Top Stories category, Page 207
‘Nothing can fix this’: Owners share anger, grief over mishandling of their pets’ remains
Scores of area pet owners were shocked and angered this week when authorities charged a Pittsburgh and Harrison funeral director with improperly disposing of thousands of dogs and cats after owners paid for pet burials or cremations. Patrick Vereb, 70, of Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, owns and operates funeral homes in...
Penn Hills man charged with using stolen SUV carrying drugs to ram police vehicle
A Penn Hills man awaiting trial for multiple drug crimes was charged this week with carrying heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and a stolen gun and repeatedly smashing a stolen SUV into a police vehicle while trying to flee. Allegheny County Police on Tuesday arrested Timothy Terry Jr. on 23 criminal charges,...
Wisconsin high court suspends Milwaukee judge accused of helping man evade immigration authorities
MADISON — The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended a judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities. The FBI took Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan into custody on Friday morning at the county courthouse. She faces federal charges of concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest...
2 dead, 320K without power after storms slam regionVideo
Two people were killed Tuesday evening after a fast-moving line of storms downed trees and wires, causing power outages throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Just after 7 p.m., Pittsburgh emergency crews responded to reports of a man electrocuted by live wires in the 1000 block of St. Martin Street in the city’s...
Derry Township couple plead guilty to child’s beating
A Derry Township couple pleaded guilty Tuesday to repeatedly assaulting a teenage boy so severely he is permanently disfigured. Charles E. Harr, 54, and his wife, Jamie Denise Harr, 53, were charged with multiple felony offenses in connection with allegations they beat and strangled the child for more than four...
Trump dismisses Biden nominees to Holocaust Memorial Council, including Doug Emhoff
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has dismissed many of former President Joe Biden’s nominees to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, including Doug Emhoff, the husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris. Emhoff, who is Jewish and who led the Biden administration’s efforts to combat antisemitism, criticized Trump’s action, saying,...
Hempfield OKs home purchase for $290K, with plans for demolition imminent
Hempfield supervisors this week signed off on the purchase of a home for $290,000 that will be demolished as part of a project to align the township’s new municipal complex with the Five Star Trail. The township will lease the Summit Drive property to its current owner for $1 until...
No flow: The Point’s iconic fountain to stay dry in 2025 amid upgrades
Don’t expect to see the waterworks anytime soon at Point State Park. The majestic fountain that marks the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three iconic rivers won’t be turned on until 2026, due to a bevy of planned upgrades, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said Tuesday. State officials plan...
White House and Amazon go back and forth over tariff pricing on website
White House officials have blasted a reported proposal by Amazon — which the company has denied — to begin including information on its website about the amount of tariffs being applied to goods it sells. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who stepped in to respond to a question directed...
Calls to Western Pa. vets ‘off the charts’ as pet owners reel from cremation fraud case
The phones at K Vet Animal Care in Hempfield rang almost constantly Tuesday as concerned pet owners wondered whether they actually have the ashed of their former companions. “Our phones and emails have been pinging off the charts since the news broke,” practice manager Beth Zaccari said. “Our team is...
Andy Warhol print probably discarded by accident in the Netherlands
One fewer of Pittsburgh-born pop artist Andy Warhol’s works is accounted for after a Dutch town hall admitted to probably throwing it out. The 1980s silkscreen print of then-reigning Queen Beatrix is one of 46 artworks misplaced by Maashorst municipality, according to the BBC. It seems the paintings were improperly...
UPS to cut 20,000 jobs, close some facilities as it reduces amount of Amazon shipments it handles
UPS is looking to slash about 20,000 jobs and close more than 70 facilities as it drastically reduces the amount of Amazon shipments it handles. The package delivery company said Tuesday that it anticipates making the job cuts this year. It anticipates closing 73 leased and owned buildings by the...
Social Security to roll out new digital card feature
The Social Security Administration is making a major upgrade to its online services. People who access their benefits via their My Social Security account will now have one less thing to carry around with them, as the administration is rolling out a new, digital Social Security Number (SSN) feature. In...
2 Murrysville homes damaged by fire
Two Murrysville residents escaped their homes Tuesday morning in a senior living community after a fire broke out at one and spread to the second. Laura Thomson raced to The Village of Clover Ridge after her mother texted her that there was a fire next door and she heard explosions,...
Hail, wind and tornadoes possible in Western Pa.
The National Weather Service warned of potentially severe storms throughout the Western Pennsylvania region Tuesday, with a threat of large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. Pittsburgh’s National Weather Service office predicted the greatest threat for severe storms would be across eastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania, with the worst hazards...
Editorial: What can Pittsburgh learn from Green Bay and the NFL Draft?
Hosting a large sporting event can be a shiny brass ring that cities are eager to grasp. Sometimes it’s scored by merit. If your baseball team makes it to October, your city could be home to the World Series. Check off opponents along the way, and the puck could drop...
Pa. educators push for additional dollars to equitably fund schools
New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck is grateful for the unprecedented funding that was granted to Pennsylvania’s public schools this academic year. But, as education experts continue to note inadequate funding among the majority of the state’s K-12 schools, Sefcheck knows there is still a long way to go in properly...
Westmoreland jail population nears limit; juvenile detention center expansion plan progresses
The inmate population at Westmoreland County Prison has swelled to its highest numbers this decade, prompting officials to watch for signs of overcrowding. Meanwhile, local leaders said they want to increase the number of teens housed next door at the county’s juvenile detention center in Hempfield. The jail on Monday...
Washington, Pa. man dies after shooting; no injuries reported at nearby school
A Washington, Pa., man died after he was shot in the city on Monday morning. Nasstylejah Wilkerson, 28, was pronounced dead in the emergency department of UPMC Washington Hospital following the shooting reported at about 11:45 a.m. near the intersection of West Walnut and North Franklin streets, according to Washington...
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals win election upended by Trump
TORONTO — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won Canada’s federal election Monday, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war. The Liberals are projected to win more of Parliament’s 343 seats than the Conservatives, though it wasn’t clear yet whether...
Prosecutors bite back over motion seeking to dismiss Luigi Mangione’s Pa. charges
Prosecutors are telling a judge not to bother dropping some of the charges related to a Pennsylvania state case against Luigi Mangione. Mangione, 26, is accused of killing UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York City hotel last December. The filing, submitted by the Blair County District Attorney’s Office,...
Vehicle smashes through Illinois building, killing 4 children and injuring others
CHATHAM, Ill. — A car smashed through a building Monday afternoon, killing four children and injuring several others during an after-school program in a small city outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said. Officers responded at about 3:20 p.m. to calls about a vehicle ramming through the building, fatally hitting four...
Posters of immigrant arrests line White House driveway
Posters of immigrant arrestees’ mugshots now line the driveway of the White House — a President Donald Trump administration move to promote its recent crackdown. The dozens of posters appeared on Monday, showing the faces of men with the words “Illegal Alien” and alleged crimes such as “Sexual contact with...
Trump China tariffs set to unleash supply shock on U.S. economy
President Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught has roiled Washington and Wall Street for nearly a month. If the trade war persists, the next upheaval will hit much closer to home. Since the U.S. raised levies on China to 145% in early April, cargo shipments have plummeted, perhaps by as much as...
Tim Benz: For Penguins, ‘moving forward’ with Mike Sullivan would’ve meant staying stagnant
To use one of Mike Sullivan’s favorite verbal crutches, he and the Penguins will both be “moving forward.” They just won’t be doing so together. That’s the right decision. Frankly, it’s overdue. Kyle Dubas, the Penguins’ president of hockey operations and general manager, announced Monday that Sullivan and the team...
