in Pittsburgh, authorities said. Officers in Zone 3, which covers a swath of Pittsburgh’s southern neighborhoods, responded to several sightings of a bear early Wednesday morning, said spokeswoman Cara Cruz. Cruz said officers spotted a bear on Groveland Street in Overbrook...
North Shore businesses thrilled to welcome fans back for Pirates home opener
The first Pirates home game usually brings a sense of excitement and renewal for players and fans. But not many are more excited about fans being allowed back into PNC Park than Kyle Martin, a server at the North Shore Tavern on Federal Street across from the ballpark. Restaurants and...
Giant Slide at Mammoth Park set to reopen
The new Giant Slide at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant Township is expected to reopen in late spring. The complex featuring two 100-foot slides was shut down a month after it was unveiled last July when reports of injured children and adults surfaced. Westmoreland County officials said is targeted to...
Police search for suspect in Hempfield shooting of 17-year-old boy
A 17-year-old boy was injured in a shooting at Hempfield Heights Apartment Complex Tuesday during a drug deal and state police are looking for the suspect, according to court papers. An arrest warrant has been issued for Darnell Albert Dennison, 19, of Hempfield. He is charged with aggravated assault, unlawful...
Officials: Covid surge at Pitt ‘endangering our campus and surrounding communities’
The University of Pittsburgh is “sounding the alarm” and adjusting its testing strategy amid a surge in covid-19 cases. The university reported 48 new infections on the Pittsburgh campus Tuesday, including 46 students and two employees. Twenty-eight of the student cases were recorded Friday alone — the highest single-day case...
Man found shot to death in backyard of home in Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood
Pittsburgh police are investigating a fatal shooting overnight in the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. Officers from the Zone 2 station in the North Side responded to a 911 call for an unresponsive man in the 2800 block of McDowell Street at about 12:30 a.m., according to a city public safety spokeswoman....
Cassandra Gross case: Mother laments unsolved homicide of missing daughter
Prosecutors plan a full review of the homicide case as a third year passes without an arrest in the disappearance of Cassandra Gross. District Attorney John Peck said the original prosecutor involved with the case has left his office, and Peck plans to examine the evidence state police have gathered...
Police: Man shot in shin in Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood, residence hit, too
A man was hospitalized after being shot in the shin Tuesday in Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood, police said. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said police responded to a ShotSpotter alert and 911 calls for shots fired around 7:15 p.m. along the 1900 block of Manhattan Street. Officers located the victim along...
Vote signals support for child sex abuse window in bill form
HARRISBURG — The state House of Representatives showed solid support Tuesday for enacting a two-year lawsuit window for child victims of sexual abuse as a regular bill, two weeks after the Legislature gave its first round of approval to a similar constitutional amendment. The 148 to 53 vote set the...
Nearly half of new U.S. virus infections are in just 5 statesVideo
Nearly half of new coronavirus infections nationwide are in just five states — a situation that is putting pressure on the federal government to consider changing how it distributes vaccines by sending more doses to hot spots. New York, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey together reported 44% of the...
Man who fell to death at West Mifflin plant identified, OSHA investigating
Authorities have identified the man who fell to death at a plant in West Mifflin on Tuesday. Melvin Long, 65, of Clairton fell 41 feet from a catwalk at LafargeHolcim’s Duquesne Aggregates plant in the 4800 block of Buttermilk Hollow Road. The incident occurred at about 2:45 p.m., county police...
Pennsylvania’s push for vaccine equity has been a challenge
Getting shots into the arms of the state’s most vulnerable elderly and minority residents remains a challenge, even as vaccine begins a steady flow into Pennsylvania, state officials said Tuesday. It took the combined efforts of three managed care giants tasked with reaching out to the marginalized and those most...
Student loans canceled for students who attended schools operated by Education Corp. of America
Students who attended schools operated by the defunct Education Corporation of America will have their private student loans canceled. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced an agreement on Tuesday that will result in the cancellation of about $2.6 million in private Pennsylvania student loans for 1,300 students who attended schools...
Police seek suspect in Stowe shooting; victim upgraded to fair condition
A 29-year-old Stowe man is wanted by police in connection with an early-morning shooting April 4 outside a township nightclub. Stowe Township police responded to a call for shots fired at 3:15 a.m. Sunday outside of the True Diamonds nightclub on Island Avenue. The 31-year-old victim was shot multiple times...
Planning commission recommends Lawrenceville zoning program to slow gentrification
No one spoke out against a proposal to make permanent a temporary zoning law that requires developers of any project with 20 or more units in Lawrenceville to set aside 10% of their units for people who earn lower incomes. Instead, Pittsburgh Planning Commission members Tuesday heard from residents in...
Bill moves forward to rename section of Route 981 in honor of late Rep. Reese of Mt. Pleasant Township
The state House transportation committee approved a bill to name a 3½-mile section of Route 981 from the intersection of Route 819 to Route 2021 south of Norvelt after the late state Rep. Mike Reese of Mt. Pleasant Township. Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Connellsville, the prime sponsor of the bill, said...
Toll 66 on-ramp in Hempfield reopened following afternoon crash
The Route 136 on-ramp to the Route 66 Turnpike Extension in Hempfield has reopened following a two-vehicle crash on Tuesday afternoon, county emergency officials said. The crash was reported around 4:45 p.m., for a report of a two-vehicle crash with possible entrapment. One person involved in the crash was flown...
New Kensington-Arnold’s new superintendent eager to get started
After a second interview, Chris Sefcheck said he wanted the job of superintendent of the New Kensington-Arnold School District so much he didn’t care if it meant a longer commute. He’ll start making that drive on July 1, after the school board hired him on Tuesday. “I really already feel...
Pittsburgh supports Philadelphia in lawsuit against state Firearm Preemption Laws
Pittsburgh city officials this week threw support behind a lawsuit filed last year in Philadelphia challenging Pennsylvania’s Firearm Preemption Laws, alleging they keep the city from combating gun violence and “have forged a state-created danger.” The brief, filed Monday in support of the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state...
Is there a crisis of ‘forced mass displacement’ of Black Pittsburghers? Residents, council divided on answer
Why did 7,000 Black Pittsburgh residents leave the city between 2014 and 2018? The answer depends on who’s talking. Community activist Randall Taylor, a former Pittsburgh Public Schools board member and city council candidate, calls it a “crisis of forced mass displacement” of Black residents. City councilmen Ricky Burgess and...
Pastor saves Peyton Manning the pooch from black bear attack in Mt. Pleasant Township
It was a frightening night for a Mt. Pleasant Township pastor who fended off a black bear that had the family dog clutched in its teeth. The Rev. Tim Stradling said Tuesday that Peyton Manning, a 9-year-old Maltese/silky terrier mix, is recovering at a Monroeville animal hospital. The dog has...
