Top Stories category, Page 1852
Graham Nash talks Pittsburgh, Woodstock and CrosbyVideo
Graham Nash is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, as a member of legendary musical acts Crosby, Stills and Nash and The Hollies. At 77, he could probably rest on his laurels, but instead Nash is on a tour that took him last week to the Carnegie...
Pitt law professor David Harris on what to look for during Michael Rosfeld trial
The trial for former East Pittsburgh police Officer Michael Rosfeld is set to begin Tuesday. University of Pittsburgh law professor David Harris, who hosts the “Criminal Injustice” podcast, spoke with the Trib about whether Rosfeld will testify, how important the cellphone video from the night of the shooting will be...
Body found near Rankin Bridge identified as Mississippi man
A man found dead in the Monongahela River near the Rankin Bridge Sunday morning has been identified. The body of Arsenio Ahmad House, 28, of Greenwood, Miss., was recovered from the water, Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office officials reported Monday night. Authorities said a tugboat operator spotted the body around...
UPMC alleges AG Shapiro is promoting the interests of Highmark, not the public
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is promoting the private interests of Highmark Health over the public good in his attempt to force UPMC to contract with its rival, UPMC told a state court Monday. UPMC made the argument in Commonwealth Court as part of its opposition to Shapiro’s petition to...
Penn Township boy who inspired Rocco’s Warriors loses battle with leukemia
A Penn Township boy who received the love and support of the community in his battle against acute Myeloid leukemia has died. Rocco Joseph Monteleone, 2, the son of Brandon and Michelle Monteleone, died Sunday, according to an obituary released by the family. He had been diagnosed with leukemia Dec....
Police say Frazer murder scene, photo didn’t match
One of the first police officers to arrive at the scene of a 2017 fatal shooting in Frazer testified in an Allegheny County court Monday that he found the dead man clutching a loaded pistol in his right hand. The testimony came during the first day of the non- jury...
Pentagon lists possible project cuts to pay for border wall
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon sent a 20-page list of military construction projects to Congress on Monday that might be slashed to pay for President Trump’s wall along the Mexican border. Democrats expressed hope that by knowing which local projects could be targeted, lawmakers would be likelier to override Trump’s veto...
Pennsylvania lawmaker Brian Ellis facing sex assault claim quits House
HARRISBURG — A Western Pennsylvania state lawmaker resigned Monday, two months after being stripped of a chairmanship over allegations he had sex with a woman against her will while she was blacked out. Republican state Rep. Brian Ellis, who has not been charged with any crime, wrote in a letter...
Suspect in mob boss hit flashes pro-Trump slogans on hand
TOMS RIVER, N.J. — The man charged with killing the reputed boss of the Gambino crime family wrote pro-Donald Trump slogans on his hand and flashed them to journalists before a court hearing Monday. Anthony Comello, 24, was arrested Saturday in New Jersey in the death of Francesco “Franky Boy”...
Westmoreland inmates reach record detox level in February
More than 80 percent of new inmates lodged at Westmoreland County Prison in February were addicted to drugs or alcohol. Warden John Walton on Monday told members of the county’s prison board that inmates who needed detoxification services hit an all-time high, raising concerns the drug epidemic that has plagued...
Derry Township constable ordered to stand trial on theft, extortion accusations
The situation seemed to make sense at first for a Hempfield man who gave a Derry Township constable $2,000 last year for a purported shooting competition. Matthew Sellers signed up for what he thought was a couple sponsorships and gave Brian McDowell, 35, some extra cash to fix a scope...
Legal sports bets steady as Pennsylvania sports books prep for March Madness
Sports books in Pennsylvania didn’t see a bump in wagers in February, though many took the first legal Super Bowl bets in the state. Now, they’re hoping for a March Madness windfall as the NCAA men’s basketball tournament approaches. The state’s six sports books operational by February reported a $31.5...
Over 1,000 feared dead as cyclone slams into Mozambique
JOHANNESBURG — More than 1,000 people were feared dead in Mozambique four days after a cyclone slammed into the country, submerging entire villages and leaving bodies floating in the floodwaters, the nation’s president said. “It is a real disaster of great proportions,” President Filipe Nyusi said. Cyclone Idai could prove...
Police charge 2 men with transporting cocaine, pot on Route 28 in South Buffalo
Two men were arrested Saturday night after state police said they were driving on Route 28 with illegal drugs in their vehicle. State police said Fabian Fitzroy Douglas and James Pierre Louis had more than a half-ounce of cocaine and more than a pound of marijuana when they were pulled...
Police: Man drove 100 mph on Route 30 in Ligonier
A Derry Township man didn’t have a valid driver’s license when police say he was going twice the speed limit on Route 30 eastbound Saturday in Ligonier Township. Todd Michael Trout, 28, was driving at 77 mph in a 55 mph zone at 8:20 a.m. and accelerated to 100 mph...
Police: Missing Blairsville woman found safe
A Blairsville woman who had been reported missing since early March has been located and is safe, state police in Indiana County said Tuesday. Jodi K. Leary, 44, a Blairsville native, was reported missing by her family Friday. Police said she’d last been seen by a family friend March 3...
Johnstown pediatrician gets at least 79 years for assaulting patients
EBENSBURG — A former Pennsylvania pediatrician was sentenced Monday to at least 79 years in prison for sexually assaulting 31 children, most of them patients, as his now-adult victims blasted not only their abuser but the system that let him get away with it for so long. Dr. Johnnie Barto...
Man accused of throwing pancake batter faces battery charge
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — A 45-year-old Florida man is accused of throwing a bowl of pancake batter at a woman who was making dinner. An arrest report says Dwayne Zimmerman was drunk on Friday night when he went onto the porch of a home where the woman was making pancakes. The...
Judge to allow testimony about drive-by shooting in Michael Rosfeld trial
Testimony about a drive-by shooting that preceded the shooting death of Antwon Rose will be permitted during the homicide trial of Michael Rosfeld, the former police officer who killed Rose, a judge ruled Monday. However, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Alexander Bicket said details of a robbery in which defense...
Trump calls Joe Biden a ‘low I.Q. individual’
Looking ahead to the 2020 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump fired a shot at former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday morning with a tweet calling him “another low I.Q. individual!” Trump said in the post, “Joe Biden got tongue tied over the weekend when he was unable to properly...
Tree of Life supports Christchurch victims with donation page
Last fall, when a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue, members recall receiving overwhelming support from the Muslim community in Pittsburgh. Now Tree of Life is returning the kindness by coming to the aid of the victims of last Friday’s attacks on mosques in the New...
Federal tax refunds up, despite early reports to the contrary
With tax day looming a month away, the Washington Post has a good news-bad news report about tax refunds. First the good news. Although early reports suggested tax refunds were down anywhere from 8 to 16.8 percent in the first year of the new tax system, more recent reports show...
Pennsylvania prisons to implement system-wide tobacco ban
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s prison system is banning all tobacco products inside every facility’s secure perimeter, starting July 1. Corrections Secretary John Wetzel announced the new policy Monday, citing the success of existing tobacco prohibitions in three state correctional institutions and Quehanna Boot Camp. After July 1 all tobacco products in...
Trump says media trying to blame him for New Zealand massacre
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he is unfairly being blamed for the New Zealand mosque massacre. Trump tweeted Monday that the media “is working overtime to blame me for the horrible attack in New Zealand.” He adds: “They will have to work very hard to prove that one.” The...
Potholes prove costly for Pa. drivers
Pennsylvania’s ubiquitous potholes cost taxpayers more than $63 million last year, transportation data show. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, those costs were more than $11 million. Contrary to popular perception, fixing potholes is a year-round job. And if a season existed for these pesky road craters that wreak havoc on the asphalt...
