Top Stories category, Page 1583
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...
Monessen mayor attends 1st meeting in nearly 2 years, fires clerk and solicitor
After a 20-month absence from city meetings, first-term Monessen Mayor Matt Shorraw returned to local government Monday night armed with a majority of council votes and an unannounced agenda that angered some members of the public as well as the council members who have essentially run the city since spring...
Iran strikes back at U.S. with missile attack at bases in IraqVideo
TEHRAN — Iran struck back at the United States early on Wednesday for killing its most powerful military commander, firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases that house American troops in what the Iranian supreme leader said was a “slap” against America’s military presence in the...
Lack of passenger seat belts on bus a concern in deadly Pa. Turnpike crash
The lack of safety belts in a passenger bus involved in a deadly crash Sunday on the Pennsylvania Turnpike could be a critical factor as civil liability issues unfold, a transportation lawyer said. Three people — the bus driver and two passengers — died when they were ejected from the...
New Lower Burrell mayor appoints brother-in-law as acting police chief
One of John Andrejcik’s first official acts after being sworn in as Lower Burrell’s new mayor Monday night was to appoint brother-in-law John Marhefka as the city’s acting police chief. When asked after Monday’s council reorganization meeting whether making move could represent a conflict of interest, Andrejcik said, “Absolutely not.”...
State Rep. Harry Readshaw announces retirement after 13 terms
It’s hard to escape one’s mortality when the family business is death. State Rep. Harry Readshaw III — a third-generation funeral director and owner of Readshaw Funeral Home in Carrick — announced Tuesday that he would retire at the end of the 2019-20 legislative session. The Democrat has represented the...
March 17 special election set to fill Justin Walsh’s former state House seat
A special election will be held March 17 to fill the remaining term of former state Rep. Justin Walsh, and it could require Westmoreland County to borrow money to pay for the early balloting, officials said. Walsh, a Republican, resigned at the end of December after serving a year of...
