Top Stories category, Page 307
Motorists should be on the lookout for deer as rutting season peaks, Pa. Game Commission says
Steve Boeser has been a busy man since June. Boeser is contracted by the Municipality of Murrysville to collect and dispose of dead deer that have been struck by cars. His contract starts in June, and he’s usually well into January before he reaches 100 calls. As of Oct. 22,...
Pittsburgh to implement new garbage citation system
Pittsburgh officials will more easily be able to cite people who leave garbage on their property, improperly store trash cans or leave their cans at the curb too long before and after trash pickup. City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation that will allow inspectors to issue quality-of-life tickets to...
Police charge homeless man with breaking South Side woman’s back, pelvis in rape attempt
Pittsburgh police on Monday charged a homeless man they say broke a woman’s back and pelvis by shoving her to the ground while trying to rape her two months ago in the city’s South Side neighborhood. William Hercules, 27, pushed the woman, who uses a walker, to the ground around...
Pittsburgh councilman demands answers on police Chief Scirotto’s part-time refereeing gig
A Pittsburgh councilman called Tuesday for public answers about the police chief’s decision to referee NCAA college basketball games while running the 751-member force. Chief Larry Scirotto last week announced he would resume refereeing part time, something he had given up when he was named chief last year. “We need...
Halloween not here yet, but the PPG Plaza Christmas tree is up
Christmas in October? The giant Christmas tree is up and towering over Pittsburgh’s PPG Plaza. For those who were wondering, the 60-foot, 11,939-pound tree is indeed fake. It has 540 pre-lit branches and was installed on Oct. 4 this year, according to Anthony Battistella, marketing manager at JLL property management....
Innamorato defends property tax hike proposal, asks council to suggest cuts
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato on Tuesday defended her proposed property tax increase as necessary to combat the county’s ballooning budget deficit, pay for public safety and infrastructure repairs, and address homelessness. Speaking at a news conference in Downtown Pittsburgh, Innamorato also challenged County Council to work with her on...
Man pleads guilty in New Year’s Eve stabbing death on North Side
A Pittsburgh man Monday pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for fatally stabbing his roommate after a New Year’s Eve drinking session escalated into a fight. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Flaherty sentenced Martin Lopez Hernandez, 33, of East Allegheny, to time already served in the Allegheny County Jail —...
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Pennsylvania on Election Day
WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania voters are almost sure to play a pivotal role in the Nov. 5 general election, with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress and the state Legislature in the balance. With its 19 electoral votes, the commonwealth is the largest prize among the battleground...
Roundup: 3 stabbed in Mellon Park; Car crashes into New Kensington Denny’s
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Oct. 22: 3 people stabbed in Mellon Park Two men are in critical condition after being stabbed in the chest near Pittsburgh’s Mellon Park playground, authorities said. Police were called at about 12:45 a.m. to the park along...
Inflation Explained: Pandemic disruptions work their way out of the car industry
Editor’s note: This is the seventh story in an occasional series on the causes and impact of inflation. Car buyers who haven’t been in the market for a while might be in for some sticker shock. In the past five years, the average price paid for a new vehicle has...
Montour Trail stabbing victim was Pa. Liquor Control Enforcement agent
A 44-year-old man found fatally stabbed Monday afternoon along the Montour Trail in Moon was a liquor control enforcement agent with the Pennsylvania State Police. Benjamin Brallier of Coraopolis was pronounced dead at Heritage Valley Sewickley hospital just before 4 p.m. Brallier, who had stab wounds to his back, upper...
5 dead in shooting at Washington state home with juvenile in custody, police sayVideo
FALL CITY, WASH. — Law enforcement officials found five people killed in a shooting inside a home southeast of Seattle on Monday morning and took a teenager into custody, police said. Several people called 911 around 5 a.m. to report a shooting in Fall City, Washington, King County Sheriff’s Office...
Pennsylvania revenue secretary must appear before Senate or risk going to jail
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s revenue secretary is headed for a rare showdown on Tuesday in the Pennsylvania Senate that could potentially end with him going to jail. Revenue Secretary Pat Browne lost his quest to get the state Supreme Court to block the Senate Republicans’ effort to compel him to come...
Philly man accused of threatening to kill Western Pennsylvania political party worker over poll watching duties
A Philadelphia man is accused of threatening to kill and skin alive a state political party employee from Western Pennsylvania if the political worker did not respond to his request that he serve as a poll watcher in the upcoming presidential election. The suspect, John C. Pollard, 62, is accused...
Trial opens for man charged with gunning down North Hills honors student
A Pittsburgh man whose homicide trial opened Monday killed a restaurant’s teenage cook just 15 minutes after being thrown out of the Strip District establishment, a prosecutor told jurors. Howard Hawkins, 49, was kicked out of Preeti’s Pitt on Penn Avenue in the Strip District at 8:55 p.m. on Feb....
DA files felony charge against Mon View Heights owner
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has charged the owners of the Mon View Heights subsidized housing complex in West Mifflin with a felony amid allegations of failing water systems, rodent and insect infestations, mold growth and a child falling through the floor. The felony count of causing...
Tree of Life families urge sharing of survivors’ stories at Pittsburgh summit
For Audrey Glickman, a survivor of the Tree of Life attack, sharing her story brings a sense of healing. “We didn’t choose to be shot at,” she said. “Having survived it, we have a reason to do what we’re doing.” Glickman spoke Monday at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit at...
Helicopter crashes into radio tower in Houston, killing 4Video
HOUSTON — Four people aboard a helicopter were killed when it crashed into a radio tower in Houston and burst into flames, officials said. The helicopter went down just before 8 p.m. Sunday in a neighborhood east of downtown after taking off from Ellington Field, about 15 miles away, Mayor...
Steel truss concerns prompted Pittsburgh to close Panther Hollow Bridge
Pittsburgh’s top engineer said concerns about steel trusses spurred the closure this weekend of the Panther Hollow Bridge in Schenley Park. Eric Setzler, the city’s chief engineer, could not say when the bridge might reopen. The 640-foot-long bridge, which spans Panther Hollow near Anderson Playground in the city’s Squirrel Hill...
Jury finds 2 guilty of first-degree murder in 2021 Larimer slaying
A jury Monday found two men guilty of first-degree murder in a 2021 homicide at a Pittsburgh gas station. Michael James and Randall Jones are each facing a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the chance of parole for the killing of Robert Agurs. Allegheny County Judge Edward J....
Ikon, police dog declined by Tarentum, finds new home
Ikon the police dog has found a home. The 18-month-old German shepherd, gifted to — and declined by — Tarentum police from country singer Brian Kelley, will join the Coraopolis police department. “Our officer picked him up on Thursday so they can start their bonding process,” Coraopolis Chief Jason Stewart...
5 things we learned: Steelers defense dominates 2nd half for 2nd week in row
Five things we learned from Steelers 37, Jets 15: 1. Getting defensive The headlines in the aftermath of the victory, not surprisingly, centered around quarterback Russell Wilson and his performance in his first start of the season. Wilson not only shook off a slow start to pass for 264 yards...
Second Avenue Commons homeless shelter to reopen after fire
Downtown Pittsburgh’s Second Avenue Commons homeless shelter is scheduled to reopen next week nearly five months after a fire forced it to close. People are expected to begin moving back into the shelter on Oct. 28, with full operations resuming the next day, according to Allegheny County officials. That will...
Hempfield man charged with stalking, solicitation of girl at bus stop
Michael D. Thomas appeared confused Friday morning when no one was at the school bus stop as usual in his Hempfield neighborhood, state police said. A state trooper parked in an unmarked car nearby watched as Thomas visited the intersection just outside Greensburg, but didn’t find the 13-year-old girl to...
Crumbling railroad crossings in Tarentum, Brackenridge get repairs, traffic detoured
Norfolk Southern Railroad began repairing several deteriorated crossings in Tarentum and Brackenridge on Monday, closing roads and forcing drivers to follow detours to reach the lower parts of the boroughs. The work was scheduled to fix crumbling pavement at the crossings that formed potholes and made getting over the tracks...
