Top Stories category, Page 398
U.S. flag display etiquette — do’s and don’ts for the Fourth of July
With the Fourth of July fast approaching, an uptick in folks flying the U.S. flag is set to unfurl from coast to coast. However, some people may be unknowingly disrespecting Old Glory if they don’t know the proper way to display it. Vandergrift Veterans Honor Guard member Mike Reilly has...
Fido-friendly outdoor dining options plentiful in Western Pennsylvania
Sharing meal time with man’s best friend has never been easier as more local establishments roll out dog-friendly outdoor dining options. According to statistics from Yelp, online searches for businesses using “dogs allowed” increased by 58% between 2021 and 2023, and the company noted more than 47,400 U.S. businesses describe...
Editorial: Six months is too long to wait for Hamilton’s resignation
The end of the year is too far away. Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton has had a bad year. She’s been held in contempt of court by two judges. Multiple orders have attempted to force her to do her job. There have been hearings. A conservator was...
Heatwave is good news for some crops, farmers say
At Sacred Gate Farm in Kiski Township, where Lorraine Krezolek and her husband sell pick-your-own blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and more, the only thing the recent heat wave affected was the customer count. “It’s been really great for us,” Krezolek said. “Last year, we dug a 500,000-gallon pond, and we’ve been...
‘We’re not going down without a fight:’ 1 year into Pittsburgh police patrol, tide is turning on South SideVideo
While walking down East Carson Street at 12:52 a.m. June 8 in Pittsburgh’s South Side, city police Sgt. Andrew Robinson spotted a man standing outside a shuttered pizza shop, sifting marijuana into brown rolling papers. As Robinson approached, the man quickly ditched the drugs on a window ledge. The two...
National Weather Service ends tornado watch for Western Pa.
The National Weather Service ended a tornado watch for Southwestern Pennsylvania shortly after 7 p.m. No tornadoes were reported. At times, the affected counties included Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Beaver, Fayette, Indiana, Washington, Westmoreland and nearly all of Western Pennsylvania. A small portion of northern West Virginia remains under an alert....
1 killed, 1 injured in 2-car crash in Ligonier Township
A South Huntingdon woman was killed and another motorist was injured when their cars collided Saturday morning on Route 30 in Ligonier Township. Wilma H. Bradish, 81, was taken from the scene to Independence Health Latrobe Hospital, where she was pronounced dead by an emergency room physician, according to Westmoreland...
Experts predict high spotted lanternfly numbers in Western Pennsylvania this year
Spotted lanternflies are back this summer — and experts are predicting Southwestern Pennsylvania will once again see significant numbers of the invasive insect. Brian Walsh, spotted lanternfly researcher and horticulture educator for Penn State Extension, said though it’s difficult to measure the population since they are constantly in motion, experts...
Lawmakers advance proposal to greatly expand Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Hunting on Sundays in Pennsylvania would be greatly expanded under a proposal that passed the state House on Thursday over objections about trespassing provisions and new restrictions on hunting in state parks. Lawmakers voted 129-73 to send the bill to the state Senate. “Sunday is an opportunity to...
Fayette coroner identifies man whose body was pulled from Monongahela River
Officials have released the identity of a man whose body was pulled from the Monongahela River on Thursday in Fayette County. Fayette County Coroner Dr. Bob Baker said Larry Greene, 50, of Bobtown was reported as a potential drowning victim when his office was called to the scene in Point...
Gus Kalaris, known as the ‘Ice Ball Man’ on Pittsburgh’s North Side, dies
August “Gus” Kalaris often gave free ice balls to people who couldn’t afford one — he was known as the “Ice Ball Man.” He will be missed from his spot at the bright orange cart near West Park on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Kalaris died Friday night. For seven decades, Kalaris...
Alleged nationwide concert scam affects Pittsburgh venue
A special events venue in Pittsburgh, 25 Carrick Ave, has been affected by an alleged nationwide concert scam. Brendan Elder, chief operating officer at Hearcorp, the audio/visual company that owns the space, had been in direct contact with a company called ARB Marketing looking to book a show. The space...
Westmoreland County coroner: Woman identified who died in Lower Burrell porch fire
A woman died after suffering burns in a porch fire Friday night in Lower Burrell, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Carson identified the victim on Saturday as Jennifer Bates, 42, Lower Burrell. Carson said her death was the result of a residential porch fire. Lower Burrell police and...
County police: 2 men’s bodies found in Montour Run Creek, no signs of foul play
As divers were retrieving a man’s body that was reported floating in Montour Run Creek on Friday afternoon in Moon Township, they discovered a second body nearby, according to Allegheny County Police. First responders were dispatched to the creek, which is in the area of the Montour Run Trail just...
Western Pa. Democratic delegates stick with Biden but cast debate performance as ‘wake-up call’
Following President Joe Biden’s lackluster debate performance on Thursday night, alarmed liberal pundits wasted little time in suggesting that the president consider withdrawing from the race. But Biden’s political allies, including Democratic delegates committed to the president’s reelection, are standing by the incumbent, even as they acknowledged his poor showing....
School vouchers may make it into Pa.’s budget, but what would they really do?
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Few arguments in Harrisburg are as fraught as the one happening now over school choice vouchers, and it features a lot of spin from lawmakers...
Details emerge in fugitive’s arrest that closed Frankstown Road in Penn Hills
A section of Frankstown Road in Penn Hills was closed briefly around 3 p.m. Friday,June 28, as the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force served a search warrant and took a Pittsburgh man into custody. Daelon T. Hill-Johnson, 26, of Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood was arrested for possession of a firearm while...
U.S. miners’ union head: Republican effort to block silica dust rule ‘attack’ on workers
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The head of the national mine workers’ union Friday condemned what he characterized as an effort by House Republicans to block enforcement of a long-awaited federal rule directed at curbing workers’ exposure to poisonous, deadly rock dust, calling it “a direct attack on the health and safety...
Regulations on pharmacy benefit managers pass in state House, head to Senate
Regulations on pharmacy benefit managers — third-party intermediaries who work with drug manufacturers, pharmacies and insurance providers — took a leap forward Friday at the state level. House Bill 1993 would put pharmacy benefit managers under more intense state scrutiny and limit certain practices that pose some of the greatest...
Severe weather forecast, flood watch issued after 5 tornadoes hit Western Pa.
Workers have been clearing uprooted trees and broken branches from Winifred Sherman’s yard since a tornado whipped past her Penn Township home Wednesday. But with the potential for flash flooding, a tornado, hail and strong winds in this weekend’s forecast, local tree services and power companies may need to hit...
Weather forecast not stopping inaugural Buffett tribute concert at Pittsburgh Brewing Co.
Pittsburgh Brewing Co. officials are hoping Saturday’s stormy weather outlook will be “Nothin’ But a Breeze” as plans march on for the inaugural Jimmy Buffett tribute concert at the East Deer site. “We are moving forward with having the concert and festivities,” brewery spokeswoman Rachel Semelbauer said Friday. “We are...
Quick response to fire at landmark Westinghouse building in Wilmerding
No one was injured after emergency responders worked quickly to knock down a fire at the Westinghouse Arts Academy building in Wilmerding on Friday afternoon. When Pitcairn police officer Kyra Haile arrived just before 1:30 p.m., smoke was pouring out of a top-floor window, she said. In the few minutes...
Feds seize cocaine, fentanyl, guns linked to 4 felons in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
Four men are charged in federal court with drug distribution after federal investigators on Thursday seized more than 75 kilograms of cocaine, 90,000 doses of fentanyl and several guns after executing a series of search warrants. All of the men charged have previous felony drug convictions that prohibited them from...
Despite pleas from mother, Mt. Pleasant Township man accused of stabbing mom will remain in jail on $500K bail
Judge Scott Mears decided Friday against lowering the bond for a Mt. Pleasant Township man accused of stabbing his mother, calling it one of the saddest cases he’s handled while sitting on the bench. It’s at least the second time in three months defense attorneys have asked in court that...
Police arrest parolee in killing of sister’s boyfriend outside Braddock Hills bar
A Washington County parolee remained in jail Friday after, authorities say, he killed his sister’s boyfriend following an argument that ended in the parking lot of a Braddock Hills bar earlier this month. Allegheny County Police said Abdullaah Bin Francken, 23, of North Franklin, fatally shot William Coffey, 24, early...
