Top Stories category, Page 1686
Indiana County native, Cold War code-breaker, dies at age 101
Angeline Nanni could have lived her life in relative peace and quiet working at her sisters’ Blairsville beauty shop. Instead, she became part of one of the most important counterintelligence programs of the Cold War. Ms. Nanni and her compatriots in the Venona Project helped decrypt thousands of coded messages...
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey hacked; account sent racist tweets
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has found his official account hacked and sending racist and vulgar tweets to his 4.2 million followers. The person tweeting from Dorsey’s account on Friday sent tweets such as “Hitler is innocent” and, using a vulgarity, asked “bald skeleton head,” referring to Dorsey,...
New Jersey law could open up Boy Scouts to abuse lawsuits from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania survivors of alleged sexual abuse decades ago at the hands of Boy Scout leaders could take advantage of a New Jersey law set to take effect later this year that allows them to sue. A bill signed in May that will take effect Dec. 1 gives sex abuse survivors...
Penn Hills man accused of raping 2 young girls
A Penn Hills man is accused of repeatedly raping and beating two young girls, police said. Christopher Musgrove, 32, faces 12 felonies and two misdemeanors related to the incidents. He was charged in early August. One of the alleged victims was 6 years old. The other was 11. The 11-year-old...
Western Pennsylvania first responders move south ahead of Hurricane Dorian
As Hurricane Dorian barrels toward Florida, some Western Pennsylvania first responders are already headed south to lend a hand. Specialized ambulance units and paramedics from Fayette Emergency Medical Service, headquartered in Connellsville, and Murrysville Medic One left at 8 a.m. Friday to head to a staging area in Georgia. Florida...
Vandergrift children’s garden grows on without stolen pumpkins
Vandergrift has its own Great Pumpkin Caper. About two weeks ago, pumpkins planted by children in the borough’s Franklin Park started to vanish. At least 10 have gone missing since, likely taken in broad daylight because the park is locked at night. “They weren’t even orange,” said Chloe Kruse, a...
30,000 lives could be saved with cleaner air, CMU professor says
Pittsburgh’s air quality has improved dramatically over the past 20 years, but a Carnegie Mellon University researcher says that’s no reason for area residents to be satisfied. Allen Robinson, director of CMU’s Center for Air Quality, Climate and Energy Solutions, was involved in two recent studies that showed 30,000 lives...
Worker dies after wall collapses at Washington County coal mine
A worker at a Consol Energy coal mine in Washington County died Thursday evening when a wall collapsed, according to authorities. The victim was identified as Tanner Lee McFarland, 25, of Washington, according to state police, who are investigating the incident. The wall collapsed about 6 p.m. in the Enlow...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Aug. 30-Sept. 2
It’s Labor Day weekend, which often signals the unofficial conclusion of summer. Here are some ways to spend that three-day holiday weekend. Laboring The 38th annual Labor Day Parade begins at 10 a.m. Monday. The route begins at PPG Paints Arena and concludes at the United Steelworkers Building, Downtown. It...
5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Aug. 30-Sept. 2Video
TGIF! It’s the kickoff to Labor Day weekend, the last official hurrah of summer. Though it’s usually a time to pack in a picnic, backyard barbecue, road trip or other outdoor fun, that’s not all there is to do around these parts. SHEL game Indie-folk band SHEL will wrap up...
He walked into a Virginia Beach 7-Eleven for a Big Gulp. He ended up shooting 2 robbers, killing 1
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It had already been a long and emotional day for the Virginia Beach man when he walked into a 7-Eleven store to buy a Big Gulp. He’d just been involved in a heated argument with his stepfather, and police had been called to the house. After...
South Hills priest of 41 years placed on leave amid accusations he abused child in 1990s
A South Hills priest of more than four decades has been placed on leave over an allegation that he sexually abused a child in the 1990s, officials with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said Thursday. The Rev. Robert Cedolia — who has been presiding over four parishes in the...
Jeannette rolls out the carpet for fans at McKee Stadium
Jeannette football players have watched the transformation at McKee Stadium. From a pooch punt away on their adjacent practice field, they’ve seen the old sod come up, the fresh foundation go down and the artificial turf get rolled out. After a few practices on the sleek surface this week, the...
5 things to watch in Week 1 high school footballVideo
Aliquippa’s Mike Warfield would like to see old Aschman Stadium renovated, but the second-year coach started with the field house that holds the team’s lockers and weight room. There are now flat-screen TVs for watching game film, modern workout equipment and a bright-red locker room that’s far more welcoming than...
Man hospitalized after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Hill District
A man was shot in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood Thursday evening, police said. Officers responded to the 1800 block of Colwell Street around 4:50 p.m. after a Shotspotter report of gunfire. When they arrived, officers said the man had gotten onto a Port Authority bus at the corner of Fifth...
Big Kmart in Allegheny Township will close before Christmas
The only remaining Kmart in the Alle-Kiski Valley is closing. The Big Kmart located in Hyde Park Shopping Center in Allegheny Township will close before Christmas, according to a statement provided by Larry Costello, public relations director for Chicago- based Transformco, which is representing Kmart. “After careful review, we have...
Former skinhead warns of resurgent hatred in Westmoreland County visitVideo
More than five decades after the Civil Rights Act changed U.S. law, former skinhead Arno Michaelis says, racial hatred is translating into violence in America and around the globe. “White nationalist attacks have escalated all over the world, and the death toll is growing,” Michaelis said Thursday at Saint Vincent...
Mt. Washington billboard can legally remain, court says
The controversial billboard that sits atop Mt. Washington — previously, ads for Bayer and Sprint, and currently an American flag — is legal, according to a decision issued Thursday by a three-judge panel of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. In a lengthy legal battle, the City of Pittsburgh argued that...
Peduto wants mini police station in Downtown to quell Pittsburgh crimeVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said he wants to create a mini police station in the city’s Downtown in response to rising violent crime in the area. Peduto said he will look to put money into next year’s budget to build three mini police stations in the city, and one will...
Marshal says fugitives had 8-hour head start on authorities
PHOENIX — The U.S. marshal for Arizona says a fugitive couple suspected of murder escaped by tying up two security guards near the Utah state line. In an interview Thursday with Phoenix radio station KTAR-FM, David Gonzales shared more details about how 56-year-old Blane Barksdale and 59-year-old Susan Barksdale escaped...
2 accused of selling drugs near children in Vandergrift house
An early morning raid in Vandergrift resulted in the arrest of two men on drug and child endangerment charges. Lonnell Alexander Moore, 29, and Carlos Cordoba, 22, both of Sherman Avenue, were arrested Wednesday. Police said they found four grams of cocaine and about a half-pound of marijuana inside the...
Bell Acres councilman accused of driving through Antwon Rose protesters gets probation
A Bell Acres councilman accused of driving his car through crowds protesting the death of Antwon Rose II must complete 25 hours of community service and a year of probation. The trial scheduled for Thursday for Gregory Wagner, 59, was canceled in light of a deal earlier struck this month....
Archaeologists probe oldest, deepest part of Meadowcroft Rockshelter
Archaeologists are looking for new clues at one of the oldest known sites of human habitation in North America. Devlin Gandy, an archaeologist from St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge, and James M. Adovasio, the director of archaeology at Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, are conducting research at...
Dry August puts brakes on Pittsburgh’s record rainfall pace
One of the wettest three-month stretches of weather in Pittsburgh gave way to one of the driest summer months it’s seen in years. The National Weather Service in Moon has recorded 2.45 inches of rain in August, more than an inch short of the 30-year August average of 3.48 inches....
Under new McCandless dog law, owners face steep fines for pet’s bark, scratch, odor
McCandless residents who can’t keep their dogs from barking constantly or running free through the neighborhood will face steep fines if they are convicted of creating a nuisance. Council narrowly passed revisions to its animal control ordinance Aug. 23 that eliminate the $25 fine for each incident in which a...
