Top Stories category, Page 2
Oakmont man released from ICE custody ‘profoundly relieved and grateful to God,’ attorney says
The Flores family is back together after Jose Flores was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody Saturday. A Saturday evening Instagram post from Oakmont Bakery, where Flores works, said Flores was released and reunited with his family. The post thanks various parties, including ICE officials, “who made the decision...
From Darkness to Light: Marc Fogel’s journey to freedom
On Aug. 13, 2021, Marc and Jane Fogel pulled away from their white colonial-style home in Oakmont to drive to New York City. There, they boarded a plane to Moscow to begin their final year teaching at the Anglo-American School, an elite institution built for the children of western diplomats....
‘The love is still here’: Record search reveals Greensburg couple’s 75th anniversary is their 74th
Greensburg couple Ed and Sally Wagner have been together so long they forgot the year they were married. Ed, 95, and Sally, 92, told their children they would celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary this coming Monday. However, a recent Ancestry.com search by son-in-law Mark Aitken revealed a copy of the...
Ace Bartenders owners purchase The Club at Blackthorne for $3.9M amid zoning dispute
The future of a planned restaurant within Penn Township’s Blackthorne Estates hinges on an upcoming zoning meeting, as new ownership faces a formal challenge from developers over the facility’s use. Blackthorne Investors is challenging the occupancy permit issued to The Club at Blackthorne, arguing against the operation of a restaurant...
‘We will pay,’ Savannah Guthrie says in desperate video plea to potential kidnappers of her mother
TUCSON, Ariz. — Savannah Guthrie told the potential kidnappers of her mother Nancy Guthrie on Saturday that the family is prepared to pay for her safe return, as the frantic search for the 84-year-old Arizona resident has entered a seventh day. “We received your message, and we understand. We beg...
Man dies in Braddock fire after going back in for belongings
A man initially escaped a house fire Friday night in Braddock but died after going back inside to retrieve his belongings, according to Allegheny County Emergency Services. A duplex on Elm Street was fully engulfed when first responders arrived about 7 p.m., an Eastern Regional Mon Valley police officer said....
Brookline home destroyed by fire, man arrested, Pittsburgh police say
A home in Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood was destroyed by a fire that was fueled by lighter fluid, police said Saturday. According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, police and firefighters responded to a reported structure fire in the 1500 block of Ballinger Street around 11:45 a.m. A relative called 911 and reported...
Driver charged nearly 4 months after teacher, student hit by SUV on sidewalk outside Westinghouse Academy
A woman was under the influence of alcohol when she hit a teacher and a student on a sidewalk outside of Westinghouse Academy in Homewood West in October, according to charges filed by Pittsburgh police. Nickeya C. Mitchell, 57, of Homewood West was charged Thursday with felony counts of aggravated...
Downtown New Kensington businesses cater to women with city’s new ‘Galentine’s Day’ eventVideo
Wickedly cold winds and slushy streets and sidewalks didn’t deter women from coming to downtown New Kensington on Saturday afternoon for a little gal time. Businesses on or near Fifth Avenue participated in the first Galentine’s Day event, sponsored by the New Ken Downtown Partnership. In addition to storefronts, several...
Springdale tries to stay out of dispute over railroad crossing
Springdale Council is not budging on who should repair a railroad crossing that was the scene of a train-truck crash. That sentiment was made clear by Council President Mike Ziencik when he questioned an item on the engineer’s report referencing the need to assess what work needs to be done...
Harmony woman dies at scene of head-on crash in Beaver County
A woman from Harmony died at the scene of a head-on crash in New Sewickley Township, Beaver County on Friday night, according to township police. Police identified the victim as Denise Babyak, 68. The crash happened around 6:15 p.m. in the 1200 block of Freedom Crider Road. According to police,...
Epstein revelations have toppled top figures in Europe while U.S. fallout is more muted
LONDON — A prince, an ambassador, senior diplomats, top politicians. All brought down by the Jeffrey Epstein files. And all in Europe, rather than the United States. The huge trove of Epstein documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice has sent shock waves through Europe’s political, economic and social...
Mt. Lebanon grad dies in crash connected to others involving 25 vehicles on I-79 in Butler County
An 18-year-old Slippery Rock University student was killed Friday in a series of weather-related crashes involving at least 25 vehicles on northbound Interstate 79 in Butler County that shut down a section of the highway for hours. Both lanes of the divided highway, which were closed in both directions between...
Jury hears evidence of burned belongings, power of attorney in Thomas Stanko murder trial
As the investigation into the disappearance of Cassandra Gross closed in on a suspect, the man eventually charged in her killing started to prepare for his potential arrest, according to evidence presented during the fifth day in the murder trial of Thomas G. Stanko. Stanko, 55, of Unity, is on...
Ed Gainey gets new job on Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
Former Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey secured a new job on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. He was appointed by Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton and sworn in Thursday, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board spokesman Doug Harbach told TribLive Friday. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is an independent state agency tasked with...
Shapiro condemns Trump’s post about Obamas as ‘racist garbage’
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has condemned a video shared by President Donald Trump depicting former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes as “racist garbage.” “The idea that anyone would post a video like that, let alone the president of the United States, someone who is supposed...
‘Pittsburgh Says ICE Out!’ protest, march takes place this weekend
Protesters will gather Sunday and march in Pittsburgh for an anti-ICE demonstration hosted by Indivisible Pittsburgh and a coalition of grassroots partners. Starting at 2 p.m., the event is titled “Pittsburgh Says ICE Out!” and will “demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement stop terrorizing our community and other communities across...
TrumpRx aids some who seek lower drug prices, but experts say impact is limited
President Donald Trump is touting the federal government’s new direct-to-consumer drug platform, TrumpRx, as a health care revolution. The reality is more complicated, with only a narrow set of consumers poised to benefit from reduced prices on dozens of medications. Some of the markdowns are eye-popping. Injectable weight-loss drug Ozempic...
Deluzio rejects Justice Department request for interview over ‘illegal orders’ video
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio said he doesn’t intend to voluntarily comply with a Justice Department investigation into a video he and five Democratic colleagues made last year telling servicemembers they have an obligation to refuse illegal orders. “I do not intend to sit down for a voluntary interview with DOJ...
Trump says he won’t apologize for deleted racist post about Obamas
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s racist social media post featuring former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle was deleted Friday after a backlash from both Republicans and Democrats who criticized the video as offensive. Trump said later Friday that he won’t apologize for...
What urgently needed vehicles will Pittsburgh buy with $27M?
Even as Pittsburgh officials laud significant donations that will pay for new ambulances and snowplows, pressure is mounting to buy updated fire trucks, too. Ralph Sicuro, who leads the union representing city firefighters, on Friday urged the Equipment Leasing Authority board to prioritize fire truck purchases as nearly half the...
PennDOT plans another sweep for puzzling metal fragments in Harrison
PennDOT plans to return to Harrison once the snow melts to inspect for more of the metal shards found scattered across township roads this week. Spokesman Steve Cowan said sweeper trucks canvassed Freeport Road, Route 28 and Burtner Road on Wednesday and Thursday, picking up some of the small metal...
Pittsburgh region to get another blast of frigid weather this weekend; frostbite risk rises
The frigid weather won’t be going away this weekend. If anything, it’s going to get worse before it gets better, according to regional meteorologists. The National Weather Service has issued an extreme cold weather alert for the region, from Friday night into Saturday morning. The wind chill could cause temperatures...
Oakmont Bakery harassed over ICE arrest
It appears no one is safe from public ire when it comes to the nation’s debate over immigration, not even a popular local bakery. Marc Serrao, co-owner of Oakmont Bakery, said his business has faced harassment on social media and via telephone since the arrest of Oakmont resident Jose Flores...
Pittsburgh man dies after jumping from Route 28 bridge in Buffalo Township
A Pittsburgh man died after jumping from the Route 28 bridge over Buffalo Creek. State police are investigating the public death of William I. Tegethoff, 45. Armstrong County Coroner Brian Myers said Tegethoff died from multiple blunt force trauma. Myers ruled his death a suicide. Tegethoff jumped from the high-level...
