Top Stories category, Page 1853
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...
Beto O’Rourke says he raised $6.1M online in 1st 24 hours
WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke raised more than $6 million online during the first 24 hours after he announced his White House bid, the highest 24-hour number reported by any candidate, his campaign said Monday. The “record-breaking” $6.1 million came “without a dime” from political action committees, corporations...
Christchurch gun shop sold rifles online to accused shooter
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — A Christchurch gun shop on Monday acknowledged selling guns online to the 28-year-old white supremacist accused of killing 50 people in mosque shootings that have upturned New Zealand’s reputation as among the world’s most tolerant and safe nations. At a news conference, Gun City owner David...
One injured when car flips in Allegheny Twp.
One person was injured Monday when their car flipped in Allegheny Township, according to Westmoreland County 911. The one-vehicle crash happened shortly before 5 a.m. at the corner of Route 356 and La Belle Vue Road, dispatchers said. The driver was taken to a local hospital. The crash scene has...
Arrest made in connection with threat against Bethel Park High School
Police arrested one person in connection with an online threat against Bethel Park High School, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Details about the threat and suspect were not immediately available Monday morning. Classes were held as scheduled Monday, but police provided added security, WPXI reported. The latest threat was...
Will Michael Rosfeld testify? Lawyers weigh in on the risky move
Putting a defendant on the stand to testify in their own defense is risky business. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, legal experts told the Tribune-Review. It’s anyone’s guess whether Michael Rosfeld will take the stand and describe under oath exactly what happened on June 19, 2018, the day...
Some preparing, others bracing, for start of police shooting trial in Pittsburgh
Friends and community members are organizing to support the family of Antwon Rose II during Michael Rosfeld’s trial, arranging logistics like transportation to and from the courthouse, planning meals and taking up a collection to cover other costs, according to posts circulating on social media. “This is the next thing...
10 mistakes to avoid when spring-cleaning your house
Another year, another article telling you how to spring-clean your home. Not so! In fact, we’re here to tell you what not to do when giving your house the deep clean it so deserves this time of year. Here are 10 cleaning mistakes you’ll want to avoid this spring. 1....
Mt. Lebanon grad, former Pitt wrestler Hnath set to officiate his 10th NCAA D-I wrestling championships
When the NCAA Division I wrestling championships begin Thursday at PPG Paints Arena, there will be one official from Pittsburgh among the 20 picked to work the event. John Hnath, a former Pitt wrestler and Mt. Lebanon graduate and resident, will be working for the 10th consecutive season. Hnath, 51,...
Report: U.S. could keep nearly 1,000 troops in Syria
WASHINGTON — The United States could keep up to 1,000 troops in Syria three months after President Trump ordered a full withdrawal from the war-torn nation, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. The Journal’s report, citing U.S. officials, said the United States planned to continue working with Kurdish fighters in...
Dick Dale, King of Surf Guitar, ‘Miserlou’ composer, is deadVideo
LOS ANGELES — Dick Dale, whose pounding, blaringly loud power-chord instrumentals on songs such as “Miserlou” and “Let’s Go Trippin’” earned him the title King of the Surf Guitar, has died at age 81. His former bassist Sam Bolle says Dale passed away Saturday night. No other details were available....
New Zealand citizens seem open to gun reform after massacre
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The New Zealand leader’s promise of tightened gun laws in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings has been widely welcomed by a stunned population. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her Cabinet would consider the details of the changes Monday. She has said options include a...
Michelle Malkin: Protect kids from Google predators
The father of the World Wide Web is right: It’s time to take back “complete control of your data.” Tim Berners-Lee, who conceived the first internet browser 30 years ago, warned of its increasing threats to “privacy, security and fundamental rights.” To mark the anniversary, he argued that demanding transparency...
Man critical following shooting in Larimer; Pittsburgh police searching for suspect
Pittsburgh police are searching for a suspect in connection with a shooting in Larimer on Sunday afternoon that left a man in critical condition, according to authorities. The shooting occurred in the 6400 block of Shetland Street shortly before 4:30 p.m. City police officers from the Zone 5 station responding...
RNC links ‘noted Irishman’ Beto O’Rourke’s heritage to 1998 DWI arrestVideo
The Republican National Committee on Sunday sent out a tweet linking Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke’s Irish heritage to his 1998 drunken-driving arrest, in an attack that Democrats and some Republicans criticized as being based on stereotypes. Republicans have previously sought to focus attention on O’Rourke’s DWI arrest, but...
Tarentum teen, 15, dead after being hit by train early Sunday
A Highlands High School student died early Sunday morning after he was struck by a freight train passing through Tarentum, according to authorities. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Kodey Heckman, 15, of Tarentum. The accident occurred at 6:23 a.m. on the Norfolk Southern train tracks...
Democrats pick IUP professor to run for retired state Sen. Don White’s seat
Democratic committee members have nominated Susan Boser to be their candidate in the race to fill the remaining term of former state Sen. Don White. Brandon Cwalina, press secretary with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, confirmed Boser was nominated Sunday afternoon by members of Armstrong, Butler, Indiana, and Westmoreland Democratic committees....
Female Scouts BSA troop in Westmoreland takes inaugural camping trip
Friday night was far from the first time a group of Scouts braved the cold for a winter camping trip in the woods. It was, however, the first camping trip for a female Scouts BSA troop in Westmoreland County. “I’m actually, finally, part of a group,” said Greta Nicodemus, 11,...
Trump and first lady attend church service on St. Patrick’s Day
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump spent St. Patrick’s Day morning worshipping at the “Church of the Presidents” near the White House. Trump and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, joined parishioners for Sunday’s 11 a.m. service at St. John’s Church, a historic yellow church across from the White House and...
Police: Man threw gun out truck window during chase in Duquesne
Duquesne police have arrested a North Versailles man they say threw a gun out a truck window during a chase. Police were conducting extra patrols Saturday night because of St. Patrick’s Day. Officers attempted to stop a pickup truck for suspected impaired driving, police said. When the truck wouldn’t stop,...
5 DUI arrests, 87 warnings during St. Patrick’s weekend patrols in North Hills
Five people were arrested by the North Hills DUI Task Force for driving under the influence Saturday. The task force made the arrests as part of a DUI detail and roving patrols in Marshall, McCandless, Ross and West View that were conducted as part of the St. Patrick’s Day “Drive...
8 arrested on South Side after Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day parade
Pittsburgh officials said there were no major incidents during the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, but eight people were arrested on the South Side as they celebrated later that night. Chris Togneri, public safety spokesman, said police arrested eight people for “mostly assault or public intoxication” on Saturday. Two summons...
