Top Stories category, Page 432
If it seems like more tornadoes are striking Western Pa. — they are
A spate of tornadoes have spun up in Western Pennsylvania with unprecedented frequency this spring. The National Weather Service in Moon’s coverage area, which includes Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and Northern West Virginia, has already seen 14 tornadoes in 2024, which is more than double the annual average of six...
Beaver Area School District head recommended as Hempfield Area’s new superintendent
Former McKeesport Area and current Beaver Area Superintendent Mark Holtzman is set to become Hempfield’s top school official. Holtzman will be recommended for appointment as superintendent of Hempfield Area School District at a special board meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to a letter sent to parents Tuesday from the...
Salary surcharge pitched to cover Westmoreland register of wills conservator pay
The nearly $90,000 annual salary paid to Westmoreland Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton could be used to finance costs for a court-appointed conservator for the office, county officials said Tuesday. Controller Jeffrey Balzer said a policy approved in 2020 by commissioners allows the county to hold elected row officers...
TikTok content creators sue the U.S. government over law that could ban the popular platform
Eight TikTok content creators sued the U.S. government on Tuesday, issuing another challenge to the new federal law that would ban the popular social media platform nationwide if its China-based parent company doesn’t sell its stakes within a year. Attorneys for the creators argued in the lawsuit that the law...
2 Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre dancers perform onstage with their daughters in ‘Cinderella’
Audiences at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s production of “Cinderella” will get to share in some sweet family memories. Two dancers — William Moore and Danielle Downey — will perform with their young daughters in the production, which runs Friday through Sunday. Even more poignant, both dancers have just announced their retirement...
Greensburg man admits to going on nude walks at Twin Lakes Park, police say
A man who described himself as a nudist showed up at the Westmoreland County Park Police station on Hempfield’s Donohoe Road last month wearing only socks, sneakers and a ball cap, according to court papers. Turns out, police said they had been looking for a man who reportedly had been...
Community mourns passing of McCandless firefighter
Firefighter, family man and well-known member of the McCandless community Daniel Stack passed away unexpectedly on May 10 at age 51. Many knew Stack from his 35 years of service fighting blazes in the local area, most recently with the Highland Volunteer Fire Department for the past 18 years, according...
IUP prepares for academic overhaul with proposed college name changes
Indiana University of Pennsylvania is poised to undergo an academic restructuring that would include name changes for three of its five colleges, discontinuing low-enrolled programs and identifying areas for future growth. Those moves and others will be reviewed by the State System of Higher Education in Harrisburg in the coming...
Police charge McKees Rocks teen in Stowe killing
Police have arrested a McKees Rocks teen who they say fatally shot a Stowe man on Thanksgiving eve. Cy-Miar Amari Woods, 16, was charged as an adult Thursday in the Nov. 22 death of Michael Dean. Dean, 26, was killed at his house in the 800 block of Benwood Avenue,...
Sudden Little Thrills music festival canceled
The Sudden Little Thrills music festival, which was slated to take place Sept. 7 and 8 at Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood Green, has been canceled. “We were excited to bring a new world-class music festival to Pittsburgh. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, the Sudden Little Thrills festival will not take...
Leechburg woman dies in house fire
A Leechburg woman died Tuesday morning in a fire at her home. Armstrong County Coroner Brian Myers identified the victim as 60-year-old Betty Bail. The state police fire marshal’s office said pets also perished in the fire in the 300 block of Logan Avenue. In a release, Myers said the...
Check stubs, fake receipts, blind loyalty: Michael Cohen offers inside knowledge in Trump’s hush money trial
NEW YORK — It wasn’t until after a decade in the fold, after his family pleaded with him, after the FBI raided his office, apartment and hotel room, Michael Cohen testified Tuesday, that he finally decided to turn on Donald Trump. That decision led to a 2018 guilty plea to...
Online dashboard helps track tickborne illnesses
The Pennsylvania Department of Health this week announced a new online dashboard that will provide people with information about tickborne illnesses. The dashboard will show people where ticks are prevalent so they can take appropriate precautions while outdoors, officials said. It also will display the latest tickborne disease activity, tracking...
Morning Roundup: Police say N.Y. woman scammed Clairton man for $19K
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, May 14: Police say N.Y. woman scammed Clairton man Allegheny County Police have charged a New York woman they say scammed more than $19,000 from a Clairton man. Detectives determined Rachel Chen, 25, of Stanton Island worked as...
Man critically hurt in West Deer hit-and-run
A man was critically wounded Monday night after a vehicle crashed into a dirt bike on Saxonburg Boulevard in West Deer, Allegheny County police said. The vehicle involved in the collision drove away and the man driving the dirt bike was flown to a hospital for treatment. Both vehicles were...
Biden blocks Chinese-backed crypto mining firm from land ownership near Wyoming missile base
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday issued an order blocking a Chinese-backed cryptocurrency mining firm from owning land near a Wyoming nuclear missile base, calling its proximity to the base a “national security risk.” The order forces the divestment of property operated as a crypto mining facility near the...
Red Line T cars derail in Castle Shannon, transit officials say
Pittsburgh Regional Transit officials said about 15 people were on board two rail cars when they derailed Monday afternoon. It happened at about 4 p.m. while they were traveling inbound on the outbound tracks along the Red Line at Willow Station in Castle Shannon, PRT said via X, formerly Twitter....
‘I have received forgiveness and so I offer it to you,’ father of crash victim tells Mt. Lebanon man given plea deal
Just minutes after Hampartsoum “Henry” Nazarian pleaded guilty to striking their son on the side of the road and killing him, David and Heidi Drake were in the courthouse hallway hugging him. “The accident was not an intentional thing to try to hurt us or Tyler,” Heidi Drake said in...
Pittsburgh controller probes $18K in payments to ex-city worker
Pittsburgh’s top fiscal watchdog has launched an investigation into more than $18,000 in payments made by the city to a former employee turned contractor. Controller Rachael Heisler said Monday that she was looking into possible violations of the state ethics law and, more broadly, rules governing the use of city...
Court names Greensburg attorney to oversee Westmoreland register of wills office
Greensburg attorney James Antoniono will oversee the Westmoreland County Register of Wills Office, effective May 28, according to a court order issued Monday. The county’s elected register of wills, Sherry Magretti Hamilton, “has forfeited her role as the sole and chief administrator of the office by being derelict in her...
U.S. energy panel approves rule to expand transmission of renewable power
WASHINGTON — Federal energy regulators on Monday approved a long-awaited rule to make it easier to transmit renewable energy such as wind and solar power to the electric grid — a key part of President Joe Biden’s goal to eliminate carbon emissions economy-wide by 2050. The rule, under development for...
Crews conduct controlled demolition on Baltimore bridge span as cleanup continues at collapse siteVideo
BALTIMORE — Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The explosives flashed orange and let off a cloud of black smoke upon detonation, and the span crumpled into the water in seconds. The longest trusses...
WrestleMania: Steelers’ draft class includes trio of former state champion grapplers
The formal or informal chats between representatives of NFL teams and draft prospects at the annual combine can span from the spectrum of mundane, awkward, bizarre, informative, conversational and enlightening. This past winter, more than one soon-to-be drafted player found one topic in particular piqued the mutual interest of him...
Lower Burrell man accused of shooting Mogie’s owner not competent, lawyers say
A Lower Burrell man accused of fatally shooting restaurant owner David “Mogie” Magill is not mentally competent to help attorneys prepare for his homicide trial, according to a petition filed in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court. Attorney Daniel Joseph wrote in the petition that he and co-counsel Duke George have...
Judge acquits man who claimed self-defense in Carrick fatal bar shooting
A Pittsburgh man who claimed self-defense was found not guilty on Monday in a fatal shooting at a Carrick bar in December. Corey Rall, 26, of Carrick was charged with criminal homicide in the shooting death of Cole Kerns, 28, of East McKeesport on Dec. 3 at Sophie’s Saloon on...
