Top Stories category, Page 1583
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)...
Allegheny Township resident remembered as hard-working, talented
Sue Hartford was constantly working on something. Her husband, Kevin Hartford, said she continued walking their dog regularly, even when she was wearing a chemo pump. She kept playing tennis and golf until last summer. She completed her final audio project for a client last Jan. 1, before going to...
Alleged drunken driver accused of ramming Harmar police car
A suspected drunken driver allegedly drove into oncoming traffic in Harmar — right at the police car summoned to look for her. Police say Michele Sweet, 52, of West Deer, missed the patrol car driven by Officer Ryan Valasek that time, but not long afterward tried to ram it. Valasek...
Allegheny Technologies seeks tariff exclusion as USW contract talks begin
The CEO of a Pittsburgh-based specialty steel producer that operates 10 plants in the region and others across the country is lobbying federal officials for an exclusion to the 25% tariff on imported steel that’s been imposed by the Trump administration. “We can’t allow our hardworking Pennsylvania employees to be...
East Huntingdon landscaper fined $74,290 over allegedly failing to pay Mexican workers overtime, back wages
An East Huntingdon landscaping company has paid nearly $75,000 in back wages and fines to settle allegations that it committed labor violations involving a foreign worker program, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Silvis Group, located on Schultz Road, signed a consent agreement with the Labor Department on June...
2 more jurors selected in Wilkinsburg mass shooting caseVideo
Prosecutors and defense attorneys have agreed on six jurors over three days of jury selection for the upcoming trial against suspects in the 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting. Defendants Cheron Shelton and Robert Thomas have been active participants in the selection process, each conferring with their respective attorneys before deciding whether...
Harrison mom proud, worried about son’s Army deployment to Afghanistan
Devin Myers was determined to serve his country, and nothing was going to stop him. The decision is one that brings a sense of worry — and extreme pride — to his mother, Kathy. Devin Myers, 20, is a member of the 420th Engineer Company (Clearance), U.S. Army Reserve, based...
Penn Hills man could spend 50 years in prison for killing woman in East Pittsburgh
A Penn Hills man who confessed to beating a woman, throwing her down a flight of basement stairs and strangling her to death in June pleaded guilty Wednesday to third-degree murder and other charges. Delrico Trevo McClinton, 29, was sentenced to as many as 50 years in prison. McClinton confessed...
Allegheny County reports first flu death of season
A 90-year-old Allegheny County woman with underlying medical conditions has died from flu complications, the county Health Department reported Wednesday. The woman is the county’s first flu fatality of the season, according to Dr. Kristen Mertz, an epidemiologist with the health department. The department said it could not release additional...
Sara’s Pets and Plants reopens in Sharpsburg after moving from Squirrel Hill
A new store along Sharpsburg’s busy Main Street corridor is sure to draw pet owners and animal lovers alike with its odd assortment of furry, hairless and dancing feathered creatures. It’s where you can meet an 11-foot-long red-tailed boa named Large Marge and a legless lizard called Ralph. Sara’s Pets...
Macy’s closing 29 more stores — 2 in Pennsylvania
NEW YORK — Macy’s is closing 29 stores in coming weeks despite the company reporting some improvement in comparable-stores sales during the crucial holiday shopping season. In an email to the Associated Press, the Cincinnati-based retailer said the store closures include 28 Macy’s locations and one Bloomingdale’s store. It was...
New Arnold mayor sets sights on fixing city’s ‘horrible’ roads
New Arnold Mayor Joseph Bia’s assessment Monday of the city’s top priority remained unchanged since he defeated former Mayor Karen Peconi last May. “Our roads are horrible,” Bia said. “Many of them have fallen into disrepair.” Getting them repaired is the challenge facing Bia and city council members because the...
Here are some Pittsburgh memories on Elvis Presley’s 85th birthdayVideo
Elvis Presley could have spent his last New Year’s Eve on Earth just about any place on the planet. But, on the last day of 1976, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll was in frigid Pittsburgh performing at the Civic Arena, his third and last concert in the Steel City....
Pittsburgh seeking contractors to mow lawns for eligible residents
Pittsburgh on Wednesday began accepting bids from landscape contractors for its City Cuts free grass cutting service available to seniors, disabled residents and veterans. Interested contractors must register through Beacon, the city’s online procurement platform. Feb. 4 is the deadline for submitting proposals. Since its inception in 2018, City Cuts...
Judge reopens jury selection to public, media in Wilkinsburg mass shooting case
A judge on Wednesday walked back an order barring members of the media and the public from the jury selection process in a death penalty case headed to trial next month. Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski issued a new order that restricts what information regarding...
Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller’s family announces release of new album
Mac Miller’s music will live on — and soon. The late Pittsburgh rapper’s family announced on his verified Instagram page that a new album entitled “Circles” will be released Jan. 17. The family says it is a companion album to “Swimming,” which was released in August 2018. View this post...
Trump: Iran appears to be ‘standing down’ after strikeVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran appears to be “standing down” and said no Americans or Iraqis were harmed in Iran’s Tuesday ballistic missile strike on two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. Speaking from the foyer of the White House, Trump announced that the U.S. will immediately...
Police: 3 hurt when car flips while fleeing gunfire after McKeesport basketball game
A car with four passengers being chased by two men in a pickup truck who were shooting at them hit a utility pole and rolled over Tuesday night in McKeesport, Allegheny County police said. Three of four people in the car, including two teens, were injured. Investigators said the incident...
176 killed in Ukrainian passenger jet crash in Iran
TEHRAN, Iran — A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people crashed on Wednesday, just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital’s main airport, turning farmland on the outskirts of Tehran into fields of flaming debris and killing all on board. The crash of Ukraine International Airlines came hours after...
Ligonier Township committee to consider plan for reopening Ligonier Beach
The shuttered Ligonier Beach could open to the public once more this summer, but visitors shouldn’t plan on bringing their swim trunks just yet. Ligonier Township in November bought the landmark swimming pool and restaurant along Route 30 just east of Ligonier from Sherry and Steven Kozar, for $230,000. This...
