Top Stories category, Page 1701
Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community Center provides outreach to El Paso
A Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh official traveled this week to El Paso, Texas, to help with the community’s healing process after the Aug. 3 mass shooting. “There’s no playbook for any of the communities affected,” said JCC chief program officer Jason Kunzman, who traveled to Texas on Sunday....
Does Cinnamon Coke take the autumn spice thing too far?
Brits are already familiar with this autumn-spiced cola. Now Americans can try this adulteration of their beloved Coke. Coca-Cola Cinnamon is hitting U.S. shelves Sept. 13, reports ABC News, while CNET is saying the 30th. The Zero Sugar version made a splash in Britain last year and was apparently successful...
State gaming board grants final license for Westmoreland Mall mini casino
State gaming officials approved the license for a mini casino to operate out of Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. The state Gaming Control Board voted unanimously Wednesday to grant Stadium Casino LLC — owned by the Maryland-based Cordish Companies — a Category 4 satellite casino license for which they paid more...
Cops: Penn Township woman disrupted porch party with ethnic intimidation
A Penn Township couple alleges that a neighbor disrupted a weekend porch party by hitting their backyard fence with an aluminum baseball bat as she yelled threatening racial epithets toward the gathering, township police said. Beth D. Knapp, 50, of Nancy Drive, was charged with ethnic intimidation, criminal mischief and...
No ATV riding on Gilpin roads
After hearing extensive opinions on both sides of the issue for several months, the move to allow all-terrain vehicles on Gilpin roads succumbed quietly. A motion to allow ATVs on selected township roads died Monday night. Supervisors were considering an ordinance that would have allowed township roads to be designated...
Police: Man killed when wall collapses on him in Mercer County
NEW WILMINGTON — Authorities are investigating the death of a Michigan man trapped under part of a water tank he was working to dissemble in western Pennsylvania. State police in Mercer County say 31-year-old Zachary Jock of Bad Axe, Michigan was part of a company hired to disassemble the 100-foot...
Raccoon found in Robinson Township tests positive for rabies
A raccoon found in the 200 block of North Petrie Road in Robinson Township has tested positive for rabies, according to a statement from the Allegheny County Health Department. It’s the 17th rabid animal reported in Allegheny County so far in 2019. The list includes 14 raccoons, two bats and...
Ohio State seeks to trademark ‘The’ for its merchandise
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University wants to trademark the word “The” when used as part of the school’s name on university merchandise. The Columbus Dispatch reports OSU submitted a trademark application this month to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Washington. The application requests a standard character...
Former Monsour hospital site in Jeannette officially changes hands
Nearly two years after an agreement was reached between Westmoreland County and a developer, the former Monsour Medical Center has officially changed hands. The vacant 6.4-acre Jeannette property now is owned by Colony Holding, the Westmoreland County Land Bank announced Wednesday. “Jayhawk Commons,” a mixture of commercial, retail and office...
Man charged in Pa. Planned Parenthood break-in, vandalism
WILKES-BARRE — A man has been charged with breaking into a Planned Parenthood office in northeastern Pennsylvania, smashing glass doors and painting graffiti on the walls. Iain Carberry, 39, is charged in Luzerne County with burglary, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct in the early morning break-in Monday at...
Center Road project in Monroeville to extend into September
Unfavorable weather conditions and unforeseen issues have extended the Center Road project in Monroeville, a Monroeville Municipal Authority (MMA) official said. Jim Hunter, authority general manager, said the project will stretch into September. Road base repair work is scheduled to begin Aug. 19. Also starting Aug. 19, Center Road will...
Amazon says its facial software can recognize fear
With Halloween just months away, Amazon’s timing seems perfect. The tech company announced in a blog post this week that it’s facial recognition software — Rekognition — now has the ability to recognize fear. Amazon Rekognition has “improved accuracy for emotion detection (for all 7 emotions: ‘Happy’, ‘Sad’, ‘Angry’, ‘Surprised’,...
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...
A$AP Rocky found guilty of Sweden assault, won’t face prison
STOCKHOLM —A Swedish court on Wednesday found American rapper A$AP Rocky guilty of assault for his role in a June 30 street brawl in Stockholm that drew the close attention of President Donald Trump. Though the 30-year-old rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, and his two bodyguards were found...
Bishop Zubik reflects on clergy sex abuse scandal a year after grand jury reportVideo
Bishop David Zubik outlined a renewed commitment to healing victims, financial transparency and continued listening one year after the release of the state’s grand jury report on child sex abuse by Catholic clergy. “The church is profoundly indebted to those courageous victims/survivors who have helped us grow in understanding the...
Murrysville wreck entraps dump truck driver
Emergency workers pulled a dump truck driver from his truck Wednesday morning after it overturned and blocked a Murrysville road, according to Westmoreland County dispatch. The truck rolled over just off the road at Pleasant Valley Road near Trafford Road around 8 a.m. The man was removed from the truck...
Police: Man in wheelchair attempted to rob South Side bank
Pittsburgh police are searching for a man who they said tried to rob a South Side bank Tuesday before changing his mind and fleeing in a wheelchair. A bank teller said the man in a wheelchair entered the First National Bank at about 3:30 p.m and handed over a note...
Police charge Carnegie man in stabbing near Market Square
A 33-year-old man is in stable condition at UPMC Mercy hospital after being stabbed in the arm and lower back shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday in Downtown, Pittsburgh police said. Police found Donnie Green lying on a sidewalk in Market Square with the stab wounds. A large group of men...
45 years ago, ‘unknown band’ Rush played Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena
The concert promoter didn’t want them, the lead singer was so buzzed he didn’t know how they did, and their performance garnered only a single sentence in a review published in the Valley News Dispatch a week later. Rush was an unknown band from Canada when they played the Civic...
Westmoreland Fair bills itself as ‘A Timeless Tradition’
The 65th edition of the Westmoreland Fair celebrates “A Timeless Tradition” with some new attractions and the return of some old favorites Aug. 16-24 at Westmoreland Fairgrounds, Mt. Pleasant Township. “Here in Westmoreland County, agriculture is huge. This is agriculture’s time to shine,” says Sarah Sphon, in her first year...
Body found floating in Ohio River identified
Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man whose body was found floating in the Ohio River near Neville Island earlier this month. The body of Timothy Cody, 59, was found by a boater near the 4000 block of Ohio River Boulevard shortly before 11 p.m. Aug. 7. Cause and...
Trump official Ken Cuccinelli: Statue of Liberty poem refers to EuropeansVideo
WASHINGTON — A top Trump administration official said Tuesday that the famous inscription on the Statue of Liberty welcoming immigrants into the country is about “people coming from Europe” and that America is looking to receive migrants “who can stand on their own two feet.” The comments from Ken Cuccinelli,...
Tarentum fires public works laborer facing strangulation charge
Tarentum Council fired a public works laborer who is accused of attacking and threatening to kill a 17-year-old summer worker. At a special meeting Tuesday, council voted 6-1 to fire Timothy Dzugan effective immediately. Councilman Tim Cornuet cast the only vote against firing Dzugan. He declined to comment on his...
Trump claims credit for Beaver County cracker plant, reviving economy during Western Pa. visit
President Trump boasted Tuesday afternoon about his administration’s efforts to “revive” the nation’s energy and manufacturing sectors during a visit to Royal Dutch Shell’s ethane cracker plant construction site in Beaver County. Trump also took credit for the multibillion-dollar project’s existence. “It was the Trump administration that made it possible,...
Gov. Wolf calls for sweeping reforms for charter schools in Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday vowed to level the playing field between Pennsylvania’s traditional public schools and charter and cyber charter schools. He said the latter lack accountability and transparency and are draining millions of dollars from struggling school districts. Calling the state’s 22-year-old public charter school law flawed and...
