Top Stories category, Page 417
Man gets 3 to 6 years in prison for stabbing two in racially motivated attack Downtown
A man accused of stabbing two Black people in downtown Pittsburgh last year in a racially motivated attack will serve at least three years in prison. Chris Boswell, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts of ethnic intimidation, two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon on Tuesday stemming...
Fire at Pittsburgh homeless shelter displaces 175 people, injures 6
Nearly 200 homeless people will be housed temporarily at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center after a fire Tuesday afternoon displaced them from the Second Avenue Commons shelter in Downtown Pittsburgh. Four firefighters and two civilians were injured in the afternoon blaze at the shelter, Emily Bourne, a public safety...
Event organizers accuse Pittsburgh of sitting on federal covid relief funds
When the covid-19 pandemic struck, local event organizers like Dena Stanley were left scrambling to find ways to keep their celebrations alive. Stanley, co-founder of Pittsburgh Pride Group, said the organization couldn’t put its annual Pride parade and festival together during the pandemic because of a lack of funding. The...
Police: 2 or more shooters opened fire after argument at Penn Hills hookah bar
As many as 100 people crowded inside a Penn Hills hookah bar when gunfire erupted, killing two people, police said Tuesday. Nathaniel Smiley Jr., 44, of Pittsburgh got into an altercation with an unknown man around 2:50 a.m. at Ballers Hookah Lounge and Cigar Bar, Allegheny County Police Lt. Venerando...
Proposed scholarships would make going to college cheaper in Pa., but there’s a catch
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers are entering into budget season with the joint goal of making it more affordable to attend college in the commonwealth. As...
Jan. 6 cops stump for Biden in Pittsburgh, warn that Trump is ‘threat to democracy’
Two former U.S. Capitol Police officers who were injured responding to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in Washington said during a Pittsburgh campaign stop Tuesday that former President Donald Trump poses a continuing threat to democracy. The officers, Harry Dunn and Aquilino Gonell, appeared at the Fred Rogers statue on...
Cam Heyward ends hiatus from Steelers, attends voluntary workout
Ready to rejoin his teammates on the practice field but not ready to concede his desire for a new contract, Cameron Heyward ended his absence from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday. After skipping the first phases of offseason workouts and the first two weeks of organized team activities, Heyward returned...
Pittsburgh expands deer-culling program to 5 parks
Pittsburgh’s deer-hunting program will expand this year to five parks, more archers and the possible use of professional sharpshooters. It will also cost more money. City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a contract of up to roughly $99,000 with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help oversee this year’s deer...
Biden rolls out migration order aiming to shut down asylum requests, after months of anticipation
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled plans to enact immediate significant restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border as the White House tries to neutralize immigration as a political liability ahead of the November elections. The White House detailed the long-anticipated presidential proclamation signed by Biden,...
South Greensburg man told game warden he mistook fellow hunter for coyote when he fired shot
A South Greensburg man who authorities said shot a fellow hunter he mistook for a coyote in South Huntingdon was charged last month with two counts. Cody Ostrosky, 32, is facing a misdemeanor charge of shooting at a person while hunting and illegally having a hunting license, a summary. A...
Pittsburgh police arrest teen in Sheraden homicide
A Pittsburgh teenager was charged Monday with opening fire on a group of people at a Sheraden intersection late Friday night, killing one of them. Malachi Smith, 18, of Pittsburgh’s Fairywood neighborhood, shot Israel Walker-Young, 18, of Pittsburgh, from the tailgate of a silver Dodge pickup that Smith and six...
10-cent beers helped turn Cleveland baseball game into bloody riot 50 years agoVideo
CLEVELAND — Beer flowed and a little blood and bruises followed. There was some baseball played in between. On a warm spring night along Lake Erie five decades ago, a well-intended promotion meant to attract fans for the perpetually lousy Cleveland Indians turned ugly and triggered a booze-fueled riot now...
Prosecutors spend first day of testimony in Hunter Biden’s gun trial detailing his drug problems
WILMINGTON, Del. — Federal prosecutors on Tuesday painted President Joe Biden’s son Hunter as deceptive and driven by addiction, a man whose dark habits ensnared loved ones and who knew what he was doing when he lied on a federal form to purchase a gun in 2018. Jurors also got...
Here’s how the pro-Palestine protest at Pitt ended without incident
Intervention by the region’s top two politicians helped end overnight a 30-hour occupation of part of the University of Pittsburgh’s campus by hundreds of pro-Palestine activists. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Tuesday said he joined Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato in conversations with people from a barricaded camp that was...
Mom asks judge to imprison ‘monster’ who killed her daughter in Stowe
Kelly Cody was described as kind, funny, genuine and caring. She had a 6-year-old son who adored her. But she also had a drug addiction, the prosecution said, and she welcomed Lauren Brown, another drug addict, into her life and gave him shelter. That would be her undoing. On Jan....
Unity man gets up to 16 years for role in Latrobe woman’s 2019 deadly overdose
A Unity man was ordered to serve up to 16 years in prison for selling drugs that caused a fatal overdose of a Latrobe woman in 2019. Chad E. Ghrist, 46, pleaded guilty Monday to drug delivery resulting in death and other felony counts in connection with the death of...
Budget season arrives in Pennsylvania Capitol as lawmakers prepare for debate over massive surplus
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers return to session Monday to begin a four-week countdown to the start of the state’s next fiscal year, with Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican lawmakers offering competing visions for how to use a massive surplus. Shapiro has floated an admittedly “ambitious” $48.3 billion budget plan...
Jeannette man claims Rialto stabbing justified as self-defense
The lawyer for a Jeannette man accused of the attempted murder of a former high school friend with a pocket knife said Monday his client acted in self defense. Defense attorney Stephen Colafella told jurors that Anthony J. Sharp was tackled and flailed with a knife to break free from...
Convicted in 1975 of Pittsburgh murder, ailing inmate dies 12 days after release from prison
A quadriplegic man granted compassionate release last month after spending nearly 49 years in prison for murder died Saturday, less than two weeks after a judge granted the order to move him to a long-term care facility. Ezra Bozeman, 68, never made it to the care facility. Instead, 12 days...
TV Talk: WPXI reporter’s live shot goes viral after ‘a woman tried to grab my face’
WPXI’s Andrew Havranek, the station’s Westmoreland County bureau reporter, doesn’t usually work weekends. But on Saturday during the 5:30 p.m. newscast on PCNC, Havranek was filling in, reporting from outside the Kenny Chesney concert at Acrisure Stadium when his live shot went sideways. Havranek said bystanders asked if he was...
15 Pittsburgh pools on deck to open for summer, 3 to stay closed
Pittsburgh will open 15 swimming pools this season, with the city’s remaining three — Homewood, Ream in Mt. Washington and Sheraden — closed for repairs and renovations. The city’s 10-week pool season will start on Saturday, June 15, officials said. Specific pool hours and aquatics programming details have not yet...
Understanding the importance of sunscreen in the Black community
Like many Black men and women, Jessica Pearson didn’t learn about sunscreen growing up. It wasn’t until adulthood, through her training to become an esthetician, that she became aware of the importance of sun protection. That lack of education is common in the Black community, and as summer approaches, knowledge...
Penn Hills hookah bar where 9 were shot lacks liquor license
A Penn Hills hookah bar where nine people were shot over the weekend, two fatally, was operating without a liquor license, authorities said Monday. Allegheny County Police, who are investigating the shooting early Sunday at Ballers Hookah Lounge and Cigar Bar, said they will consult with the District Attorney’s Office...
Fauci testifies publicly before House panel on covid origins, controversies
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert until leaving the government in 2022, faced heated questioning Monday from Republican lawmakers about the origins of the covid-19 pandemic. A Republican-led subcommittee has spent over a year probing the nation’s response to the pandemic and whether U.S.-funded research...
Proposed Gaza cease-fire puts Netanyahu at a crossroads that could shape his legacy
TEL AVIV, Israel — The cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden has placed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a crossroads, with either path likely to shape the legacy of Israel’s longest-serving and deeply divisive leader. The proposal offers the possibility of ending Israel’s war against Hamas, returning scores of...
