Top Stories category, Page 1688
Police: Ruffs Dale man accused in sex crimes used fire department’s credit card to fuel up
A Ruffs Dale man awaiting trial on charges of sexually assaulting a teenage girl over several months last year was accused by state police this week of using an area fire department’s credit card to buy $2,627 in gas for his personal vehicle. Derek A. Ruth, 27, who was arrested...
Pittsburgh Army Corps teams in Puerto Rico, Florida ahead of Dorian’s mainland arrival
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Pittsburgh sent its emergency power team to Florida and Puerto Rico before Tropical Storm Dorian became a hurricane hurling 80 mph winds and heavy rains near the U.S. Virgin Islands on Wednesday afternoon. Dorian is expected to become a dangerous hurricane as it...
South Fayette eyed as site of self-driving vehicle test track
The future of self-driving vehicles may start in South Fayette Township. Developers have announced plans to construct a track for an autonomous-vehicle testing site at the former Campbells Airport site between Cecil-Sturgeon and Mohawk roads. They made their pitch to township commissioners at a public hearing Aug. 21, as part...
Hurricane Dorian moves away from Puerto Rico, with Florida now in its sightsVideo
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Dorian caused limited damage in the northern Caribbean as it left the region Wednesday night, setting its sights on the U.S. mainland as it threatened to grow into a dangerous Category 3 storm. Power outages and flooding were reported across the U.S. Virgin Islands,...
Winning $650K Cash 5 ticket sold in O’Hara
A jackpot-winning Cash 5 ticket for Tuesday’s drawing was sold in O’Hara. The ticket matched all five balls drawn, 01-03-18-24-29 to win $650,000. It was sold at the Rite Aid on Freeport Road. The store will earn a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. Cash 5 prizes expire one...
Pittsburgh man charged in Wood Street T station knife attack
A Pittsburgh man has been charged with aggravated assault in connection with a knife attack at the Wood Street transit station Downtown late Tuesday night. Shortly before 11 p.m. a Port Authority of Allegheny County police officer was flagged down at the station for a report of a knife attack,...
Monroeville woman charged with stealing money from 2 Gateway organizations
The former president of two family-teacher organizations in the Gateway School District has been charged with stealing nearly $11,000 from fundraisers and debit card purchases made for her personal use. Jennifer Murawski, 38, of Monroeville was president of the FTO at Mosside Middle School from 2017 to 2019 and the...
UPMC doctors ready to meet ‘pent-up demand’ after inking 10-year contract with Highmark
UPMC facilities are preparing to meet the “pent-up demand” among Highmark-insured patients who now can choose to go to UPMC doctors and hospitals, particularly when it comes to specialty care, UPMC’s chief financial officer said Tuesday. “We’re seeing (patient) volume increases,” said Robert DeMichiei, CFO of UPMC, a nonprofit health...
Brewers’ special collaborations key to Greensburg Craft Beer Week
Greensburg Craft Beer Week is a nine-day, multi-venue event showcasing breweries, restaurants, local businesses and more through craft beer-centric events and community involvement throughout the Greensburg area. This year, events run from Sept. 20 to 28. Each year, Greensburg Craft Beer Week grows larger and offers more exciting events than...
Unmatched spectacle of ‘The Lion King’ returns to Benedum stageVideo
“Disney’s The Lion King” has proven itself to be the most moving Broadway musical — both literally and figuratively — that many theatergoers have ever experienced. From the emotions of a touching story about “The Circle of Life” expressed in music by Tony Award-winning artists Elton John and Tim Rice,...
County council votes down Allegheny police review board, supporters vow to keep pushingVideo
The Gold Room of the Allegheny County Courthouse erupted into chants of “vote them out” and “we’ll be back” following a vote by Allegheny County Council on Tuesday against establishing a countywide police review board. Council voted 9-6 against the ordinance, which was co-sponsored by District 10 Councilman DeWitt Walton,...
Penn Hills official faces removal over background check policy
Penn Hills Council is expected to vote Thursday to remove a longstanding appointed official from the municipality’s planning commission for refusing to comply with a rule requiring him to undergo a criminal background check. The planning commissioner, Jerry Chiappinelli, said he didn’t submit to a background check because he did...
Latrobe man, fiancee sue Nemacolin, seek return of $30K wedding reception deposit
A Latrobe man and his fiancee said a Fayette County resort wasn’t as advertised and are seeking the return of their deposit after canceling their wedding reception set for next month. In a three-count lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas, Greg Cammarata and Christina Varrasso say Nemacolin...
Johnson & Johnson opioid ruling spreads optimism around Western Pa.-based lawsuits
Westmoreland County is one of about 2,000 municipalities across the country with pending lawsuits against various drug manufacturers accused of promoting the opioid addiction epidemic that has devastated communities in recent years. This week’s court ruling in Oklahoma, in which the state was awarded a $572 million judgment from drugmaker...
Cheswick church rallies behind pastor who needs heart transplantVideo
Clinton Blazevich was told he could live with his heart condition for maybe three to five years before needing a heart transplant. That was nearly 20 years ago. Blazevich, 42, suffers from myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, and cardiomyopathy, a condition that makes it harder for the heart to...
Liberty Tunnel closures begin Tuesday night
An overnight outbound closure of the Liberty Tunnel begins Tuesday night and continues through Thursday night, weather permitting, according to PennDOT. The outbound Liberty Tunnel will close to traffic from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night as crews perform ceiling repair work. The inbound tunnel will not be impacted....
Ranieri family raising money for scholarship fundVideo
Terry Ranieri’s legacy is living on through a scholarship fund for Hempfield Area Marching Band students. Ranieri, who passed away last week, graduated from Hempfield Area School District in 1975, attended home football games regularly in the decades since supporting the marching band and spent time hanging out with friends...
Former Monessen School District bus driver accused of possessing child porn
A former Monessen School District bus driver was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of possessing child pornography, federal prosecutors said. Jack Brian Laforte, 54, of Monessen is accused of possessiong videos and images in computer graphic files that showed minors, some younger than 12, engaged...
ScareHouse to create Scream District in Strip District
Pittsburgh’s popular haunted attraction ScareHouse is transforming. The creators of ScareHouse, formerly housed on Locust Street in Etna, will present a new attraction called “The Scream District” in a new temporary home in the Strip District. An exact location has not been revealed. The new iteration of the ScareHouse will...
Pitt researchers develop marijuana breathalyzer
With more and more states legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, sooner or later some bright scientist had to invent a marijuana breathalyzer. Now it appears researchers at the University of Pittsburgh may have just walked to the head of the class. A Pitt spokesman said a team from the university’s...
Unity auto repair shop destroyed by fireVideo
A quick-moving fire Tuesday gutted an auto repair shop in Unity. The owner of Rain’s Auto Body, Dean Rain, said workers had started welding a car when sparks flew, igniting the fire about 2:16 p.m. He said workers tried to put the fire out, but “it spread really fast.” Rain’s...
Latrobe man accused of assaulting mother, boy
A 38-year-old Latrobe man has been jailed for allegedly assaulting a woman and injuring her 2-year-old son, police said. Louis Anthony Campbell, of 905 Chestnut St., is accused of causing the boy to sustain a lump on his forehead during an incident at a home in the 1900 block of...
Farmers’ Almanac predicts ‘Polar Coaster’ winter for Pennsylvania, Northeast
A “Polar Coaster” of temperature changes, from above-average highs to frigid lows, is coming this winter, according to the 2020 Farmers’ Almanac, with the eastern part of the country potentially facing the worst of it. “We expect yet another wild ride this winter,” almanac editor Pete Geiger said. That wild...
Wendy Bell gets own KDKA radio show; Marty Griffin back to mornings
After eight months sharing KDKA-AM News Radio 1020’s on-air afternoon commute slot together, Wendy Bell and Marty Griffin are now each taking the driver’s seat for their own shows. Starting Sept. 3, Griffin will return to the 9 a.m. to noon slot, with Lynne Hayes-Freeland moving from 10 a.m. to...
Pitt suspends Chinese language program in wake of visa issues for foreign scholars
The University of Pittsburgh has suspended a language program sponsored by the Chinese government in the wake of visa issues for 15 Chinese scholars previously scheduled to oversee the program. The school suspended its Confucius Institute language programs after the U.S. State Department issued “unwelcome and unexpected” guidance regarding the...
