Top Stories category, Page 502
Westmoreland juvenile detention center on track for March reopening
Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center is expected to reopen this month after being largely closed since June because of staffing shortages and operational problems, officials said Wednesday. The 16-bed facility that houses juvenile criminal offenders closed following a series of state inspections. Those findings prompted county leaders to shutter the...
Ex-Bethel Park cop who illegally brought South American woman to U.S gets probation
Blake Babin led a stellar career as a Bethel Park police officer, rising to lieutenant over more than three decades. Friends and former colleagues said he acted as a mentor to others, organized community programs, participated in an annual food drive and was compassionate to those he served. But Babin,...
Misty Slavic resigns as Kiski Area superintendent
Kiski Area is the latest school district in Westmoreland County searching for a new superintendent, as Misty Slavic announced she will step aside after more than two years leading the district. School board members were informed Monday with a 90-day notice. In an email to TribLive, Slavic attributed her resignation...
NAACP calls for federal investigation into Jim Rogers death
The NAACP is calling for a federal investigation into the 2021 death of an unarmed Black man following an encounter with a Pittsburgh police officer who repeatedly shocked him with a Taser. The national civil rights organization told the U.S. Department of Justice in a letter that a “thorough investigation”...
Dollar Tree to close nearly 1,000 stores, posts surprise 4th quarter loss
Dollar Tree swung to a surprise fourth-quarter loss and will close nearly 1,000 stores after the discount retailer slashed the value of a rival chain it acquired almost a decade ago. Dollar Tree plans to close about 600 Family Dollar stores in the first half of this year and 370...
Meet Ciara, superstar wife of new Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson will soon officially be the new quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 35-year-old set social media on fire on Monday with a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that played “Renegade” over clips of fans waving Terrible Towels. His wife, Ciara Wilson, reposted it with a series...
Judge dismisses some charges against Trump in the Georgia 2020 election interference case
ATLANTA — The judge overseeing the Georgia 2020 election interference case on Wednesday dismissed some of the charges against former President Donald Trump and others, but the rest of the sweeping racketeering indictment remains intact. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee quashed six counts in the indictment, including three...
Shapiro unveils plan to cut greenhouse gases, boost renewables in big energy producer
SCRANTON — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled a plan Wednesday to fight climate change, saying he will back legislation to make power plant owners in the nation’s third-biggest energy-producing state pay for their greenhouse gas emissions and require utilities to buy more electricity from renewable sources. Such legislation would make...
Glen’s Frozen Custard production facility to open soon in Lower Burrell; stands reopen Thursday
A new Glen’s Frozen Custard production facility in Lower Burrell soon will be churning out products. The facility at the location of the former Clementine’s Family Restaurant at 2604 Leechburg Road is set to be operational in a few weeks, said Eli Wilson, Glen’s president and fourth-generation owner. The building...
3 Pittsburgh high school students hospitalized after eating ‘unknown edible candy’
Three Pittsburgh Public Schools high school students have been released from the hospital after they fell ill when eating an “unknown edible candy,” authorities said Wednesday. A group of five students on Tuesday ingested the “unknown substance” but only three were taken to the hospital, school district spokeswoman Ebony Pugh...
Crescent police caution of bogus fundraising in light of house explosion
Crescent police are warning of illegitimate fundraising efforts for the family affected by Tuesday’s house explosion that killed two people. In a social media post, police said those who created the fake fundraisers are taking advantage of the situation. “I must emphasize that the family has not endorsed any such...
Biden and Trump clinch nominations, setting the stage for a grueling general election rematch
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump clinched their parties’ presidential nominations Tuesday with decisive victories in a slate of low-profile primaries, setting up a general election rematch that many voters do not want. The outcome of contests across Georgia, Mississippi and Washington state was never in...
House passes a bill that could lead to a TikTok ban if Chinese owner refuses to sellVideo
WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesn’t sell, as lawmakers acted on concerns that the company’s current ownership structure is a national security threat. The bill, passed by a vote...
Morning Roundup: 1 injured in shooting in McKees Rocks
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, March 13: 1 injured in shooting in McKees Rocks Allegheny County police are investigating a shooting Tuesday evening in McKees Rocks that sent a man to an area hospital. The man, who arrived at the hospital by private...
Westmoreland looks to shed label of being a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants
Westmoreland officials say they are looking to shed a label that the county is a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants. The Center for Immigration Studies declared Westmoreland a sanctuary county in 2014. The Washington, D.C., think tank promotes reduced immigration into the United States. Westmoreland was one of 14 Pennsylvania counties...
No injuries reported in fire at Robert Morris University dormitory
A fire was contained to the roof of a Robert Morris University dormitory Tuesday in Moon, according to a university spokesman. Firefighters were called at about 8:30 p.m. to G Tower of Washington Hall. No one was injured, but some students will be provided with alternative accommodations as the fire...
‘Complete devastation’: Crescent fire chief confirms 2 dead in house explosion
Shock gripped Blanche Heidengren on Tuesday morning when she learned in a group text that her prayer circle was seeking divine help for longtime friend Ann Matey. A house had exploded on Matey’s street, Riverview Road in Crescent, right next door to the log-cabin home of Matey’s parents, David Mitchell,...
Credit rating agencies bullish on Pittsburgh’s $62M bond issue, deem outlook ‘stable’
Two credit rating agencies declared that Pittsburgh’s financial outlook is “stable,” officials announced Tuesday, even as some city leaders have raised alarms about the city’s finances. The city received AA- ratings from S&P Global and Fitch. Mayor Ed Gainey said the administration was “proactive in our work to have a...
Pittsburgh council gripes about Gainey but passes his housing plan
Members of Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday renewed their complaints that Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration didn’t communicate with them about a plan to spend $8 million in federal funds meant to address homelessness and affordable housing. Council ultimately approved the spending plan, despite pleas from exasperated council members for better...
Pittsburgh closing Downtown homeless encampment
Pittsburgh officials are tearing down a Downtown homeless encampment amid concerns that the people living there are living in dangerous conditions. People living at the homeless camp along Fort Pitt Boulevard near Grant Street will have to leave by 5 p.m. Wednesday, said Emily Bourne, a spokeswoman for the city’s...
Pittsburgh to start sending parking tickets by mail
City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved allowing the Public Parking Authority to ticket by mail. It’s a measure that aims to improve safety and efficiency for the authority’s parking enforcers, said David Onorato, the authority’s executive director. The move comes as the authority continues to struggle with staffing since the...
Is it time to replace the Mon Incline? Officials ponder its future
Pittsburgh Regional Transit officials are discussing what the future of the 154-year-old Monongahela Incline will look like, including the possibility it could be replaced by more modern technology. The incline has been closed for a total of 39 weeks in the last two years due to repairs and upgrades. Pittsburgh...
MacDonald ends topsy-turvy campaign, pulls plug on GOP write-in effort for Summer Lee’s seat
Laurie MacDonald has ended her bid for a seat in the U.S. House. Last week, MacDonald dropped out of the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District in the face of a challenge to her nominating petition signatures, but then announced a write-in effort in the Republican primary shortly after....
5 arrested in connection with 2023 raid at Murrysville vape shop
Two owners of a Murrysville vape shop and three employees are facing charges after authorities said they were selling illegal substances out of the business. In court papers filed Tuesday, police listed six occasions between January and March 2023 when undercover officers bought items from PA Vapor & Glassroom that...
Crescent house explosion marks 3rd in Western Pa. since summer
The fatal house explosion in Crescent on Tuesday morning marks the third in Western Pennsylvania since August. Emergency crews responded to the scene just before 9 a.m. at the 1400 block of Riverview Road,. The Crescent explosion is exactly seven months after the Aug. 12 house explosion in Plum’s Rustic...
