Top Stories category, Page 1856
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...
Feds bust wife of former Vandergrift High, NFL player in college admissions scandal
The wife of a Vandergrift native and football star who played for Pitt and the San Francisco 49ers is among 50 people charged in the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted in U.S. history. Marci Palatella, 63, of Hillsborough, Calif., faces mail fraud charges in federal court for her alleged...
6 injured in crash that closes Route 136 in Hempfield
A young boy was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital Thursday night, one of six people injured in a two-vehicle crash that shut down a portion of Route 136 in Hempfield for almost five hours, a fire official said. The boy who was flown to Pittsburgh was in a car with...
Detective: Latrobe teen knew about robbery plan that resulted in death
Westmoreland County investigators said that despite claims that he wanted to stop a robbery at his own home, a 17-year-old Latrobe teen allowed the plot to go forward, and his friend was shot and killed. Detective Ray Dupilka testified Thursday in the third day of the second-degree murder trial of...
Lower Burrell police: Drug-addled man goes on naked rampage
A drug-addled Lower Burrell man accused of robbing and assaulting a woman along Leechburg Road while naked told law enforcement officers to shoot him, police said. Robert E. Brown, 48, told officers, “Just shoot me in the back of the head and end it,” according to a criminal complaint. “In...
All-or-nothing defense a risky strategy for Michael Rosfeld, experts say
Legal experts agree that Patrick Thomassey’s desire for jurors in the case against Michael Rosfeld to weigh just one option, first-degree murder, is tactical and calculated – and risky. Rosfeld is charged with criminal homicide in the June 19 killing of Antwon Rose. Rose, a black, unarmed 17-year-old, ran from...
Ohio governor wants nearly $1B for Lake Erie, waterways
TOLEDO, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine wants to spend nearly $1 billion on water quality projects to clean up toxic algae in Lake Erie and protect other lakes and rivers throughout the state. The money would come out of this year’s new state budget, which DeWine will reveal Friday, and...
Lori Falce: Parents in college scandal cheated kids out of failure
I screwed up a lot in middle school. And high school. And college. I rolled my eyes with disgust at the things my mother didn’t understand. I had a moral objection to homework. If there was a way to work a shortcut, I probably tried it. I did a lot...
Senate rejects Trump border emergency as Republicans defect
WASHINGTON — The Republican-run Senate rejected President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the southwest border on Thursday, setting up a veto fight and dealing him a conspicuous rebuke as he tested how boldly he could ignore Congress in pursuit of his highest-profile goal. The Senate voted 59-41...
Sewickley Township firefighter injured by fallen tree
A firefighter was hospitalized with a fractured shoulder after being struck by a tree in Sewickley Township on Wednesday, according to Lowber Fire Department Chief Matt Geis. Firefighters received word that a downed tree was blocking Lowber Road around 7 p.m., Geis said. The tree was tangled up in vines....
Nevada grand jury indicts immigrant in 4 fatal shootings
RENO, Nev. — A grand jury has indicted a Salvadoran immigrant who is in the U.S. illegally on murder charges in the killing of an elderly couple and two women in Nevada. A Washoe County grand jury handed up the indictment in Reno late Wednesday. Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman, 20, is...
$878 million South Carolina lottery winner sharing with charities
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina woman who won $878 million in the biggest jackpot payout to one winner in U.S. history wants to share her windfall with the city and state where her good fortune happened. The winner still wishes to remain anonymous because she wants to “live a...
Home security group defends report ranking McKeesport as 4th most dangerous in country
The trade group that published a recent study naming McKeesport one of the most dangerous cities in America defended its statistics after the city’s mayor criticized the report. McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko accused the study of using “manipulated statistics” and “unethical scare tactics” to sell home security systems. The study,...
Powerball jackpot soars to $495 million
The latest Powerball jackpot grew after no one matched all the winning numbers on Wednesday night. The jackpot for Saturday’s drawing climbed to an estimated $495 million – the eighth-largest jackpot in Powerball game history, according to the lottery. It ranks as the 14th-largest jackpot in U.S. history. The estimated...
Man runs past firefighters to rescue dog from burning homeVideo
A man disregarded the shouts from firefighters and rushed into his burning home to rescue the family dog. Flames were shooting from the Pala, Calif., house as firefighters began spraying water from a safe distance. But resident José Guzman knew his dog was hiding inside and ran past the firefighters....
Court rules gun maker Remington can be sued over Newtown shooting
HARTFORD, Conn. — A divided Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled gun maker Remington can be sued over how it marketed the Bushmaster rifle used to kill 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. Justices issued a 4-3 ruling that reinstated a wrongful death lawsuit and...
Pennsylvania collects thousands of ticks for study to combat Lyme
State officials are working to better understand the risk of tick-borne illnesses with a new multi-year study. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is conducting a five-year study that started in July 2018. It’s part of the Pennsylvania Lyme Disease Task Force recommendations for combating the growing cases of Lyme...
