Top Stories category, Page 473
Coroner identifies father, 4 children killed in Jeannette blaze
Twin brothers Tyler and Kenneth King did everything together. Their families would go on vacations together and, until a few months ago, they worked at the same place. “Even growing up, we’d sleep together on the floor,” Kenneth King said. “We had beds. We’d just sleep downstairs on the floor...
Westmoreland housing authority plots path to solar power
The Westmoreland County Housing Authority wants more power. Officials on Tuesday said a proposed solar farm built on property behind the authority-owned Hempfield Towers could benefit the low-income senior high-rise apartment building and nearby county facilities such as the jail, juvenile detention center and nursing home. “We’re looking for funding...
Spring sniffles: Tree pollen season is a little early this year, allergists say
When Dr. Bob Gorby of Westmoreland Allergy and Asthma Associates in Greensburg notices the tree in his home’s backyard starting to bud, he knows it’s tree pollen season. “It’s early this year a little bit,” he said. “Tree pollen can come out as early as late February, but it’s very...
Biden tells Latino voters: ‘I need you back’
PHOENIX — President Joe Biden on Tuesday personally appealed to Latino voters, saying they’re the reason he defeated Donald Trump in 2020 and urging them to help him do it again in November. “I need you back,” he told several dozen supporters packed into a local Mexican restaurant. Biden said...
Biden and Trump notch more wins in Tuesday’s primaries
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Joe Biden and Donald Trump won their parties’ primaries in Kansas on Tuesday, notching more delegates as they continue their march to a rematch in November’s presidential election. Biden, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican, also easily won primaries Tuesday in Ohio and Illinois. Trump also won...
Trump sues ABC News and George Stephanopoulos for defamation
Former President Trump is suing TV journalist George Stephanopoulos and ABC News for defamation for saying he raped advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. On a March 10 edition of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” the anchor said Trump was “liable for rape” during his interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.)....
Baby giraffe dies of a broken neck at Zoo Miami
MIAMI — A baby giraffe has died of a broken neck at Zoo Miami, zoo officials said. The giraffe, born Dec. 15, was found by the zoo’s staff Saturday morning, spokesperson Ron Magill said. “Because the event that led to this trauma happened overnight and was not personally observed, zoo...
Trump asks Supreme Court to dismiss case charging him with plotting to overturn 2020 election
WASHINGTON — Lawyers for Donald Trump urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to dismiss an indictment charging the former president with conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election, renewing their arguments that he is immune from prosecution for official acts taken in the White House. Lower courts...
Some Leechburg Area School District residents complain of unfair tax burden
Property owners in the Westmoreland County portion of Leechburg Area School District are demanding a new tax structure that doesn’t dip as deeply into their pockets as the current one does. “You’re picking the pockets of the 1,300 residents of West Leechburg,” Jake Heasley told Leechburg Area School Board members...
Appeals court allows whistleblower lawsuit against Pa. GOP caucus
A whistleblower lawsuit filed by the former chief of staff for state Rep. Eric Davanzo can proceed, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court has ruled. A three-judge panel this month rejected an effort from the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus to dismiss the lawsuit filed in 2022 by Marcel Nicole Ingram, who claimed she...
‘Momentous’ legal settlement promises better treatment of mentally ill Allegheny County Jail inmates
A lawsuit against the Allegheny County Jail and its leadership over the treatment of mentally ill inmates has settled, resulting in what both sides called “meaningful changes” for those incarcerated there. The parties — the county and the mentally ill inmates who sued — filed a motion in federal court...
Pittsburgh reinstates limited spay and neuter program for feral cats
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved a contract for spay and neuter services for the city’s feral cats, but the troubled program itself remains on hold. The city in February abruptly halted its spay and neuter services. Officials cited concerns that suburban pet owners were faking their address to make...
Duquesne fans send Dukes off for 1st round of March Madness
Cheering fans lined Uptown streets Tuesday to support players from Duquesne men’s basketball team en route to March Madness. “They’re … still dancing,” student Zach Rothrock said. “I mean, what’s not to love?” Rothrock, 19, is a freshman majoring in business at Duquesne. He and his friends joined a crowd...
Will the early spring freeze affect plants? It depends
Spring officially began on Tuesday with freezing temperatures and frosty grounds, even patches of ice and snow. This came after a run of unusually warm weather in early March that had everyone enjoying the outdoors — and had some flowers blossoming and trees starting to bud. This colder turn is...
Man who triggered Pittsburgh gunfight that left toddler dead gets harsher sentence than killer
Marvin Hill didn’t fire the stray bullet that killed Zykier Young. That was Andre Crawford. But it was Hill, the prosecution said, who started the chain of events in August 2020 that ultimately led to the 17-month-old’s death as he lay in bed on Pittsburgh’s North Side. And it is...
PennEnvironment limited study shows compliance with Pittsburgh bag ban, but also gaps
A limited study of 50 Pittsburgh businesses revealed that most are complying with the city’s ban on plastic bags, though restaurants seem to be slower to conform than retailers. The PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center, an environmental advocacy group, randomly visited businesses throughout the city to investigate which retailers and...
BOOM Concepts celebrates 10 years as a hub for artists, community in PittsburghVideo
A chance meeting with Darrell “DS” Kinsel at a Hill District bus stop 10 years ago ended up launching Cue Perry’s art career. Perry said had it not been for the founders of BOOM Concepts, Kinsel and Thomas Agnew, he wouldn’t have realized it was possible to have a career...
Tuesday’s primaries include a key Senate race in Ohio and clues for the Biden-Trump rematch
NEW YORK — Five states will hold presidential primaries on Tuesday as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump continue to lock up support around the country after becoming their parties’ presumptive nominees. Trump is expected to easily win GOP primaries in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio. Biden...
Warm and cold air clash in Pittsburgh as spring arrives
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh posted a warning for icy roads after reporting that a heavy band of snow would be moving through the city throughout the day. All of this comes on the first day of spring. National Weather Service Meteorologist David Shallenberger attributes this to the warring...
Morning Roundup: Man dead after domestic incident in Beaver County; crashes close roadways
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, March 19: Man found dead of self-inflicted wound after 4-hour search in Midland, police say Police in Midland, Beaver County, deemed the borough’s streets safe after several tense hours late Monday and early Tuesday in which authorities declared...
Pittsburgh vies for ’26 NFL Draft after Philly snags MLB, FIFA, NCAA events
Pittsburgh is running an all-out blitz to host a future NFL Draft, and now the effort is getting support from Pennsylvania’s top public official. Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday that he sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last week indicating support for Pittsburgh to host a draft in...
Former Fort Pitt Brewery complex, a headache for years in Jeannette, to be torn down
Demolition of the old Fort Pitt Brewery in West Jeannette could start this summer. Officials are planning a public meeting in May before opening bids for the demolition work. Brian Lawrence, director of the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority and Land Bank, expects the work to take about six months. “Our...
Wear your red underwear: Solar eclipse casts light on folklore of past centuries
If the sun turned black and day became night, would you shout at the top of your lungs, toss your lunch in the garbage, maybe hunt through your dresser for some red undies? People in the past have followed those traditional precautions to avoid or reverse the misfortune they associated...
Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen can testify at Donald Trump’s hush money trial, judge rules
NEW YORK — The infamous “Access Hollywood” video in which Donald Trump bragged about grabbing women sexually without asking permission will not be shown to jurors at the former president’s hush-money criminal trial, a New York judge ruled Monday. Judge Juan M. Merchan said Manhattan prosecutors can still question witnesses...
Greensburg bishop dedicating diocese to St. Joseph through 2-day pilgrimage to parishes
Greensburg Bishop Larry J. Kulick began a two-day pilgrimage to the four St. Joseph parishes in his diocese with a prayer service Monday in New Kensington. Kulick is dedicating the Greensburg Catholic diocese to the protection and guardianship of St. Joseph for the next three years. On Tuesday, St. Joseph’s...
