Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 12
East Huntingdon, developer reach deal to end lawsuit challenging solar farm ordinance
The challenge of an ordinance enacted last year by East Huntingdon regarding solar farm development has been settled. Court records made public Wednesday revealed lawyers for the township and GreenKey Development Inc. reached a deal this month that kept the township’s ordinance in place but also allowed the company to...
Colorectal cancer rates skyrocketing in younger people
Intuition is what prompted Colleen McGarrity to get a colonoscopy at age 41. The preventative screening probably saved her life. The Ford City resident experienced spotty symptoms but had no family history of colon cancer. A nurse at ACMH Hospital, she considered herself generally healthy. “My diagnosis came out of...
Aspinwall Council censures mayor for allegedly illegally recording private meeting
Aspinwall Mayor Scott Zimmermann has been censured by council members for what they claim was illegally recording a private meeting with borough officials. Council voted 5-1 on Wednesday, March 11 to pass a resolution expressing its disapproval of the mayor’s actions and requested that he resign. Councilwoman Patti McCaffrey dissented...
Head priest of Trinity Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh accused of stealing over $1K in baseball cards from Walmart
The head priest at Trinity Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh faces a preliminary hearing later this month on charges he stole more than $1,000 worth of baseball cards in February. The Very Rev. Aidan E. Smith, 42, of Ambridge was charged with retail theft and receiving stolen property. Smith was arrested...
PennDOT takes public comment on plans for Route 30 intersection with Wimmerton Boulevard
Unity residents and Route 30 drivers got a chance to speak with PennDOT and local officials at an open house Wednesday night about plans to address a troublesome intersection in the township. The main purpose of the project is to restrict drivers on both Wimmerton Boulevard and St. Xavier’s Road...
Yale report warns Independence Health takeover could prove costly for patients
West Virginia University Medicine’s pending takeover of Independence Health System would reduce competition and likely drive up patient costs, according to the Health Care Affordability Lab at Yale. A report released Monday by the lab found the acquisition would make parts of Fayette and Westmoreland counties even more severe “red...
How much money would Pittsburgh get if its big nonprofits paid taxes?
If the region’s five largest nonprofits had to pay taxes, they would together annually contribute about $133 million to Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and Pittsburgh Public Schools, according to the Keystone Research Center. The Harrisburg-based research center this week released a report detailing how much the taxing bodies would rake in...
Oil shock from Iran war prompts countries to open strategic reservesVideo
NEW YORK — A widening war in Iran has halted oil tankers, made targets of refineries and spooked investors worried about the cascading impact of spiking energy prices. In response, the International Energy Agency agreed on Wednesday to release the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history, with...
Western Pa. primary races shaping up as candidates file nomination petitions
The May 19 primary could feature more than a dozen contested races across Southwestern Pennsylvania for state House and Senate, the U.S. House and lieutenant governor, according to a state database of candidates who filed nomination paperwork to run for office. The field of candidates isn’t set yet, though. Signatures...
U.S. at fault in strike on school in Iran, preliminary inquiry says
WASHINGTON — An ongoing military investigation has determined that the United States is responsible for a deadly Tomahawk missile strike on an Iranian elementary school, according to U.S. officials and others familiar with the preliminary findings. The Feb. 28 strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school building was the result...
Poll ranks Parkway East high for angst, gridlock among Pennsylvania roads
A personal injury law firm’s recent poll confirms what most Pittsburghers already know — the Parkway East is anything but a fun stretch to drive. Munley Law surveyed 3,015 U.S. workers who commute by car and found that Interstate 376 (aka Parkway East) on either side of the Squirrel Hill...
Hazelwood home renovation tests power of recycled building materials
A single-family home in Hazelwood is serving as a testing ground for a renovation project exploring how recycled building materials could cut construction costs and carbon emissions. “Communities can save a lot of money by not having to purchase new materials,” said Chris Cieslak, COO of Green Building Alliance, from...
Official questions Allegheny County assessment practices
The chair of the Board of Property Assessment Appeals and Review in Allegheny County is raising concerns about staffing and funding levels for tax assessors and the board itself. This comes ahead of what he says will be a busy appeals season — and a potential court-ordered countywide reassessment within...
Jury finds Homewood man who shot identical twins guilty of 1st-degree murder
A Homewood man will serve the rest of his life in prison after a jury on Wednesday found him guilty of first-degree murder. Preslin Turner,37, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Simquita Bridges within 90 days. The penalty for first-degree murder in Pennsylvania is mandatory life in...
Pittsburgh police detective charged with assault in beer bottle attack during bar brawl
A Pittsburgh police detective was charged Wednesday with assault for allegedly braining a man with a full beer bottle during a bar fight last month, leaving a 6-inch gash in the man’s forehead. The man investigators said he hit was also charged in the brawl. Det. Richard L. Dilimone Jr.,...
Mention of prior murder conviction in Westmoreland County leads to mistrial in Pittsburgh homicide case
An Allegheny County Common Pleas judge granted a mistrial Wednesday in the case of a man accused of killing his girlfriend’s ex during a custody exchange in Pittsburgh three years ago. Ambrose Sample Jr., 45, is charged with killing Corey Washington in the Family Dollar parking lot on Brighton Road...
$500K program to spruce up Pittsburgh business district facades
A new effort to beautify storefronts will help local businesses throughout Pittsburgh, Mayor Corey O’Connor announced Tuesday. The mayor unveiled a $500,000 investment from Pittsburgh Urban Initiatives — an arm of the Urban Redevelopment Authority — to improve building facades. The program is part of O’Connor’s Main & Main initiative...
‘It would’ve taken up half this block’: Massive gas leak narrowly averted in Mt. Pleasant
A gas leak at a home improvement store in Mt. Pleasant could have resulted in an explosion, destroying half a block of East Main Street, said Mt. Pleasant fire Chief Paul Harenchar. About six fire departments were dispatched to Renovation Nation, an auction house for building materials, about 11:20 a.m....
Budget deficit leads Mt. Lebanon School District officials to consider tax hike, potential staff furloughs
A projected $4.2 million deficit in Mt. Lebanon School District’s budget next school year has officials considering a property tax increase and a plan that, they say, would enable them to furlough staff if needed. The school board Monday will consider a resolution that would allow administration to furlough up...
What you need to know for Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade
About 20% of the Pittsburgh metro area’s population claims some Irish heritage — that’s a lot of people dressed in green coming out to celebrate starting this weekend. We boast one of the country’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parades every year, and Saturday’s festivities are expected to be no different....
Police probe threats against Allegheny County Council President Pat Catena ahead of meeting on ICE bill
Police are investigating threats against Allegheny County Council President Pat Catena made ahead of a public meeting related to immigration enforcement. Catena, a Carnegie Democrat, joined a council meeting Tuesday evening virtually, explaining he had received a threat and was staying home with his family. He linked the threat to...
Dr. Oz, who runs Medicare and Medicaid, meets with UPMC’s CEO to discuss collaboration
UPMC CEO Leslie Davis recently met with Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, bringing together leadership from Western Pennsylvania’s largest health system and the agency overseeing critical government insurance programs. The two discussed UPMC’s efforts to roll out new technology, fast-track medical innovations and...
Tornado, flood watches expire for Pittsburgh area
Western Pennsylvania did not have any official reports of a tornado touching down on Wednesday evening as strong storms and wind lashed the region, according to the National Weather Service. “We’ve had some wind damage in some spots, especially Fayette County near Perryopolis and a little bit in Westmoreland County,”...
‘Contagious’ courage: Pittsburgh honors EMS crews who plunged into icy Mon after fatal crash
Greg Tersine, a Pittsburgh paramedic and crew chief diver, wasn’t assigned to patrol the city’s waterways on Jan. 29. But when first responders received a call that a car had careened off the Parkway East and landed in the icy Monongahela River, Tersine was the first to put on his...
New development envisioned for Westinghouse site in Churchill
The former Westinghouse Research and Technology Park in Churchill could soon become a walkable mixed-use development. Nicole DeLuca, co-founder, managing partner and CEO of Commonwealth Commercial Real Estate, presented an early rendering of the project, which it is calling Legacy Crossings, at Monday’s Churchill Borough Council meeting. Plans show wholesale...
