Top Stories category, Page 409
‘I basically was running on Dunkin’ and adrenaline for most of yesterday,’ pastor says after Monroeville arson
In the wake of an arson Thursday at a Monroeville Catholic church rectory, the Rev. Michael Conway has been busy. As pastor of Christ the Divine Shepherd Parish, he’s been rushing between its locations in Monroeville and Penn Hills, meeting with parishioners and leadership and trying to make plans for...
Justice Department won’t prosecute Garland for contempt, says refusal to provide audio wasn’t crime
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland will not be prosecuted for contempt of Congress because his refusal to turn over audio of President Joe Biden’s interview in his classified documents case “did not constitute a crime,” the Justice Department said Friday. In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, a...
$284M would help child care issues in Pa., advocates say
The staff of 25 at JB’s Bright Beginnings in North Huntingdon has their hands full, encouraging the development of 100 children while parents work. They could do more — the child care center is licensed for 350 children — but a lack of staff for a job that has wages...
Woman arrested in connection with Pittsburgh man’s 2022 overdose death
A Homestead woman illegally sold oxycodone pills that caused a Pittsburgh man to fatally overdose in 2022 with fentanyl levels in his blood that were gauged as double a lethal dose, authorities say. Sharon Holt, 51, was arrested by Pittsburgh police Thursday on charges including drug delivery resulting in death,...
Bigfoot gains supporters in Derry as Sasquatch sightings surge on Chestnut Ridge
Bigfoot could be the next big thing in Derry. The town annually has celebrated its historic association with Pennsylvania Railroad trains and engine houses. But what about the looming presence of Bigfoot? Council members this week floated the idea of creating an installation that could draw visitors interested in the...
Ashley Kertes memorial fund aims to help Greensburg area as she tried to do
Ashley Kertes had a love for the Greensburg community and a desire to make it better. Kertes served as executive director of the Greensburg Community Development Corp. and, in March 2022, shifted to associate administrator to the superintendent and community outreach in the Greensburg Salem School District. After Kertes’ unexpected...
Supreme Court strikes down Trump-era ban on bump stocks, gun accessories used in 2017 massacre
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, the rapid-fire gun accessories used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, in a ruling that threw firearms back into the nation’s political spotlight. The high court’s conservative majority found that the Trump...
How do cicadas make their signature sound, so eerie and amazingly loud?
WHEATON, Ill. — The most noticeable part of the cicada invasion blanketing the central United States is the sound — an eerie, amazingly loud song that gets in a person’s ears and won’t let much else in. “It’s beautiful chaos,” said Rebecca Schmidt, a U.S. Department of Agriculture research entomologist....
Make mine medium-rare: Men really do eat more meat than women, study says
CHICAGO — Vacationing in Chicago this week from Europe, Jelle den Burger and Nirusa Naguleswaran grabbed a bite at the Dog House Grill: a classic Italian beef sandwich for him, grilled cheese for her. Both think the way their genders lined up with their food choices was no coincidence. Women,...
Ex-Pittsburgh police commander gets probation in wiretapping case
A former Pittsburgh police commander on Friday morning agreed to take 24 months of probation on charges that he stashed body-worn cameras in patrol cars last fall to secretly record more than a half-dozen of his own officers. Matthew Lackner, 50, a Mt. Lebanon resident who led Pittsburgh police’s Zone...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 14-16
Happy Father’s Day! Take Dad, your friends or yourself to these events and celebrations this weekend — everyone deserves some fun! Row House Cinema 10th Anniversary Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville is celebrating 10 years in the community with special screenings and a block party this Saturday. From 3 to...
Morning Roundup: Charges filed in 2 East End armed robberies; Pittsburgh police welcome new cadets
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, June 5. Man charged in 2 East End armed robberies Pittsburgh police have made an arrest in two recent armed robberies in the East End. Nathaniel Weatherspoon, 32, faces felony charges of robbery, conspiracy, and misdemeanor receiving stolen...
Heat wave forces shift in spending priorities as household costs jump
Summer utility bills are expected to swell as temperatures jump into the 90s over the next week in Western Pennsylvania. But while some energy experts believe the cost for electricity will rise by as much as 8% in the northeastern U.S., local energy providers suggest year-over-year utility costs actually may...
Sen. John Fetterman got 2 speeding tickets before Sunday’s crash, Pa. records show
Sen. John Fetterman’s car crash Sunday, in which he was speeding and found “at fault,” was not the first time the senator has been involved in risky driving behaviors, Pennsylvania state records show. Fetterman, D-Pa., has received two speeding tickets in his home state — the more recent one of...
Shuman Juvenile Detention Center set to reopen
After being closed for three years, the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center is set to reopen within the next few weeks, Allegheny County officials said. Shuman, in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood, was closed in September 2021 after the state revoked its license following a number of violations. Since then, law enforcement agencies...
Heinz History Center celebrates Civic Season with patriotic programming
Here in the midst of June, we are entering a slew of patriotic holidays and anniversaries, starting on Friday with Flag Day and concluding on the Fourth of July. At the Sen. John Heinz History Center and more than 400 other museums and cultural institutions around the country, this period...
Justice Clarence Thomas took more trips paid for by donor Harlan Crow, Senate panel revealsVideo
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin says his committee has uncovered at least three additional trips given to Justice Clarence Thomas by GOP megadonor Harlan Crow as part of the panel’s ethics investigation into the Supreme Court. Durbin, D-Ill., said Thursday the committee obtained information from Crow that Thomas took...
Tropical rainstorms in South Florida lead to flight delays and streets jammed with stalled carsVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A tropical disturbance that brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida delayed flights at two of the state’s largest airports and left vehicles waterlogged and stalled in some of the region’s lowest-lying streets. “Looked like the beginning of a zombie movie,” said...
ATI’s $1.2B hot strip mill in Harrison marks 10 years, remains world’s most powerful, company says
Lou Koprivnikar launched his career at ATI 36 years ago when everything was hands-on. Employees would load 43-ton metal coils by crane and affix labels on specialty metals fresh out of a 2,250-degree furnace. Today, operations are fully automated inside the Hot Rolling and Processing Facility (HRPF), a $1.2 billion...
Westmoreland register of wills meets deadline, pays $422,000 into county treasury
More than $422,000 from court fees collected by the Westmoreland County Register of Wills Office was turned over Thursday to the county treasury. Treasurer Jared Squires confirmed the embattled row office met a court-ordered, afternoon deadline to turn over funds it received from routine office filings since the start of...
Citing toxins in garlic, group says EPA should have warned about chemicals near Ohio derailment
The Environmental Protection Agency should conduct additional soil studies near the site of a toxic train derailment in Ohio and warn people it might not be safe to garden there after independent testing showed high levels of chemicals in locally grown garlic, a watchdog group said Thursday. In a petition...
Live Nation presents music venue plan for Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District
Entertainment giant Live Nation presented plans Thursday for a 4,500-seat entertainment venue at the former Civic Arena site in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District. The plan, first approved in May 2023, is seeking an adjustment, as the attached parking garage now will be pursued separately. California-based Live Nation told officials at...
Senate Republicans block bill on women’s right to IVF as Democrats make push on reproductive careVideo
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans blocked legislation that would make it a right nationwide for women to access in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer forced a vote on the matter Thursday in an effort to drive an election-year contrast on reproductive care. Sen. Tammy...
Marquette University President Michael Lovell, who had ties to Pitt, dies at 57
Michael Lovell, the president of Marquette University with deep ties to the University of Pittsburgh, died in Rome on Sunday after a battle with cancer. He was 57 and grew up in Meadville. Lovell earned three mechanical engineering degrees including a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh in 1994. He...
North Huntingdon teen killed in Butler crash
A North Huntingdon teen who graduated from Norwin High School last year was killed early Thursday morning in a one-vehicle crash in northern Butler County, state police at Butler said. The victim, Josiah Pastories, 19, was traveling northward along Kittanning Pike in Fairview Township at about 6:20 a.m. when he...
