Top Stories category, Page 134
Texas inspectors approved Camp Mystic’s disaster plan 2 days before deadly flood, records show
Texas inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic’s emergency planning just two days before catastrophic flooding killed more than two dozen people at the all-girls Christian summer camp, most of them children. The Department of State Health Services released records Tuesday showing the camp complied with a host of state regulations...
North Side woman jailed for assaulting mother now faces homicide charge in her death
Police have charged a Reserve Township woman with delivering the bone-breaking punch that caused her 73-year-old mother’s death — just days after the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the mother’s death a homicide. Krystal Slepski, 43, punched Patricia Kachinko in the chest during a June 2 argument at Kachinko’s...
Trump administration looks to ban sale of U.S. farmland to Chinese buyers
The Trump administration is moving to ban the sale of American farmland to buyers from China and other countries deemed adversaries, citing national security concerns. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said during a news conference Tuesday that the administration also would work to “claw back what has already been purchased...
Police charge Carnegie man with leaving dogs to roast in scorching heat
A Carnegie man is facing a preliminary hearing after police accused him of leaving his three dogs outside during a sweltering week in June without food or water, leading one animal to suffer brain swelling and die. Carnegie police on Monday arrested James Brandon Lewis, 41, on three felony counts...
Police: Jeannette woman tried to hit trooper with her Jeep after fleeing traffic stop, kept going
A Jeannette woman was charged with a dozen counts of aggravated assault after state police said she fled a traffic stop, tried to drive into an officer and had to be forcibly removed from her vehicle. Amanda L. Nelson, 36, of Altman Road faces nearly 30 charges in connection with...
EQT buys Olympus for $1.8B, consolidates grip on Southwestern Pa. natural gas
Pittsburgh-based natural gas producer EQT Corp. has acquired local competitor Olympus Energy for $1.8 billion. The deal, which officially closed last week, consolidates EQT’s control over regional natural gas deposits at a time of rising demand. “This strategic transaction strengthens our position as the leading natural gas producer in the...
Palmer airport terminal expansion takes off with July arrival of steel beams
Officials at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport on Tuesday marked the first milestone in construction of a $28 million terminal expansion, with about a third of the project’s initial phase in place. Completion of the first of three phases is slated for April of next year, according to Scott Kunselman, engineer...
Turkey-raising ceases at Pounds Turkey Farm in Allegheny Township, market remains open
There are fewer mouths to feed this summer at Pounds Turkey Farm in Allegheny Township. About 3,000 fewer, as owners Tim, Beverly and Rick Pounds announced Tuesday their long-lamented decision to cease raising fresh turkeys annually on the family farm that has been in operation since 1935. Beverly Pounds and...
Passenger sues Allegheny County Police over incident at Pittsburgh airport
A New Jersey man said a decision by Allegheny County Police to detain him two years ago at Pittsburgh International Airport when he began asking questions after his flight was canceled violated his constitutional rights and “is an example of the systemic injustice routinely faced by Black men,” according to...
New book claims Gov. Shapiro’s Jewish faith was not why he lost out as VP pick
According to a new book, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Jewish faith was not a reason for former Vice President Kamala Harris spurning him as her running mate last year, contradicting accusations made by President Donald Trump. The Forward, a Jewish publication, obtained excerpts of “How Trump Retook the White House and...
Supreme Court clears way for Trump’s plans to downsize federal workforce
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for President Donald Trump’s plans to downsize the federal workforce despite warnings that critical government services will be lost and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be out of their jobs. The justices overrode lower court orders that temporarily...
Texas governor says more than 160 people are still missing after deadly floodsVideo
KERRVILLE, Texas — More than 160 people are believed to be missing in Texas in the aftermath of the flash floods that killed more than 100 over the July Fourth weekend, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday. Abbot said many of those who are not accounted for were staying in state’s...
Pittsburgh boosts protections for LGBTQ+ people, pares prostitution penalty
Last month, Pittsburgh Councilwoman Barb Warwick said she hoped a package of bills she was introducing would spark a larger conversation about supporting LGBTQ+ people and signal that everyone is welcome at a Pittsburgh, even as the Trump administration put vulnerable communities “under attack.” On Tuesday, Warwick claimed a victory...
Trump’s scheduled summit at Carnegie Mellon meets backlash
Carrie McDonough was appalled upon learning that President Donald Trump would appear at a summit hosted by Carnegie Mellon University. She immediately began formulating an open letter to the administration, condemning what she saw as a dangerous legitimization of the Trump administration’s values. “Trump is a harmful person,” said McDonough,...
No penalty sought over Pittsburgh cop’s call for backup at heated council meeting
Pittsburgh City Council President R. Daniel Lavelle on Tuesday said he was not seeking any punishment for the sergeant at arms who called for backup during a heated council meeting last week despite issuing a public statement calling for an investigation into the incident. John Svitek, a uniformed Pittsburgh police...
Pittsburgh council rejects 1 of 2 competing zoning reform bills
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday struck down one of two competing zoning proposals that have sparked controversy and outlined different paths to creating more affordable housing. Inclusionary zoning — which mandates that a percentage of housing units in large new developments be designated as affordable for low-income people — already...
Pittsburgh council strengthens oversight of $15M Stop the Violence fund
Oversight will increase for a multimillion-dollar fund to combat violence in Pittsburgh amid City Council concerns that supervision was weak. Council voted unanimously to add reporting requirements and other safeguards to the Stop the Violence fund, which has around $15 million in taxpayer money that is allocated to numerous grassroots...
1 killed, another injured in North Huntingdon construction accident
A construction worker was killed Tuesday after he was run over by a vehicle at a Route 993 bridge rehabilitation project in North Huntingdon, according to police Chief Robert Rizzo. Brian Keefer, 53, of Indian Head, Fayette County, was identified by police as the worker who was killed. A second...
Former Penn Hills police officer charged in alleged road rage incident
A former Penn Hills police officer has been accused of intentionally spinning out another driver and later resisting arrest in Plum. Dennis Pape, 49, faces misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person, obstructing administration of law or other government and resisting arrest in addition to some summary charges. According to...
Get ready to pass through airport security checkpoints with your shoes on your feet
For the first time in almost 20 years, travelers may no longer be required to take off their shoes during security screenings at U.S. airports. The Transportation Security Administration is looking to abandon the additional security step that has for years bedeviled anyone passing through U.S airports, according to media...
Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize. What happens next?
U.S. President Donald Trump has been nominated again for the Nobel Peace Prize. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Trump on Monday that he recommended him for the prestigious award, handing the American leader the letter he said he sent the Nobel committee. Trump has been nominated several times by...
UPMC ended trans care for kids, teens after letter from Dr. Oz seeking data
UPMC was among several hospitals that were sent a letter by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services before ending gender-affirming care for patients under 19. The letter, dated May 28 and signed by Dr. Mehmet Oz, the agency’s administrator, warned of “significant issues concerning quality standards and specific...
Effort to find abandoned, orphaned wells coming to Ross, Shaler
An effort to find abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells so that they can be plugged will make its way this summer to Ross and Shaler. After metal-detecting drones found 250 such wells in eight square miles of rural Clarion and McKean counties last fall, the coalition of government...
Ticky business: How Pitt researchers track the 8-legged bloodsuckers
There’s nothing fancy about tick hunting. When University of Pittsburgh professor Danielle Tufts and her team of public health students go out, they bring just a few things: A white jumpsuit, a pair of tweezers, some tiny vials to store specimens and a meter-long piece of white corduroy. The cloth...
Mt. Pleasant man convicted of sexual assault of child
A Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday convicted a Mt. Pleasant man of the repeated sexual abuse of a teen about a decade ago. Following a brief trial that started Monday and included testimony from the alleged victim and their mother, the jury deliberated more than four hours before reaching its...
