Top Stories category, Page 1855
Fire damages prairie dog exhibit at Living Treasures Wild Animal Park
A fire early Friday damaged a wooden frame and wires at Living Treasures Wild Animal Park in Donegal Township, said owner Tom Guiher. Fire officials confirmed a heating pad in the prairie dog exhibit started the fire. No animals were injured, but the exhibit was damaged, Guiher said. The prairie...
Jury convicts driver of third-degree murder in 2016 East Huntingdon pedestrian death
Jurors deliberated about three hours Friday before convicting a New Stanton man of third-degree murder in the death of an East Huntingdon pedestrian on Christmas Eve 2016. Matthew Ramsay, 31, was found guilty of being under the influence of drugs when he deliberately veered his car across traffic on Ruffsdale-Alverton...
How New Zealand attack may impact Pittsburgh’s Muslim community
As a Muslim living in Pittsburgh, Mohammad Sajjad struggled to put into words what he felt about yet another place of worship becoming the scene of a mass shooting. “It’s horrific that someone would go into a mosque and be able to kill almost fifty people, possibly more,” Sajjad, program...
Feds seize $600K from accused Mt. Pleasant doctor; plea hearing delayed
The federal government wanted more than $600,000 connected to a former Mt. Pleasant doctor who has been charged with illegally selling opioid medication. This month, the government got it. But prosecutors will have to wait until June for a plea hearing that has been delayed since October for Mamdouh El-Attrache,...
Jeannette police: Woman shot during child custody incident
Jeannette police and Westmoreland County detectives are looking for two people they said are involved in a shooting that injured a woman Friday in Jeannette. Police said the shooting started as a child custody incident before 2 p.m. at a North Third Street home. DeJanette Crosby, 23, was visiting her...
Pitt lawyers say East Pittsburgh never requested Michael Rosfeld’s employee file from Pitt
The borough of East Pittsburgh hired Michael Rosfeld as a police officer without asking for employment records from at least one of his previous departments, according to a civil court filing last week in a lawsuit related to his killing of Antwon Rose. Rose’s parents — Michelle Kenney and Antwon...
Pittsburgh salt truck driver wins job back after he was fired for failing to report crash
A Pittsburgh Department of Public Works salt truck driver who was fired last month after failing to report a crash involving three parked cars has won a reprieve. The Mayor’s Office said Friday that the driver won his job back through a union grievance procedure. City officials have not released...
Feds: Penn State should not be permitted to trademark ‘Happy Valley’
Penn State officials are decidedly unhappy after the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office declined a request to trademark the “Happy Valley” nickname for university merchandise. “Happy Valley” is a longtime nickname for the State College area. However, it was that precise geographical association that factored into the office’s decision to...
Where’s Franco? Harris, George Washington statues removed from Pittsburgh airport
Two iconic Pittsburgh greeters went missing Friday. For the first time in more than 10 years, travelers arriving at Pittsburgh International Airport did not get a glimpse of statues of Steelers legend Franco Harris and founding father George Washington. We miss them already. *sigh* pic.twitter.com/fBzuuzKMHe— Pittsburgh International Airport (@PITairport) March...
South Side’s Dish Osteria and Bar plans spring reopening after 2-year sabbatical
Almost two years to the day after announcing a “sabbatical,” the owners of Dish Osteria and Bar are ready to reopen the popular Italian and seafood eatery’s doors. On March 26, 2017, the operators of the restaurant located at 128 17th St. in Pittsburgh’s South Side posted on Facebook their...
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, others express solidarity with Christchurch
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto took to social media Friday to express solidarity with people in Christchurch, New Zealand, and promise protection for Pittsburgh’s Muslim community in the wake of the mosque shootings that left at least 49 dead. Mayor @LianneDalziel - the people of Pittsburgh are with you and our...
Juror in Michael Rosfeld case excused for illness, alternate will fill spot
A juror in the upcoming homicide trial against former police officer Michael Rosfeld has been excused from jury duty, officials said. Juror No. 1, a 66-year-old white man, has been excused because of an illness, according to Stacey Witalec, communications director for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. The man...
New Zealand mosque killer’s rifles bore white-supremacist references
The man accused of killing 49 people in an attack on a New Zealand mosque during Friday prayers used rifles covered in white-supremacist graffiti and listened to a song glorifying a Bosnian Serb war criminal. These details highlight the toxic beliefs behind an unprecedented, live-streamed massacre, which Prime Minister Jacinda...
Man pleads guilty in drive-by shooting that preceded Antwon Rose killingVideo
The man charged in connection with the June 19 drive-by shooting that preceded the officer-involved shooting death of Antwon Rose pleaded guilty to several charges Friday, just days before the officer who shot Rose is set to go to trial. Zaijuan Hester, 18, pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated...
Post Office to release ‘Sesame Street’ stamps
Perhaps it’s the U.S. Postal Service’s way of giving their carriers more sunny days. This week, the Post Office announced three new stamp lines, including characters from “Sesame Street,” the classic PBS children’s show. With images of Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover, Bert and Ernie, and 11 other Muppets, the...
Beyond green beer: Here are 3 St. Patrick’s Day cocktails to tryVideo
Readying for a rousing night out, or in, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this weekend? We all become Irish for a day, as do our libations. Many of us will not only be wearin’ but drinkin’ the green. Newly minted bartender Janie Stevens recently completed several courses, including mixology and...
So cute! Berlin zoo shows off new polar bear cub
BERLIN — The Berlin Tierpark zoo is showing off its new polar bear cub, a 3-month-old with a cuteness and playfulness that could make her the German capital’s next animal celebrity. The bear, who hasn’t been named, was born Dec. 1 and the zoo says she’s developing well. She was...
Florida man finds bright green iguana in toilet, calls 911
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida man called 911 after going to the bathroom and finding a bright green iguana swimming in his toilet. Fort Lauderdale Battalion Chief Stephan Gollan tells the Miami Herald the man “freaked out and didn’t know what to do.” He says firefighter Jeff Kurus put...
Police investigating armed robbery at Hempfield convenience store
State police are looking for a man who robbed a Hempfield convenience store late Wednesday. The suspect entered a 7-Eleven at the intersection of Route 136 and Fosterville Road at 10:35 p.m. and displayed a knife, troopers said. The suspect, a white male, fled with cash and a pack of...
Sadly, attacks on houses of worship aren’t rare
As Pittsburgh knows all too well, houses of worship — what should be places of reflection and peace — can be the deadly target of an attack by extremists. Here are some of the deadly assaults — from around the world — over the past decade: Oct. 31, 2010: Al-Qaida...
Police release video of man suspected of North Side graffiti
Pittsburgh police are seeking help to identify two men accused of tagging East Ohio Street in the city’s North Side with graffiti. Police early Friday morning tweeted a video of the one of the suspects. Pittsburgh Graffiti Squad detectives seek the public’s help in identifying two male suspects, including this...
Man stabbed in face downtown Thursday afternoon, sent to hospital
A man is accused of stabbing another man in the face in downtown Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon, a Pittsburgh police spokesman said. The fight in the 200 block of Ninth Street was reported to police at about 4 p.m. According to a preliminary report, both men were fighting when a...
50-year-old man shot in leg in Homestead on Thursday night
A 50-year-old man was shot in an upper leg Thursday at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Homestead, Homestead police Chief Jeff DeSimone said. The man was taken to a local hospital, and DeSimone said said “It appeared to be a non-life threatening injury.” The shooting happened near the intersection of...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: March 15-17
Here are some suggestions on how to spend this St. Patrick’s Day weekend: Go green The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade begins at 10 a.m. Saturday. One of the oldest and largest in the country, this green celebration spans Liberty Avenue to Grant Street to Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown....
49 dead in mass shootings at New Zealand mosques; 1 man charged
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — At least 49 people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers in an attack broadcast in horrifying, live video by an immigrant-hating white nationalist wielding at least two rifles. One man was arrested and charged with murder, and two...
