Top Stories category, Page 1883
Officials: Centralia sinkhole unrelated to underground fire
CENTRALIA, Pa. — State environmental authorities say a 100-foot sinkhole found in a central Pennsylvania town almost completely emptied by a decades-long underground fire is unrelated to the blaze. The (Bloomsburg) Press Enterprise reports that a Department of Environmental Protection crew started work Friday to fill the sinkhole near Route...
D.C.’s many prankster activists turn anger into street theater
WASHINGTON — In the nation’s capital, it can be hard for protesters to stand out. Fifty people — or even 500 — holding signs and shouting hardly merits a second glance in this city of protests. That’s why Washington activists have to get creative. There’s an ethos of performative prankster-style...
Police: Cow found speared to death in Hempfield TownshipVideo
State police in Greensburg are trying to determine who impaled an Angus cow with a piece of farm machinery and left it to die at a Hempfield farm this month. “We have no leads, but I can tell you that whoever did this was extremely cruel,” Trooper Stephen Limani said...
Razing once-grand Belvedere Hotel along Route 66 proves to be problematic, costly
The dilapidated Belvedere Hotel along Route 66 in Oklahoma Borough could collapse anytime, spilling debris onto the road and perhaps beyond, local officials are warning. The front wall of the Swiss chalet-inspired, four-story hotel is leaning toward Route 66, Orr Avenue and active Norfolk Southern railroad tracks, according to Lee...
Pittsburgh Regional Alliance president stepping down
After four years as president of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, David Ruppersberger is stepping down as the leader of the 10-county region’s economic development marketing organization. His resignation is effective March 15. The Pittsburgh Regional Alliance is affiliated with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. With Ruppersberger at the helm,...
Sides involved in sale of Rivertowne Pub in North Huntingdon defend transaction
Two people involved in the recent sale of half interest in the former Rivertowne Pub & Grille in North Huntingdon said there is nothing wrong with the transaction, even though the state has been asked to investigate the deal over the amount of real estate transfer taxes. Christian Fyke of...
1 dead after shooting in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood
A man died after apparently getting shot in the chest Monday night in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood, police said. Officials received a report of a medical emergency in a residential area along Enright Court shortly after 6:30 p.m., Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Alicia George said. When medics arrived, they...
Senate panel to probe claim that Rod Rosenstein raised possibility of Trump ouster
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday that his panel will investigate former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe’s assertion that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein raised the possibility of ousting President Trump through the 25th Amendment, calling the statement “beyond stunning.” Graham was responding to comments made by...
Ex-boyfriend a ‘person of interest’ in disappearance of Kittanning woman Katie Stoner
Kittanning police are looking for the onetime boyfriend of a missing woman. Katie L. Stoner, 27, has been missing from Kittanning since about 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Police on Sunday confirmed they want to talk with John Eugene Colbert, 30, of New Castle. They say he is Stoner’s ex-boyfriend. Kittanning Officer...
Western Pa. students among those planning, dancing at Penn State’s THON
After nearly 40 hours of nonstop dancing, loud music and bright lights, Penn State senior Emily Rose was exhausted. But she wasn’t ready to quit. “The entire environment — you feel constant support from everybody around you,” the 22-year-old from Mt. Pleasant said, speaking from a packed Bryce Jordan Center...
Trump says he found ‘real Collusion’ — on ‘Saturday Night Live’
President Donald Trump has gotten ahead of special counsel Robert Mueller III’s investigation, making one thing clear: There was collusion. Well, on “Saturday Night Live,” at least. In a Sunday morning tweetstorm, Trump blasted the previous night’s episode of “SNL,” which opened with Alec Baldwin portraying the commander-in-chief declaring a...
White House indicates Trump to veto disapproval of emergency
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A top adviser to President Donald Trump indicated Sunday that Trump is prepared to issue the first veto of his term if Congress votes to disapprove of his declaration of a national emergency along the U.S.-Mexico border. The West Wing is digging in for fights...
As UPMC and Highmark split, patients agonize over having to switch doctors
A New Kensington man may have to say goodbye to his neurologist at an upcoming appointment after being under his care for roughly 25 years. Jack Swanger, 65, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1991 at age 37 when he experienced double vision while on the job as a heavy-machine...
No injuries in North Huntingdon house fire
No one was hurt in a house fire on Wilshire Drive in North Huntingdon on Saturday night, but the homeowner said the damage is extensive, WPXI reports. Dispatchers told WPXI that the fire started around 8:15 p.m. The homeowner, Carol Petrosky, said that she had noticed that the wood burner...
Pennsylvania to figure high in Vatican abuse summit this week
Fallout from last summer’s Pennsylvania grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse is settling 4,500 miles away. When Catholic leaders gather in Rome this week for an international summit on sexual abuse scandals that have plagued the church, there will be a distinctive Pennsylvania presence — both among the assembled...
Popular Pittsburgh auto show showcases models through Monday
Thousands descended upon the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Saturday for the Pittsburgh International Auto Show. The annual event runs through Monday in Downtown Pittsburgh. Participating this year are 40 manufacturer exhibits, from Acura to Volvo, and dozens of vendors from AAA East Central to WVU Eco Car. Hours...
Man surrenders to Pittsburgh SWAT in Mount Washington house
A man allegedly took a vehicle without permission in the Mount Washington section of Pittsburgh at about 12:50 p.m. Saturday then jumped out and ran into a house and refused to come out, a police spokeswoman said. Officers surrounded the house along the 100 block of Secane Avenue. The man,...
Women’s club: Westmoreland County Prison has become home to more female inmates
Editor’s note: Renatta Signorini participated as a 2018 jails and justice reporting fellow through a program by the John Jay Center on Media, Crime and Justice in New York City. The fellowship program supported journalists in examining issues related to jails in small towns and rural communities. Signorini’s work will...
Westmoreland ax throwers sharpen skill for national tourney
Paul Wedge has been practicing morning, afternoon and evening for the national ax-throwing championships. The Westmoreland City man remembers how tough the competition was last year when he first qualified through Valhalla Indoor Axe Throwing in Hempfield. “This year, I’m a lot more mentally prepared and I know what to...
Antonio Brown tweets that Ben Roethlisberger has ‘owner mentality’
He. Just. Won’t. Quit. Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown won’t stop using social media as a means to stir conflict. Brown on Saturday morning replied to a Twitter user, presumably a fan who used the “AskAB” hashtag, who asked him about the origins of the rift between Brown and quarterback...
Man told IRS he made $18,497 and requested a million dollar refund. They gave it to him.
Filing your taxes involves the honor system. You fill in all your data and sign your name promising that everything is true. If you asked for one, the government then sends you a refund. Eventually things get reviewed, verified and, supposedly, settled up. A Tampa man put the system to...
Climate change means more floods, great and localized
COLUMBIA, S.C. — When he took the job 15 years ago, Horry County Emergency Manager Randy Webster figured his biggest disasters would be wind and surge rolling over his county’s beaches, South Carolina’s top tourist destination. Instead, his worries have shifted inland, where rivers overflowing their banks have caused two...
Penn State’s THON poised to raise millions to fight childhood cancerVideo
Penn State University students are pulling in funds from communities throughout the state and the world while it hosts THON, a 46-hour dance marathon. The student-run philanthropy is “committed to enhancing the lives of children and families impacted by childhood cancer,” according to its website. “Our mission is to provide...
Inbound Liberty Tunnel lanes reopened at 4 p.m. today
Both inbound Liberty Tunnel lanes reopened at about 4 p.m. Saturday after crews spent hours removing debris on McArdle Roadway, according to PennDOT. This was about an hour earlier than predicted by PennDOT. The road had been closed between the Liberty Bridge and Grandview Avenue, and traffic was reduced to...
Student newspaper column about ‘white boys’ makes waves at Pennsylvania college
Leda Fisher wanted to start a conversation. The Dickinson College senior, however, didn’t anticipate that would involve professors including it in lectures in class or that it would go viral online, with national organizations posting it to their websites. “I certainly did not expect my article to go viral,” Fisher...
