Top Stories category, Page 1633
2 arrested in Jeannette pistol exchange
Two men were arrested last week in Jeannette after police said they exchanged a pistol that had the serial number obliterated. Timothy Joshua Bertrand, 28, of Jeannette, and Joseph Raymond Thornton, 52, of Manor, are both being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail. City police and agents from...
2 injured in East Huntingdon crashVideo
Medical helicopters took two people to the hospital after a Monday morning crash in East Huntingdon, according to Westmoreland County 911. The two-vehicle crash on Porter Avenue — also known as Route 819 — happened just before 7 a.m. One vehicle went over an embankment and was heavily damaged, with...
Saw Mill Run closed as PennDOT replaces Shaler Street Bridge using new techniqueVideo
The new Shaler Street Bridge was inched into place Monday afternoon over the course of several hours and the overall work to finish the bridge is expected to take about two weeks thanks to a new construction technique PennDOT is debuting. This is the first time PennDOT has used a...
Police investigate reported Downtown Pittsburgh robbery
Police are investigating a reported robbery that happened Sunday afternoon in Downtown Pittsburgh. A woman told police she was inside a business on the 400 block of Boulevard of the Allies around 1:45 p.m. when she was approached by a man who allegedly pistol whipped her and demanded her money,...
40 years later: Mt. Pleasant tie to Iran hostage crisis revisitedVideo
Editor’s note: Portions of a first-person account from Janice Steinhagen, formerly Janice Malego, appear in italics throughout this article. Janice Steinhagen’s story based on an exclusive interview with former Iran hostage Jerry Miele sits in a box with 40 years’ worth of newspaper clippings. But as a story, it looms...
Emotions high as trial of New Kensington officer’s accused killer begins
Rahmael Sal Holt insists he didn’t kill New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw two years ago, but his lawyers won’t have to prove or say who did, according to a legal expert who identified a potential defense strategy for the capital murder trial slated to start Monday morning. Bruce Antkowiak,...
Lawyer: Whistleblower willing to take written GOP questionsVideo
WASHINGTON — A lawyer for the whistleblower who raised alarms about President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine said Sunday his client is willing to answer written questions submitted by House Republicans. The surprise offer, made to Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, would allow Republicans...
As wildfires burn across California, Trump lashes out at the state on TwitterVideo
LOS ANGELES — Autumn in California now comes not only with fierce, wind-driven wildfires but with routine claims from President Donald Trump that the state’s leaders are to blame for the disasters, followed by assurances from experts that the president doesn’t know what he’s talking about. The cycle renewed again...
Editorial: Show volunteers they are valued
We can’t afford to lose the people who keep us safe. But we are. In Pennsylvania, there are 2,463 fire companies. More than 90% of them are staffed by volunteers. According to state Rep. Bob Brooks, R-Murrysville, the number of firefighters had been falling for 30 years or so when...
McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook steps down because of relationship with employee
NEW YORK — McDonald’s chief executive officer has left the company after violating company policy by engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee, the corporation said Sunday. The fast food giant said former president and CEO Steve Easterbrook demonstrated poor judgment. McDonald’s forbids managers from having romantic relationships with...
Woman beaten during Penn Hills home invasion dies
Police are looking for two men in connection to an October home invasion in Penn Hills where a woman was beaten so severely that she died. The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. Oct. 30 in a home in the 900 block of Cimarron Drive. Penn Hills police were called to...
Steelers win 3rd in row after Adam Vinatieri shanks potential winnerVideo
It took the most productive kicker in NFL history missing a 43-yard field goal Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers to reverse the type of late-game misfortune that defined the first part of their season. When Adam Vinatieri shanked his go-ahead attempt wide left with 1 minute, 14 seconds left, the...
Pittsburgh Promise scholarship fund grows by $4.8 million
The Pittsburgh Promise scholarship fund grew by $4.8 million in new contributions this year, Executive Director Saleem Ghubril announced Friday. About $1.2 million of that total was raised through a fundraising gala, “A Night of Promise,” held Saturday evening. The event featured a performance by Grammy and Tony winner Leslie...
How ‘do us a favor’ led to Trump impeachment inquiry
WASHINGTON — The words from one president to another, somewhat casual in tone, were not casual at all in meaning: “I would like you to do us a favor, though.” Those words have now prompted deployment of the ultimate political weapon, an impeachment process enshrined in the Constitution as a...
1 Year Out: A divided nation lurches toward 2020 election
WASHINGTON — One year from Sunday, voters will decide whether to grant President Donald Trump a second term in office, an election that will be a referendum on Trump’s vision for America’s culture and role in the world. Much is unknown about how the United States and its politics will...
Chick-fil-A backs Sunday’s National Sandwich Day – oops!
ATLANTA — Everyone who is a fan of Chick-fil-A knows that the chicken chain is closed on Sundays, in keeping with its founder’s Christian faith. But the Georgia-based fast-food chain apparently forgot when it sent an email to some of its loyalty members this week. “Calling all sandwich lovers,” the...
Gretchen Carlson wants to speak freely about Fox News tenure
NEW YORK — When Gretchen Carlson heard that NBC News was considering letting people out of their non-disclosure agreements involving alleged sexual misconduct at the network, she couldn’t help but think of the NDA she signed with Fox News before her departure three years ago. “It would be nice to...
Rudy Boesch, early fan favorite on ‘Survivor,’ dies at 91
Rudy Boesch, a retired tough-as-nails Navy SEAL and fan favorite on the inaugural season of “Survivor,” has died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 91. He died peacefully Friday night in hospice care in Virginia Beach, Virginia, surrounded by loved ones, said Steve Gonzalez, director of operations...
Storm dislodges boat stuck on rocks above Niagara Falls for 101 yearsVideo
A breakaway boat that sparked a dramatic rescue above Niagara Falls in 1918 has remained stuck in that spot. Until now. The wreckage of the iron scow, used in a dredging operation 101 years ago, had been resting on the rocks about 600 yards from Horseshoe Falls all these years,...
Braddock police chief suspended with pay after arrest
The police chief in Braddock has been suspended with pay while an investigation into accusations of domestic violence are investigated, the borough’s mayor said Sunday. Guy Collins, 59, was arrested Saturday and is charged with simple assault. “We are investigating this to the fullest potential because we take domestic violence...
Hempfield building destroyed in fire
A Hempfield building was destroyed in a fire early Sunday. The blaze was reported at 4:33 a.m. at a structure on secluded Smith Road near Historic Hanna’s Town. A Westmoreland 911 dispatcher said no injuries were reported. Hempfield fire officials did not respond to a request for information. The property...
Allegheny County DA Zappala faces challenge from independent Middleman, a longtime public defender
Allegheny County Public Defender Lisa Middleman is the second candidate to try to topple District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.’s 20-year tenure. Turahn Jenkins challenged Zappala, 62, in the Democratic primary in May. Jenkins, who left his post as the chief deputy director of the county public defender’s office to...
Marsy’s Law amendment hanging by a thread as election nears
The unprecedented, multimillion-dollar campaign to pass a referendum to include victims’ rights in the Pennsylvania Constitution is hanging by a legal thread, even before voters head to the polls Tuesday. The amendment, known as Marsy’s Law, has percolated through the General Assembly for two years. It passed the Legislature by...
In state Superior Court race, four candidates vie for two open seats
Four candidates are running for two open seats on Pennsylvania’s Superior Court, one of the state’s two intermediate appellate courts. The Superior Court hears all appeals from the Court of Common Pleas and is made up of 15 judges. Appeals are generally heard by a three-judge panel. Only one candidate,...
U.S. judge blocks Trump’s health insurance rule for immigrants
PORTLAND, Ore. — A federal judge in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday put on hold a Trump administration rule requiring immigrants prove they will have health insurance or can pay for medical care before they can get visas. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon granted a temporary restraining order that prevents the...
