Top Stories category, Page 435
Mother-daughter bond encircled with permanent jewelry
When Kim Francese looks at the shiny bracelets around her wrist, she immediately thinks of her daughter Abby. They have matching accessories on their arms every day — keeping them connected when they are apart. This jewelry is permanent, just like their mother- daughter bond. Jewelers measure a customer’s wrist...
Fire destroys Avalon home, damages others
A fire destroyed one home and badly damaged several others Friday morning in Avalon. “It was a very hard fire,” said Avalon Volunteer Fire Company Chief Dave Meyer. The blaze was reported about 5:30 a.m. in the 200 block of McKinley Avenue. A lack of water pressure presented a challenge,...
Solution to Oakmont flooding years in the making for some residents
Anne Alcorn loves her neighbors, her 7-year-old son’s school and the safety of the Oakmont Commons. There’s only one thing she’d change about her home. The flooding. Since moving there in 2016, Alcorn, 38, has had an issue with her backyard flooding during rainstorms. On multiple occasions, water has come...
Records: Former Greensburg cop received $5K pension payment on day she pleaded guilty to drug charges
Retired Greensburg police Officer Regina McAtee collected a $5,160 pension payment the day she pleaded guilty in federal court to engaging in a methamphetamine distribution operation with the former city police chief. McAtee, 51, of New Kensington has received about $51,400 in pension payments from the city since Aug. 1,...
John Fetterman slams Biden over threat to withhold some arms supplies to Israel, calling it ‘deeply disappointing’
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman called President Joe Biden’s threat to withhold military aid to Israel “deeply disappointing,” the latest criticism he has levied at the president over his handling of the war in Gaza. On Wednesday, Biden announced on CNN that he would halt some shipments of bombs and artillery...
Jeannette residents, officials hear report on plans to demolish former Fort Pitt Brewery
The impending demolition of the former Fort Pitt Brewery in West Jeannette will be bittersweet for Colleen Ott. She’s wistful because of memories she has of hitting tennis balls off a wall at the complex decades ago with her siblings. But she’s also happy because she and her husband, Chris,...
Convicted murderer was last person to see Pittsburgh area woman missing from Dauphin County
A convicted murderer was the last person to see a Pittsburgh area woman who vanished from Dauphin County and who is believed to be dead, court records show. Anthony E. Proctor, 59, also was caught on camera using her state benefits card at a warehouse store in mid-February, one week...
Pennsylvania to ban cellphone use while driving and require police to collect traffic stop data
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania will join the majority of states that ban motorists from handling a cellphone for almost any purpose while driving, as backers of the legislation hope to reduce distracted driving accidents and deaths after nearly two decades of pressing the measure. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office said Thursday that...
Removal options vary for embattled Westmoreland register of wills
Efforts to remove Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton from office could come down to three words: “Misbehavior in office.” Duquesne University School of Law Professor Bruce Ledewitz said judges could make that finding as part of a sentence imposed next month for contempt of court that allows...
Islamic center eyes purchase of former Holy Family church in East Deer
A potential buyer for the shuttered Holy Family Church in East Deer appears to be another religious organization. Alfatimiah of Pittsburgh, a group that describes itself as operating “under the teachings of Islam,” is eyeing the site at 787 Freeport Road, according to East Deer officials. However, the group will...
Some residents shocked by news of potential closing of Stewart Elementary
Sharon Nealer’s jaw dropped Thursday when she heard the news that Stewart Elementary School in Lower Burrell might close. “I’m shocked. I think it looks perfect the way it is,” said Nealer, who was shopping along Leechburg Road just a few blocks from the school. Burrell School District officials have...
Shapiro announces investment in Hempfield site, touts proposed program expansion
As he looked over a former mining and industrial site in the Bovard section of Hempfield, Gov. Josh Shapiro saw much more than just a faded field. “I see real possibility in this dirt, and in this old slab of concrete,” Shapiro said Thursday. “There is real promise in this...
Amazon gives inside look of distribution warehouse in North VersaillesVideo
Walking into Amazon’s 140,000-square-foot distribution center in North Versailles on Thursday was a bit of a “full-circle” moment for Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis. “When I was growing up, we had the Eastland Mall here, which was a leader in its time,” said Davis, a native of nearby McKeesport. “It...
$2.6 million winning lottery ticket sold at Murrysville Shop ‘n Save
A $2.6 million jackpot-winning lottery ticket was sold Wednesday at the Shop ‘n Save store on Route 22 in Murrysville. The jackpot winner purchased a Quick Cash ticket through the Pennsylvania Lottery’s Cash 5 program, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery. The Shop ‘n Save store will receive $10,000 for selling...
Bus driver, dentist hurt in Fern Hollow Bridge collapse sue Pittsburgh, 3 engineering firms
A Pittsburgh Regional Transit operator hurt when the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed under his bus more than two years ago filed a detailed lawsuit Thursday against the City of Pittsburgh and three engineering firms, accusing them of negligence in failing to correct longstanding problems with the heavily corroded span. Daryl...
Trump’s hush money trial hinges on business transactions, not on Stormy Daniels’ shocking testimony
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s defense attorney on Thursday accused Stormy Daniels of slowly altering the details of an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump, trying to persuade jurors that a key prosecution witness in the former president’s hush money trial cannot be believed. “You made all this up, right?”...
Morning Roundup: Alligator found in Beaver County creek; house fire in Carrick
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, May 10: Alligator found in Beaver County creek A small alligator was found swimming in a Beaver County creek on Wednesday afternoon. It was safely captured and taken to an area pet store. Bystanders spotted the 2½-foot gator...
Motorcyclist dead following crash outside Mercy Hospital
A motorcyclist has died following a multi-vehicle crash Wednesday evening just outside Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh’s Bluff neighborhood. An EMS team performed CPR on Donte J. Hairston, 33, of Clairton before he was taken to the hospital following the crash. Pittsburgh police said a vehicle collided with Hairston’s motorcycle at...
Shortage of local police, 2 violent crimes have Verona residents on edge
Diana Danko always thought her neighborhood along Second Street in Verona was safe. That was before two violent crimes happened within hours of each other on April 14 — a Sunday when no borough police officers were on duty. “It’s very concerning,” said Danko, 55, who lives just blocks from...
Powerful storms kill 3 as tornadoes tear through central and southeastern U.S.Video
COLUMBIA, Tenn. — Severe storms tore through the central and southeast U.S. late Tuesday and Wednesday, spawning damaging tornadoes, producing massive hail, and killing two people in Tennessee and one person in North Carolina. A storm that rumbled across northeastern Tennessee brought high winds that knocked down powerlines and trees....
Penn State branch campuses will offer faculty, staff buyouts
Penn State University is offering eligible faculty, staff and administrators on its 20 Commonwealth campuses the option to leave their jobs with a lump sum payment and benefits. The move comes as Pennsylvania’s flagship public university works to shrink a multimillion-dollar budget deficit. A number of its Commonwealth campuses, including...
Leechburg Area School District appoints new superintendent
Leechburg Area’s David Leech Elementary School library had a buzz of excitement Wednesday night. After months of uncertainty about leadership, the Leechburg Area School Board made the school district’s interim superintendent, David Keibler, its superintendent. Keibler was appointed, 8-0. Director James Dunmire was absent. The vote received an ovation from...
Biden says U.S. won’t supply weapons for Israel to attack Rafah, in warning to allyVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would not supply offensive weapons that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah — the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza — over concern for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there. Biden, in...
Tornadoes topple trees in Ligonier Township, tear off roof in Allegheny County
Keith Hood was up around 3 a.m. Wednesday because a storm had knocked out his power, struggling to close a bedroom window when he heard “the train” coming. “It scared me,” said the resident of Berkley Road in Ligonier Township. “It was loud and ferocious. We’ve lived here 27 years,...
House quickly rejects Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s effort to remove Speaker Johnson from officeVideo
WASHINGTON — Hardline Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stunned colleagues Wednesday calling for a vote to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, but lawmakers quickly rejected it. Greene pressed ahead with her long-shot effort despite pushback from Republicans at the highest levels tired of the political chaos. One of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters...
