Top Stories category, Page 482
Derry man accused of breaking trucker’s cell phone in Toll Route 66 incident
A Derry Borough man is accused of stopping his SUV in the left lane of Toll Route 66 and arguing with a truck driver, breaking the trucker’s cell phone, according to court papers. State troopers said the encounter with Marshall C. Dolfi, 30, was captured on cameras in the tractor-trailer....
5 things to know about the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Pittsburgh
A sea of green will make its way through Downtown Pittsburgh on March 16. What began more than 150 years ago as a way to honor the patron saint of Ireland has evolved into a city-wide celebration held the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day — unless March 17 falls on...
Community group criticizes developer’s decision to bring Starbucks to Lawrenceville
A new Starbucks is coming to Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, and some in the community are complaining about it. Dave Breingan, director of community group Lawrenceville United, said the Arsenal 201 mixed-use development recently agreed to a lease with Starbucks at one of its vacant storefront locations on Butler Street between...
Pittsburgh controller warns of threat to city’s fiscal health, urges changes to budget
Pittsburgh Controller Rachael Heisler Wednesday urged city officials not to count on nearly $10 million in revenue included in this year’s budget, sounding a strong warning about an increasingly grim fiscal picture. In a letter to Mayor Ed Gainey and City Council members, Heisler described the city’s tenuous financial situation...
Why are clocks set forward in the spring? Thank wars, confusion and a hunger for sunlight
DALLAS — Once again, most Americans will set their clocks forward by one hour this weekend, losing perhaps a bit of sleep but gaining more glorious sunlight in the evenings as the days warm into summer. Where did this all come from, though? How we came to move the clock...
Biden uses feisty State of the Union to contrast with Trump, sell voters on a second termVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden turned his State of the Union speech Thursday night into an animated argument for a second term as he laced into GOP front-runner Donald Trump for espousing “resentment, revenge and retribution” and jeopardizing freedom at home and abroad. Over and over, Biden delivered broadsides at...
Sewickley man accused of federal drug trafficking crimes, gun violations
A Sewickley man is facing federal drug charges for allegedly trafficking fentanyl and other narcotics in the Quaker Valley area. Jeffrey West, 43, was taken into custody at his Chadwick Street apartment by borough police and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents on Wednesday, March6. A grand jury indicted West on...
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs legislation protecting IVF providers from legal liability into law
MONTGOMERY — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation into law Wednesday shielding in vitro fertilization providers from potential legal liability raised by a court ruling that equated frozen embryos to children. The decision by the Alabama Supreme Court last month raised concerns about civil liabilities for clinics and prompted an...
Appeals court rejects Pittsburgh effort to block reinstatement of fired police officer
A Pennsylvania appellate court said Wednesday that a Pittsburgh police officer who was fired amid allegations that he sexually assaulted a fellow officer nearly three years ago should be reinstated. That officer, Aaron Fetty, was investigated by the Allegheny County Police Department but never charged. He denies there was any...
After Ohio train derailment, tank cars didn’t need to be blown open to release chemical, NTSB says
The decision to blow open five tank cars and burn the toxic chemical inside them after a freight train derailed in Eastern Ohio last year wasn’t justified, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board told Congress on Wednesday. But she said the key decision-makers who feared those tank cars...
House spending package includes over $1.5 million for Tree of Life rebuild, mental health care for Jewish community
The U.S. House passed a $460 billion spending package Wednesday that would avoid a shutdown and keep the government running through the next fiscal year. As part of the package, the Pittsburgh region would receive over $28 million worth of community project funding. That includes $1 million for the reconstruction...
Pittsburgh councilman rips Gainey administration for poor communication
In an unusual display of frustration, Pittsburgh Councilman Anthony Coghill on Wednesday publicly lambasted Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration for what he called a lack of communication with council. The Beechview councilman criticized the mayor and his staff for not consulting council before submitting a plan on how to spend $8...
Former nursing home aide acquitted of attempted sex assault charge involving co-worker
A McKeesport man was found not guilty of an attempted sexual assault against a co-worker at a North Huntingdon nursing home. Daniel Odu, 36, a former nursing aide at the Grove at Irwin, was charged with having improper sexual contact with a 19-year-old fellow employee in a resident’s bathroom on...
Monongahela Incline to stay closed for the rest of the week
The Monongahela Incline, which shut down Tuesday, will remain closed for the remainder of the week, Pittsburgh Regional Transit said. In a statement Wednesday, Pittsburgh Regional Transit said the 154-year-old incline shut down Tuesday afternoon when a brake resistor and motor controller unexpectedly failed. The incline cars were docked at...
Jury convicts movie armorer of involuntary manslaughter in fatal shooting by Alec BaldwinVideo
SANTA FE, N.M. — A jury convicted a movie weapons supervisor of involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of the Western movie “Rust.” The verdict against movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed assigns new blame in the...
Black man sues UPMC Children’s over firing, claims hospital ignored white co-worker who knitted monkey doll with his name
A Black man who worked for UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is suing for racial discrimination after he said a white coworker knitted a monkey doll at work and gave it his name. Caleb Ferguson, of Munhall, said he was fired a short time after reporting the perceived racial slur...
Firsthand experience takes the boredom out of Western Pa. civics classes
It isn’t ego that makes Hal Biehl think his civics class at Riverview High School is so valuable for students. “I tell the kids on the first day of class, ‘This is the most important class you’ll have in high school no matter what field you go into because government...
Mike Pence to speak at Grove City College conference on antisemitism
Former Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Grove City College next month to deliver the keynote address at The Institute for Faith & Freedom (IFF) 2024 Conference “Confronting Antisemitism,” campus officials announced Wednesday. He will speak at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 11 in Crawford Hall Auditorium. In announcing his...
GOP commissioners reject call for drop box use in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners said they will not consider installation of drop boxes for mail-in ballots at the courthouse or at remote locations around the county for this spring’s presidential primary or the fall general election. Nearly a dozen residents appeared county’s election board on Wednesday to lobby for drop...
Westmoreland County exits drought watch; conservation continues for Beaver Run water users
State officials on Tuesday lifted a drought watch for Westmoreland County that had been in place since early December. Still, the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County is continuing a voluntary water conservation directive for more than 56,000 of its customers who are served from the Beaver Run Reservoir. The state...
House passes $460 billion package of spending bills. Senate expected to act before shutdown deadline
WASHINGTON — The House passed a $460 billion package of spending bills Wednesday that would keep money flowing to key federal agencies through the remainder of the budget year. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation before a midnight Friday shutdown deadline. Lawmakers are negotiating a second package...
East Huntingdon man accused of shooting at troopers now charged with attempted homicide
A number of new charges, including attempted homicide, were filed Wednesday against an East Huntingdon man who was wounded in an encounter with state troopers. James R. Miller Jr., 61, sat in a wheelchair during his arraignment on the new complaint in district court. State police withdrew the original, less...
Pitt taps Joseph J. McCarthy as provost and senior vice chancellor
A nationwide search by the University of Pittsburgh to find its next provost and chief academic officer ultimately led to the person already doing the job since last summer on a temporary basis. Pitt officials announced Wednesday that Joseph J. McCarthy, interim provost and William Kepler Whiteford Professor in the...
Stowe teen charged with shooting at undercover police officers
A teenager remained in jail Wednesday after being charged with shooting at two police officers doing an undercover drug investigation in Stowe a day earlier. Delvonte Woodson, 17, of Stowe was charged as an adult Tuesday with two counts each of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and assault of a police...
Property owners get sticker shock from Westmoreland County tax hike
John Proffitt said he was shocked when he opened his Westmoreland County property tax bill this month. The 91-year-old North Huntingdon resident’s county tax increased to $592, more than 25% over last year’s $471. “It’s ridiculous for it to (go) up that much in one year,” said Proffitt, who owns...
