Top Stories category, Page 1581
8 jurors seated in 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting case
Attorneys in the 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting case interviewed 20 jurors Friday and accepted two, bringing the number of seated jurors to eight. Twelve jurors and four alternates are needed for the Feb. 3 death penalty trial against Cheron Shelton and Robert Thomas. The two are accused of gunning down...
Rush drummer Neil Peart dies
Neil Peart, the legendary drummer of Rush, has died at age 67. The band tweeted a statemet Friday afternoon confirming Peart’s death. Neil Peart September 12, 1952 - January 7, 2020 pic.twitter.com/NivX2RhiB8— Rush (@rushtheband) January 10, 2020 Per the CBC, Peart died Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif., after having been...
10 charged in Pittsburgh prostitution sting
Pittsburgh police arrested 10 people in an undercover prostitution sting this week at a city hotel. Police accused four of the suspects of working as prostitutes, according to criminal complaints filed in Pittsburgh Municipal Court. Undercover police used phone numbers found on websites to arrange meetings with them at an...
Pittsburgh police union leader slams new 4-year contract with cityVideo
The Pittsburgh police union president Friday denounced the terms of a new contract determined through arbitration that provides officers with raises totaling 16% over four years, calling the decision “patently unfair” and tilted in favor of the city. Robert Swartzwelder, president of Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge 1,...
Rostraver West Newton paramedic Matthew Smelser laid to rest in MonongahelaVideo
More than 300 emergency medical technicians, paramedics, firefighters and police officers gathered under a steady rain Friday in Monongahela to honor Matthew C. Smelser. They stood shoulder to shoulder and stretched two blocks down Chess Street for a finale salute to the Rostraver West Newton paramedic supervisor who was killed...
Criminal charges filed against Pennsylvania teens in deer torture video
Two Pennsylvania teens were hit with felony charges Friday in connection with a social media video that authorities say showed them torturing a wounded deer, state Game Commission officials said. The charges against Alexander Brock Smith, 18, of Brookville and an unidentified 17-year-old boy stem from a video posted Nov....
DA: Castle Shannon man accused of bilking heating company of $90K
A Castle Shannon man surrendered to Allegheny County detectives Thursday after he was charged with stealing more than $90,000 from a Bethel Park heating and cooling business between April 2018 and August 2019, according to a criminal complaint filed against him. Anthony James Laugelli, 32, was a sales manager at...
Allegheny Township man accused of raping 2 girls over course of 20 years
A 48-year-old man Friday appeared to dispute accusations that he raped two girls in Allegheny Township and Vandergrift. Eric Wright, who had been living in Allegheny Township, shook his head “no” each time a district judge read the 23 charges filed against him during his preliminary arraignment. Wright is accused...
Springdale man accused of DUI said, ‘If I want to drive through the house, I will,’ court docs show
A Springdale man is accused of drunken driving and intentionally crashing through the garage door attached to his North Street house Thursday night. Anthony Hallo, 65, is facing numerous charges, including causing or risking a catastrophe. The 11:50 p.m. collision and fire posed a danger to Hallo’s wife inside the...
U.S. announces new sanctions on Iran after missile strikes
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Friday announced a new wave of sanctions on Iran following this week’s missile strikes by the Islamic Republic on U.S. bases in Iraq. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the new sanctions will target eight senior Iranian officials involved...
Pittsburgh Reptile Show at Cheswick’s Harmar House lets visitors get up close
There aren’t many places you can go to pet a snake, but here you can touch hundreds. The Pittsburgh Reptile Show and Sale is held every month at the Harmar House in Cheswick. It brings together thousands of reptiles — from snakes to lizards to frogs — all in one...
Olympic, X Games skiers head to Seven Springs for rail jam competitionVideo
Skiers who placed in the Olympics and X Games are taking to the slopes at Seven Springs this weekend as Pittsburgh native and professional freeskier Tom Wallisch brings a piece of his childhood back to the area. Steel City Showdown is one of the first rail jams — or contests...
Pittsburgh public works employee hurt in rollover crash on North Side
A Pittsburgh Public Works Department employee suffered minor injuries after a rollover crash Friday morning involving a city truck. Emergency crews found the truck on its side at about 7:30 a.m. on Merchant Street between Martindale Street and Ridge Avenue on the North Side, public safety spokesman Chris Togneri said....
What’s new for 2020? Let us offer you these 20 lifestyle trends
Out with the old, in with the new — they’re words to live by if you want to stay abreast of the latest lifestyle trends. Who wants to look or live like 2019 now that it’s 2020? New year, new decade, new you. It’s time to give your chunky dad...
Steel City Historical Fencing is for athletes and history buffs alike
It’s a Monday night and the sound of clanging swords fills Shaler Villa VFC Fire Hall. Chris Shelton takes a break from the battle and leans against the wall, sweat dripping from his pores. “It’s very cathartic,” he says. “You can’t think about your daily problems when someone is trying...
Pittsburgh musician Frzy looking to break Guinness record with 31-hour rap
Pittsburgh music artist Frzy will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest freestyle rap at a performance Saturday at The Block Northway in Ross Township. “This attempt will be 31 hours. The mall will stay open the whole time. Come down and support, play games with us...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Jan. 10-12Video
Baby, it’s … well, warm outside. Along with the unseasonably warm temperatures, this weekend’s entertainment options include warming soup, hot music and heated drama. Full stomachs, warm (he)arts The Westmoreland Museum of American Art will hold “Art on Tap: Soup Du Jour” from 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 10 at...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Jan. 10-12
Here are some events in Pittsburgh this weekend. It’s magical This is the final weekend for the “Holiday Magic! Winter Flower Show and Light Garden” at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Oakland. Sunday will be the last day to walk among traditional Christmas trees in the Festival of Trees-themed...
Gas leak leads to cancellation of classes in Brownsville Area School District
Classes have been canceled Friday for all students in the Brownsville Area School District because of a gas leak, district officials announced. The leak was detected in the building that houses the middle and high schools, according to a posting by the district on social media. The closure also affects...
No bird feeder, no problem: Bluebirds live on feeder webcam in Murrysville
Not everyone can have a bird feeder, let alone one that attracts the pretty, prized birds like Eastern bluebirds. Without so much a kernel of corn or a sunflower seed, residents can take a nature break to watch all the action at a live webcam trained on six feeders and...
Sign inspections this weekend to cause traffic restrictions on Parkway West
There will be traffic restrictions along Interstate 376 (the Parkway West) in Robinson and Collier townships on Saturday and Sunday mornings. PennDOT said the restrictions will occur along a lane and the road’s shoulder between the Campbells Run Road (Exit 62) interchange and the I-79 (Exit 64A) interchange, according to...
Former Ohio man pleads guilty in fraud scheme targeting casinos
A former Ohio resident pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related a fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced Thursday. The scheme targeted casinos throughout the East Coast, including some in Western Pennsylvania. Karl E. Wiley, 64, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. According to the...
Pittsburgh man gets prison for ethnic intimidation
One of three black victims of a 2018 Avalon bar beating told a judge in a statement he was only in the Jackman Inn in July 2018 to give a thank-you note to a friend in the kitchen. The friend had catered a meal to celebrate the victim’s son’s high...
House approves measure to restrain Trump’s actions on IranVideo
WASHINGTON — Reigniting a debate over who has the power to declare war, the Democratic-controlled House on Thursday approved a resolution asserting that President Donald Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. The war powers resolution is not binding on the president and...
5-year-old burned during science experiment at North Side school, attorney says
A staff member who was supervising when a 5-year-old North Side girl was burned in her kindergarten classroom has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation by Pittsburgh Public Schools, a district spokeswoman said Thursday. Spokeswoman Ebony Pugh wouldn’t provide more details because it’s a personnel matter. The...
