Top Stories category, Page 3
Harrison police still trying to resolve mystery of metal shards on roadways
The mysterious metal shards that littered Harrison roads remain a head-scratcher for police. Chief Brian Turack said officers continue to investigate after his phone lines were flooded Wednesday with reports of sharp fragments causing flat tires. Social media saw dozens of people saying their vehicles fell victim to the uniform-shaped...
Coming Saturday: From Darkness to Light: The Marc Fogel storyVideo
Beginning Saturday, our exclusive series From Darkness to Light: The Marc Fogel story by Paula Reed Ward. Only on TribLive....
From doinks to Bad Bunny: The best novelty Super Bowl bets on the board
Super Bowl Sunday is like Christmas Day for football fans. Besides the pregame rampup and nonstop action on the field, the big game is an event filed with seven-layer dips, block polls, comical commercials and halftime entertainment. Then there’s the gambling. Sure, there’s plenty of ways to bet on how...
Man killed in Uniontown shooting; person of interest sought
Pennsylvania State Police in Uniontown and the Fayette County District Attorney’s office are investigating a fatal shooting Thursday night. Police were called to Dunlap Street around 5 p.m., where they found 20-year-old Lemaur Thompson Jr., who they said had been shot while walking in the area. He was taken to...
Hempfield alum Jasmine Jones sprints past challenges to reach Olympic dream
She crashed once, then seven more times, whipping around sharp turns in a twisting bobsled going more than 90 mph. Key people were watching. People who held the keys to unlocking her Olympic dream. People who now had doubts. Jeannette native Jasmine Jones also was a wreck emotionally. The sprinter-turned-Olympic...
Pitt purchases property on Atwood Street; plans not yet announced
It’s unclear what the University of Pittsburgh’s plans are for a recently-purchased property in Oakland. Pitt purchased 251-253 Atwood St. for just under $1.37 million last month, according to Allegheny County real estate records. University officials wouldn’t disclose plans for the 4,436-square-foot property. “The university is always looking for opportunities...
Scott Township man detained by ICE in Plum being held in West Virginia jail
Vishavdeep Singh, the Scott Township man detained by ICE agents in Plum on Wednesday, is being held in Northern Regional Correctional Facility and Jail near Moundsville, W.Va., according to ICE records. Singh, 22, was detained at the office of District Judge Mike Doyle after, police say, he attempted to flee...
Moving goal post: Lawyer thinks Oakmont ICE arrest the result of new immigration priorities
It appears politics, not immigration law, sparked the arrest of Jose Flores in Oakmont last week, the man’s lawyer suggested. “Jose’s legal posture in the country is one that allows him to remain and work lawfully in the U.S. while his case is being adjudicated and, for the last 30...
Creating art for U.S. coins is tricky. These Pa. artists have made a career of it
This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. PHILADELPHIA — If you’ve got coins in your pocket, purse, or wallet, you’re likely carrying around...
State budget plan includes $30M performance-based fund for Pitt, Penn State
The state’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year includes $30 million in performance-based grants to be distributed among the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University and Temple University, through a new state-related university performance fund. General support appropriations, however, remain flat for Pitt, at $151.5 million, and Penn State,...
Proposed ban on cellphones in school gains traction across the state
Bipartisan proposals to ban cellphones in the state’s public schools are gaining steam. State Reps. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, and Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville, are among those spearheading House Bill 1814 to restrict cellphones in classrooms. The move would protect children, streamline policies, reduce burden on staff and minimize disruptions, they...
Collectors at South Hills Coin Club show weigh in on value of penny, precious metals
Monessen resident Dave Burdis still remembers the day his father, a bank teller, brought home a half dime coin from work. Burdis, now 74, was just 9 at the time. “I was amazed at it. I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “A half dime? What is that? So I researched...
Ohiopyle State Park dotted with ice formations ahead of Winterfest
Ohiopyle State Park is dressed in its winter finest in preparation for Winterfest this weekend. Snow-related activities will be held 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Sugarloaf recreation area, 950 Sugarloaf Road. There’s 10 inches of snow near the park offices along Route 381, or Main Street, and...
Independence Health continues to narrow operating losses
Hefty losses have slowed for Independence Health System in the months leading up to its acquisition by West Virginia University Health System. The five-hospital network said Wednesday its operating losses fell to $7.3 million in the second half of last year, down from $16.3 million over the same span in...
After $82K Pittsburgh airport cash seizure, woman takes TSA to court
Six years ago, security officers at Pittsburgh International Airport seized $82,000 from Rebecca Brown’s carry-on luggage as she tried to fly home to Boston to set up a bank account for her father. What began as a daughter trying to help her father spiraled into a legal battle with the...
79 stolen guns, 8 teens arrested, more than 1,400 charges
Authorities have arrested eight teenagers they say stole dozens of guns in “smash-and-grab” robberies at Pittsburgh-area gun shops last year — weapons later linked to multiple shootings, including the death of a 7-year-old boy. The suspects, seven of them juveniles, used stolen cars to travel between break-ins at gun shops...
Sprawling data center campus proposed next to old Bruce Mansfield power plant in Beaver County
The data center boom has arrived in small-town Beaver County with little of the fanfare that’s accompanied similar proposals across Southwestern Pennsylvania. Shippingport Council granted several zoning modifications last week that allow Texas-based Aligned Data Centers to build a sprawling campus — dubbed “Project Phoenix” — next to the old...
Innamorato launches Housing Investment Fund to ‘address full spectrum of housing needs’
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato on Thursday signed an executive order creating a new housing strategy, including a fund aimed at investing in affordable and workforce housing. Dubbed HOUSING for All, the order directs county agencies to work with nonprofit, municipal and private partners to “address the full spectrum of...
Walnut Capital seeks exception from inclusionary zoning mandate in Oakland apartment project
Pittsburgh developer Walnut Capital is asking the city’s zoning board to allow it to build a new apartment complex in Oakland without earmarking any units as affordable housing. Oakland is one of several neighborhoods — along with Lawrenceville, Bloomfield and Polish Hill — where Pittsburgh’s inclusionary zoning ordinance mandates that...
TV sales up during Super Bowl week as customers chase bargains
Super Bowl-related television sales typically bring a bit of a boost at a time of year when there can be a lull in sales, said Craig Kantoris, co-owner and project manager at ConnectedLife Designs By The StereoShop in Greensburg. A handful of recent customers looked to upgrade their screens in...
Vote scheduled on future of EMS in Harrison, Tarentum and Brackenridge
After a scheduling glitch in January, a public hearing to formalize a paid ambulance authority in Harrison, Tarentum and Brackenridge is back on the books. The meeting will be March 25 at the Brackenridge American Legion. “We encourage residents to come out, listen, ask questions and help us think through...
State police find 2 pounds of cocaine after traffic stop of Penn Hills man on turnpike
A Penn Hills man was arrested Tuesday after state police said they found 2 pounds of cocaine in the vehicle he was driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County, according to court papers. Troopers initiated a traffic stop at 1:30 p.m. near the border of Donegal and Cook townships...
Pa. House panel approves bill to limit exceptions to Sunshine Act notice requirement
State lawmakers hope to close a loophole in one of Pennsylvania’s government transparency laws with a bill headed to the House for consideration. The state Supreme Court in November clarified a 2021 amendment to the state Sunshine Act that created four exceptions to the law’s public notice requirement. One, the...
Homeland Security shutdown grows more likely as Republicans rebuff Democrats’ ICE demands
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that demands made by Democrats for new restrictions on federal immigration officers are “unrealistic” and warned that the Department of Homeland Security will shut down next week if they do not work with Republicans and the White House. Democrats say they...
More frigid weather for the weekend, snow not so much
Bundle up, the frigid cold weather won’t be going away this weekend. 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 to feel like they are in the double-digit negatives as Friday night...
