Top Stories category, Page 1746
Assembly eyes open primaries, end to straight ticket voting
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters would be able to vote in primaries even if they aren’t Democrats or Republicans and have easier absentee ballot deadlines under election law changes being considered by the Legislature. The Senate on Tuesday voted 42 to 8 on Tuesday for a bill that would let unaffiliated...
What the UPMC-Highmark truce does and doesn’t mean for patients
A day after UPMC and Highmark reached a 10-year pact, patients across Western Pennsylvania are awaiting answers on precisely what the unexpected deal between the nonprofit health giants means for them. Patients who severed ties with longtime doctors are hopeful they can return to the physician teams who know them...
Officials: Allegheny County overdose deaths dropped significantly last year
Accidental overdose deaths in Allegheny County dropped 41% last year, according to the medical examiner’s office. Accidental overdoses claimed 432 people in 2018 compared to 737 in 2017, according to county data. This marks the fewest deaths over the past three years. In 2016, 650 people died from an overdose....
Man fired from Yokoso restaurant after sharing anti-Semitic Facebook post
An assistant manager of a Waterfront restaurant was fired Monday after his employer said he shared an anti-Semitic post on social media. “I would like to sincerely apologize for the action of one of my employees. It is inexcusable and nothing can make up for it,” Jeff Kim, the owner...
Development company plans $57 million SouthSide Works complex
An Indianapolis-based developer is planning a $57 million apartment complex on one of the last remaining vacant parcels in the SouthSide Works, according to the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority. TWG Development in May closed on the $1 million purchase of a 2.3-acre lot at Sidney and Sarah Streets from the...
Greensburg Salem pays $140K to ex-high school principal who claimed he was ‘blackballed’
Greensburg Salem School District will pay a $140,000 settlement to an ex-administrator who claimed he was discriminated against because of his involvement in an earlier staffing controversy. Former high school Associate Principal Joey L. Maluchnik sued the district in May 2017, claiming district officials blackballed him by refusing to promote...
Lawsuit: Lewd photo of nursing home resident shared on Snapchat
Staff members at a Butler County nursing home allegedly took lewd photos of a resident suffering from dementia and shared the photo on multiple social media platforms, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The lawsuit claims staff at Paramount Senior Living at Seven Fields took a photo of an 83-year-old...
Driver accused of fleeing Route 30 crash near Westmoreland Mall
Area firefighters and state police Monday searched a neighborhood along the border of Hempfield and Unity to find a man who fled the scene of a wreck on Route 30, state police said. David L. Jellison, 27, of Hostetter, was arraigned on multiple criminal charges Tuesday in connection with the...
Pittsburgh’s Zachary Quinto joined all-star cast to read Mueller report
At 448 pages, some might find the Mueller report a bit too daunting to read. That’s OK, 18 Hollywood actors will do it for you. Well, an interpretation of it. On Monday, stars the likes of Annette Bening, Kevin Kline, John Lithgow, Alfre Woodard, Justin Long, Alyssa Milano, and Pittsburgh...
Pa. GOP chair Val DiGiorgio resigns after report of sexually explicit messages
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Republican Party chairman stepped down Tuesday as a result of a published report that he had traded sexually charged text messages with a Philadelphia City Council candidate and also sent her an explicit photo. Val DiGiorgio’s resignation was announced by the state Republican Party. In a letter...
National Weather Service confirms rare tornado in W.Va.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The National Weather Service says storm-related damage indicates a rare tornado touched down in West Virginia. The weather service says on Twitter a tornado hit the Alum Creek area Monday night along U.S. Route 119 southwest of Charleston. The weather service says a survey team is looking...
Mt. Lebanon man found guilty of third-degree murder in infant daughter’s death
A 31-year-old Mt. Lebanon man was found guilty of third-degree murder Tuesday in the November 2017 death of his four-month-old daughter. Joseph Gazzam, 31, had entered guilty pleas in April to charges including reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child, along with a general plea to one count...
JCPenney to remain open during Century III Mall demolition
Century III mall’s lone tenant, JCPenney, said it would remain “for many years to come” despite the mall owner’s plans to demolish the mall and redevelop the property. “While we don’t provide specific details about our real estate activities, I can tell you that JCPenney is committed to keeping our...
First lady’s spokeswoman to be White House press secretary
WASHINGTON — Melania Trump has announced that her spokeswoman will be the new White House press secretary. Stephanie Grisham, who has been with the Trumps since 2015, will also take on the role of White House communications director. The first lady tweeted Tuesday that she “can think of no better...
Jeannette man arrested on arson charge in connection with April fire
Jeannette police Tuesday arrested a city man they charged last month with arson and related counts in connection with an April 2 fire. Jason Anthony John, 40, was being held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $250,000 bail. Authorities accuse John of setting an abandoned North Third Street home on...
Winning Cash 5 ticket worth $400K sold in Pittsburgh
A jackpot-winning Cash 5 ticket for Monday’s drawing was sold at a Downtown Pittsburgh business. The winner will receive $400,000. The ticket was sold at Faber Coe & Gregg, 500 Grant St. The business will receive $500 for selling the winning ticket. The ticket matched all five balls drawn, 09-10-13-35-36....
Philadelphia police must use transgender person’s chosen name, new policy says
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia police must use a person’s chosen name and pronoun when interacting with transgender people, regardless of what is listed on their government-issued identification card. The change is part of a new police department policy announced Tuesday that addresses how police should interact with transgender and non-binary people....
Pittsburgh using autonomous vehicle data to track parking trends in Strip District
Aaron Morris’ first car was a 1987 Pontiac Firebird that he started driving in high school. Now he’s using it to map the congested parking situation in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Morris and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Monday announced that the city will use parking data supplied by Allvision, a...
Officials OK deal with Cincinnati-based developer for Hempfield industrial park
County officials this week approved the potential sale of 13 acres at the Westmoreland Technology Park II in Hempfield to a Cincinnati-based commercial real estate development and design firm. Acting as the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp., county commissioners signed off on the deal to option the property to AI....
Pa. woman uses shovel to kill cobra slithering on her patio
FALLS, Pa. — A Pennsylvania woman used a shovel to kill a cobra she saw slithering on the patio of her apartment. Kathy Kehoe says the squawking of some blue jays outside her unit caught her attention Monday. When she looked outside, she saw a 4 to 5-foot-long serpent. Kehoe,...
Owners of banned fraternity house sue Penn State
More than two years after the February 2017 death of Timothy Piazza, a Penn State student who died of injuries he sustained during an alcohol-fueled fraternity pledge event, the lawsuits just keep coming. The Associated Press is reporting the fraternity corporation that owns the shuttered Beta Theta Pi fraternity house...
Pittsburgh ranks among top 20 places to celebrate Fourth of July
Pittsburghers get ready — the city made the Top 20 list of best places to celebrate the Fourth of July out of 100 United States cities. According to WalletHub, a personal credit tech site, Pittsburgh ranked 20th, coming in behind Orlando and before Minneapolis. The site uses a list of...
Rivers Casino launches online sportsbook
Think the Steelers will bring home the Vince Lombardi trophy this year? You can place your bet online now. Western Pennsylvania’s first online sportsbook — BetRivers.com — launched Tuesday through Rivers Casino and sports betting provider Rush Street Interactive. Fans can now bet on the go, with all the features...
Authorities: Pa. man built bomb to warn about alien threat
MYERSTOWN — Authorities say a man who allegedly put a bomb in a parking lot behind a Pennsylvania hotel told them he did it to warn police about aliens bent on destroying the planet. State troopers responded to the Bahney House in Myerstown on Sunday. They discovered a suspicious package...
Pittsburgh closes sections of sidewalk along scenic Mt. Washington
Pittsburgh has closed several sections of cantilevered sidewalk as a safety precaution along scenic Grandview Avenue in Mt. Washington and expects to spend up to $1 million this year on repairs. Grandview’s four observation decks remain open. Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith of Westwood, who represents Mt. Washington, said structural pillars underneath...
