Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1245
Pine-Richland cites ‘pattern of hazing, intimidation’ in letter firing coach Eric Kasperowicz
Ousted football coach Eric Kasperowicz “expressed minimal concern for hazing or empathy for the students” during a 2½-hour interview with Pine-Richland administrators in late-March, according to a letter the school district sent him cutting ties. The three-page letter dated April 14 notified Kasperowicz his contract wouldn’t be renewed and detailed...
Father of Pine-Richland football player says district using son as ‘scapegoat’ in Kasperowicz saga
The father of a Pine-Richland football player is accusing the school district’s administration of leaking information about his son to create a “scapegoat” for their decision to fire head football coach Eric Kasperowicz. Vince Cruz, whose son is a sophomore on the junior varsity football team, said he retained attorney...
Lawsuit filed in death of Penn-Trafford baseball star
The parents of a Penn Township teen who died after a crash last year on Route 130 near Jeannette filed a wrongful death lawsuit against four energy companies and PennDOT, claiming installation of a natural gas pipeline created dangerous road conditions that caused the fatal collision. The estate of Maclean...
Allegheny Land Trust reaches $3 million goal to purchase former Churchill Country Club
Two years and $3 million of fundraising later, the Allegheny Land Trust has reached its goal to purchase the former Churchill Country Club, the nonprofit announced Thursday — which serendipitously fell on Earth Day. The Sewickley-based organization has sought ownership of the 148 acres shared between Churchill and Penn Hills...
State trooper in Beaver tried to fix ticket for friends, police say
A Pennsylvania State Police trooper faces misdemeanor charges after he tried to make a traffic ticket disappear for friends, authorities said Thursday, according to charges filed by PSP internal affairs. Trask Alexander, a trooper from Troop D in the Beaver County barracks, is charged with tampering with records, tampering with...
Child bitten by rabid bat in Pitcairn prompts health department warning
A bat with rabies bit one child and might have been handled by several others in Pitcairn earlier this week, prompting a warning from the Allegheny County Health Department. The bat was captured Monday near Second Street at Center Avenue. A resident brought it to the health department for testing,...
Authorities believe remains are those of missing Amish teen Linda StoltzfoosVideo
LANCASTER — Authorities strongly believe that remains found a day earlier in a grave along railroad tracks in southern Pennsylvania are those of a young Amish woman who disappeared last summer, a county prosecutor said Thursday. Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams told a news conference that a coroner has...
Senate passes bill, 94-1, targeting hate crimes against Asian AmericansVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday approved a bill designed to make it easier for law enforcement to investigate hate crimes against Asian Americans, which have surged amid the covid-19 pandemic. In a rare, if fleeting, moment of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill, senators approved the bill 94-1. Republican Sen. Josh...
Jury trials to resume in Allegheny County criminal courts on Monday
Allegheny County President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark knows the covid-19 pandemic isn’t over. But with case counts dropping, and vaccinations increasing, she said Thursday, it’s time to resume criminal jury trials. “I just feel that we have to move forward,” Clark said. “We keep waiting for the perfect time, and...
Convicted 2015 Monroeville Mall shooter will serve original sentence, Superior Court says
A Superior Court ruling on Thursday upheld a sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison for a convicted Penn Hills man that wounded three people after opening fire in the Monroeville Mall in 2015. Tarod Thornhill, now 23, will serve his original punishment of 15 to 30 years in...
D.C. statehood approved by House as Senate fight looms
WASHINGTON — A decades-long movement to reshape the American political map took a further step Thursday as the House of Representatives approved a bill to make the nation’s capital the 51st state. Voting along party lines with minority Republicans in opposition, the House approved the bill 216-208. That’s likely the...
Former Avonmore secretary charged with stealing $54K from borough
An Avonmore woman is accused by police of stealing $54,000 from the borough’s general fund to pay personal bills when she worked as secretary for the municipality, according to Westmoreland County detectives. Rebecca E. Steele, 45, was arrested Thursday on felony charges of theft, receiving stolen property and tampering with...
Man acquitted in Wilkinsburg mass shooting gets 8 years for gun charge
The man acquitted by a jury in the 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting that killed six adults and an unborn child will serve eight years in federal prison on an unrelated charge of possessing a stolen gun. Cheron Shelton, 34, agreed to the sentence — which includes three years of supervised...
Pittsburgh, U.S. Steel commit to become carbon neutral by 2050
Pittsburgh’s leaders and its largest steel company are committing to become carbon neutral by 2050. Mayor Bill Peduto used Earth Day, marked Thursday, to issue an executive order that commits the city to 12 initiatives designed to achieve the goal of eliminating carbon dioxide emissions. The order came the day...
Covid case numbers continue to decline in Pennsylvania
For the fourth straight day, Pennsylvania’s new covid-19 case report reduces the seven-day case average — something that hasn’t happened since early March. It’s a hopeful sign, considering that from March 9, when the most recent covid-case surge began, through April 18, the state managed to lower its seven-day case...
Michael Keaton partners with Pittsburgh-area developer to locate new plant in region
As Michael Keaton prepares to reprise his role as Batman in an upcoming movie, the Pittsburgh-area native also is a partner in a business venture that could create more than 300 jobs in the region. Keaton, a Robinson native, is partnering with Emsworth developer Craig Rippole and Nexii Building Solutions,...
U.S. jobless claims fall to 547,000, another pandemic low
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid fell last week to 547,000, a new low since the pandemic struck and a further encouraging sign that layoffs are slowing on the strength of an improving job market. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications declined 39,000 from a...
TV Talk: Western Pa. ‘Worst Cooks’ contestant returns for all-star editionVideo
If you’re invited to be on an all-star edition of Food Network’s “Worst Cooks in America” (9 p.m. Sunday), does that make you among the best of the worst or the worst of the worst? “Definitely the worst of the worst,” says “Worst Cooks” contestant Sadie Manda, a Canonsburg native...
Vandergrift’s AJ’s Restaurant and Lounge on the market
A Vandergrift eatery in a historic building is on the market. AJ’s Restaurant and Lounge at 123 Washington Ave. is listed for $495,900 with Berkshire Hathaway. The asking price includes a Pennsylvania state liquor license. Proprietors Andrew and JoAnn Batiz, both 66, made the decision to buy a restaurant on...
Earth Day ’21: environmental issues past and present still present challenges
Fifty-one years after the founding of Earth Day, with the first on April 22, 1970, the manmade pollution and resulting problems created by global warming and climate change remain the biggest threat to the planet, environmental scientists say. “Certainly, the biggest concern is climate change, because it has so many...
Burrell teachers get 5-year contract with annual raises of nearly 3%
Burrell School Board on Tuesday ratified a five-year contract with the district’s teachers union, the Burrell Education Association, agreeing to an average annual wage increase of almost 3%. Burrell teachers earn an average of $72,635, according to the state Department of Education. The collective bargaining agreement covers 136 employees and...
Pittsburgh police: Man in serious but stable condition after Spring Hill shooting
A man is in serious but stable condition after police say he was shot in Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill neighborhood Wednesday evening. Pittsburgh police responded to a Shotspotter alert and a 911 call for shots fired in the 2100 block of Rhine Street around 8:15 p.m., according to Pittsburgh Public Safety...
Pittsburgh man may leave Hawaii before manslaughter trial
HONOLULU — A Pittsburgh man charged with manslaughter in the death of a friend he was vacationing with in Hawaii will be allowed to return to the U.S. mainland before his trial, a judge ruled Wednesday. Benjamin Fleming, released on $250,000 bond, must return to the Big Island for hearings...
Ohio police kill Ma’Khia Bryant, 16, who attacked 2 with knifeVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Body camera footage from other officers released Wednesday in the fatal police shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant, a Black teenager who charged at two people with a knife, showed a chaotic scene that happened within minutes of the verdict in George Floyd’s killing and ignited outrage by many...
Fayette County man gets 3 years in prison for dealing heroin via ‘Hustlas Don’t Sleep’ drug ring
A Fayette County man will spend three years behind bars for dealing heroin and fentanyl in Western Pennsylvania for more than two years, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Andrew Welty, 29, of Everson was sentenced based on drug convictions from two separate cases covering illegal drug sales that happened between September...
