Top Stories category, Page 1619
Where and when to shop on Black Friday in Western Pa.
Christmas season seems to start earlier and earlier every year, at least according to store displays – need some holly with your Halloween pumpkin? Still, lots of folks don’t get into the spirit until after Thanksgiving. Once the pumpkin pie is eaten, though – watch out. It’s time to go...
Mt. Oliver man tells police he committed 5 robberies to get bail money
A Mt. Oliver man told police he committed five robberies around Pittsburgh to get enough cash to cover bail so he could turn himself in on a protection-from-abuse order warrant, according to criminal complaints filed against him. Michael Buchanan, 36, was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after a short standoff...
Buttigieg, 2020 front-runners avoid attacks: Takeaways from the 5th Democratic debate
The Democratic presidential debate Wednesday was supposed to be a sharp-elbowed argument about the future of the party and how best to defeat Donald Trump. Surprisingly, the candidates had other ideas. In a stark reversal from the tense moments of previous debates, the 10 Democratic White House hopefuls gathered in...
5 Pittsburgh things in the new Mister Rogers movie
There is plenty of Pittsburgh in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” However, the city is not quite ubiquitous in this film about the real life friendship between Fred Rogers, played by Tom Hanks, and a cynical journalist portrayed by Matthew Rhys. Make no mistake, you will see plenty of...
Auditor general accuses Pittsburgh schools of ‘runaway travel costs’ amid budget woes, proposed tax hike
Superintendent Anthony Hamlet and other top Pittsburgh Public Schools administrators have spent more than $450,000 this year on trips to Las Vegas, Nashville and Los Angeles and other travel-related expenses “without clearly demonstrating any benefit for students,” the state’s top fiscal watchdog said Wednesday. In a scathing report, Pennsylvania Auditor...
Police on alert for furnace, hot water tank stolen in Brady Township
State police are investigating the theft of a furnace and hot water tank from a Brady Township home. Troopers from the Butler station reported a burglary occurred sometime between Nov. 10-13 in the Brady Hills Mobile Home Park along Bluebell Lane. Someone entered the victims’ residence and stole the items...
Pennsylvania lawmakers near finish on church scandal bills
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Legislature moved closer Wednesday night to settling a yearslong battle over lifting criminal and civil statutes for child sexual abuse crimes in a debate growing out of Roman Catholic Church scandals. The Republican-controlled state Senate voted to dramatically expand statutes of limitation in sexual abuse cases where...
Defense Official: Ukraine asked about aid on day of Trump callVideo
WASHINGTON — In a blow to GOP defenses of President Donald Trump, a Defense Department official said Wednesday the Ukrainian government asked “what was going on” with U.S. military aid as early as July 25 — the very day that Trump asked Ukraine’s president to investigate Democrats. Testifying in an...
No jail time for Elizabeth Boro ex-police chief who stole heroin from evidence room
Former Elizabeth Borough police Chief Timothy Butler will not serve any jail time after pleading guilty to emptying his department’s evidence room of thousands of packets of heroin to feed his personal drug addiction. Butler, 43, of Finleyville will spend about four years on probation. He also must perform 325...
Clairton man sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for robbing bank, store
A Clairton man was sentenced this week to five years in federal prison for robbing a store and a bank earlier this year, federal prosecutors said. Richard D. Parrish, 41, was convicted of interference with commerce by robbery and bank robbery. According to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady, Parrish robbed...
Leechburg considers 24% tax hike
Leechburg Council has approved a $1.2 million preliminary budget that includes a 24% increase in property taxes. Under the preliminary plan, the borough’s tax rate would go up 4 mills, to 22.3 from 18. At the proposed rate, someone with a house assessed at $25,000 would pay about $558 in...
‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ debuts in PittsburghVideo
It was a beautiful night in the neighborhood in Pittsburgh as the Mister Rogers movie debuted. A red carpet gala and special screening of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” took place Wednesday at the SouthSide Works Cinema in Pittsburgh. Rogers’ wife Joanne Rogers arrived at 6:30 p.m., smiling and...
Court ponders discipline against Penn State case prosecutor Frank Fina
HARRISBURG — A lawyer for the agency that investigates misconduct by Pennsylvania lawyers says a yearlong law license suspension is justified against one of the primary prosecutors in Jerry Sandusky’s 2012 child molestation trial. Amelia Kittredge with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel argued Wednesday in favor of the punishment against...
Rudy Giuliani attacks GOP impeachment lawyer after Sondland testimony
NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani defended himself against damaging allegations in the impeachment inquiry by attacking his own side. After Gordon Sondland, ambassador to the European Union, threw him under the impeachment bus in blistering testimony Wednesday, Giuliani lashed out in real time against the GOP counsel co-running the hearing,...
Mickey the macaroni penguin celebrates 35th birthday at Pittsburgh zooVideo
Mickey the macaroni penguin is doing Yankee Doodle dandy. At 35 years old, she is said to be among the oldest penguins living in captivity in the United States. She celebrated her milestone birthday at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium on Wednesday, making loud trumpet calls and pecking at...
Latrobe woman lived long enough to see her Christmas sleigh wish fulfilled
Rita Ruffner was all about Christmas, so much so that she wanted her son, a former Hollywood set designer, to make a Santa’s sleigh for her front yard. Jeffrey Michaels, 51, of Las Vegas started work on the sleigh this summer. He finished days before his mother’s 80th birthday Oct....
Chelsa Wagner acquitted of disturbing peace, jury hung on felony charge
A jury Wednesday found Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner not guilty of disturbing the peace during a confrontation with Detroit police but could not reach a verdict on a more serious charge of resisting and obstructing officers. Wagner was accused of interfering with Detroit police March 6 as they prepared...
Police: Armed robbery in Beechview leads to standoff in Mt. Oliver; suspect in custody
An armed man who police believe robbed a discount store in Beechview at about noon Wednesday was taken into custody after a short standoff in Mt. Oliver Borough, a Pittsburgh police spokesman said. The standoff closed a section of Brownsville Road for about an hour, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety...
Prince Andrew to step back from public dutiesVideo
LONDON — Britain’s Prince Andrew said Wednesday he is stepping back from public duties with the queen’s permission. Andrew said it has become clear to him in recent days that his association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has become a “major distraction” to the royal family’s work....
Trump directed Ukraine quid pro quo, key witness Ambassador Sondland saysVideo
WASHINGTON — Ambassador Gordon Sondland declared to impeachment investigators Wednesday that President Donald Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani explicitly sought a “quid pro quo” with Ukraine, leveraging an Oval Office visit for political investigations of Democrats. But he also came to believe the trade involved much more. Besides the...
Former altar boys sue Pittsburgh diocese alleging years of sexual abuse
Two former altar boys have accused a priest of almost daily sexual abuse for more than three years in the 1980s, according to a 27-page lawsuit filed against the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Bishop David A. Zubik and St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in McDonald. The diocese has yet to be served...
Beer here! Brentwood Distributing launches online beer delivery services
Since 1956, the Dangelo family has delivered beer to bars, restaurants, hotels and other businesses throughout the Pittsburgh region. Thanks to modern technology, they’ve expanded their reach to include all of Pennsylvania. In June, the Dangelos’ wholesale company, Brentwood Distributing, launched Beverages2U. People across the state can now use the...
Search on in Hempfield for bike-pedaling bank robberVideo
A search is on for a man police say robbed a Hempfield bank Wednesday before making his escape by pedaling a bicycle up Walton Tea Room Road. The robbery happened at 9:22 a.m. at CFS Bank, less than half a mile from Hempfield Area High School. State police temporarily locked...
New acts rule Grammys as Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish lead nominationsVideo
The Grammys are screaming “Cuz I Love You” to Lizzo: The breakthrough singer-rapper scored a whopping eight nominations, including bids for the top four awards, making her the show’s top-nominated act. Lizzo picked up nominations for album of the year with her major-label debut, “Cuz I Love You”; song and...
2 million lights shine at Kennywood holiday attractionVideo
Kennywood Park visitors will immediately see the lights — tunnel of brightly colored, pulsating LED bulbs. There are 15,000 strung on three miles of aircraft cable at the West Mifflin amusement park. They shine like a prism and can be configured in 9,000 ways via a computer program. It’s the...
