Top Stories category, Page 1603
Former Gov. Tom Ridge says Trump asking leader for political favor is ‘abuse of power’
Pennsylvania’s former Gov. Tom Ridge is leaving it up to Congress as to whether President Donald Trump should be impeached but in his mind, there’s little doubt the president abused his power when he asked Ukraine to investigate his rivals, including Joe Biden. Ridge was in Harrisburg on Tuesday to...
Indiana county man accused of shoplifting from Sheetz, hitting employee with car
A 44-year-old Indiana County man with a taste for stolen Slim Jims hit a Sheetz employee with his car as he fled the store near Blairsville last month, police said. James Fitzgerald Higgins, of Josephine, is in the county jail on $50,000 bail in connection with the Nov. 24 incident...
Police: New York man tried to buy phone in Murrysville with fake ID
A New York man is in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail after police said he tried to buy a cell phone in Murrysville with a fraudulent identification card. Orlando David Castillo-Paulino, 20, of Yonkers, allegedly tried to buy an iPhone 11 Pro Max for $1,100 at a Verizon Wireless...
Fire damages Carnegie home once owned by Pirates legend Honus WagnerVideo
A fire that broke out Tuesday in a Carnegie home once owned by baseball Hall of Famer Honus Wagner might have started in a clothes dryer, officials said. The dryer was in the basement of the home on Beechwood Avenue and the fire spread through the walls and climbed up...
As Newtown students grow up, some turn to activism
NEWTOWN, Conn. — They were children themselves when they lost siblings, friends, and schoolmates in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Too young to comprehend the massacre, they spent years in shock and denial. Seven years later, some young people in Newtown, still struggling with the trauma, are emerging as...
Police: Nevada man stalked, sent nude photos to West Mifflin teen
A Nevada man accused of stalking a 15-year-old West Mifflin girl on social media for more than year was arrested Monday after police say he traveled from Las Vegas in an attempt to have sex with her. Police said Renad Bautista, 30, was “constantly contacting” the girl starting in August...
Jersey City’s mayor says gunmen targeted kosher market
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The mayor of a New Jersey city said Wednesday that authorities believe gunmen targeted a kosher market during a furious shooting that killed six people and filled the streets with the sounds of heavy gunfire for hours just across the Hudson River from New York City....
Pittsburgh police: Duquesne man killed after night of drinking in Hill District
A 24-year-old Duquesne man was shot twice in the head early Wednesday after a night of drinking at the Hill District home of the man accused of killing him, according to Pittsburgh police. Trevon Adams died from two gunshot wounds, one of which severed his carotid artery, the Allegheny County...
3 charged with running $722M cryptocurrency scam
NEWARK, N.J. — Three men were charged with running a cryptocurrency mining operation that officials labeled a “high-tech Ponzi scheme” that bilked investors out of $722 million, federal officials announced Tuesday. Matthew Goettsche, 37, was arrested Tuesday in Colorado, while Jobadiah Weeks, 38, was taken into custody in Florida and...
Small fire at senior high rise in Scottdale forces brief evacuationsVideo
Some residents of the Scottdale Manor senior citizen high rise along Pearl Street were briefly evacuated from their apartments Tuesday night because of smoke from a small fire in the building. No serious injuries were reported in the fire but several residents were taken to a hospital for evaluation, according...
Paul Newberry: NFL should suspend Patriots’ Bill Belichick for seasonVideo
Anyone who’s watched the New England Patriots stumble around for the past month or so surely saw this coming. With every wobbly pass delivered by Tom Brady, every disgusted look coming from beneath Bill Belichick’s hoodie, every result that went on the wrong side of New England’s win-loss ledger, it...
Pittsburgh Arsenal 6-8 student diagnosed with tuberculosis
A student at Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Arsenal 6-8 was diagnosed with tuberculosis, Allegheny County Health Department officials announced Tuesday. The student reportedly is out of school receiving medication to treat the illness and is expected to return in the near future. Officials said they are identifying individuals who may have...
Pennsylvania trooper shot and wounded in Tioga County, prompting standoff
ELKLAND — A Pennsylvania state trooper was shot and wounded Tuesday afternoon at a home in a rural area near the border with New York state, prompting a standoff with the barricaded gunman that lasted into the evening, authorities said. Troopers were conducting a welfare check at the home in...
Feds’ rules threaten Pennsylvanians’ food stamps, state claims
HARRISBURG — Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians stand to lose food stamps or see their benefits reduced under three sets of changes to the program being advanced by the Trump administration, state officials said Tuesday. Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration opposes all three changes, saying that the federal government is simply...
Monroeville man to plead guilty in $127 million Medicare scheme, officials say
A Monroeville business owner is expected to plead guilty in a $127 million kickback scheme against Medicare patients, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman. Ravitej Reddy, 52, is accused of conspiring with multiple companies to pay kickbacks for lab tests done at his two genetic testing facilities. He was...
Pentagon orders review of international student vettingVideo
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Tuesday ordered a broad review of vetting procedures for international students who participate in training on U.S. military installations and demanded the process be strengthened, in direct reaction to last week’s deadly shooting at a Pensacola Navy base by a Saudi aviation student. The memo...
Blue Angels jets slated to fly when Westmoreland airshow returns in 2021
The Shop ’n Save Westmoreland County Airshow should be flying high once more in 2021 — after taking hiatus next year — with a return of the Blue Angels Navy jet team as the chief attraction. Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo received word Tuesday that the popular jet demonstration...
Pittsburgh area leads state in ‘widespread’ flu outbreak, health data show
More than half of the flu cases reported in Pennsylvania so far this season are in the Greater Pittsburgh area, with Allegheny County having the most of any county in the state in a season that is off to an early start. A total of 4,424 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza...
The Pittsburgh sinkhole bus is back on the roadVideo
Pittsburgh’s infamous sinkhole bus that dropped partially into a Downtown street in October is back on the road. Port Authority’s 6015 bus, which can pick up any route that begins at the Collier garage, was put back into service on Saturday, about six weeks after a sinkhole partially swallowed it....
6 killed in New Jersey gunbattle, including police officerVideo
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Six people, including a police officer and three bystanders, were killed in a furious gun battle Tuesday that filled the streets of Jersey City with the sound of heavy fire for hours, authorities said. The dead included the two gunmen, Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly...
Allegheny County Health Department awards $113K in grants
The Allegheny County Health Department awarded 13 mini-grants totaling $113,552 to local organizations for projects aimed at addressing racial equality in chronic disease factors. The projects will increase access to healthy food, physical activity and connect residents to clinical care, the health department said. Social factors like employment, education and...
Western Pa. native burned in New Zealand volcano eruption
A Western Pennsylvania native and his wife were among the 18 people who were hurt when a volcano erupted Monday in New Zealand. At least five people were killed and dozens of others were missing after the eruption on White Island, New Zealand’s most active cone volcano. Matthew Urey, 36,...
So, what’s next in the impeachment process?Video
WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on two articles of impeachment by the end of the week, sending them to the House floor for a vote by Christmas. Next would come a Senate trial, likely in 2020. Here’s what to expect next in the impeachment process:...
Man accused of punching Port Authority bus driver turns self in
A man facing charges for punching a Port Authority of Allegheny County bus driver told police he did so because the doors to the bus closed on him and it triggered his anger, according to a criminal complaint filed against the man. Richard David Hickman, 36, turned himself into authorities...
Pittsburgh pastry chef recalls stint on holiday baking showVideo
Fairmont Pittsburgh pastry chef Dwight Penney is home for the holidays, after being eliminated Dec. 9 from Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. Penney, 30, of Dormont, was among 10 original bakers competing for a chance to win $25,000 and the title of Holiday Baking Champion on the popular show’s sixth...
