Top Stories category, Page 1528

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Depending on which country they’re from, the kids may ask about Father Christmas, Papa Noel, Saint Nick or Santa Claus. But they all want to know one thing: where in the world the jolly old man and his sleigh full of gifts are on...

An Uber driver told Pittsburgh police he shot a man in self-defense after he was assaulted by four passengers Tuesday, according to the city Department of Public Safety. One man was grazed in the head. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Police responded to a reported assault...

A tractor-trailer explosion closed a section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in New Stanton and left drivers stuck for more than three hours early Tuesday morning, according to New Stanton Fire Chief Rob Cammarata. A 911 dispatcher said one tractor-trailer collided with another, which was stopped, around 4:45 a.m. The rear...

Ever wonder how Santa Claus can cover the entire world in a single night? The legend of Rudolph says the secret is the guidance system of the reindeer’s bright red nose. The movie “Elf” posits the collective belief in Santa as the power behind the sleigh. For Michael Urick, it’s...

Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact reporter Madasyn Lee at mlee@tribweb.com. Dr. John Bissell knew by age 13 that he...

A seven-vehicle crash outside the Squirrel Hill Tunnel snarled traffic during Monday’s evening commute. Emergency dispatchers received a report of the crash on the inbound lanes of Interstate 376 heading toward Pittsburgh about 6:30 p.m., an Allegheny County 911 shift commander said. The crash happened at the inbound entrance on...

Pittsburgh police on Monday opened an investigation into allegations that outgoing Councilwoman Darlene Harris, who has been cleaning out her office, stole items given to the city by foreign visitors, officials said. Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri said police began the investigation based on information that Public Safety Director Wendell...

Westmoreland County transit officials Monday said they support the continued delay of a new funding method that could have gutted local paratransit operations for low-income, elderly and disabled residents. “We are relieved,” Westmoreland County Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said. “There is no way we would have been able...

A plane headed from Charlotte to Pittsburgh reported a possible mechanical issue with its nose landing gear before touching down safely Monday afternoon, officials said. Pittsburgh International Airport spokesman Matt Neistein said officials treat any such reports “very seriously” and that the airport sent emergency units to the runway “out...

Allegheny County Police on Monday released a description of a car that could be connected to the suspect in a violent Dormont home invasion. Police have been looking for Joel Hatfield, 28, no known address, since Sunday. Police say Hatfield, while armed with a knife, forced his way into an...

The Allegheny County Health Department is advising residents of poor air quality as warmer temperatures linger in the region. Temperature inversions — when warm air traps cold air and pollutants close to the surface, often causing bad smells like sulfur or rotten eggs — have impacted air quality across Allegheny...

No one was hurt in a crash Monday afternoon in the inbound lanes of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, a state police spokeswoman said. The crash was reported to Allegheny County 911 at 1:45 p.m., and involved multiple vehicles, a 911 shift commander said. The vehicles involved were cleared from the...

Building two gingerbread replicas of Pittsburgh’s City-County Building was nearly as complicated as erecting the actual building. Hampton artist Mary Jo Dowling used original photographs, 1915 architectural drawings and a laser cutter at a Carnegie Mellon University robotics lab in Lawrenceville to construct the two scale models from 14 edible...

A 26-year-old Beltzhoover woman was arrested by Pittsburgh police early Monday morning and charged with robbing a Mt. Washington gas station, public safety spokesman Chris Togneri said. Lesha Marie Peterson went into the Virginia Avenue gas station about 5:45 a.m., placed items on the counter, said she didn’t want to...

A 21-year-old Pittsburgh man sought for a Dec. 6 robbery at a parking garage in Downtown Pittsburgh was arrested Saturday, Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri said. Michael Lipovsik III is facing charges of robbery and possessing instruments of crime in the case, according to online court records....

A winning lottery ticket worth $1.28 million was sold at a Shop ‘N Save store in Penn Hills, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Monday. The Match 6 lotto ticket matched all six numbers in Sunday’s drawing — 5, 9, 21, 22, 23, and 37 — to win the jackpot. The $2...

A Westmoreland County Prison inmate accused earlier this month of smuggling Suboxone and synthetic marijuana through the mail was charged again Thursday after jail guards said they found him with more contraband. Hugh J. Hawkey Jr., 44, was charged by county detectives with manufacturing, possession and delivery of a controlled...

President Donald Trump told an audience of Pennsylvania union workers last August that his 25% tariff on steel imports was reinvigorating the country’s steel industry, and leading companies such as U.S. Steel to expand. That upbeat assessment is now in question following United States Steel Corp.’s announcement last week that...