Top Stories category, Page 1375
17-year-old arrested in killing of 2 in Kenosha
KENOSHA, Wis. — A white, 17-year-old police admirer was arrested Wednesday in the killing of two people gunned down during a third night of protests in Kenosha over the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. Kyle Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, was taken into custody in Illinois on suspicion...
Greensburg Diocese reveals ‘credible’ sex abuse claims against priest convicted of theft
A priest convicted of stealing money from a South Huntingdon church has been added to a list of suspected sex abusers, according to the Diocese of Greensburg. Bishop Edward C. Malesic on Wednesday issued an update on the diocese’s handling of sex abuse allegations as he prepares to depart for...
Retired Allegheny County, state judge praises Donald Trump in Tuesday’s RNC broadcast
Retired Superior Court Judge Cheryl Allen of Hampton was among a half dozen “ordinary Americans” who offered testimonials to President Donald Trump during Tuesday night’s Republican National Convention. A portion of a video that featured conversations with Vice President Mike Pence included Allen. The segment also included testimonials from five...
Gisele Fetterman gets personal about her medical marijuana use
View Gisele Barreto Fetterman through the lens of social media, and one might assume she is among the world’s most upbeat people. But those close to the lieutenant governor’s wife know she’s waged a lifelong war against chronic pain, with medical marijuana being an effective form of treatment. She felt...
County police investigate Swissvale shooting
A man was taken to the hospital in stable condition after being shot in Swissvale, according to Allegheny County Police. Allegheny County 911 was notified of a shooting in the 2200 block of South Braddock Avenue just before 11 p.m. Tuesday. Police said first responders found the man with a...
Takeaways from GOP convention: Promoting power, positivity
WASHINGTON — The second day of the Republican National Convention started with a decidedly different, more positive tone, with an emphasis on Americans who say have they benefited from President Donald Trump’s policies. Here are some takeaways from the second night. Leveraging the White House Three ruffles and flourishes. The...
Meet the man tasked with defending the Youghiogheny RiverVideo
For Eric Harder, protecting the Youghiogheny River means protecting his home. Harder developed his love for water at a community swimming pool while growing up in Kansas. The experience led him to become a rafting guide in his mid-20s. A self-described defining moment in life, Harder credits the experience for...
Natrona Heights man killed in crash on Route 28
A man was killed in a crash off Route 28 at exit 15 near Harrison and Tarentum on Tuesday night, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Charles Crowe, 48, of Natrona Heights was pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency responders were dispatched to the wreck around 7:40 p.m....
Pittsburgh school board to vote on superintendent’s contract
The Pittsburgh Public School Board will vote Wednesday on whether to renew the contract of Superintendent Anthony Hamlet and retain him for a four-year term. Hamlet’s contract, which began in 2016, expires June 30, 2021. If passed, his new contract will end at the end of the 2025 school year....
Allegheny County investigators help Etna police search for woman missing since January
Allegheny County police are helping Etna police in the search for a 20-year-old woman missing since January. Kaylene Oehling was reported missing by her mother on Jan. 12 after she failed to show up two days earlier for a babysitting obligation at her mother’s home, police said. Oehling texted her...
Man killed in crash on Route 28 exit ramp to Route 910 in Harmar
One man was killed and the exit ramp from southbound Route 28 onto Route 910 was closed for several hours Tuesday. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office said Robert Burkardt, 68, of Verona, died in the crash. It could not be determined whether anyone else was hurt. An Allegheny County...
‘Acknowledgement of risk’: the first paper facing many college students in covid era
When it comes to mitigating the spread of covid-19 on campus, college administrators have been consistent: it all comes down to student behavior, they say. “We’ve been communicating our expectations all summer to students,” Pitt Dean Kenyon Bonner said during a Monday news conference. College students everywhere are being asked...
DeVos softens position on schools reopening in Georgia visit
CUMMING, Ga. — U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has softened earlier comments that called for schools to reopen for in-person instruction for all, saying during a visit to a Georgia high school Tuesday that what she really wants to see is “100% learning.” “I think perhaps there’s been a...
Upper Burrell firefighters display fire truck on department’s wish listVideo
More than 100 people turned out Monday night to check out a new fire truck the Upper Burrell Volunteer Fire Company wants to buy. After some township residents expressed opposition this month to a proposed 2-mill real estate tax increase to help pay for the new truck, the fire company...
4 arrested in assault, robbery in Donegal Township
Four people accused in a robbery gone awry Tuesday morning in the parking lot of a Donegal Township motel were arrested hours later, state police said. Christopher M. Graft, 46, of Scottdale, and Brian S. King, 51, of Mt. Pleasant Township, were charged by state police with harassment, simple assault,...
Forecast calls for storms throughout week as tropical systems move through Gulf
Storms are expected to linger in the Pittsburgh region throughout the week, leading up to a rain filled weekend as a duo of tropical storms threaten the Gulf Coast. According to the National Weather Service, thunderstorms are likely Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Temperatures will hover in the upper 80s and...
Don Walko to resign from Common Pleas Court to pursue political advocacy
Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Donald Walko Jr. will step down from the bench next week — nearly 11 years after taking office. Walko, 67, said he made the decision to leave the court in July, with plans to return to working and volunteering in the political arena. A Democrat,...
Point Park freshmen move in for unusual college experience during pandemicVideo
Kristy Thomson drove more than 16 hours from Winfield, Kansas, to help her son move Tuesday into a Point Park University dormitory. For a little peace of mind, she stocked him up with face masks and hand sanitizer. “It’s crazy,” she said. “I can’t believe we’re going through all of...
Hundreds of thousands flee U.S. coast ahead of Hurricane Laura
NEW ORLEANS — In the largest U.S. evacuation of the pandemic, more than half a million people were ordered to flee the Gulf Coast on Tuesday as Laura strengthened into a hurricane that forecasters said could slam Texas and Louisiana with ferocious winds, heavy flooding and the power to push...
Gov. Tom Wolf wants Pa. to legalize marijuana, provide more covid-19 relief this fall
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf wants state lawmakers to legalize recreational cannabis this fall and spend $1 billion in federal...
Allegheny County reports new covid-19 deaths after days without any
On Tuesday, 58 additional covid-19 cases were reported in Allegheny County, according to the health department. Total deaths from coronavirus increased in the county, as three new deaths were reported after two days with no new deaths. There were seven new hospitalizations reported, as well. Of the new cases, 53...
Gov. Wolf asks lawmakers to spend coronavirus funds
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday outlined how he thinks the state should spend much of the $1.3 billion remaining in federal coronavirus relief funds during what’s left of lawmakers’ two-year session. The Democratic governor urged the General Assembly to put $225 million toward hazard pay for more than...
Officials: Pa. inmates illegally received coronavirus unemployment benefits
State and federal officials say they have identified more than 10,000 inmates in Pennsylvania prisons who have illegally applied for unemployment compensation during the covid-19 pandemic — potentially costing the government more than $100 million. So far, 33 inmates and accomplices face criminal charges. Scott Brady, U.S. attorney for the...
Pa. Department of Health launches mobile covid-19 testing RV
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Tuesday announced a new covid-19 mobile response unit, designed to provide testing and education for minority and underserved communities. The effort is part of a partnership with Latino Connection, Highmark Blue Shield and the Independence Blue Cross Foundation. “We share a unified purpose of...
Brookline’s Menuette reinvented as Oak Hill Post
Brookline’s refined diner, Menuette, had a false start earlier this year, but its second chance comes starting Wednesday as a revamped, quirky and casual spot called Oak Hill Post. Much of Brookline sits atop the 1870s caverns of the Oak (coal) Mine, making “Oak Hill” a natural nickname for the...
