Top Stories category, Page 1842
Even the Dalai Lama had questions about Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto’s beard
Questions about Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s beard are being asked in the strangest places these days. The mayor started growing whiskers in August and has since been fielding questions about his two-toned hair color, black hair, white beard. He returned Monday from a two-week trip abroad that included stops in...
Judge fines Lower Burrell councilman $600 for harassment, trespassing
A Lower Burrell councilman was found guilty of harassing his ex-fiancee after she said he continued to contact her after she and a police officer told him not to. Cecelia Sharrock testified in a Turtle Creek district court Tuesday that Joseph Grillo even went to the bank where she works...
Judge defends not releasing juror names from Westmoreland sheriff’s mistrial
The judge presiding over the state’s public corruption case against Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held on Tuesday defended his decision to refuse a Tribune-Review request to immediately identify jurors who served in the first trial, which ended four months ago. Senior Common Pleas Court Judge Timothy Creany in a seven-page...
Pa. Democrats, Muslim lawmaker decry opening prayer as divisive
HARRISBURG — The first female Muslim member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives said Tuesday she was offended by a colleague’s decision to open a voting session with a prayer a day earlier that “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow.” Democratic Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell of Philadelphia said...
State awards $2.25M in grants that include projects at former Civic Arena site
The redevelopment of Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District at the site of the former Civic Arena was awarded nearly $678,000 that’s part of $2.25 million in state funding coming to Allegheny County for projects. About half of the Lower Hill money will go toward developing a plaza and pedestrian walkway in...
Advocates call for passage of Pa. law requiring lead water testing in schools
Officials in Pittsburgh on Wednesday called for the passage of state legislation that would require school districts to test their drinking water for lead. Legislation from state Rep. Karen Boback, R-Luzerne, introduced Wednesday would also drastically reduce a statewide threshold for lead levels in water at schools and require districts...
Ariana Grande honors Mac Miller on anniversary of collaboration on ‘The Way’
On Monday, singer Ariana Grande marked the anniversary of the song “The Way,” a collaboration with the late Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller, according to people.com. It's been six years since The Way was released, and Ariana Grande is thinking of Mac Miller. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/uIkJMiRRYS— E! News (@enews) March 25,...
Pittsburgh City Council to vote on proposed firearms ban
Pittsburgh City Council is expected to cast its first vote Wednesday on three controversial bills that would ban the possession and use of certain semiautomatic weapons, ammunition and accessories in the city. Councilman Corey O’Connor, one of the main sponsors of the legislation, said he would call for a vote...
Pittsburgh region has thousands of job opportunities, Builders Guild says
Now’s the time for someone to pursue a career in the building trades, according to the head of the Builders Guild of Western Pennsylvania. “There are literally thousands of opportunities. We’ve been bringing in record numbers of apprentices for the last two years,” said Jeff Nobers, executive director of the...
5 reasons why you’ll want Apple’s radical new credit cardVideo
The company that asked you to “Think Different” about computers and phones now wants to change the way you shop. Apple on Monday announced expansions to services such as TV and gaming but one of the biggest game changers may be its upcoming credit card. You can already buy things...
Jussie Smollett’s attorneys say all criminal charges dropped
CHICAGO — Attorneys for “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett said Tuesday that charges alleging he lied to police about a racist and homophobic attack have been dropped. Smollett attorneys Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes said in a statement that Smollett’s record “has been wiped clean.” Smollett was indicted on 16...
State police: Men used stolen credit card, fake ID to buy trailer in Derry Township
State police in Greensburg are asking for the public’s help identifying three men who allegedly used a stolen credit card and false identification to obtain the required temporary registration plate to purchase a $3,740 trailer from a Derry Township firm. Trooper Stephen Limani said the three black males took possession...
Trump meets with Capitals at White House, asks about Penguins
The reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals went to the White House on Monday to meet with President Donald Trump … and the Penguins came up. The Capitals’ visit came nine months after they hoisted the Stanley Cup and just a few days before the start of the playoffs. The...
Proposed Pa. gun registry bill given ‘no chance’ of passage
A proposed bill that would require most guns to be registered in Pennsylvania is given little chance of moving forward by politicos in the state. It also is, not unsurprisingly, opposed by gun rights groups and those who represent Western Pennsylvania in the state Legislature. “It’s not registration for public...
George H.W. Bush’s office set to close for final time
HOUSTON — Four months after the death of the former president, George H.W. Bush’s office in Houston is to close for the last time at 5 p.m. Friday. Bush Chief of Staff Jean Becker says “as one era ends, a new one is beginning.” In a statement issued Monday, Becker...
Ohio man on beer diet for Lent has lost 25 pounds
An Ohio man who is sustaining himself during Lent on a diet of beer is about halfway through his challenge and has dropped 25 pounds so far. Del Hall, who works at a brewery in Cincinnati and is Army veteran, has posted updates to social media throughout his beer fast....
Erie Diocese agrees to $2 million settlement with abuse victim
The Erie Catholic Diocese will pay $2 million to settle claims with a man who said he was sexually abused by former priest and convicted pedophile David L. Poulson. The abuse occurred when Poulson was serving at St. Michael’s Church in Fryburg, Pa., from 2002-10 and St. Anthony of Padua...
Trump ramps up attacks on media in aftermath of Mueller probe
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday ratcheted up his attacks on the media following the conclusion of a two-year investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller that did not establish coordination between Trump and Russia on election interference. “The Mainstream Media is under fire and being scorned all over the...
50 years for man who raped neighbor, then offered yard work
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 20-year-old convicted of raping his neighbor and then offering to do work around her house to make it up to her is being sent to prison for 50 years. Jurors in West Palm Beach found Timothy Walding guilty of sexual battery, false imprisonment and...
Federal appeals court to consider whether Trump can block critics on Twitter
NEW YORK - President Donald Trump’s Twitter habits are up for argument Tuesday morning, as federal judges consider whether he and other elected officials can block critical voices from their social media accounts. Justice Department lawyers, defending the president, say the realDonaldTrump account is Trump’s personal platform to share his...
Family owners of Panera, Einstein Bros. Bagels admit Nazi past
The German family whose holding company owns controlling stakes in companies such as Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Panera Bread, Pret a Manger and Einstein Bros. Bagels profited from the horrors of the Nazi regime, according to a report in a German newspaper. The tabloid Bild, one of Germany’s most popular papers,...
Trump says investigation abused him, led to ‘evil things’Video
WASHINGTON — House Democrats pressed the Justice Department to provide the full report from special counsel Robert Mueller even as Republicans gleefully called for them to “move on” from the Russia investigation. President Donald Trump accused those responsible for launching Mueller’s probe of “treasonous things against our country” and said...
Chemical spill closes Pittsburgh postal distribution center
The U.S. Postal Service has suspended retail services at the Pittsburgh Network Distribution Center in Marshall after a chemical spill. Spokesman Tad Kelley said the chemical was identified as mercury. “All employees are safe and accounted for and none were exposed to the contaminant,” Kelley said Tuesday. “Professional environmental contractors...
Dish soap spill closes eastbound Turnpike in Chester County
An extended closure of the Pennsylvania Turnpike between Downington and Valley Forge is expected Tuesday after a truck crash spilled dish soap on the highway in Chester County. The eastbound lanes are closed between exits 312, Downington, and 326, Valley Forge, because of the crash involving the truck and a...
Upper Lawrenceville home hit by gunfire
Pittsburgh police are looking for a gunman after multiple shots were fired into an Upper Lawrenceville home early Tuesday morning. Four to five shots were fired just after midnight into the house on Kendall Street, the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, reported. At least one bullet went through a window. Police...
