Top Stories category, Page 434
Paul Skenes brings triple-digit heat, fans to their feet with 7 strikeouts in Pirates debut
Paul Skenes already topped triple digits with his four-seam fastball six times in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs when the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander brought fans to their feet at PNC Park. After the 6-foot-6, 260-pounder fired an 0-2 fastball to Cody Bellinger, the crowd was captivated. That...
Officials dedicate renamed Ligonier Township bridge, honor legacy of 2 Congressional medal recipients
Officials and family members gathered Saturday at Ligonier Valley Cemetery to make sure future generations don’t forget the battlefield bravery displayed by two Congressional Medal of Honor recipients who are buried there. While a local veterans honor guard provided a military salute, state officials dedicated the nearby Route 711 span...
3rd suspect arrested in connection with fatal West End stabbing
The third suspect in connection to a fatal stabbing in Pittsburgh was taken into custody in Greensburg on Saturday afternoon. Pittsburgh police announced Saturday that Logan Smetanka, 20, was taken into custody by Greensburg police in connection to a March 22 stabbing that killed Marc Kovach, 37, at an abandoned...
Pirates fans optimistic about Paul Skenes’ career; he leaves to standing ovation
Tyler Harrison of Fairmont, W.Va., has been a fan of pitcher Paul Skenes since Skenes’ days of playing for Air Force. An LSU fan, Harrison followed Skenes’ career when he transferred to play for the Tigers in the Bayou State. So when it came time for Skenes to start his...
Ben Cherington, Derek Shelton aim to keep pressure off Paul Skenes for MLB debutVideo
As the Pittsburgh Pirates’ top prospect — one of the most dynamic across MLB in recent memory — prepared to make his big-league debut, general manager Ben Cherington and skipper Derek Shelton did their best to make Saturday afternoon at PNC Park feel as normal as possible for pitcher Paul...
Phantom Fireworks moving into former New Kensington Rite Aid building
A former Rite Aid in New Kensington is becoming a year-round fireworks store. Phantom Fireworks plans to open its store in the former pharmacy at 700 Stevenson Blvd. by mid-June in time for this year’s Fourth of July season, said Michael Podolsky, deputy general counsel for the Youngstown, Ohio-based company....
University of Pittsburgh faculty ratifies 1st union contract
About 3,500 University of Pittsburgh faculty represented by the United Steelworkers have ratified their first contract with Pitt, and it includes a $60,000 salary floor for full-time professors, yearly raises and enhanced job protections. The union Saturday announced results from weeklong voting on the main Oakland campus and branches at...
Northern lights’ colorful display dazzles skygazers in Western Pennsylvania
Residents from around Western Pennsylvania enjoyed a colorful sky show late Friday and early Saturday as a strong solar storm sparked a display of the northern lights in many areas around the United States. WTAE meteorologist Jill Szwed said it’s the strongest geomagnetic storm since Halloween 2003 and offered an...
Gateway Clipper shuttle out of service for weekend Pirates games
Fans have one less way to get to Pittsburgh Pirates games this weekend. The Gateway Clipper Fleet announced its shuttle boat ride from Station Square to PNC Park is out of service for games Saturday and Sunday against the Chicago Cubs. The shuttle service also was unavailable on Friday, after...
Strong solar storm hits Earth, could disrupt communications, spur northern lights
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — An unusually strong solar storm hitting Earth could produce northern lights in the U.S. this weekend and potentially disrupt power and communications. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning when a solar outburst reached Earth on Friday afternoon, hours sooner...
Penn Hills man who fled police returned from Florida
A Verona man who led police on a high-speed chase before fleeing the state in April has been returned to Allegheny County, according to the county sheriff. Hermas U. Craddock, 37, of Penn Hills traveled first to North Carolina and then Florida according to police, where he was arrested April...
New Kensington’s Davon Magwood looks to go from comedy clubs and restaurant kitchens to the state House
A professional chef from New Kensington who had an early career as a Pittsburgh comedian has turned his sights to politics. Davon Magwood, 38, is running for the state House’s 55th District seat after having won the Democratic write-in in the April primary. He earned a spot on the November...
U.S. to impose tariffs on EVs, other Chinese green energy imports, sources say
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration plans to impose major new tariffs on electric vehicles, semiconductors, solar equipment and medical supplies imported from China, according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the plan. Tariffs on electric vehicles, in particular, could quadruple — from 25% to 100%. The plan...
South Fayette man charged in multiple ‘street-racing’ incidents, accused of fleeing from police
A South Fayette man has been charged with riot, fleeing from police and other charges in connection with a street-racing incident in Downtown Pittsburgh the night before the Pittsburgh Marathon. Police said Jason Stotlemyer, 32, fled from two attempted traffic stops. Pittsburgh Police were called to the intersection of Liberty...
U.S. says Israel’s use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence incomplete
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Friday that Israel’s use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law, but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes. The administration’s finding of “reasonable” evidence to conclude its ally breached international law in its conduct...
Embattled Westmoreland County register of wills fires office lawyer
Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton on Friday fired the taxpayer-funded lawyer who has represented her courthouse office since 2012. Michael Nestico, who has served as the register’s solicitor since before Hamilton first took office in 2016, was told he was removed from his part-time position in favor...
Gun recovered from Donegal Lake connected to St. Clair woman’s fatal shooting
The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that a gun found Friday in Donegal Lake is related to the fatal shooting in December of a St. Clair Township woman. Dive teams from the Greensburg Police Department and Murrysville Medic One discovered the revolver about 70 feet offshore, Medic One Director...
Wilkinsburg annexation failure reflects merger hurdles for Pa.’s 2,560 municipalities
With its 400-odd residents, Rosslyn Farms is one of Allegheny County’s tiniest places. It has its own council and mayor — elected by just 189 people — but other local governments provide police, fire and ambulance services. One day, if the little borough gets tired of going it alone and...
UPMC settles whistleblower case for $38 million
UPMC has agreed to pay $38 million to settle a long-running whistleblower lawsuit filed by former employees that alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act. The parties agreed to settle the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in September but did not finalize the deal until this week, according to...
Pittsburgh police arrest 2nd of 3 suspects in fatal West End stabbing
Pittsburgh police have arrested the second of three suspects in a fatal stabbing in March at an abandoned West End house. Police on Thursday arrested Carlena Wells, 18, in the death of Marc Kovach, 37, who was beaten and stabbed, according to a criminal complaint. His body was then hidden...
Troy Fautanu unfazed by switch to right tackle on 1st day of Steelers rookie minicamp
Troy Fautanu wasn’t sure if he was breaking protocol by revealing the gaffe he made Friday on the first snap of rookie minicamp. Lined up at right tackle, a noteworthy achievement in itself, Fautanu marked his indoctrination to an NFL workout by committing a false start. Nerves admittedly got the...
Fungi enthusiasts turn entrepreneurs with Bounty Beneath Mushrooms in Armstrong County
Fungi-loving friends Michael Zaccano and Nicholas Wadding are growing their specialty mushroom business in Armstrong County. They co-own Bounty Beneath Mushrooms, a gourmet mushroom farm housed above ground on the second floor of a former 1800s-era wool factory in Worthington. Zaccano of Springdale and Wadding of Kittanning met at a...
GAMA Sports Training working on move into new $2.5M facility in Plum
A sports training facility in Plum is growing again. Joe Fischetti hopes to move his family business, GAMA Sports Training, into a 27,000-square-foot home in September. The new building would be at the end of Sheena Drive, a dead-end road off Davidson Road, where GAMA currently is housed in a...
Galley Group takes over Mindful Brewing Company in Castle Shannon
Mindful Brewing Company in Castle Shannon will soon have a new name: Chimera Brewing. Galley Group announced on Mindful Brewing’s Facebook page Friday that it is the new owner of the brewing company located on Library Road. The Facebook post garnered more than 370 likes and hearts within the first...
Prantl’s purchases Lincoln Bakery in Bellevue
Joe Porco recalled an anniversary party to celebrate Lincoln Bakery’s 65th year in business — more than 700 customers lined up along Lincoln Avenue in Bellevue. “A bakery is about community,” Porco said on Wednesday as he reflected on the sale of the bakery after nearly eight decades in business....
