Top Stories category, Page 372
Superior Court reverses judge’s bail denial in Sewickley torture case
Three months after an Allegheny County judge denied bail to a suspect accused of torturing a man in Sewickley, an appeals court ruled that he must be granted bail. Pennsylvania law says that every criminal defendant is entitled to bail unless they face a potential life prison term or there...
Stamp bags, needles and toys: Jury finds Munhall man guilty of murder in fentanyl death of son, 2
With thousands of empty stamp bags strewn throughout the parents’ Munhall apartment — mixed in with donuts, cookies and their three children’s toys — it was a matter of if, not when, the fentanyl would harm the kids, a prosecutor said. “Day after day, week after week, room after room,...
Leechburg Area officials plan lawsuit against Westmoreland County over tax assessments
Leechburg Area School Board members say they intend to file a lawsuit against Westmoreland County and possibly one against the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The lawsuits would be aimed at bringing about a solution to demands from West Leechburg residents to fix what they say is an inequity in the...
Plum School District settles discrimination claim with job applicant for $5K
The Plum School District will revise its application process as part of an agreement settling a discrimination allegation. The district agreed to pay Eile Demkee $5,000 to resolve Demkee’s claims. That amount, inclusive of attorney’s fees and costs, will be paid by the district and/or its insurance carrier. The district...
Paris Olympics athletes post fit checks, cardboard beds on social media
Though the 2024 Paris Olympics presents an opportunity for athletes to show what they’re made of on the international summer sports stage — it also gives them a chance to give social media followers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the games. Four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles shared a photo of...
No more booths: Turnpike set to expand Open Road Tolling in coming years
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission gave more details this week about its timeline for ditching toll booths in favor of Open Road Tolling (ORT). All toll roads east of Reading and on the Northeast Extension will be converted to ORT, a system that electronically charges motorists at highway speeds, in January...
Social media users call for Netflix boycott after co-founder’s donation to Kamala Harris’ campaign
Netflix is facing online backlash following the $7 million donation its co-founder Reed Hastings made toward Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential election campaign, Variety reported. Hastings co-founded Netflix in 1997 and served as CEO for 25 years before stepping down, according to Variety, and this is the largest single campaign...
Chestnut Street home in Sewickley on the market for $1,795,000Video
For Robyn Carson Jones, a house is more than brick and mortar — it’s a place to create family memories. When she and her husband were renovating their current Sewickley residence for their three children, they included an in-law suite for her mother so she could be close by during...
Morning Roundup: 2 arrested in Clairton killing; USDA doing rabies bait drops
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, July 26: 2 arrested in Clairton shooting Two people have been arrested in connection with a fatal July 12 shooting on Madison Avenue in Clairton, county police said. Allegheny County Police arrested Thomas W. Walker V, 27, of...
Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris, giving her expected but crucial support
ATLANTA — Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris in her White House bid, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial backing of the nation’s two most popular Democrats. The endorsement, announced Friday morning in a video showing Harris accepting a...
Trump announces 1st Pennsylvania rally since assassination attempt
Former President Donald Trump has announced his first rally in Pennsylvania since the July 13 assassination attempt at a rally in Butler Township. Trump will return to the state for a July 31 rally at the New Holland Arena in Harrisburg. Trump sustained an injury to his ear after shooter...
Charges against Mercer man accused of killing, dismembering transgender teen held for court
A murder charge filed against a Mercer County man accused of killing a transgender teen and dismembering their body was held for court on Thursday. State police charged Dashawn Watkins, 29, of Mercer with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence in the death of...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: July 26-28
Another summer month is almost over! As we say goodbye to July, the calendar is still packed with events. If you’re in the mood for goats, dinosaurs, tunes or treats, give one of these events a spin this weekend. Goat Fest PGH Adorable goats have become an integral part of...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh’s public access cable channel PCTV to shutter
PCTV, public access cable channel Pittsburgh Community Television, will cease operations by the end of August due to a dearth of funding. “The continuing decline in cable subscribers and the changing media landscape has had a devastating impact on our funding and our viability,” PCTV executive director John Patterson wrote...
Casey: State Dept., Biden silence on Marc Fogel’s Russian imprisonment is intolerable
WASHINGTON — The State Department isn’t doing enough to bring Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel home, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, told TribLive. “I believe the administration’s outreach to and communication with the family has been unacceptable. They simply haven’t done enough of it,” Casey said. Fogel, 62, was sentenced to...
1 man dead, 2 hurt in Versailles Borough incident in which suspect fought with, injured police officer
One man is dead and a second man and a woman were hospitalized Thursday night after an altercation in Versailles Borough that started at one residence and spilled over to the adjacent home. Police said a suspect was arrested only after he fled the scene. He was apprehended in McKeesport...
Trump won’t commit to debate until Harris formally nominated
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s campaign refused to commit to a debate with Kamala Harris after the Democratic candidate challenged the Republican nominee to show up to a previously scheduled face-off. Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said Thursday night that debate plans “cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.”...
‘El Mayo’ Zambada, historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and son of ‘El Chapo’ arrested in U.S.
WASHINGTON — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said. A leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel for decades alongside Joaquín “El...
Economic growth increased last quarter to a healthy 2.8% annual rateVideo
WASHINGTON — The nation’s economy accelerated last quarter at a strong 2.8% annual pace, with consumers and businesses helping drive growth despite the pressure of continually high interest rates. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department said the gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods and services —...
Jeannette shutters K9 program as ‘cost prohibitive’
Jeannette officials on Thursday announced the city has shuttered its police department’s K9 unit. “Critically, any new and unknown costs associated with the program made maintaining the program cost prohibitive in light of the city’s already stretched funding and budgetary constraints,” according to a statement released by city leaders. The...
‘I always need the first day of Steelers training camp off’: Fans flock to Saint Vincent as practices begin
It doesn’t take a trained eye to see that Jaime Lucchetti is a diehard Steelers football fan. Her arms, legs and collarbone are decorated with 30 tattoos of Pittsburgh players’ faces, team logos and iconic phrases such as former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s 2018 huddle call, “dilly dilly.” It took her...
Texas sculptor honors Corey Comperatore with statue at Buffalo Township fire hall
When retired Texas firefighter Nyal Stromberg made his latest sculpture, a process that took a month of molding and melting, he didn’t know Corey Comperatore’s name. Few people did outside of the Alle-Kiski Valley before July 13, when Comperatore was gunned down at a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald...
Latrobe man alleges packing firm wrongly fired him after he reported safety issues
A Latrobe man claimed in a federal lawsuit filed this week he was improperly fired from a packaging manufacturer as retaliation after reporting suspected safety issues. Patrick Mitchell, in a six-count complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, said he became ill while working at Opco Inc., a Latrobe-based...
Hill District residents impatient over ’empty promises’ of neighborhood improvement
Marimba Milliones was among the Hill District residents who on Thursday told local leaders they’re getting impatient after years of waiting for investment in their neighborhood. A major redevelopment is underway in the Lower Hill District at the site of the former Civic Arena. It’s set to include a new...
Woman scores free tickets after blocked view at home Pirates game
A Ross woman, who possibly had the worst view in PNC Park when she took her seat at a Pittsburgh Pirates game, is getting two free tickets courtesy of the ballclub. Danielle Jones had purchased the ticket a few weeks prior to see her daughter, a University of Pittsburgh cheerleader,...
