Top Stories category, Page 1805
Felicity Huffman to plead guilty in admissions scam next month
BOSTON — “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman will plead guilty on May 13 to charges that she took part in a sweeping college admissions cheating scam. Huffman had been scheduled to enter her plea in Boston federal court on May 21. A judge on Monday agreed to move up the...
Murrysville massage parlor owner ordered back to jail
A Mt. Pleasant woman accused of being part of a human trafficking and prostitution ring through four massage parlors she ran in Monroeville and Murrysville is back in jail on allegations she threatened a co-defendant. Hui Xu, 44, who state police allege owned and operated four Tokyo Massage parlors where...
Beaver County firefighters rescue ducklings from storm drainVideo
A brood of ducklings trapped in a Beaver County storm drain were rescued by firefighters, according to a video posted on the Chippewa Township Fire Department’s Facebook page. The video, posted Sunday, shows a firefighter in the drain carefully picking up the ducklings and placing them into a plastic bin...
Polymath Park opens second Frank Lloyd Wright home in Mt. Pleasant TownshipVideo
After a years-long relocation and rebuild, a second Frank Lloyd Wright home now stands in the woods of Polymath Park in Mt. Pleasant Township. On Monday, CEO Tom Papinchak welcomed friends and family to the opening of Mäntylä, which is Finnish for “under the pines.” After dismantling the original Lindholm...
L.A. Taco truck turns out authentic Mexican ‘street food’ in the Alle-Kiski ValleyVideo
Taco Tuesday can be yours. L.A. Taco, a food truck primarily serving the Alle-Kiski area since 2012, rolls into Saxonburg, Buffalo Township, Ford City and Kittanning weekly, selling authentic Mexican tacos, burritos and quesadillas. “My husband, Walter, is Latino and from L.A., moved here, and was a student at IUP,”...
McKean County crash that killed 4 Pittsburghers ‘one of the worst’
Two children on their way to see their father were killed Saturday in a crash that first responders described as one of the worst they have seen. Ashley L. Smith was driving an SUV with her two stepchildren and Teonna L. Herring inside when she crossed into oncoming traffic and...
Man killed in Penn Hills hit-and-run crash identified
Allegheny County Police are investigating a hit-and-run crash that killed a man Sunday night in Penn Hills. Joseph Morris, 51, of Pittsburgh, was found dead by police in front of 1841 Universal Road in Penn Hills after Allegheny County 911 received multiple calls around 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Police and paramedics...
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority to complete addition of lead inhibiting chemical
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority on Monday will complete the last phase of adding a lead inhibiting chemical to its water system, officials said Friday. PWSA will begin adding orthophosphate, which coats the inside of pipes and prevents lead from leeching into drinking water, at the Highland 1 Reservoir...
Developer wants to add sandy beach, lagoon, Ferris wheel to North Shore
Imagine sipping a rum cocktail on a veranda overlooking a sandy beach with the setting sun reflecting off clear, blue water. In Pittsburgh? Yes, says Lucas Piatt, president of Millcraft Investments, a Washington-based development company. Millcraft is planning a $700 million complex dubbed Esplanade next to Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh’s...
Firefighters union endorses Joe Biden ahead of Pittsburgh rally
The International Association of Firefighters on Monday became the first major union to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, citing his close ties to firefighters and record of supporting union causes throughout his career. Harold Schaitberger, the union’s general president, said the organization pushed for Biden to run and was...
Trump did ‘nothing wrong’ to warrant impeachment, Sen. Lindsey Graham contendsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday that President Trump did “nothing wrong” to warrant impeachment and removal from office, pushing back at Democrats who want the House to consider proceedings. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a stalwart Trump defender, had strongly advocated for...
Stephen Moore, Trump’s Fed nominee, apologizes for past comments about womenVideo
Stephen Moore, President Trump’s likely nominee for an opening on the Federal Reserve Board, apologized Sunday for his past controversial comments about women that caused a firestorm last week. Moore, a longtime conservative commentator, has come under scrutiny for columns he wrote in the National Review in the early 2000s...
Monroeville girl’s murder spurs father on crusade against teen dating violence
The majority of teen dating violence episodes — 83% — follow a bad breakup. That statistic alone, had Demi Brae Cuccia or her parents known it in 2007, might have been life-saving. “If my daughter had an assembly and she learned that, she wouldn’t have maybe let this boy come...
William Barr may withdraw from Mueller report hearing over terms of testimony, House Democrats sayVideo
WASHINGTON — Democrats and the Justice Department are in a standoff over the terms of Attorney General William Barr’s planned testimony before the House Judiciary Committee this week, raising the prospect that the hearing might not go forward at all. A senior Democratic committee aide said Sunday that Barr risks...
Hundreds commemorate 6-month anniversary of Tree of Life slayingsVideo
Daniel Leger stood in front of a packed Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill and said that neither he, nor anyone else in the room Sunday afternoon, should have to be there. “We shouldn’t have to be here today because of Columbine, because it was more than enough,” he said. “We...
Tennessee police investigating whether suspect Michael Cummins knew 7 victimsVideo
WESTMORELAND, Tenn. — Police on Sunday raised the death toll at two homes in rural Tennessee to seven and said they are investigating whether a suspect captured after an hourslong manhunt knew the victims. Michael Cummins, 25, was taken into custody Saturday night after being shot about a mile away...
7-year-old Latrobe girl sings anthem at Utah Jazz playoff gameVideo
Three weeks after wowing the sellout crowd at the Pittsburgh Pirates home opener, a 7-year-old girl from Latrobe was invited back to again perform the national anthem at a major sports venue. Victory Brinker sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, prior to...
Ukrainian Orthodox church in Arnold celebrates Easter this week
After breaking a seven-week fast, the small but powerful congregation of the Holy Virgin Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Arnold celebrated Easter on Sunday in traditional style. The service paid homage to the high holiday in all of its pageantry. The Rev. Mark Swindle dressed in crisp, ivory robes, a spray...
Thousands attend annual Blessing of the Bikes in Murrysville
Don Adams pulled his motorcycle up to Joey’s The Edge in Export on Sunday morning, his 13-year-old dog Charlie in the sidecar, bundled up in a vest. Adams, 76, was meeting up with his friends to have coffee and donuts before the annual Blessing of the Bikes at Murrysville Alliance...
Gary Cuccia: Look for dating violence warnings
I talked to my daughter, Demi, 16 minutes before she was murdered. I didn’t know she was in danger, and I don’t think she did either. Demi had just turned 16. She was a cheerleader at Gateway High School, and the light of my life. She was about a year...
Bolton: Trump wants solo, not multi-party talks with North Korea
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has little interest in joining other countries in a multi-nation effort to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser said Sunday. The United States is not trying to exclude other nations from nuclear talks with Pyongyang, John Bolton...
Former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, foreign policy expert, dies
INDIANAPOLIS — Former Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, a Republican foreign policy sage known for leading efforts to help the former Soviet states dismantle and secure much of their nuclear arsenal, but whose reputation for working with Democrats cost him his final campaign, died Sunday. He was 87. Lugar died at...
‘Avengers: Endgame’ obliterates records with $1.2B opening
NEW YORK — The universe belongs to Marvel. “Avengers: Endgame” shattered the record for biggest opening weekend with an estimated $350 million in ticket sales domestically and $1.2 billion globally, reaching a new pinnacle in the blockbuster era that the comic-book studio has come to dominate. The “Avengers” finale far...
Police investigating Homestead shooting
One person is in critical condition and police are searching for a suspect after a shooting in Homestead Saturday night, officials said. Allegheny County Police responded to the area of East 14th Street and East 15th Street around 8 p.m. after receiving multiple calls reporting gunshots. Officers were unable to...
Donations, pigs part of Las Vegas’ efforts to cut food waste
LAS VEGAS — At a farm outside Las Vegas, a herd of pigs feasts on lobster, sausage links and beef. In town, people at a community center sit for a dinner that may include sliders and truffle mac and cheese. The two meals have something in common: Both came from...
