Top Stories category, Page 496
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: How can the Pirates still have uncertainty with Henry Davis?
The Pittsburgh Pirates took catcher Henry Davis with the first pick of the 2021 MLB Draft. When you select a player 1/1, he should make big-league impact fairly quickly. You should have a clear plan in place for his progress. With Davis, the Pirates didn’t. If they did, it was...
Stipends help improve fire protection in Rostraver, Southwest Greensburg
Two Westmoreland County volunteer fire departments are looking at how they can continue offering a stipend to firefighters who staff the respective stations after grant funding runs out. Officials at both stations — Rostraver Central and Southwest Greensburg — said their response time has improved by a minute or more...
Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium to close Saturday after the deaths of 3 animals, will reopen Sunday
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium will be closed Saturday after the death of three animals this month. In a Facebook post, a zoo spokesperson said the one-day closure comes “out of respect for staff and recent animal losses” and offer the staff “time for grieving and healing.” The post said...
House lawmakers unveil $66 billion foreign aid, border plan
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of House lawmakers released a $66.3 billion foreign aid and border package Friday that, backers hope, will be an alternative to the Senate-passed national security supplemental. The newly unveiled legislation includes military-only assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan — a departure from the $95.3 billion...
‘No evidence’ Russia has decided what to do with emerging anti-satellite weapon, Biden says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Friday there was no sign Russia has decided to go ahead and deploy an emerging anti-satellite weapon, the disclosure of which has rattled Washington this week. The White House has confirmed that U.S. intelligence officials have information indicating Russia has obtained such a capability,...
Ukraine withdrawing from Avdiivka, where outnumbered defenders held out for 4 months
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military chief said early Saturday that he’s withdrawing troops from the city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, where outnumbered defenders battled a Russian assault for four months. The timing is critical as Russia is looking for a morale boost ahead of the second anniversary Feb. 24...
A $355 million penalty and business ban: Takeaways from Trump’s New York civil fraud verdict
NEW YORK — Donald Trump suffered a big blow Friday as a New York judge ordered the former president and his companies to pay $355 million in penalties for what the judge described as a scheme to deceive banks and insurers by exaggerating Trump’s wealth on his annual financial statements....
Pa. high court to weigh if life without parole for felony murder is constitutional
The state Supreme Court on Friday said it will take up a Pittsburgh case challenging the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole for second-degree, or felony, murder. It is the first time Pennsylvania’s highest court will consider the issue — looking at it through the...
Hostile reaction greets Biden during East Palestine visit a year after train derailment
Just over a year after a fiery derailment shocked East Palestine, Ohio and the surrounding area, President Joe Biden visited the area for the first time Friday. He received a mostly hostile reaction from the predominantly anti-Biden crowd. Some people in the small town near the Pennsylvania border expressed skepticism...
Prosecution alleges conspiracy to kill Murrysville businessman who was found dead at Clarion County camp
A Butler County man testified in court Friday that he fatally shot a Murrysville man at the urging of his uncle because the uncle promised to get him a work truck. Braden N. Elliott, 20, of Chicora testified that his uncle, Jeremy T. Fisher asked Elliott on Dec. 26 to...
Pennsylvania high court takes up challenge to the state’s life-without-parole sentences
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s high court will consider if some automatic life sentences for those convicted of murder violate constitutional protections for defendants, the justices said Friday. The appeal being pursued by Derek Lee, convicted of a 2014 killing, argues the state’s life-without-parole law violates prohibitions in the Pennsylvania and U.S....
Federal prosecutors: East Hills felon ‘repeatedly endangered the community’ by firing machine gun in several incidents
A former East Hills man and convicted felon was sentenced to a decade in federal prison on Friday, after he was found in possession of a machine gun that prosecutors said was fired during multiple shooting incidents in Pittsburgh and Penn Hills. Oronde Shelton, 51, was sentenced following conviction on...
‘It’s not black or white’ judge says of circumstances in case against Stanko
A Unity man claimed Friday he cannot be prosecuted for the homicide of a former girlfriend because there is no proof she is dead. The lawyer for Thomas G. Stanko said proposed evidence recently disclosed by prosecutors that his client targeted, stalked and harassed Cassandra Gross before she went missing...
3 sentenced for roles in slaying outside New Ken apartment; Judge: ‘maybe the saddest case I’ve ever dealt with’
A Westmoreland County judge said he struggled with how to strike a balance between the rough upbringings that impacted three young defendants and their convictions last year related to their roles in July 3, 2022, fatal shooting in front of a New Kensington apartment building. Amir Kennedy, 16, DaMontae Brooks,...
Donald Trump fraud verdict: $364 million penalty in civil fraud case
NEW YORK — A New York judge ruled Friday against Donald Trump, imposing a $364 million penalty over what the judge ruled was a yearslong scheme to dupe banks and others with financial statements that inflated the former president’s wealth. Trump also was barred from serving as an officer or...
Pittsburgh braces for snow with aging but ample fleet of plows
Pittsburgh has enough snowplows and drivers ready to clear the city’s streets as the area braces for up to 4 inches of snow this weekend, Public Works Director Chris Hornstein said Friday. The city had about 20 vehicles in its snow-clearing fleet of 75 out of commission during the last...
Beaver County man sues Shell, claims cracker plant spews pollution
A Beaver County man is suing Shell Chemical over pollution he says its ethylene cracker plant is spewing onto his property. The complaint, filed by John Flynn, who lives in Beaver, was filed Thursday in federal court and seeks class-action status. The suit follows another brought in May against Shell...
Armstrong County golf resort sells for $2.5M, leaving weddings, other events in limbo
A public golf resort in Armstrong County has sold for $2.5 million, leaving many customers who had events booked at the venue scrambling to find alternate accommodations. The Inn at Lenape Heights Event Center & Golf Resort in Manor Township sold Jan. 31 to 950 Golf Course Road LLC. The...
2 juveniles charged in mass shooting at Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two juveniles have been charged with crimes connected to the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally, authorities said Friday. A news release from the Jackson County Family Court said the juveniles are being detained in the county’s Juvenile Detention Center “on gun-related and...
W.Va. Sen. Joe Manchin announces he won’t run for president in 2024
WASHINGTON — West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced on Friday that he is not running for president, saying he didn’t want to be a “spoiler.” “I will not be seeking a third-party run. I will not be involved in a presidential run,” he said in a speech at West Virginia...
Jaromir Jagr’s return to Penguins sparks flood of memories from teammates
Jiri Hrdina remains a passing acquaintance of Jaromir Jagr in their home country, now called Czechia. As a scout with the Dallas Stars, Hrdina occasionally crosses paths with Jagr, still an active player in Czechia’s top hockey league, the Extraliga ledního hokeje (ELH or Czech Extraliga for those of the...
Alexei Navalny, the fiercest foe of Putin, has died, Russian authorities say
Alexei Navalny, who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, died Friday in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence, Russia’s prison agency said. He was 47. The stunning news — less than a month before an election...
Morning Roundup: Zoo announces elephant calf’s death; snow could impact evening commute
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Feb. 16: Pittsburgh Zoo announces death of elephant calf An elephant calf died after a sudden and brief illness, the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium announced. The calf, named Tsuni, was 2 years old and lived with a herd...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Feb. 16-19
It’s the weekend — three days off for some with Presidents Day on Monday. Here are some ways to spend it. Ghost Hounds The Ghost Hounds will perform at 7 p.m. Friday at the Roxian Theatre in McKees Rocks. The blues-rock group announced singer and songwriter Orianthi, who has performed...
Hempfield Area out $2.4M in payments to architectural firm for high school project
Hempfield Area School District paid more than $2.4 million to departing firm Core Architects for work on its now-stalled $150 million high school renovation project, according to district business manager Paul Schott. Core Architects resigned from the ambitious project last week by sending the district a letter, according to Ryan...
