Top Stories category, Page 1582
4th day of jury selection yields no new jurors in 2016 Wilkinsburg case
A half-day of jury selection on Thursday yielded no new jurors for the upcoming trial of two men accused in the 2016 mass shooting in Wilkinsburg. The death penalty trial against Cheron Shelton and Robert Thomas is scheduled to begin Feb. 3. Each defendant faces five counts of homicide, one...
Hempfield man charged with raping 2 girls he met via social mediaVideo
A 20-year-old Hempfield man was arrested Thursday on accusations that he raped two girls, ages 11 and 13, whom he met through a social media app. “They are trying to put me in jail for a long time for something I did not know. They were lying about their ages,”...
Board appointment prompts Westmoreland commissioners’ first dust-up
Westmoreland County Commissioners Sean Kertes and Gina Cerilli on Thursday appointed a new member to the county’s housing authority board of directors, a move that resulted in the first disagreement among the county leaders. Commissioner Doug Chew voted against the appointment of former Monessen District Judge Joseph Dalfonso to serve...
Westmoreland sheriff doesn’t want investigation into office mess
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert said he doesn’t want an investigation into who trashed his offices in the courthouse. “Let’s not prolong this. I want to stay positive and move forward,” Albert said Thursday after the offices were cleaned. Three deputies and two maintenance workers, Albert said, spent two full...
Hidden camera found in employee bathroom at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh police and hospital security are investigating the discovery of a camera hidden in an employee bathroom at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood. The person responsible has been identified, according to a statement from a spokesperson for Allegheny Health Network, which operates the hospital. “The recent discovery of...
South Hills man charged in fatal Brookline crash with cyclist
The 23-year-old South Hills man who was driving a car involved in an October fatal crash with a cyclist in Brookline was charged with homicide by vehicle Wednesday by Pittsburgh police. Police said Thomas Morton wasn’t licensed when he was driving a Honda Civic shortly after 9 p.m. Oct. 20...
PWSA chair says all lead lines will be replaced by 2026
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority replaced more than 3,000 public-owned lead water lines in the city last year — far more than the 855 mandated by Pennsylvania regulators — and the authority intends to continue that pace in 2020, officials said. PWSA since 2016 has struggled to reduce lead...
Dog rescued in South Greensburg mobile-home fireVideo
Firefighters rescued a dog in a fire that destroyed a mobile home Thursday in South Greensburg. The fire was reported at 12:10 p.m. in a mobile home that is located in an alley behind the 1500 block of Broad Street. “The doors were locked when we got here, so we...
Hempfield woman accused of tossing hot coffee on cop now charged with assaulting prison guardVideo
A Hempfield woman currently in the Westmoreland County Prison on charges that she threw a cup of hot coffee on a state trooper is now accused of spitting on a prison guard. Sonya R. Connors, 52, is accused of becoming “combative and verbally abusive” with a female prison guard on...
Bill Cosby asks Pennsylvania high court to review conviction
Comedian Bill Cosby filed an appeal Thursday of a court decision last month that upheld his conviction for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home. The latest appeal — filed with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which does not have to take the case — focuses on four key...
Everything must go at Wildwood Highlands, from arcade games to restaurant equipment
Folks looking to take their game room or man cave to envy-of-the-neighborhood status won’t want to miss the public auction happening at the recently shuttered Wildwood Highlands entertainment center in Hampton on Jan. 18. “Where else can you have your own Skee-Ball game or your own motorcycle racing game?” said...
U.S. officials: ‘Highly likely’ Iran shot down Ukrainian jetliner
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. officials said Thursday it was “highly likely” that an Iranian anti-aircraft missile downed a Ukrainian jetliner late Tuesday, killing all 176 people on board. The crash came just a few hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack against Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops amid...
Timeline: A look at tensions between U.S., Iran since 2018
Iran is sending mixed signals as tensions with the U.S. appear to ease. President Hassan Rouhani has warned of a “very dangerous response” if the U.S. makes “another mistake,” and a senior commander has vowed “harsher revenge” for the killing of a top Iranian general. Both sides appeared to step...
Temps across Western Pa. expected to jump by 50 degrees
If you didn’t like Thursday morning’s cold temperatures, be patient. By Saturday, temperatures will be in the mid 60s — a jump of more than 50 degrees from lows in the teens early Thursday morning. Kinda chilly this morning, huh? Many areas saw their coldest temperatures since December 20th or...
Man sues Pittsburgh strip club, alleging negligence over friend’s DUI crash
A Butler County man who went to a Pittsburgh strip club with friends last year is suing the strip club, claiming it served them too much alcohol, and his friend for driving drunk into a concrete barrier on their way home. Trey Turnblacer, Jaymes Jennings and other friends were drinking...
Extras needed for Kristen Stewart movie filming in Pittsburgh
Extras are needed for filming in Pittsburgh of “Happiest Season,” a Tristar/Sony feature film starring Kristen Stewart, who first came to fame portraying Bella Swan in the “Twilight” movies. Local filming will take place from mid-January to late February, according to movieextraspittsburgh.com. According to the website, the filmmakers are looking...
The Pittsburgh RV Show rolls into the David L. Lawrence Convention CenterVideo
There are plush beds, relaxing couches, big screen televisions, high-efficiency kitchen appliances, spacious bathrooms and of course Wi-Fi, in the newest recreational vehicles on the market. Some even have electric fireplaces. They’re on display at the annual Pittsburgh RV Show, which opens Saturday and runs through Jan. 19 at the...
Republicans ‘got greedy’ in drawing Pennsylvania congressional maps, documents say
PHILADELPHIA — A trove of documents recently released by the daughter of a deceased GOP strategist includes some clues about what Republicans were thinking almost a decade ago when they redrew Pennsylvania’s congressional maps in a way that was later ruled unconstitutional. The documents, compiled at least partly amid the...
Dave’s Music Mine on Pittsburgh’s South Side set to close
With “Foxy Lady” by Jimi Hendrix playing in the background, Anthony Wells of Peters perused the vinyl albums at Dave’s Music Mine on the South Side on Wednesday. “Every time I come in this store, I find something I like,” said Wells, who was on break from West Virginia University...
Inbound Route 28 fully reopens after truck crash, fuel leak near Millvale
The inbound lanes of Route 28 fully reopened just before rush hour Thursday morning after they were shut down when a tractor-trailer struck a barrier near the Millvale exit and began leaking fuel onto the roadway, according to authorities. The wreck occurred around 2 a.m. Vehicles were being detoured off...
Penn Hills School District’s 2020-21 preliminary budget contains tax hike, no program cutsVideo
Penn Hills School District officials would have to find a way to fill an estimated $3.2 million budget shortfall even with a real estate take hike of nearly 7%. That’s one of several revelations made during a 2020-21 preliminary budget presentation made a special meeting Thursday. “This is only a...
Justin Bieber says he has Lyme disease
Grammy-winning pop star Justin Bieber says he is in the midst of a bout with Lyme disease. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Bieber attempted to clarify rumors. “While a lot of people kept saying justin Bieber looks like (excrement), on meth etc. they failed to realize I’ve been recently...
Western Pa. hospitals participate in state’s first Donor Day
Wednesday was Pennsylvania’s first Donor Day, recognizing and encouraging organ and tissue donation. Donor registration drives were held across the state, including at Allegheny General Hospital, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, UPMC Hamot hospital in Erie and Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown. “The fact that one donor can save...
Pennsylvania’s senators split on reasons behind killing of Iranian general
A lengthy closed-door briefing by top Trump administration officials Wednesday left senators deeply divided along party lines over whether the president’s assertions of imminent threats were sufficient grounds for killing Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, told reporters that Trump’s decision was merited and undoubtedly saved...
Mack Trucks to lay off 300 at Pennsylvania assembly plant
MACUNGIE — Mack Trucks plans to lay off 305 employees at its assembly plant north of Philadelphia, the company said Wednesday. Mack blamed the layoffs at its Lower Macungue Township plant on a downturn in the heavy-duty truck market. They will take effect at the end of February, The (Allentown)...
