Top Stories category, Page 1759
High school sports proposal would separate public, private playoffs, ax PIAA transfer restrictions
Public and private high schools will compete for separate state championships, and strict transfer rules will vanish under the “Parity in Interscholastic Athletics Act” introduced Tuesday by a Western Pennsylvania state representative. “This impacts hundreds of thousands of students,” said state Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) while announcing his legislation at...
Sewickley man sets out to race 3,070 miles across America on a bike
The bike race is 3,070 miles long. It spans 12 states, crosses deserts with temperatures reaching more than 100 degrees and climbs mountains 11,000 feet tall. The distance equals 114 marathons or about the same that the average American drives in two and half months. Riders will climb 100,000 feet,...
Bishops meeting on sex abuse clouded by state investigations
DETROIT — Hundreds of boxes. Millions of records. From Michigan to New Mexico this month, attorneys general are sifting through files on clergy sex abuse, seized through search warrants and subpoenas at dozens of archdioceses. They’re looking to prosecute, and not just priests. If the boxes lining the hallways of...
Westmoreland court offices to close in observance of Flag Day
Some Westmoreland County workers will get a three-day weekend as court offices will close Friday in observance of Flag Day. The closure will affect the courthouse and adjacent offices as well as district court buildings. The American flag was officially adopted in 1777 and Flag Day was deemed an official...
Paul Steigerwald reflects on Penguins drafting Mario Lemieux
What did you do for “Happy Mario Day?” Did you go down the YouTube Mario Lemieux highlight rabbit hole? Wear a No. 66 jersey to Sunday dinner? Maybe place a bouquet at the statue in front of PPG Paints Arena? Those are all completely appropriate responses, by the way. However...
Police: Fight led to man getting shot in face in Munhall
An argument in Munhall early Tuesday left one man with a gunshot wound to the face, police said. The shooting happened at a home on East 11th Avenue about 2:30 a.m., according to Allegheny County police Sgt. Venerando Costa. Paramedics took a 45-year-old man to the hospital where he remained...
Man shot in head in Wilkinsburg
A man was shot in the head early Tuesday morning in Wilkinsburg, according to Allegheny County Police. The shooting was reported at 3:30 a.m. in the 1500 block of Laketon Road. When first responders arrived, they found the man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, police said. He...
Police: Tractor-trailer hauling paper catches fire at Pa. Turnpike service plaza
A tractor-trailer hauling paper caught fire at a fuel pump island along the Pennsylvania Turnpike early Tuesday morning, according to state police, shutting down a service plaza for several hours. The incident was reported shortly after 3 a.m. at the New Stanton plaza, located at milepost 77.6 westbound. According to...
Podcast part 2: Kevin Rabbitt grows into a Division I prospect in Kansas
Kevin Rabbitt’s company, Harmar-based NEP Group, is behind the scenes of many sporting events you watch. Rabbitt, an Overland Park, Kan., native, is chairman and CEO of NEP Group, a worldwide outsourced technical production partner that supports producers for live sports and entertainment. In part two of this week’s “Huddle...
U.S., Mexican officials give different accounts of immigration deal that averted tariffs
WASHINGTON — U.S. and Mexican officials sought Monday to bat down criticism of the last-minute agreement they reached on immigration and tariffs, each playing to their domestic audiences with contrasting and, at times, inflated claims. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration had won the most significant concessions...
Longtime cake decorator a lovable staple at Lower Burrell’s Community SupermarketVideo
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. Brandy Tresco was studying to be a medical assistant...
Tarentum Bridge continues to attract peregrine falcons
It’s been said before, but something continues to be mighty attractive about the Tarentum Bridge to the peregrine falcon. The current pair is raising three young falcons in a special nest box under the bridge deck. This is the fourth time that the once endangered raptor has successfully raised young...
Photos of travelers taken in data breach, Customs and Border Protection saysVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Monday that photos of travelers had been compromised as part of a “malicious cyberattack,” raising concerns over how federal officials’ expanding surveillance efforts could imperil Americans’ privacy. Customs officials said in a statement Monday that the images, which included photos of...
Driver sentenced up to 40 years in prison for fatal Christmas Eve crash in East Huntingdon
Jolene Cummins said Christmas was always a joyful day for her family. That changed on Christmas Eve 2016, when her husband of 25 years was killed as he ran that afternoon with his dog near the family’s home in East Huntingdon. Police say the man driving the car that hit...
2 people shot in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood
Two people were rushed to a local hospital after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood Monday afternoon. Police said they responded to a ShotSpotter notification of multiple gunshots around 4:30 p.m. along the 400 block of Larimer Avenue. Multiple calls to 911 for gunfire also were received. Police and EMS...
Bill calls for elimination of property taxes collected by Pa. school districts
Property taxes collected by school districts across the state could be a thing of the past if a new bill passes. Introduced by Rep. Pam Snyder (D-Fayette/Greene/Washington), along with state Reps. Marcia Hahn (R-Northampton) and Rosemary M. Brown (R-Monroe/Pike), the bill would enable districts to exclude up to 100% of...
Judge denies accused cop killer Rahmael Holt’s request for outside jury
Jury selection in the capital murder trial of Rahmael Sal Holt will begin in Westmoreland County, but could be moved to another county if finding impartial jurors proves to be too difficult, a judge ruled Monday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rita Hathaway rejected a defense request to move...
John Dean calls Mueller report ‘road map’ for Trump investigationVideo
WASHINGTON — John Dean, a star witness during Watergate who helped bring down the Nixon presidency, testified Monday that special counsel Robert Mueller has provided Congress with a “road map” for investigating President Trump. He told the House Judiciary Committee he saw parallels between Mueller’s findings and those of congressional...
Animals stranded in broken trailer on Parkway East rescued by county officer
Animals bound for home north of Pittsburgh had to spend the night at stables in Allegheny County’s South Park after their trailer broke down on the Parkway East. The three miniature horses, four lambs and four goats were in a trailer headed to Franklin, about 85 miles north of Pittsburgh,...
5-county United Way sees growth in services, outreach in 2018
The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania continues to set records in the number of people it helps. An estimated 480,831 people received assistance in 2018 as a result of United Way programs or collaborations with other agencies, according to the recently released 2018 annual report. That number represents a 16%...
Leaning South Side home was condemned, should be demolished soon
A South Side house that appears to be tipping over should be demolished shortly, city officials said. The two-story structure was posted with a notice of imminent danger in February and charges were filed in March against Soroka Sales Inc., which owns the leaning building at 140 S. 25th St....
Cops: Sandwich wasn’t enough — inmate attacked for not giving up cookie, banana
Everybody knows that the cookie is always the best part of a bagged lunch. So, when one inmate wouldn’t give his up to another inmate, you can imagine what happened next. Or maybe you can’t. An Indiana County inmate, who had already handed over his sandwich, refused to part with...
AG Shapiro begins making case for blocking UPMC-Highmark split
HARRISBURG — Three types of patients never were supposed to be affected by the insurance network split of UPMC and Highmark — children, the poor and seniors, Jim Donahue of the Pennsylvania Attorney’s General Office said Monday in Commonwealth Court. State officials decided to intervene in the clash of Western...
Helicopter crashes on roof of Manhattan skyscraper; pilot killedVideo
NEW YORK — A helicopter crashed on the roof of a rain-shrouded midtown Manhattan skyscraper Monday, killing the pilot and briefly triggering memories of 9/11, after an erratic trip across some of the nation’s most restricted airspace. Authorities said they did not suspect terrorism. The crash near Times Square and...
Convicted Pa. sex offenders targeted in new telephone scam
Telephone scammers have found a new target in Pennsylvania: registered sex offenders. Pennsylvania State Police issued a warning Monday, saying there has been an increase in fraud reports throughout the state from individuals required to register as sex offenders. Police say the sex offenders are being conned into wiring immediate...
