Top Stories category, Page 1593
Chicago fog delays and cancels hundreds of flights on Christmas Eve
CHICAGO — Fog led to hundreds of flight delays and cancellations Tuesday morning, launching a chain reaction that delayed travelers at the city’s two airports as the clock ticked away hours that were to have been spent with loved ones on Christmas Eve. About 5:30 a.m. Central time, as a...
State prison inmate accused of making 2nd threat against Westmoreland judge
A state prison inmate serving a two- to four-year prison term for threatening to kill Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani in 2018 was charged Monday with threatening him again. Rebecca Elizabeth Gardner, 29, directed the threat at Feliciani in a letter mailed from SCI Muncy, where she is serving her...
Gov. Tom Wolf, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman mark Festivus by reading mean tweetsVideo
In the spirit of Festivus, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman read some mean tweets by the citizens of the state. Think of it as a sort of airing of grievances. Wolf and Fetterman seem to enjoy reading the tweets in the video posted Monday on social...
It takes a tech village to track Santa on Christmas Eve
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Depending on which country they’re from, the kids may ask about Father Christmas, Papa Noel, Saint Nick or Santa Claus. But they all want to know one thing: where in the world the jolly old man and his sleigh full of gifts are on...
TribLIVE Taste Test: Impossible Whopper and Beyond BurgerVideo
Many a grillmaster bristles at the mere notion of putting a plant-based patty over their cherished charcoal. But with the rise of not just vegetarian burgers but now meat substitutes, the TribLIVE Taste Test team had to go and find out whether the new wave of plant-based meat analogs could...
Cops: Pittsburgh Uber driver shot assailant in self-defense
An Uber driver told Pittsburgh police he shot a man in self-defense after he was assaulted by four passengers Tuesday, according to the city Department of Public Safety. One man was grazed in the head. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Police responded to a reported assault...
Pa. Turnpike fully reopens in New Stanton after tractor-trailer crash, explosion
A tractor-trailer explosion closed a section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in New Stanton and left drivers stuck for more than three hours early Tuesday morning, according to New Stanton Fire Chief Rob Cammarata. A 911 dispatcher said one tractor-trailer collided with another, which was stopped, around 4:45 a.m. The rear...
Murrysville window-screen company will appear on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ in JanuaryVideo
Joe Altieri was taking a huge risk when he decided to leave his job in the window industry to start up FlexScreen, a Murrysville company that provides removable, flexible window screens. Now he has a chance to have a professional investor share that risk. Altieri, a Plum resident, will appear...
Santa’s secret to success? His management philosophy, says Saint Vincent College prof
Ever wonder how Santa Claus can cover the entire world in a single night? The legend of Rudolph says the secret is the guidance system of the reindeer’s bright red nose. The movie “Elf” posits the collective belief in Santa as the power behind the sleigh. For Michael Urick, it’s...
Harrison optometrist’s childhood vision comes full circle
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact reporter Madasyn Lee at mlee@tribweb.com. Dr. John Bissell knew by age 13 that he...
Menorah Parade illuminates the streets of PittsburghVideo
The lights led the way through the darkness on Monday. More than 125 vehicles adorned with menorahs — a sacred candelabrum with eight lights used in Jewish worship, some homemade and others that have been purchased — made their way through the streets of Pittsburgh. “Hanukkah is about light and...
Another Squirrel Hill Tunnel crash snarls rush-hour traffic along I-376 inbound
A seven-vehicle crash outside the Squirrel Hill Tunnel snarled traffic during Monday’s evening commute. Emergency dispatchers received a report of the crash on the inbound lanes of Interstate 376 heading toward Pittsburgh about 6:30 p.m., an Allegheny County 911 shift commander said. The crash happened at the inbound entrance on...
Pittsburgh police investigate allegation that Darlene Harris took city property
Pittsburgh police on Monday opened an investigation into allegations that outgoing Councilwoman Darlene Harris, who has been cleaning out her office, stole items given to the city by foreign visitors, officials said. Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri said police began the investigation based on information that Public Safety Director Wendell...
Kevin Gorman: Steelers believe they can still make the playoffs, even if chances are so-soVideo
Cameron Heyward gave a cockeye glare as I noted the Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoffs predicament: They haven’t beaten a team this season that has qualified for the playoffs, yet now need to beat the team with the NFL’s best record to qualify. The Steelers defensive captain shrugged his shoulders. “So?” The...
Delay in funding change may have saved Westmoreland’s paratransit system
Westmoreland County transit officials Monday said they support the continued delay of a new funding method that could have gutted local paratransit operations for low-income, elderly and disabled residents. “We are relieved,” Westmoreland County Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said. “There is no way we would have been able...
Plane from Charlotte to Pittsburgh lands safely after reporting possible mechanical issue
A plane headed from Charlotte to Pittsburgh reported a possible mechanical issue with its nose landing gear before touching down safely Monday afternoon, officials said. Pittsburgh International Airport spokesman Matt Neistein said officials treat any such reports “very seriously” and that the airport sent emergency units to the runway “out...
Police release details about car used by Dormont home invasion suspect
Allegheny County Police on Monday released a description of a car that could be connected to the suspect in a violent Dormont home invasion. Police have been looking for Joel Hatfield, 28, no known address, since Sunday. Police say Hatfield, while armed with a knife, forced his way into an...
Allegheny County Health Department warns of bad air quality in region
The Allegheny County Health Department is advising residents of poor air quality as warmer temperatures linger in the region. Temperature inversions — when warm air traps cold air and pollutants close to the surface, often causing bad smells like sulfur or rotten eggs — have impacted air quality across Allegheny...
Troopers make surprise visit to Hempfield familyVideo
Onlookers would have thought Santa started his rounds early Monday afternoon when seven state police patrol cars and SUVs with emergency lights flashing and a siren blaring turned down Matteo Court in Hempfield and pulled into a driveway where 10-year-olds Payton and Riley Johnson and their brother, Ayden, 13, were...
PennDOT: Expect heavy delays after crash in inbound Squirrel Hill tunnel
No one was hurt in a crash Monday afternoon in the inbound lanes of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, a state police spokeswoman said. The crash was reported to Allegheny County 911 at 1:45 p.m., and involved multiple vehicles, a 911 shift commander said. The vehicles involved were cleared from the...
14 pounds of sugar used in gingerbread replicas of Pittsburgh City-County Building
Building two gingerbread replicas of Pittsburgh’s City-County Building was nearly as complicated as erecting the actual building. Hampton artist Mary Jo Dowling used original photographs, 1915 architectural drawings and a laser cutter at a Carnegie Mellon University robotics lab in Lawrenceville to construct the two scale models from 14 edible...
Outer Banks island split by Hurricane Dorian is reformingVideo
Campers and surf anglers have had a hard time accessing the popular North Core Banks — known as Portsmouth Island — since it was cut into pieces by Hurricane Dorian in September. But the sea has been restoring the island and has stitched the pieces back together to create a...
Police: Beltzhoover woman tried to rob Mt. Washington gas station
A 26-year-old Beltzhoover woman was arrested by Pittsburgh police early Monday morning and charged with robbing a Mt. Washington gas station, public safety spokesman Chris Togneri said. Lesha Marie Peterson went into the Virginia Avenue gas station about 5:45 a.m., placed items on the counter, said she didn’t want to...
Pittsburgh police nab man wanted for Downtown parking garage robbery
A 21-year-old Pittsburgh man sought for a Dec. 6 robbery at a parking garage in Downtown Pittsburgh was arrested Saturday, Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri said. Michael Lipovsik III is facing charges of robbery and possessing instruments of crime in the case, according to online court records....
Pittsburgh zoo welcomes new clouded leopard cubsVideo
Meet the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium’s newest clouded leopard cubs. Parents Saya and Pi welcomed their second litter of cubs on Nov. 27. Saya gave birth to two other cubs in March, but one of those cubs died shortly after birth. “The two cubs are healthy and doing well,”...
