Top Stories category, Page 1748
UPMC, Highmark reach 10-year deal for patient coverage
UPMC and Highmark struck a truce Monday that will allow Western Pennsylvanians to maintain access to hospitals and doctors across both rival health systems for at least the next 10 years. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro hailed the unexpected contract — inked six days before UPMC and Highmark were scheduled...
Former Pa. congressman Joe Sestak launches presidential campaign
PHILADELPHIA — Former Pennsylvania congressman Joe Sestak has become the latest Democrat to enter the presidential race. The retired Navy admiral who calls himself “Admiral Joe” on his campaign website joins a crowded Democratic field seeking the nomination to challenge President Donald Trump. He was launching his longshot candidacy Sunday...
McKees Rocks fire forces 6 families from apartment building
Six families were forced out of their apartment building after a fire late Sunday in McKees Rocks, WPXI reported. Firefighters responded to the blaze along Wayne Avenue around 10:30 p.m. No injuries were reported. Crews were able to rescue a dog and other pets. Flames appear to have broken out...
Rain returns briefly before string of mild days
After three days of sunny — and dry — weather, thunderstorms are expected to return Monday with potentially damaging winds and hail, according to the National Weather Service. Rain is expected late in the afternoon, just in time for rush hour, with stronger storms coming through after midnight. Temperatures will...
Police investigating gas station robbery in Marshall
Northern Regional Police are investigating an overnight gas station robbery in Marshall Township, WPXI reported. Officers responded at about 1 a.m. to the BP near T-Bones Plaza, just off I-79. A K9 unit assisted in the search along VIP Drive, which then extended to a nearby parking lot at Econo...
Church group: Drag queen bingo encourages fondling, groping
Mt. Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department won’t host another drag queen bingo, but it’s not because of the drag, Chief Jerry Lucia said. “We didn’t have the large crowd we thought, and then we had bingo players come here thinking they’d be playing bingo all night,” Lucia said. “They only played...
Tarentum barber makes impact on customers, communityVideo
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact reporter Madasyn Czebiniak at mczebiniak@tribweb.com. William Tavarez is more than just a neighborhood barber....
Study says changing values will impact fish and wildlife management
It’s more evidence of a coming storm, perhaps. Fewer Americans than ever hunt these days. It recently hit a 25-year low. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report, released in 2016, showed that 11.5 million Americans hunted. That was 4.4 percent of the population. If that sounds like a lot,...
Pittsburgh cops investigate 2 shootings
Pittsburgh police are investigating two shootings involving victims at two different locations. Shortly before 6:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to a shooting in the 40 block of Briggs Street. Witnesses told police that a man had been shot by someone driving a black Acura. The man was taken to a...
In Mideast, Mike Pompeo seeks a global coalition against IranVideo
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday he wants to build a global coalition against Iran during urgent consultations in the Middle East, following a week of crisis that saw the United States pull back from the brink of a military strike on Iran. Pompeo spoke as he...
Steelmakers are next in the crosshairs as climate pressure grows
Flames leap from cauldrons brimming with molten iron as they’re tipped into giant vats at one of Europe’s largest steel mills. Heated to over 1,800 degrees in furnaces fired by coal, the liquid metal sloshing at Thyssenkrupp’s facility in Duisburg, Germany, will eventually wind up in automobiles, wind turbines and...
Change may be coming for Westmoreland transit authority
Westmoreland County commissioners will vote Monday on a proposal to allow the county transit authority to serve as its own bus operator. Authority board members endorsed the move last week to amend the agency’s charter, a change that officials said could dramatically transform the operation and offer an alternative to...
Dozens gather to support to Pittsburgh church targeted by alleged terrorist
Dozens of Pittsburgh residents of all faiths came together Sunday to support the congregation of Legacy International Worship Center in the North Side as they held their first Sunday service since police arrested a man accused of planning to blow up the church. The interfaith event was organized by the...
Woman arrested in fatal Pittsburgh stabbing
Pittsburgh police arrested a 29-year-old woman Saturday in connection with a fatal stabbing in the Perry South neighborhood Friday night. The stabbing occurred around 7 p.m. in the 2100 block of Perrysville Avenue, where police found Gerald Dwain Walker, 41, inside a home bleeding heavily from several stab wounds. He...
Editorial: Pennsylvania gave women voice with vote
Women get to have a say. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. It should seem obvious. Of course a woman gets a seat at the table, a voice in a discussion. Of course all women should have that opportunity. But it was just 100 years ago that Pennsylvania said that, yes, every...
California golf course dispute sparks shooting, fire; 5 dead
SANTA MARIA, Calif. — A third body has been found in the rubble of a burned-out mobile home in California, bringing to five the number of dead in a shooting and fire that began during an argument at a pitch-and-putt golf course, authorities said. Santa Maria police identified Kurt Bracke,...
Police: Braddock woman arrested after knife attack aboard Port Authority bus
A Braddock woman was charged with aggravated assault after a knife attack aboard a Port Authority bus Saturday night, according to Pittsburgh police. Police said that two women, including 22-year-old Octavia Howard, began fighting aboard a PAT bus at the intersection of South Braddock and Forbes avenues shortly after 7:30...
Bikers gather for emotional ceremony following deadly crash
COLUMBIA, N.H. — A long-planned Blessing of the Bikes ceremony for motorcycle enthusiasts became a grief-filled memorial Sunday as hundreds converged to mourn seven bikers killed in a devastating crash with a pickup truck . About 400 motorcyclists gathered in Columbia, New Hampshire, for the ceremony — which is periodically...
Pennsylvania Lottery struggles to attract bets on virtual sports games
The Pennsylvania Lottery has more than 1,850 outlets with screens displaying virtual animated football and auto races. The odds of finding someone watching a bet play out on the simulated sports action is pretty low. With a few exceptions, lottery licensees in the region report few customers are spending their...
SCI Greensburg closing is potential wrench in census count
Hempfield residents and leaders could still be feeling the effects of SCI Greensburg closing as the census — and its potential funding and determination of legislative districts — looms on the horizon. The once-a-decade survey counts prisoners as members of the community where the lockup is located — a decision...
Kennywood takes the Steel Curtain for a test drive
Kennywood’s Steel Curtain – touted as Pennsylvania’s tallest roller coaster at 220 feet with the most upside down scares – made a maiden run on Saturday. The 4,000 feet of track promises a two-minute ride for thrill seekers that tops out at 75 miles an hour. Saturday’s tests put riders...
Fans break down, cry at sight of mural at Roberto Clemente museumVideo
Duane Rieder sees the number 21 — the late Roberto Clemente’s jersey number with the Pittsburgh Pirates — everywhere. The Pirates’ 2-1 win Friday. The 21 years he’s run the Clemente Museum in Lawrenceville. The 21-inch steel beams in the old firehouse that houses the museum. So, it was only...
Sunday hunting could come to Pennsylvania as early as this fall
It seems not a matter of if, but when. Next week, the state Senate is expected to vote on an amended Senate Bill 147, paving the way for Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania. The original version called for allowing hunting on 14 Sundays, 10 in fall and four in spring. Sen....
Firefighters from across Western Pa. pay respects to New Ken chief J. Edward SalibaVideo
New Kensington fire trucks lined Alder Street street Saturday in Lower Burrell. More from Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell, Arnold, Tarentum, Greensburg and departments throughout and beyond the Alle-Kiski Valley were parked across Freeport Road in a plaza parking lot awaiting their spot in the procession. There wasn’t a parade. Instead,...
Authorities try to ID parts of human legs found near Susquehanna River
WILLIAMSPORT — Authorities say portions of two sawn-off human legs were found on a central Pennsylvania riverbank last month. The Lycoming County coroner said last week that the legs were found by a fisherman May 11 along the Susquehanna River near the Hepburn Street Dam in Williamsport. Coroner Charles Kiessling...
