Top Stories category, Page 377
What we know: Pa. AG Henry calls for assault-weapons ban
Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry on Friday called on both state and federal legislators to create or reinstate assault-weapons bans, and stressed more needs to be done to address American politicians’ “collective indifference to addressing this issue.” Former President Donald Trump, who a gunman tried to assassinate at Butler County...
Jeannette officers file suit seeking overtime payments for time spent feeding, caring for police dogs
Jeannette’s two police dog handlers claim in a federal lawsuit that the city violated labor laws by not paying them an overtime rate for time spent caring for their canines. Sgt. Jim Phillips and Officer Matthew Painter said in the filing that they spend at least 30 to 60 minutes,...
‘Tornado Alley’ shifts east. What does it mean for Western Pa.?
“Tornado Alley” has shifted east, but what does it mean for Western Pennsylvania? Not much, according to meteorologists. The Weather Channel said a new study found that the most active tornado corridor in the United States — known as “Tornado Alley” — has changed in recent decades, and tornadoes are...
Jury convicts road-rage driver of 3rd-degree murder in death of off-duty Oakdale cop
A jury on Friday convicted a Pittsburgh man of third-degree murder in the 2022 road-rage killing of an off-duty Oakdale police officer. Kevin McSwiggen, 42, of Greenfield will be sentenced Oct. 9 in the death of Charles “Chuckie” Stipetich, who was 23. Jurors deliberated for a few hours Thursday before...
Penn State main campus students face tuition hike; price at branch campuses still frozen
Pennsylvanians attending Penn State University’s main campus a year from now will pay 2% more in undergraduate tuition, while in-state branch campus undergraduates will see no increase for a third straight year. The university’s Board of Trustees Friday approved those and other rates in adopting a $9.9 billion budget for...
Misspelling on Corey Comperatore’s uniform tag existed before RNC
The “a” is missing on late Buffalo Township firefighter Corey Comperatore’s turnout gear. And, according to Buffalo Township Fire Chief Kip Johnston, it was a running joke at the department. Comperatore was killed when gunman Thomas Crooks fired several shots into the crowd July 13 at former President Donald Trump’s...
Biden’s campaign chair acknowledges support ‘slippage’ but says he’s staying in the race
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s campaign is insisting anew that he is not stepping aside as he faces the stark reality that many Democrats at the highest levels want him to consider how stepping aside from the 2024 election to make way for a new nominee atop the ticket could...
Butler County law enforcement asked to testify in D.C. about Trump rally shooting
Two local law enforcement officials have been asked to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security regarding the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at the Butler Farm Show grounds. Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., announced Wednesday he invited Butler County Sheriff Mike...
Community honors, says farewell to Corey Comperatore
Mourners wiped away tears and held small American flags as they watched the procession for Corey Comperatore pass by from the streets of Freeport and other Butler County communities. Firefighters offered somber waves back to the crowd from the windows of their fire trucks. Many onlookers expressed sympathy for the...
Global tech outage spurred lines at Pittsburgh airport; some government, hospital, business issues
A widespread technology outage affected companies and services across industries Friday — grounding flights, knocking banks and hospital systems offline and affecting other organizations in Pittsburgh and around the world. At the heart of the massive disruption is CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm that provides software to scores of companies worldwide....
Widespread technology outage disrupts flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A global technology outage caused by a faulty software update grounded flights, knocked banks and media outlets offline, and disrupted hospitals, small businesses and other services on Friday, highlighting the fragility of a digitized world dependent on just a handful of providers. The trouble with the...
Police remain mum about man killed by Churchill cop in Forest Hills
A Churchill police officer shot and killed an armed man Thursday night outside a Forest Hills home, but details about the incident remained sparse Friday as officials refused to divulge more information. The 48-year-old man, who police did not name, died overnight, according to Allegheny County Police. Officials and police...
In accepting GOP nomination, Trump describes assassination attempt, honors Corey Comperatore
MILWAUKEE — Donald Trump, somber and bandaged, accepted the GOP presidential nomination on Thursday at the Republican National Convention in a speech where he described how he felt during an assassination attempt that could have ended his life. “I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” Trump told the packed convention...
‘A lawyer, not a politician’: John Peck, former longtime Westmoreland County district attorney, dies
As Westmoreland County’s top prosecutor, John Peck would go to Mass every day. And then he’d go to work, always well-dressed — even if it was a Saturday. Friends and former coworkers remembered the former district attorney on Thursday as an exceptional trial attorney, someone who they could count on...
Hunter Biden seeks dismissal of tax, gun cases, citing decision to toss Trump’s classified docs case
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, asked federal judges Thursday to dismiss tax and gun cases against him, citing a ruling in Florida this week that threw out a separate prosecution of former President Donald Trump. The requests in federal court in Delaware and California underscore the potential ramifications...
Road rage or self-defense? Jury weighs claims in killing of off-duty Oakdale cop
Kevin McSwiggen told a jury Thursday that he never intended to shoot the man he claimed cut him off in traffic two years ago. Instead, he testified, he followed Charles “Chuckie” Stipetich to his Blawnox home to talk to him about his driving to help keep others on the road...
South Korea restarts propaganda broadcasts across border in reaction to North’s balloon launches
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea says it has restarted anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts across the border in response to North Korea’s resumption of trash-carrying balloons launches. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says its frontline loudspeaker broadcasts were conducted between Thursday evening and Friday morning in areas where North Korea...
Woman sues Kennywood, alleges injuries after Thunderbolt ride
A Homestead woman is suing Kennywood Amusement Park for negligence, claiming a ride on the Thunderbolt roller coaster left her injured. On July 23, 2022, Sabrina Williams and her son visited Kennywood and rode the roller coaster. According to the lawsuit, Williams said she had rode the Thunderbolt several times...
Rivers Casino workers, fearful of gambling on health, rally behind effort to ban smoking
Alicia Monahan blames secondhand smoke for two fainting episodes she experienced while working at Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. The table games dealer said she’s otherwise healthy but sometimes feels the effects of the smoke getting to her. Since she started working at the casino in 2019, she collapsed...
Federal appeals court blocks remainder of Biden’s student debt relief plan
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court blocked the implementation of the Biden administration’s student debt relief plan, which would have lowered monthly payments for millions of borrowers. In a ruling Thursday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a motion for an administrative stay filed by a group of Republican-led...
Bob Newhart, the low-key comedian and legendary sitcom star, has died at age 94
LOS ANGELES — Bob Newhart, the deadpan accountant-turned-comedian who became one of the most popular TV stars of his time after striking gold with a classic comedy album, has died at 94. Jerry Digney, Newhart’s publicist, says the actor died Thursday in Los Angeles after a series of short illnesses....
Police arrest man linked to Gainey staffer in Downtown Pittsburgh shooting
Pittsburgh police have arrested a city man previously convicted on drug charges in connection with a shooting Downtown earlier this week. Ray Rivera, 58, of East Liberty, shot a man twice in the arm while the victim was in a car near Smithfield Street on Tuesday afternoon following an argument...
‘I’m here to honor him’: Hundreds gather for Corey Comperatore
They came from as far away as Arizona and Brooklyn, N.Y., on Thursday to honor the life of Corey Comperatore, a husband, father and former volunteer fire chief killed by gunfire Saturday at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler County. A steady stream of mourners —...
Sentencing for former Greensburg police chief set for December
A sentencing date for the former Greensburg police chief on a drug case has been pushed back to December. The attorney for Shawn Denning, 43, of Delmont, requested more time to prepare for the hearing while in the midst of handling other, unrelated cases, according to court filings this week....
‘Just can’t see him doing that’: Classmates discuss Trump shooter
Thomas Crooks didn’t stand out as a popular student but didn’t fit the loser characterization either, some former classmates said. They remember the man who shot up a Trump campaign rally in Butler as intelligent – enrolled in high-level Advanced Placement classes throughout high school – but quiet and reserved....
