Top Stories category, Page 1831
More condoms, fewer cigarettes found in annual beach cleanup
SANDY HOOK, N.J. — Volunteers cleaning up New Jersey beaches last year found everything but the kitchen sink. Oh wait, they found one of those, too. Unsurprisingly, nearly 82% of the trash removed during Clean Ocean Action’s beach sweeps last spring and fall was plastic, including beverage bottles, shopping bags,...
McKeesport bus driver snagged by state’s Child Predator Unit for alleged explicit messages
A McKeesport bus driver is accused of sending sexually explicit messages and photos to a Massachusetts police officer posing as a minor, leading to his arrest Monday by agents from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office. Todd Murray, 55, faces five felony charges, including corruption of minors and unlawful contact with...
Police: Customer chokes Giant Food Store cashier over smashed potato chips
A Giant Food Store customer angry that a cashier was apparently being careless with his snack chips confronted and choked the man, police allege. Bradley Bower, 55, of New Cumberland, will be arraigned on a charge of simple assault at the time of his preliminary hearing, which is set for...
Drs. Cyril Wecht, Sanjay Gupta examine ‘deaths of despair’ in HBO documentary
A new HBO documentary relies on Dr. Cyril Wecht, the renowned forensic pathologist, to provide medical support for the idea that stress is dramatically reducing the life expectancy of Americans. “One Nation Under Stress,” which premiered on HBO on March 25, opens with a bird’s eye view of Western Pennsylvania...
Lower Burrell mayor with 2 donated lungs now sets sights on a new kidney
After surviving a double lung transplant in 2015, the mayor of Lower Burrell is looking for a new kidney. But you would never know Rich Callender, 51, needs a new kidney, as he often arrives at city hall by 9 a.m. on weekdays, ready to tackle the problems of the...
No developers answer Greensburg’s call for hotel pitches
The Greensburg Community Development Corp. asked developers for their best pitches for a downtown hotel, but the extended deadline has come and gone, with no proposals submitted. Ashley Kertes, director of the corporation, said she’s in talks with several developers interested in bringing a hotel to the city, though they...
Mercury spill keeps Marshall postal facility closed for over a week
The U.S. Postal Service Network Distribution Center remains closed more than a week after a mercury spill suspended retail services at the Marshall facility. The mail processing plant mainly handles packages mailed to and from Western Pennsylvania and some customers are still waiting to receive their mail. “We still don’t...
Highlands posts names of delinquent property taxpayers
As warned, the Highlands School District released the names of those delinquent in their school district property taxes. The lists for the four communities within the school district — Brackenridge, Fawn, Harrison and Tarentum — were posted to the district’s website on Tuesday. That was one day later than expected....
‘Hamilton’ star Leslie Odom Jr. to deliver CMU commencement address
Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor and singer Leslie Odom Jr. is returning to Carnegie Mellon University. And the 5,800 graduates of CMU’s class of 2019, including those receiving bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, will be in the room where it happens. Odom, who is best known for playing Aaron Burr...
Ohio proposal would honor presidential popular vote
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s coveted 18 electoral votes would be delivered to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote under a proposal making its way toward the state’s fall ballot. The proposed constitutional amendment, whose summary language was certified Monday, would force state lawmakers to assure the powerful...
Penguins’ Kris Letang donates $58K to 7-year-old fan with leukemia
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is doing what he can to help a 7-year-old fan with T-cell leukemia. After practice last Thursday, Letang delivered a check for $58,000 to help defray medical expenses incurred by 7-year-old Ian Rosenbaum of Stoystown in Somerset County. Rosenbaum was in Pittsburgh for an appointment...
Steelers draft hat inspired by Pittsburgh’s coat of arms
The Pittsburgh Steelers official draft day hat features a piece of the city. New Era and the NFL released the 2019 draft hat collection on Tuesday. According to New Era, the hats tried to feature something local related to the team. For the Steelers’ lid, they included a checkerboard lifted...
Police: Drunken driver hit 101 mph with kids in back seat
A Kittanning man previously charged with DUI remained in jail Tuesday after Butler state police say he drove 101 mph while drunk last month in Butler County. Joshua Sol Heigley, 35, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol when troopers clocked him going nearly twice the speed limit...
Pittsburgh City Council approves controversial gun ban
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday voted to approve a package of controversial bills aimed at banning certain weapons in the city and keeping guns out of the hands of people deemed public threats. Council voted 6-3 to send the bills to the desk of Mayor Bill Peduto, who said he...
Whole Foods lowering prices in move to shake ‘Whole Paycheck’ nickname
In a move to keep up with Walmart and other large chains, as well its continuing effort to change their image as a high-cost grocer, Whole Foods is lowering prices on hundreds of items on Wednesday. The company announced that they are cutting prices on fresh produce and expanding weekly...
PWSA customers could experience discolored water as authority adds lead control chemical
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority customers could experience temporary water discoloration as the authority adds a lead control chemical to drinking water, officials said Tuesday. PWSA started adding EPA-approved orthophosphate to the Highland Park II reservoir in Highland Park, which feeds approximately 25 percent of the authority’s system. The chemical...
Trump puts off vote on health-care bill until after next year’s elections
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signaled Monday night that he will not press for a vote on a bill to replace the Affordable Care Act until after next year’s elections, apparently heeding warnings from fellow Republicans about the perils of such a fight during campaign season. In a series of...
Columbia Gas announces possible rate decrease
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania wants to lower its rates for area customers. An advertisement which appeared in Monday’s Tribune-Review announced the utility’s request with the Pennsylvania Utility Commission for an adjustment of $17 million, starting Oct. 1. The request is an annual adjustment in gas cost rates that sets the...
Narcan available in vending machines in Las Vegas
Vending machines dispense just about anything these days — snacks, soda, aspirin, laundry products. Add anti-overdose medication to that list. In Las Vegas, health officials have begun offering Narcan, the life-saving nasal spray that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. It’s the brand-name version of naloxone. The Center for...
2020 by the numbers: Democrats posting big campaign stats
WASHINGTON — How many ways can you measure the first quarter of the year? For Democratic presidential candidates, it’s 300-plus events, 24 states and hundreds of voter questions. The Iowa caucus is still 10 months away, but the Democratic primary campaign is already an all-out sprint — passing eye-popping markers...
Police: $40K worth of equipment stolen from East Huntingdon job site
About $40,000 worth of tools and copper wiring was reported missing from an East Huntingdon job site, according to state police. Items belonging to two men were taken from Crossroads Plaza sometime between March 22 at 4 p.m. and March 25 at 7 a.m., troopers reported. Missing items include a...
U.S. officials worry paralyzing illness may grow more common
NEW YORK — One morning last fall, 4-year-old Joey Wilcox woke up with the left side of his face drooping. It was the first sign of an unfolding nightmare. Three days later, Joey was in a hospital intensive care unit, unable to move his arms or legs or sit up....
Pittsburgh police find missing 22-year-old woman
Pittsburgh police said a woman who has been missing since Sunday has been found and returned home safely. Shurontaya “Tay Tay” Festa, 22, was last seen in Oakland. Police said she was located Tuesday. Authorities did not specify where she was found....
Pittsburgh police locate missing 19-year-old man
A missing Hazelwood man has been found. Aubay Germany, 19, was last seen March 24. Pittsburgh police said Germany was found and safely returned home Tuesday. Authorities did not specify where Germany was found....
Hampton couple turned passion for pizza into Caliente empire
Nick Bogacz is happiest when he’s wearing his official work uniform: a black T-shirt covered in flour. “This is my passion,” says the Hampton resident, who runs Caliente Pizza & Draft House with his wife, Angie. Since 2012, the couple has turned one, small shop into a Pittsburgh pizza empire....
