Top Stories category, Page 343
Trump suggests tariffs can help solve rising child care costs in a major economic speechVideo
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump suggested to business leaders Thursday that his plans to increase tariffs on foreign imports would solve seemingly unrelated challenges such as the rising cost of child care in the U.S. The GOP presidential nominee promised to lead what he called a “national economic...
Former agent with the state AG’s Office accused of stealing $174K
A former agent with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office is accused of stealing $121,000 from the agency’s North Huntingdon office, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday by Westmoreland County detectives. Brenda D. Sawyer, 61, of North Versailles also is accused of stealing $52,650 from the McKeesport branch of the...
Carnegie man gets 12-24 years in prison for slaying outside Club Erotica
A judge Thursday took a Carnegie man to task as she sentenced him to prison for a fatal shooting outside a McKees Rocks strip club three years ago following a dispute in the parking lot. Charles Becher, 27, was sentenced to 12 to 24 years in prison by Allegheny County...
Gainey pitches major affordable housing reforms, draws councilman’s ire
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Thursday unveiled sweeping reforms to boost the city’s supply of affordable housing, seen as a key strategy to combating homelessness. The reforms, which involve changing the city’s zoning code, would force new housing developments or those undergoing major renovations anywhere in the city to set...
79-year-old Hempfield man whose farm tractor overturned into a creek dies
A Hempfield Township man died late Thursday afternoon when a farm tractor he was using to mow grass overturned and fell into a creek, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Clifford E. Schweinsburg Jr., 79, was mowing grass in Hempfield along Township Line Run Creek — a tributary of...
West Deer No. 3’s fire hall renovations include indoor training, decontamination room
This time next year, West Deer Volunteer Fire Company No. 3 firefighters will be able to practice rappelling and rescue techniques without leaving the fire hall on Gibsonia Road. An indoor training space is among the highlights of ongoing renovations at the hall, which is a transformed commercial building that...
Hockey dad sentenced after attack at Monroeville hotel over affair left man severely injured
Jerry McCool’s face was so badly beaten that trauma physicians initially thought he’d been shot. He was placed in a medically induced coma, given a tracheotomy to breathe and a feeding tube to receive sustenance. His family did not know if he would survive the April 14, 2023 assault outside...
Police deny Venezuela gang has taken over rundown apartment complex in Denver suburb
AURORA, Colo. — Police in the Denver suburb of Aurora say a Venezuela street gang with a small presence in the city has not taken over a rundown apartment complex — yet the allegation continues to gain steam among conservatives and was amplified by former President Donald Trump in a...
Steelers QB Russell Wilson aggravates calf injury, is limited in practice
Three days before the Pittsburgh Steelers are scheduled to kick off the regular season in Atlanta, they had an unexpected switch at quarterback. Russell Wilson aggravated the calf injury Thursday that kept him sidelined at the start of training camp and was a limited participant in practice, coach Mike Tomlin...
Kamala Harris arrives in Pittsburgh, Tim Walz visits Pamela’s DinerVideo
Vice President Kamala Harris might soon be sporting black and gold with how much time she’s spending in Pittsburgh lately. Harris returned to the city Thursday afternoon, having left hardly 72 hours earlier following a quick Labor Day visit. This time, she’s expected to stay in town until her debate...
Allegheny Valley Hospital unveils $12 million imaging upgrade to cut patient wait times
Several times each week, a box truck arrives at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison to potentially save lives. A new mobile imaging pad outside the hospital on Carlisle Street allows rotating MRI and PET CT capabilities, opening 40 more appointments a week. The truck travels throughout the region, pulling up...
Hunter Biden enters surprise guilty plea to avoid tax trial months after his gun conviction
LOS ANGELES — Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to federal tax charges Thursday in a surprise move that spares President Joe Biden and his family another likely embarrassing and painful criminal trial of the president’s son. Hunter Biden’s stunning decision to guilty plea to misdemeanor and felony charges without the benefits...
Neighbors divided: Highland Park duplex showcases political differences
Along a thoroughfare in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood, there sits a house divided — and not just because it’s a duplex. One side of the duplex features yard signs in support of Vice President Kamala Harris, and the other other side features yard signs in support of former President Donald...
Biden, Harris will visit Flight 93 memorial on Sept. 11
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stonycreek Township on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, White House officials announced. Harris is expected to arrive in Pittsburgh today, according to the White House Press Office. She and Biden were also...
Fire destroys maintenance building at River Forest Country Club
Gary Miller spent Thursday morning tallying losses — expected to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars — caused by a fire that ravaged River Forest Country Club’s maintenance building before dawn. Items lost included 24 golf carts, at least two lawn mowers and an array of handheld maintenance...
‘Not acceptable’: Audit finds Allegheny County homeless stuck on waiting lists while beds sat empty
Hundreds of homeless people throughout Allegheny County were placed on waiting lists for transitional housing last year while dozens of housing units sat empty, according to an audit from county Controller Corey O’Connor. O’Connor’s audit — which examined how the county’s Department of Human Services spent state money on a...
Can Harris prosecute the political case against Trump? Key questions ahead of their debate
NEW YORK — Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will debate for the first — and perhaps, last — time on Tuesday night as the presidential candidates fight to sway voters on the biggest stage in U.S. politics. The meeting comes just 75 days after President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance...
Father of Georgia school shooting suspect arrested on charges including second-degree murder
WINDER, Ga. — The father of the teenager accused of opening fire at a Georgia high school, killing four people and wounding nine, has been arrested on various charges including second-degree murder, authorities said Thursday. Colin Gray, 54, the father of Colt Gray, was charged with four counts of involuntary...
Morning Roundup: Washington Township couple again charged with mistreating children
Here are news items for Thursday, Sept. 5: Couple charged again with mistreating children A Washington Township couple, due in court later this month on neglect charges from 2022, was again charged with mistreating children, according to Westmoreland County detectives. Jordan S. Heidt, 29, and Heather M. Johnson, 33, both...
Ex-Children’s Hospital doctor faces child pornography charges
A former chief radiologist at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh was arrested for allegedly having images of child pornography, the U.S. attorney ‘s office in Pittsburgh said Wednesday. Dr. Ashok Panigrahy, 53, of Pittsburgh, pleaded not guilty Tuesday before a federal magistrate in Pittsburgh to charges of transporting and attempted...
Republican Liz Cheney endorses Kamala HarrisVideo
WASHINGTON — Former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney on Wednesday said she would support Kamala Harris for president, ending weeks of speculation about how fully the member of a GOP dynasty-turned-Trump critic would embrace the Democratic ticket. Cheney, who co-chaired the House investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, became a...
Ex-Pittsburgher pleads guilty to swindling investors out of $2M in green energy scheme
A former Pittsburgher admitted Wednesday in court to using a sham energy company to bilk victims out of more than $2 million he and his colleagues used to gamble, pay court-ordered fines and buy jewelry, boats, furniture and wedding gifts. Jonathan Freeze, 65, pleaded guilty in federal court in Pittsburgh...
GOP appeals date ruling on mail-in ballots to Pa. Supreme Court
The Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Pennsylvania are appealing a Commonwealth Court ruling that mail-in ballots with incorrect or missing dates on their outer envelopes should be counted. The appeal to the state Supreme Court was expected. It is being fast-tracked, like all elections cases this year. Whatever...
U.S. Steel rallies for sale to Nippon Steel as Biden threatens to block deal
Standing before a sea of workers in orange jackets and hard hats, U.S. Steel executive Scott Buckiso argued for a $14.9 billion sale to Nippon Steel at a rally in downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Buckiso, senior vice president and chief manufacturing officer of U.S. Steel’s North American Flat-Rolled segment, zeroed...
Pittsburgh OKs expanding legal aid for low-income renters fighting eviction
Pittsburgh renters fighting eviction could soon have increased access to free legal aid. City Council on Wednesday voted to dedicate up to $2 million to connect low-income renters facing eviction with lawyers who can help them navigate the legal process. The money also could fund mediation between tenants and landlords...
