Top Stories category, Page 264
Nasty norovirus is back in full force with U.S. cases of the stomach virus surging
Cases of a wretched stomach bug are surging in parts of the United States this winter, according to government data. The most recent numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there were 91 outbreaks of norovirus reported during the week of Dec. 5, up from 69...
Condemned Rivertowne Tavern slated for demolition
The Rivertowne Pub & Grille building along Route 30 in North Huntingdon is going to be demolished next year, six years after its owner filed for bankruptcy and closed the tavern and more than three years after the township condemned the building as unsafe and uninhabitable. North Huntingdon has advertised...
Monroeville Mall incident shows how good intentions can spread false information
“Craziness at Monroeville Mall!!!” “Shooting at Monroeville Mall. Too many guns.” “Active shooter at Monroeville Mall in Allegheny County.” “Hearing reports that some people were trampled in a stampede.” These posts and others like them spread across social media the Sunday afternoon before Christmas, when the mall was packed with...
Pittsburgh was popping in 2024: A pop culture year in review
From music to movies to museums, it’s been a banner year for pop culture in Pittsburgh. Here are just a few of the stories that captured our attention in 2024. Science Center gets a new name In January, it was announced that the Carnegie Science Center would be renamed “The...
2050 look-ahead: Pennsylvania’s influence may shrink in next 25 years as political winds shift
Editor’s note: One-fourth of the way through this century, TribLive is looking ahead to the next 25 years, using the events of the past 25 as a roadmap of what possibly is to come. This installment of the occasional series looks at politics. In late December 2000, America waited for...
Plane crashes and bursts into flames while landing in South Korea, killing 179
SEOUL, South Korea — A passenger plane skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport Sunday, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames after its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy. All but two of the 181 people on board died in one of the country’s...
Winning ticket for $1.22B lottery jackpot sold in California, Mega Millions says
At least one Mega Millions player has plenty of dough to ring in the New Year after drawing the winning number. After three months without anyone winning the top prize in the lottery, a ticket worth an estimated $1.22 billion was sold in California for the drawing Friday night, according...
Bird count helps mark the impact of a changing climate
Walking along the Westmoreland Heritage Trail on Saturday morning, counting the birds flying around the woods of the Saltsburg and Slickville areas, Alex Busato said the tally serves a larger purpose than just counting birds one day in the winter. The Christmas Day bird counts in some sections of Westmoreland...
Big Lots reaches deal to keep hundreds of U.S. stores open
The discount chain Big Lots, which filed for bankruptcy protection in September, has reached a deal that will keep hundreds of its stores and distribution centers open. Big Lots said Friday it will be sold to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, a firm that specializes in distressed companies. Gordon Brothers will...
2-year-old girl dies in East Hills fire; chief says apartment condemned
A 2-year-old girl has died following a fire Friday evening in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Praise Lemons was identified as the victim in an apartment fire that broke out at Maple Ridge Apartments about 9 p.m. in the 2000 block of Park...
Artists hope to expand New Kensington downtown alley art project
Artists hope to get to work on a second block of downtown New Kensington’s Ivy Alley next year. More than $23,000 in grant funding has been obtained to continue the Art in the Alley project between 10th and Ninth streets, said Michelle Thom, president of the New Ken Downtown Partnership....
Editorial: Marc Fogel’s wrongful detention designation is just the start
It took more than three years, but it finally happened: The State Department has deemed Marc Fogel wrongfully detained. In August 2021, the teacher from Oakmont was returning to Russia to teach at the Anglo-American School of Moscow. He was arrested at Sheremetyevo Airport when he was found in possession...
Advocates push for historic designation of Donny’s Place, once a popular Pittsburgh gay bar
A grassroots group trying to thwart the demolition of one of Pittsburgh’s oldest gay bars is pushing for Donny’s Place to be designated as a historic city landmark so it can’t be torn down. The defunct establishment at 1226 Herron Ave. in Polish Hill opened in 1973 and closed two...
A look at Western Pennsylvania’s changing restaurant scene in 2024
As another year comes to a close, so do some restaurants in the Western Pennsylvania region. But not all is lost — while several well-known establishments either shut their doors for good or announced end-of-year closures, others opened. Here’s a look back. Openings Barcelona Wine Bar Visitors to Pittsburgh’s Cultural...
84-year-old Connellsville man killed in fire
An 84-year-old man was killed and six people who lived in neighboring homes were displaced after a Friday morning fire in Connellsville, authorities said. Ronald Veshnesky, was pronounced dead by Fayette County Deputy Coroner Bob Furin. The blaze destroyed one home and damaged two others on the 400 block of...
Customs agents seize 22K fake Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers shipped from Israel
HARRISBURG — The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said it has seized more than 20,000 counterfeit Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers that were shipped from Israel to an address in Philadelphia. Customs officers found the stickers in two shipments that arrived on two different days, Nov. 26 and Dec. 9,...
U.S. homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people
The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban...
2024 just the latest in a long string of late-season Steelers collapses under Mike Tomlin
During the annual holiday season, the Pittsburgh Steelers under Mike Tomlin far too often have been in quite the giving mood. As in, giving back leads in the AFC North race. Giving up ground in the conference standings. Giving away higher playoff seedings. Even giving up what appeared to be...
Culinary couple embrace their restaurant roots in Point Breeze
A neighborhood eatery housed in a historic building that once hosted Sammy Davis Jr. is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary in Point Breeze. Point Brugge Cafe will celebrate 20 years in business in 2025 as its cousin restaurant, Park Bruges in Highland Park, is set to close its doors...
Kia, Hyundai vehicles targeted by thieves in New Kensington’s Mount Vernon area
A New Kensington restaurant owner whose car was stolen from in front of her home said she worries about what the theft says not only about her neighborhood but the entire city. Jillian Ludwiczak, who owns Jillian’s Restaurant with her husband, Phillip Call, said her 2014 Kia Optima was taken...
Body identified that was found in woods in Shaler the day after Christmas
Allegheny County detectives are treating the body found in Shaler on Thursday as a homicide because the victim had an apparent gunshot wound to the head. The victim was identified Saturday as 45-year-old Andre Wallace of Millvale by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Few other details have surfaced since...
The year in review: Influential people who died in 2024
It was a murder case almost everyone had an opinion on. O.J. Simpson’s “trial of the century” over the 1994 killings of his ex-wife and her friend bared divisions over race and law enforcement in America and brought an intersection of sports, crime, entertainment and class that was hard to...
Pittsburgh police kill man during standoff in Allentown
Pittsburgh police fatally shot a 45-year-old man early Friday morning after he fired at police during a standoff along East Warrington Avenue in the city’s Allentown neighborhood, Allegheny County Police said. The victim was identified as Mark Coleman by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner Office. Allegheny County Police homicide detectives...
Another jackpot surpasses $1 billion. Is this the new normal?
Remember this moment because it probably won’t last: A U.S. lottery jackpot is projected to soar above $1 billion, and that’s still a big deal. Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $1.15 billion, evoking headlines and likely luring more people to convenience stores with dreams of private spacewalks...
Extending a life story: Westmoreland coroner’s office joins effort to encourage organ donation
Even though her father isn’t a phone call away anymore, Cassidy Gamble knows his kind nature is still making an impact on others. James Forish became a tissue donor after his Aug. 1 death, allowing his life to continue on in a different sort of way, helping to heal others....
