Top Stories category, Page 1880
Pittsburgh man pleads guilty, awaiting sentence for federal drugs, gun charges
A Pittsburgh man who pleaded guilty to federal gun and drug charges is scheduled to be sentenced in June. Marvin Dennis, 23, pleaded guilty in federal district court in Pittsburgh on Wednesday to having a gun while trafficking drugs. He pleaded guilty to selling heroin and crack cocaine. Prosecutors said...
Coast Guard lieutenant planned widespread terror attack, prosecutors say
A U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant and self-identified white nationalist has been arrested after federal investigators uncovered a cache of weapons and ammunition in his Maryland home that authorities say he stockpiled to launch a widespread domestic terrorist attack targeting politicians and journalists. Christopher Paul Hasson called for “focused violence” to...
W.Va. teachers end strike after no action on doomed bill
CHARLESTON — Unions for West Virginia teachers ended their two-day strike Wednesday night after lawmakers did not act on a doomed, broad-based education bill. Leaders of three unions representing teachers and school service personnel said at a news conference that classrooms would reopen statewide on Thursday. The House of Delegates...
Mon Incline will remain closed for six to eight weeks because of water main break
Pittsburgh’s Monongahela Incline will remain closed for six to eight weeks because of “significant damage” caused by three water main breaks in recent weeks, according to the Port Authority of Allegheny County. The Port Authority, which owns the 149-year-old incline, said engineers are determining what will be needed to ensure...
Man gets probation, house arrest for wreck that killed Norwin student
The North Huntingdon man charged with causing a car crash in 2017 that killed a Norwin High School senior will serve five years on probation and 18 months of house arrest. Victor Playso Jr., 33, pleaded guilty Wednesday to vehicular homicide in connection with the crash on Route 993 in...
Official: Employee stole $1.2M from Upper St. Clair church for vacations, Pirates tickets
A church administrator who handled the finances for an Upper St. Clair church siphoned $1.2 million from church accounts over the course of about 17 years for himself and his wife to use, according to a detective with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. David and Connie Reiter of South...
Samsung’s foldable phone will cost nearly $2,000
SAN FRANCISCO — Samsung has unveiled a highly anticipated smartphone with a foldable screen that breaks new ground in a market that has been stuck in an innovative funk. The phone announced Wednesday in San Francisco will be called the Galaxy Fold and will sell for $1,980 when it is...
Wife of rabbi who survived Tree of Life shooting opposes death penalty
The wife of a rabbi who narrowly escaped the October shooting rampage at Tree of Life synagogue doesn’t want prosecutors to seek the death penalty against alleged gunman Robert Bowers. In an op-ed piece published Wednesday by the Jerusalem Post, Beth Kissileff writes that she hopes Bowers is convicted and...
Steelers won’t take discount for Antonio Brown on trade market
Kevin Colbert is willing to grant Antonio Brown’s trade request. With one condition. “By no means are we going to make a trade or any type of move that will not be beneficial to the Pittsburgh Steeler organization,” Colbert said Wednesday during a meeting with reporters. “We will not be...
‘Snow, Hey Oh’: School principals croon cold-weather announcements
By the time late February rolls around, the drudgery of snow days is enough to spark creativity by even the most jaded school superintendents. Wednesday morning’s snowfall forced hundreds of Western Pennsylvania schools to cancel classes, from Jeannette to Ambridge, Greensburg Salem to Laurel Highlands. The National Weather Service office...
13 Pittsburgh-area Payless stores among those closing nationwide
About a dozen Payless ShoeSource stores in the Pittsburgh region are among the 2,300 closing nationwide. Payless officials announced the closures last week and locations — including Westmoreland, Ross Park, Robinson and Monroeville malls — have started liquidation sales, according to a notice on the company’s website. Merchandise is between...
South Dakota sex offender arrested at Pittsburgh homeless camp
Deputy sheriffs nabbed a man at a Pittsburgh homeless camp who had been convicted of child pornography charges in South Dakota and violated his parole requirements there, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office reported. Deputies received information that Gregory Davis, 58, who was born in Pittsburgh and lived in Sioux Falls,...
Highlands School District nixes new security agreement approved by school board
The Highlands School District will not be going forward with hiring a new security firm as the school board had approved on Monday, a district spokeswoman said Wednesday. The school board approved a contract between the district and Olympia Security Group, of Chartiers Township, Washington County, after voting to terminate...
Pittsburgh Public Schools and a few others didn’t close Wednesday. Here’s why.
Woodland Hills Superintendent James P. Harris hears complaints about every weather-related decision he makes in the district. That made Wednesday a tough morning for Harris, who had until about 5:30 a.m. to make the call whether to cancel school, delay it or operate classes on the normal schedule as a...
Google forgot to notify customers it put microphones in Nest security systems
The worst kind of microphone is a hidden microphone. Customers were caught off guard in early February when Google announced its home security system, Nest Secure, would be able to act as an AI-powered Google Assistant after a recent update. “With the flip of a switch in the Nest app,...
Designs unveiled for $1.1 billion Pittsburgh airport terminal
Airport officials unveiled concept designs Wednesday for a new landside terminal at the Pittsburgh International Airport — a $1.1 billion overhaul project proposed in 2017. The bright, airy, two-level design was inspired by Pittsburgh’s rolling topography. It features high ceilings, big windows and lots of greenery and natural light, said...
Pennsylvania must keep up on voting systems, lawmakers told
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s top elections official is warning that failing to replace voting machines by 2020 could make the state the only one without a voter-verifiable paper trail. Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania’s acting state secretary, also told senators Wednesday during an Appropriations Committee hearing that election-security experts agree that moving to...
Video captures Pittsburgh bald eagle shaking off snow while incubating eggs
The bald eagles in Pittsburgh’s Hays neighborhoods became “snowbirds” Wednesday morning. Not missing a beat, even when covered in the snow, the birds continued to incubate their three eggs, with the female covered in snow early in the morning. The mother eagle was mostly buried in snow, but she stood...
2 men accused of multiple burglaries in Bell Township
Kiski Valley state police arrested two men this week in connection with a series of burglaries in which a utility vehicle, go-carts, cans of fuel, tools and auto parts that were reported stolen in December in Bell Township. Michael Lint, 36, of Armstrong County and David “Ziggy” Ziegenhagen, 36, an...
Family of Covington teen sues Washington Post for $250 million
The family of the Kentucky teen who was involved in an encounter with a Native American advocate at the Lincoln Memorial last month filed a defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post on Tuesday, seeking $250 million in damages for its coverage of the incident. The suit alleges that The Post...
Morning snow turns to rain across Pittsburgh region, prompting flood watchVideo
Snow has turned to rain across much of the region, leading the National Weather Service to change its morning winter weather advisory to a flood watch until midnight. Rain will continue through the night and is expected to taper off by Thursday morning, with temperatures staying above freezing, said meteorologist...
Pennsylvania among top third of states in taxpayer accuracy
A little under 6 percent of Pennsylvania taxpayers are spot-on when it comes to figuring their federal income tax. That is, when they file their returns with the IRS, they’re neither due a refund nor required to submit a payment. That’s not a very big percentage, but it’s enough to...
Sahara Restaurant & Grill set to open soon under new ownership from previous Istanbul Sofra
Sahara Restaurant & Grill should open within the next week in Regent Square, replacing the controversial Istanbul Sofra, the new owner told the Tribune-Review on Tuesday. Istanbul Sofra began faltering after its previous owner, Adnan Hilton Pehlivan, was arrested on rape and stalking charges. “I was a little nervous about...
Kennywood, Sandcastle and Idlewild looking for 2,700 summer workers
The dead of winter is upon us, but here’s a reason to think about sun, swimming and roller coasters. Kennywood, Sandcastle Waterpark and Idlewild & SoakZone, family fun attractions in Western Pennsylvania, are accepting applications for the summer operating season. They’re looking to fill 2,700 jobs. The new employees could...
Pirates owner Bob Nutting says club is ‘positioned to take another meaningful step forward’
BRADENTON, Fla. — Pittsburgh Pirates chairman Bob Nutting defended the club’s payroll, called it “critical” for MLB owners to address the treatment of minor-league players and said he hopes to change the public perception of the club toward its fan base. Nutting met with reporters for a 48-minute interview Tuesday...
