Top Stories category, Page 521
Water conservation to continue as Beaver Run Reservoir level rebounds
Despite recent rains and snowfall that helped boost water levels at Beaver Run Reservoir, mandatory conservation remains in place for about 56,000 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers. Authority officials said water levels have rebounded at the reservoir that straddles Bell and Washington townships. The reservoir serves the northern half...
Bitter weather prompts Allegheny County, Pittsburgh to extend ‘Code Blue’ action
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services and the city of Pittsburgh have extended the current “Code Blue” action until 8 a.m. Monday. “Code Blue” is declared when the National Weather Service forecasts the air temperature to fall below 26 degrees between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. The plan can...
South Side businesses laud police crackdown on East Carson Street corridor
An ongoing police crackdown on the South Side is making the bustling East Carson Street entertainment district safer, police officials, business owners and local community members said Tuesday. “It’s had a monumental effect on the (South Side) Flats since its inception,” John DeMauro, owner of Urban Tap gastropub on East...
New Kensington chimney fire prompts warning to ensure chimneys are clean
New Kensington’s fire chief urged homeowners Tuesday to have chimneys professionally cleaned after firefighters responded to a chimney fire in the city. Fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said firefighters found a thick buildup of creosote — a flammable, tar-like byproduct of any burning wood — in the chimney of a...
Snow causes headaches, similar storm could return by week’s end
Western Pennsylvania is in for another round of snow by the end of the week, meteorologists warned. Tuesday morning’s snowfall dropped about 2 to 4 inches across the region. It caused about 200 school cancellations and more than a few headaches for commuters. Across Allegheny County, the average snowfall was...
Eastbound I-70 reopens between Arnold, Smithton following multi-vehicle crash
The eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 reopened to traffic around 5 p.m. following a multi-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon, state police said. The eastbound lanes between Exit 44 (Arnold City) and Exit 49 (Smithton) were closed because of the accident, which was reported at 3:43 p.m around mile marker 46, according...
Federal lawsuit challenges Pine-Richland transgender policy
A Pine-Richland parent is suing the school district over its transgender nondiscrimination policy, alleging it violates parents’ rights to raise their children as they see fit. The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court by conservative group America First Legal, is causing concern among parents of transgender children in the district...
U.S. judge grounds JetBlue-Spirit merger; local airport official optimistic
The planned $3.8 billion merger of JetBlue Airways with Spirit Airlines was struck down Tuesday by a federal judge who feared it would hurt competition among low-cost airlines. Spirit Airlines, based in Miramar, Fla., is the lone scheduled carrier serving Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. “We are going to...
County health inspectors shut down Whitehall’s Noble Asian Grocery Store
Allegheny County health officials ordered an Asian market in Whitehall to close after it racked up 14 food safety and sanitation violations during an inspection last week. A health department inspector found Noble Asian Grocery Store was selling expired kimchi, a fermented vegetable dish, with “severe black mold-like growth” on it;...
3 New Jersey men accused of taking metal from Penn Township business
Penn Township police said three New Jersey men nabbed with metal items valued at $120,000 are suspected of being part of a large theft ring. Police said they responded to an alarm at Hamill Manufacturing Co. around 3:20 a.m. Saturday and spotted the three men leaving in a pickup loaded...
Rare Spider-Man comic book on sale for $35K in Western Pa.
A local comic book owner made an amazing find: Amazing Fantasy 15, the first appearance of Spider-Man and a rare gem in the comic world. Now, he’s selling it for $35,000. That price might be a bargain given the fair condition of the comic book. A pristine copy once sold...
Primanti Bros. to open restaurant in Baltimore
Come this spring, there will be one more out-of-town location to grab a Primanti’s sandwich as Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar is set to open in Baltimore. Most of its restaurants are in Western Pennsylvania and there are locations in West Virginia, Ohio and the eastern side of Pennsylvania. The...
Pittsburgh Pride celebration moving to Point State Park
Pittsburgh Pride is moving to Point State Park this year. The annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, which previously was held on Pittsburgh’s North Side, is slated for May 31 and June 1 at Point State Park, with an extra day of celebration slated for June 2 in the city’s...
Police discover deplorable conditions, 77 animals; Penn Township officials condemn home
Two people were charged Friday with animal cruelty offenses after investigators removed 77 dogs, cats and other animals from a Penn Township home that later was condemned. Police said a teenage boy was living there and the home didn’t have running water. Humane officers and township police served a search...
Baldwin Township cop charged with strangling woman
A Baldwin Township police officer has been arrested on charges that he held a woman against a wall by her throat after she refused to have sex with him. The officer, Christopher Fry, 44, of South Fayette, was drinking with the woman at his Station Street home around 10:45 p.m....
Mike Tomlin’s quick press conference exit creates internet gold
Mike Tomlin’s abrupt departure from his postgame press conference Monday generated all kinds of speculation of his future with the Pittsburgh Steelers. If you didn’t already know, the Steelers lost the wild-card round game 31-17 to the Buffalo Bills. The coach’s quick exit opened the door for online creativity. The...
Salem’s Market, set to open in Hill District, will fill void in neighborhood
Abdullah Salem, owner of Salem’s (Sah-Lims) Market, is preparing to open a location in the Hill District in February. It will be his third. He says failure is not an option in this location — they owe that to the community. He is working day and night to make sure...
What they’re saying in Buffalo after Bills knock Steelers from playoffs
Fans were left to dig out their seats at snowy Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, but the Pittsburgh Steelers couldn’t dig out of an early point deficit in losing their fifth consecutive playoff game. The Buffalo Bills and the sportswriters who cover them had a lot of praise for two specific...
Overnight snow impacts Western Pa. schools, roadways
More than 200 schools and school districts — from Academy Charter School in Pittsburgh to the Yough School District in Westmoreland County — either closed or delayed the opening of school Tuesday morning, as the Pittsburgh area was hit with snow and frigid temperatures. Pittsburgh Public Schools canceled classes for...
Morning Roundup: Fire damages Dollar Tree in Homestead
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Jan. 16: Fire damages Dollar Tree in Homestead A fire was reported early Tuesday at a Dollar Tree store in Homestead. Firefighters, police and paramedics responded to the store, located near Heisel Street, at about 3 a.m., according...
Families explore themes of Martin Luther King Day at Greensburg art museum’s open house
Marie Churley of Tarentum challenged her grandson to learn something about the Rev. Martin Luther King on Monday, the national holiday that honors the slain civil rights leader. “He changed the world, and he helped people,” said 7-year-old Ryan Smith of Swissvale. The boy and his family arrived late in...
Work underway to move Social Security office to former CVS building in Harrison
About a year after it was first announced, the relocation by the Social Security Administration from New Kensington to Harrison is moving forward. Construction is underway inside the former CVS store in Heights Plaza, just off Freeport Road. “The move date will be confirmed as we get closer to construction...
Vivek Ramaswamy announces he’s suspending his presidential bid after a disappointing finish in Iowa
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy suspended his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on Monday and endorsed former President Donald Trump after finishing a distant fourth in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses. Ramaswamy said he made the decision after determining there was no path forward for him in the race, “absent things...
Fan came from Illinois to the North Shore to root for the Steelers with family, Pittsburghers
Susan Young wore a T.J. Watt jersey with a big Steelers logo hanging from a thick gold chain as she watched Pittsburgh play without the star linebacker in Monday’s wild-card game against Buffalo. Young, of Effingham, Ill., is the Pittsburgh fan in her family, and her husband, who goes by...
Airing of Grievances: Predictable problems end Steelers’ season without a playoff win yet again
During his call of the Steelers’ playoff loss Monday, CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz said he had been locked in his snowbound hotel for so long, it was starting to feel like “The Shining.” Well, however frightening Nantz’s stay was in Buffalo’s version of the Overlook Hotel, it couldn’t have...
