Top Stories category, Page 31
Woman accused of abandoning 12 cats in Allegheny Township faces cruelty charges
Allegheny Township police have accused a woman of abandoning a dozen cats in her apartment without food after she was evicted in October, leaving some severely emaciated. Laura Zboravan, 56, who now lives in Gilpin, is charged with two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and several misdemeanor animal...
Nominations open again for Pittsburgh Walk of Fame
Nominations are once again open for the next induction class of the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame. In October, the first 10 bronze stars were unveiled in the Hollywood-style installation embedded in the sidewalk in front of The Terminal in the Strip District, which runs along Smallman Street. The first induction...
ICE officer kills a Minneapolis driver in a deadly start to Trump’s latest immigration operationVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis driver on Wednesday during the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major American city — a shooting that federal officials said was an act of self-defense but that the mayor described as reckless and unnecessary. The...
Venezuelan community in Western Pa. conflicted over Maduro’s detentionVideo
Beechview resident Orlando Aguilar remembers waking about 2 a.m. to frantic text messages from his friends in Venezuela. The messages described the sound of explosions, during what Aguilar would later realize was the beginning of Operation Absolute Resolve, a United States operation to attack Venezuela and capture President Nicolás Maduro...
Allegheny County health officials blast new federal childhood vaccine guidelines
Allegheny County health authorities on Wednesday rejected the federal government’s new childhood vaccine guidelines, promising to stick with the science on immunization practices. “Departing from long-standing, evidence-based recommendations deters public trust and weakens the very foundation of public health that communities rely on in moments of uncertainty,” Allegheny County Public...
Nick Reiner’s arraignment in parents’ killing is delayed after his attorney asks to be replaced
LOS ANGELES — A judge on Wednesday delayed Nick Reiner’s arraignment in the killing of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, after his high-profile defense attorney asked to be replaced by a public defender. Judge Theresa McGonigle agreed to attorney Alan Jackson’s request during a Los Angeles Superior...
U.S. seeks to assert its control over Venezuelan oil with tanker seizures and sales worldwide
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday sought to assert its control over Venezuelan oil, seizing a pair of sanctioned tankers transporting petroleum and announcing plans to relax some sanctions so the U.S. can oversee the sale of Venezuela’s petroleum worldwide. Trump’s administration intends to control the distribution of...
First Call: Details about John Harbaugh’s firing and future; updated Steelers ‘Here We Go’ song
We have an update to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “Here We Go” song. There is a lot of news surrounding the departure of John Harbaugh from the Baltimore Ravens. Ben Roethlisberger has some advice for the Steelers’ defense. And Duquesne looks to rebound from a home conference loss on the basketball...
Rising utility costs cause record demand for assistance
A record number of requests has been made this winter to a Pittsburgh nonprofit that doles out funds to help people pay their rising utility bills. As of late December, Dollar Energy Fund had processed $2.5 million to 6,100 Pennsylvania households since October — a 131% increase over the same...
Here’s how to shop for lower utility costs
For Western Pennsylvania consumers worried about the costs of heating their homes this winter, there are options. Customers could find some relief on the marketplace, but it’s not entirely without risk. Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate Darryl Lawrence said shopping for better rates on the Pennsylvania Utility Commission’s PaGasSwitch and PaPowerSwitch web...
Building the Valley: Secondhand shop for kids ‘fills need’ in Vandergrift
Dylann Sowers says she opened her new storefront in Vandergrift with the community in mind. Kiski Kids Closet, located downtown on Grant Avenue, is a secondhand shop focused on affordable children’s clothing. It opened in mid-December. Sowers, 28, of Parks Township has three young boys of her own, which offered...
Trump says Venezuela will ‘turn over’ up to 50 million barrels of oil to U.S.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday evening that Venezuela’s interim authorities have agreed to turn over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, an unexpected sign of the rapidly evolving relationship between Washington and the Caracas socialist leadership. It was not immediately clear which Venezuelan...
North Versailles police officer, 2 others, hurt in crash
A North Versailles police officer was involved in an accident with another vehicle Tuesday afternoon, resulting in the officer and the other driver and a child being hospitalized in stable condition, according to Allegheny County Police. The vehicle was struck when it pulled out in front of the police vehicle...
Teen accused in East McKeesport killing charged as an adult
A Pittsburgh teen is being charged as an adult for allegedly killing a man in East McKeesport. Allegheny County Police on Tuesday announced they arrested Zylon Patterson, 17, in connection with a June 12 homicide. Police allege Patterson is responsible for the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Keith Pelmon of Penn...
Critic slams Jason Lando’s fitness for police chief in email to Pittsburgh council members
A Maryland man who claims he was harassed by Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor’s pick for police chief sent a lengthy email last week to City Council members that cast aspersions on Jason Lando in an effort to derail his nomination. The Dec. 30 email from Daniel Sullivan, a retired police...
Orthodox Christmas to be celebrated Wednesday across region
The Christmas season isn’t over, at least not for the handful of Orthodox Christian churches that follow the Julian Calendar and are celebrating Christmas on Wednesday with special liturgies, dinners and holiday decorations. “Universally, it’s accepted as Christmas, but, in our faith, it is really called the Nativity of the...
What you should know about the new federal childhood vaccine guidelines
A dramatic overhaul Monday of childhood vaccine recommendations could confuse parents about which shots their kids should receive and when, Southwestern Pennsylvania medical experts say. The new vaccine schedule, established in a memo from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Acting Director Jim O’Neill, clouds recommendations for several immunizations doctors...
Prosecutors: Monessen parents left 2-year-old twins in squalor
Two Monessen parents broke the law when they left their 2-year-old twins trapped in a bedroom strewn with feces and infested with insects, a Westmoreland County prosecutor told jurors Tuesday. Felicia Dugan, 31, and Jerimiah Roberts, 32, are on trial, accused of felony child endangerment. Prosecutors allege the children were...
DOJ: Shooter who killed Brown students and MIT professor planned attack for months
BOSTON — The man identified by law enforcement as the shooter who killed two Brown University students and an MIT professor had been planning the attack for months and left behind videos in which he confessed to the murders, according to information released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice....
O’Connor tours Downtown with an eye to fixing it up
As Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor led a cadre of city officials on a walk through Downtown on Tuesday afternoon, he stopped every few blocks to point out something that could be improved. An old sign needed to be taken town. A sunken crosswalk should be fixed. Spray paint markings that...
Backlash at Ravens kicker Tyler Loop after FG miss encourages Steelers fans to boost charity
A charity that provides supplemental food assistance for food pantries in Washington, D.C., received more than $6,000 in donations over 24 hours — all thanks to a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and a missed field goal. Emily Householder-Stacy, 34, was “riding the high of the Steelers’ win” over the Baltimore Ravens...
Millvale says it will have to shut down all services if borough isn’t allowed to borrow $2 million
Millvale officials say borough government will be forced to shut down unless a court allows it to borrow up to $2 million. In an emergency petition filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, the borough says a 58% property tax increase council approved Dec. 30 will not give it enough...
Weekend could bring record-high temperatures
It’s supposed to be the dead of winter, but the Pittsburgh region could be on pace to break a record high temperature this weekend. “We’ll be above average on Wednesday with highs forecast in the mid-40s, and this weekend we’ll be approaching some record highs,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist...
Volunteers place wreaths to honor generations of Jeannette veterans
David Holtz and his 7-year-old daughter, Nyla, saluted as they laid a wreath before the headstone of World War II Army veteran Richard H. Irwin at Jeannette Memorial Park. It was the Jeannette girl’s first year as a Cub Scout and her first time taking part in an annual December...
At least 24 Venezuelan security officers killed in U.S. operation to capture Maduro, officials sayVideo
CARACAS, Venezuela — At least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in the dead-of-night U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro and spirit him to the United States to face drug charges, officials said Tuesday. Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said overall “dozens” of officials and civilians were killed...
