Top Stories category, Page 440
Hempfield man’s ‘nonstop criminal activity’ nets 3-to 6-year prison sentence
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to six years in prison for a series of crimes that included an assault against a police officer, two high-speed chases and possession of cocaine in his cell at the Westmoreland County Prison. As Antjuan Dewayne Smith, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday, his...
Judge declares mistrial after jury deadlocks in lawsuit filed by former Abu Ghraib prisoners
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A judge declared a mistrial Thursday after a jury said it was deadlocked and could not reach a verdict in the trial of a military contractor accused of contributing to the abuse of detainees at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq two decades ago. The mistrial came...
Pittsburgh squeezes Heinz History Center to get giant ketchup bottle permit
Pittsburgh’s iconic giant ketchup bottle is too big. At least that’s what the city has told the Heinz History Center. One of two oversized Heinz ketchup bottles removed from Acrisure Stadium last summer after it changed names from Heinz Field was installed outside the Strip District museum in December. The...
Homewood’s BBQ maestro: Drew Allen’s journey from DJ to pitmaster extraordinaire
Drew Allen, owner of Showcase BBQ in Homewood, moves swiftly. If you can’t keep pace with his speed, you might lose sight of him amid a haze of smoke. Patrons queue up before the restaurant opens, eagerly anticipating the savory, finger-licking taste of his ribs that are hailed by many...
Government official asking for money on the phone? It’s a scam
Scammers increasingly are impersonating police and federal agents in an attempt to swindle unsuspecting victims by preying on their trust of law enforcement. According to John Breyault, a fraud expert with the National Consumers League, posing as government agents is a classic fraud tactic. “The appeal to fraudsters is that...
Investigation launched over allegations of missing funds from North Huntingdon AG Office
The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday confirmed it has launched an investigation into allegations that an undisclosed amount of money was stolen from an Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office in North Huntingdon. Spokeswoman Melanie Jones said in a statement that the district attorney’s office “is aware of missing funds...
Arizona’s Democratic governor signs bill to repeal 1864 ban on most abortionsVideo
PHOENIX — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has relegated a Civil War-era ban on most abortions to the past by signing a repeal bill Thursday. Hobbs says the move is just the beginning of a fight to protect reproductive health care in Arizona. But the repeal may not take effect...
Biden says ‘order must prevail’ during campus protests over the war in Gaza
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday defended the right to protest but insisted that “order must prevail” as college campuses across the country face unrest over the war in Gaza. “Dissent is essential for democracy,” he said at the White House. “But dissent must never lead to disorder.” Tensions...
‘She is evil personified’: Victims’ families face killer nurse Heather Pressdee in court
Grief. Fury. Sadness. Guilt. Heartache. Regret. Rage. As each of the victims’ loved ones stood to explain the impact of Heather Pressdee’s actions on their families, the defendant sat between her attorneys at counsel table, hair pulled back, handcuffed, staring straight ahead. She never looked at them. For hours, she...
Gov. Shapiro, once Pa.’s top cop, backs inmate’s appeal of life sentence for felony murder
Pennsylvania’s governor, once the state’s top law enforcement officer, is supporting an Allegheny County man’s appeal of his life sentence for second-degree murder without parole. Gov. Josh Shapiro took the unusual step last week of filing a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of inmate Derek Lee because he believes that the...
‘What do we got to pay for this?’ Jurors in Trump hush money trial hear recording of pivotal call
NEW YORK — Jurors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump heard a recording Thursday of him discussing with his then-lawyer and personal fixer a plan to purchase the silence of a Playboy model who has said she had an affair with the former president. A visibly irritated Trump...
Federal jury convicts Oakmont native in 2019 kidnapping, death of Bethel Park woman
An Oakmont native is facing a potential sentence of life in prison after a federal jury Wednesday convicted him of kidnapping a Bethel Park woman, driving her to Nevada and killing her in the desert. John Matthew Chapman, 44, of Oakland, Md., who previously lived in Allegheny County, was found...
A closer look at how University of Pittsburgh handled protests amid national strife
Many universities across the country are facing a harsh reckoning over vandalized buildings, mass campus arrests and chilling images from this week of student protesters battling police and sometimes each other. But the University of Pittsburgh is not — at least thus far. The university fared differently than other campuses...
Police move in and begin dismantling pro-Palestinian demonstrators’ encampment at UCLAVideo
LOS ANGELES — Police removed barricades and began dismantling a pro-Palestinian demonstrators’ fortified encampment early Thursday at the UCLA campus after hundreds of protesters defied police orders to leave, about 24 hours after counter-protesters attacked a tent encampment on the campus. Police detained a handful of people on campus, tying...
Police kill student outside Wisconsin school after reports of someone with a weapon, official saysVideo
MOUNT HOREB, Wis. — Police shot and killed a student Wednesday outside a Wisconsin middle school after receiving a report of someone with a weapon, the state’s attorney general said in the first law enforcement briefing on gunshots that sent children fleeing and prompted an hourslong lockdown of local schools....
Western Pa. United Methodist churches react to denomination’s revised LGBTQ policies
The Rev. Hannah Loughman, pastor at Sewickley United Methodist Church, found herself crying tears of joy Wednesday afternoon. “That sounds so dramatic, but I have been,” Loughman said. “We have been rejoicing all day.” The celebrations and emotions were brought on by votes taken at the United Methodist Church General...
SWAT team, multiple police departments respond to shooting in Swissvale; man hospitalized
A man was hospitalized Wednesday afternoon after being shot in Swissvale, Allegheny County Police reported. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said police were sent to the 7500 block of Roslyn Street shortly after 3 p.m. First responders located a man suffering from two gunshot wounds. He was transported to an...
4 new businesses to check out in downtown Greensburg
Downtown Greensburg has some new neighbors. Four businesses have opened along South Pennsylvania Avenue and Otterman Street in recent months, selling gift items, wellness services, baked goods and upscale bar food. The Greensburg Community Development Corporation — a nonprofit focused on revitalizing the city — received 15 occupancy permits from...
Federal Reserve says interest rates will stay at 2-decade high until inflation further coolsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday emphasized that inflation has remained stubbornly high in recent months and said it doesn’t plan to cut interest rates until it has “greater confidence” that price increases are slowing sustainably to its 2% target. The Fed issued its decision in a statement after...
Permit controversy sinks planned Pittsburgh Pride festival move to Point State Park
Controversy is flaring over this year’s Pittsburgh Pride festival after event organizers claimed that state officials prevented them from holding the annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community at Point State Park in the Golden Triangle. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which runs the park, countered that there...
Snyder Mansion-turned-workplace a hit with employees on Pittsburgh’s North Side
It’s not every day a job interview takes place in a historic mansion. But for Logann Woodley of Franklin Park, interviewing inside a sprawling brownstone built for the late Pittsburgh steel and iron magnate William Penn Snyder sealed the deal. Today, it’s the headquarters of Babb, Inc., an insurance broker....
Prosecutors seek September retrial for Harvey Weinstein after rape conviction was tossed
NEW YORK — Prosecutors asked for a September retrial for Harvey Weinstein during a hearing at a Manhattan courthouse Wednesday, the disgraced movie mogul’s first appearance since his 2020 rape conviction was overturned by an appeals court last week. Weinstein, wearing a navy blue suit, was seated in a wheelchair...
Florida’s 6-week abortion ban takes effect as doctors worry women will lose access to health care
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Florida’s ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant, went into effect Wednesday, and some doctors are concerned that women in the state will no longer have access to needed health care. Dr. Leah Roberts, a reproductive...
The Chadwick wedding venue has been sold
The Chadwick, a wedding and event venue in the North Hills, has been sold. An email from the venue in McCandless confirmed the news. “The Chadwick property has been sold to the Jim Shorkey Family Auto Group,” Chadwick spokesperson Ralph Sansale said via email. “The Chadwick will remain in operation...
Accused killer nurse Heather Pressdee expected to plead guilty Thursday
A Harrison nurse accused of intentionally administering insulin overdoses to 22 nursing home patients — including 17 who died — is expected to plead guilty Thursday in Butler County Common Pleas Court. A hearing in the case against Heather Pressdee is scheduled for two days before Judge Joseph E. Kubit....
