Top Stories category, Page 1554
Defense repeats calls for mistrial in Wilkinsburg shooting case as jurors remain undecided on verdict
More testy court filings on Thursday in the 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting case hurled more accusations at prosecutors as jurors wrapped up their third day of deliberations without rendering a verdict. The filing by defense attorney Randall McKinney, who represents homicide suspect Cheron Shelton, renewed calls for a mistrial in...
Greensburg auditions for starring role on HGTV
Greensburg is hoping a new TV show can bring some star power to the city’s efforts to eliminate blight. The city is one of many communities that applied for a shot to be featured on HGTV’s “Home Town Takeover,” which is set to premiere early next year. “Even though in...
Carnegie Science Center names new director
Jason Brown was named director of the Carnegie Science Center on Thursday. Brown has served as the interim director of the Science Center since December 2018. He took the position following the retirement of former co-directors Ann Metzger and Ron Baillie. Before then, he was senior director of science education....
Virus cases surge after China revises way count is tallied
BEIJING — China reported a surge in deaths and infections from a new virus Thursday after changing the way the count is tallied, further clouding an epidemic that has stirred fear as it spread to more than two dozen countries. The spike came after two days in which the number...
Pittsburgh police officers reject Peduto’s pay hike offer; another contract vote to happen Monday
Pittsburgh’s police union is throwing out a revised contract pitch by Mayor Bill Peduto’s office because it failed to generate enough votes, union officials said Thursday night. Just 32 police officers, or less than 5% of voters, supported the Peduto administration’s latest proposal — which offered a slightly higher pay...
Trump to transfer $3.8B from military to fund his wall
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is transferring $3.8 billion in recently passed military funding to finance construction of the president’s long-sought U.S.-Mexico border wall, angering not just Democrats but also GOP defense hawks. Thursday’s move by the Pentagon would transfer money from National Guard units, aircraft procurement and shipbuilding to...
No one injured in crash on northbound Route 28 near Aspinwall
Authorities responded to a crash that briefly snarled traffic Thursday afternoon in the northbound lanes of Route 28 just before the Aspinwall exit. No one was injured. Initial reports indicated the incident was a multi-vehicle crash shortly before 3 p.m. A school bus was spotted pulled over at the scene....
Police: Pedestrian killed in crash with tractor-trailer at Crafton Ingram Shopping Center
An 81-year-old woman was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer Thursday morning at the Crafton Ingram Shopping Center, police said. The woman, Florence Hall, of Pittsburgh, was identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Police have not...
Senate acts to restrain Trump’s military powers against Iran
WASHINGTON — The Senate approved a bipartisan measure Thursday limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to launch military operations against Iran. The measure, authored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., says Trump must win approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. Eight Republicans joined with Democrats to pass...
Trump slams former chief of staff John Kelly, who defended key impeachment witness
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday lashed out against former White House chief of staff John Kelly for being disloyal after the ex-adviser came to the defense of a former national security aide who offered key testimony in the impeachment inquiry. The president’s comments targeting Kelly came after Kelly...
Woman accused of selling heroin, cocaine out of New Stanton apartment
Complaints from neighbors about persistent foot traffic to and from a New Stanton apartment resulted in the arrest Wednesday of a 22-year-old woman on drugcharges, state police said. Olivia J. Vandyke of Jeannette was arraigned before East Huntingdon District Judge Charles Moore on charges of manufacturing, delivery and possession of...
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner takes plea deal in Detroit case
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner on Thursday pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace during a confrontation last year with police in a Detroit hotel. In a plea agreement, Wagner had a felony count of obstruction reduced to disturbing the peace. She then pleaded no contest to that lesser charge...
Armstrong County 911 centers back in service
Armstrong County 911 call centers are back online, after being down for about two hours Thursday. The call centers were not available to take any calls from around noon to 2 p.m., a county dispatcher said. A dispatcher wasn’t able to identify the cause of the problem, but said it...
Hope Hicks returning to White House
WASHINGTON — Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s most trusted and longest-serving aides, is returning to the White House as his reelection campaign moves into high gear. Hicks will be serving as counselor to the president, working with presidential son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, according to a person...
Uniontown man claims Penn State discriminated against his colorblindness
A Uniontown man’s lawsuit alleging Penn State University discriminated against him because he is colorblind will be allowed to move forward, a federal judge ruled. Danny David, 48, sued the university late last year, claiming the school unjustly rescinded a job offer with the university police after discovering David is...
Pizza Hut is latest chain restaurant to close in Hempfield
Another chain restaurant has shuttered in Hempfield. Pizza Hut, located along Route 30 near Westmoreland Mall, officially closed Monday, according to a sign posted on the door. “We want to thank all of our loyal customers,” the sign reads, in part. It also encourages people to visit other area Pizza...
2 Western Pa. communities named safest places to live in Pennsylvania
Two Western Pennsylvania communities — one in Westmoreland County and the other in Allegheny — are the safest communities in the state, according to a recent study conducted by a home security trade group. The National Council for Home Security and Safety ranked Penn Township in Westmoreland County as the...
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation Night of Assists sparkles with disco themeVideo
Instead of Saturday Night Fever, it was Wednesday Night Fever at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation hosted its third annual “Night of Assists” on Wednesday. This year’s theme? “The Pens Disco.” Presented by Highmark, the arena was transformed to the 1970s, complete with disco balls and...
Police: Accused heroin dealer scuffles with Pittsburgh cops trying to arrest him
Two plainclothes Pittsburgh police officers said they got into a scuffle with a man during an arrest attempt in Homewood on Wednesday. The officers say they spotted Kelly Parker, 35, of Penn Hills selling drugs at about 3 p.m. in the 7200 block of Frankstown Avenue. They approached him to...
Authorities: Man driving drunk with toddler in car hit Pittsburgh police cruiser, other cars
A 43-year-old Sheraden man appeared drunk and was driving with a child in his SUV when he was stopped by police after a chase Wednesday evening through several East End neighborhoods, according to police. The girl wasn’t secured in a car seat, police said. She was evaluated at UPMC Children’s...
Westmoreland Bar Association to move in Greensburg, starts $900,000 renovationVideo
A new, larger and more functional headquarters for the Westmoreland Bar Association is expected to be operational this summer, officials said. Members and staff gathered Wednesday in downtown Greensburg to celebrate the lawyer organization’s $900,000 construction project to renovate a vacant building at the corner of Maple and Otterman streets...
Pennsylvania Senate President Joe Scarnati will not seek re-election
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati will not seek re-election, he told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. Scarnati, 58, a fifth-term Republican from Jefferson County in northwestern Pennsylvania, said he wrestled with the decision to step down after 14 years in a job steering a Republican...
CDC to send University of Pittsburgh coronavirus samples for vaccine research
A University of Pittsburgh laboratory soon will tackle researching a possible vaccine against COVID-19 — the newly named disease caused by the coronavirus outbreak that surfaced in Wuhan, China, late last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the University of Pittsburgh’s requests to be among U.S. academic...
Disease warriors tasked to fight misinformation about coronavirus
A global storm of online posts about the coronavirus virus prompted public health experts to fight a war on two fronts — one against the respiratory virus that surfaced in Wuhan, China, late last year, and a second one against a sea of misinformation about it. Officials from the World...
AG William Barr agrees to testify as Democrats question his leadershipVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr has agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee next month, appearing for the first time before the panel as questions swirl about whether he intervened in the case of a longtime ally of President Donald Trump. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.,...
