Top Stories category, Page 314
As Irwin-area Catholics lament Rev. Moineau’s reassignment, New Kensington flock awaits his arrival
As Irwin-area Catholics lament the loss of a beloved longtime pastor, their counterparts in the New Kensington area say they are happy to gain a fourth priest in their parish. The Rev. John Moineau was cleared by his doctors and Greensburg Bishop Larry Kulick to return to work after resigning...
Pine man’s political memorabilia runs the gamut from banal to bizarre
Try and imagine — if you can — turning on your shower, only to have the water come spouting from the overly broad smile of former President Richard Nixon. The “Tricky Dick shower head” is easily among the more bizarre pieces of political memorabilia in the collection of Steve Mihaly,...
McCormick narrows gap with Casey in Pennsylvania, new poll shows
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania’s nationally watched U.S. Senate race is tightening, with Republican Dave McCormick now just 4 percentage points behind Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey, according to a new poll by The Inquirer, The New York Times, and Siena College. About 48% of respondents said they supported Casey, who is...
Floridians cleaning up from Hurricane Milton are hampered by a widespread fuel shortage
CORTEZ, Fla. — Floridians recovering from Hurricane Milton, many of whom were journeying home after fleeing hundreds of miles to escape the storm, spent much of Saturday searching for gas as a fuel shortage gripped the state. In St. Petersburg, scores of people lined up at a station that had...
Pitt offense stumbles, but Panthers edge California, improve to 6-0 for 1st time since 1982
When Eli Holstein walked into the interview room Saturday night after Pitt’s 17-15 victory against California that in reality was a lesson in survival, reporters were ready for him. His captivating season hit a roadblock in his second career ACC game when he threw two interceptions, completed just half of...
Fort tours, battle reenactments offer chance to explore reason for Ligonier festival
Fort Ligonier Days pays tribute to the 18th century British outpost that lent its name to the modern town of Ligonier. But, full appreciation of the festival’s origin doesn’t appear to be widespread among those who are drawn to the event, judging from a random sampling Saturday of visitors who...
1 dead, 1 injured in Scottdale house fire
A 71-year-old man was killed Saturday afternoon in a residential fire in Scottdale, authorities said. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson identified the victim as Thomas Zeller. A cause and manner of death have not been reported. Firefighters and first responders were dispatched to a home at 918 Market St., where...
Firefighters battle barn blaze at Hempfield equestrian center, Business Route 66 shut down
No horses were harmed Saturday after a stubborn fire broke out about 3 p.m., then ravaged a storage barn at the Westmoreland Equestrian Center in Hempfield. The fire briefly closed a section of Business Route 66 in Hempfield, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. The roadway had reopened to traffic...
Children and adults transported to Pa. hospital after ingesting ‘toxic mushrooms’
PEACH BOTTOM TOWNSHIP — Children and adults were transported to a hospital in Pennsylvania Friday night after being sickened by mushrooms, authorities said. Emergency medical personnel responded to a report around 9:30 p.m. of 11 people becoming ill after ingesting the mushrooms in Peach Bottom Township, the Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Company...
Plum woman returns to Arnold roots, turns ice cream stand into new cafe
April Barnes dreamed of owning her own eatery since she was 16, working her first job at a King’s restaurant in Plum. “I worked there and I loved it,” said Barnes, 38. “I loved the hustle and bustle and the running. I missed all the moving around and high-pressure service.”...
Beaver County man charged in Pittsburgh shooting that sent man to hospital
A Beaver County man is charged with attempted homicide in a Friday morning shooting in Pittsburgh that sent another man to Allegheny General Hospital. City police used surveillance video to trace a white Nissan Armada involved in the shooting to Shane Terrance Phillips, 52, of Ambridge, according to a criminal...
Pennsylvania hit hardest by nationwide whooping cough outbreak
A nationwide whooping cough surge has infected nearly 2,200 Pennsylvanians, outpacing every other state and putting local medical experts on high alert. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified more than 16,000 cases of whooping cough this year, more than four times as many as the same...
Westmoreland, Allegheny community colleges aim to increase graduation rates with national program
Andrew Barnette wants to spend more time reading names while standing on the stage at Westmoreland County Community College’s graduation ceremony. “I am privileged to be asked every year to read names at graduation,” said Barnette, dean of the School of Art, Humanities, Social Sciences and Public Service. “It’s the...
Point Park University faculty give initial vote of no confidence in its president
The assembly representing Point Park University faculty passed an initial vote of no confidence this week regarding President Chris Brussalis, citing issues including inadequate communication and lack of shared governance. Of the 80 faculty present during Monday’s closed session, 63 later voted in favor, 11 opposed, and six in attendance...
Judge: Mt. Lebanon School District violated parents’ rights in transgender identity lesson for first graders
Mt. Lebanon School District violated the constitutional rights of parents, a federal judge said, when it allowed a first-grade teacher to give a lesson on transgender identity to her students without first providing parents notice and the ability to opt out. Senior U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti ruled in...
Pa. AG charges 7, dismantles Pittsburgh-based retail theft, gun-trafficking ring
Authorities Friday accused a Pittsburgh pawn shop owner of running a retail theft and gun-trafficking ring that bought and resold stolen items including iPhones, electronics and lawnmowers. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office charged Osman Musa and six other people identified as members of a group dubbed the “Six Figure Boys”...
North Side man gets life in prison for 2021 shooting death in Carrick
A Pittsburgh man will spend the rest of his life in prison after he was sentenced Thursday for killing the woman he had been dating. A jury convicted Donte Moss, 44, of the North Side of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm in the March 27, 2021, death of...
Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium launches 20-year makeover
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is renovating its grounds over the next 20 years. “It’s not a secret that a lot of our facilities are over 30 years old and at the end of their life,” said Jeremy Goodman, the zoo’s president and CEO. “What was state of the art...
House Speaker Mike Johnson stumps with Rob Mercuri, dismisses Dems’ strategy
The Pittsburgh area attracted another high-profile surrogate Friday as U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. visited Beaver County, where he exuded confidence that Republicans will sweep the national elections, belittled Democrats’ campaign strategy and downplayed the controversy over the 2020 election. Johnson stopped at PGT Trucking in Hopewell Township with...
Tarentum declines police dog gifted by singer Brian Kelley
Tarentum will have to wait for a police dog. Borough officials declined a surprise gift from country music star Brian Kelley of a police dog during an August benefit concert. Kelley donated an 18-month-old German shepherd, Ikon, during an Aug. 9 concert in West Deer that doubled as a fundraiser...
A couple’s passion for early childhood learning spawns hub at PennWest California
Giving children an early jump on learning is about to become a more visible endeavor on Pennsylvania Western University’s California campus thanks to the latest gift from a couple who has championed the cause. Tom Rutledge, a 1977 alumnus who headed Charter Communications, and his wife Karen Rutledge, announced a...
With bids for new Jeannette fire station at $4M, city looks to scale back plans
After construction bids came in higher than expected for Jeannette’s new fire station, officials are adjusting the scope while time is running out to spend grant money designated for the project. Four bids were opened Wednesday, but only two offered a price for the entire project. The lowest bid to...
Plan to track Westmoreland County-owned vehicles with GPS on hold because of sheriff’s lawsuit
Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office vehicles won’t be tracked by GPS until a lawsuit challenging a policy requiring the devises on county vehicles is resolved, a judge ruled. The policy, enacted this summer by the commissioners but not yet put into practice, requires around-the-clock tracking of all county owned and leased...
UPMC names new president, CEO of health plan
Mary Beth L. Jenkins will be UPMC Health Plan’s next president and CEO starting Jan. 1, the health care provider announced Friday. She will also serve as president of UPMC Insurance Services Division and executive vice president of UPMC. “Mary Beth’s forward-thinking work within UPMC’s successful integrated health care delivery...
Cornel West to appeal after judge denies spot on Pa. presidential ballot
A federal judge on Thursday said third-party presidential candidate Cornel West cannot have his name placed on Pennsylvania’s ballot — despite the court’s concerns over how state election laws treat minor-party candidates. “Common sense tells the court that we are less than one month from a presidential general election,” wrote...
