Top Stories category, Page 526
Historic mansion reopens as cafe in Leechburg
A long-shuttered historic mansion in Leechburg has reopened as the 1st Street Cafe. The cafe occupies the space in the building formerly known as the Addison House Restaurant & Lounge. Serving specialty coffees and homemade desserts, the cafe opens at 6 a.m. and is the retirement project of Devra Gromley...
Plum school renovation options could come with tax increase
Plum property owners could be facing another tax increase, this one to pay for school building projects. On Tuesday, financial advisers gave Plum’s school board four options to pay for potential building projects. The options would add anywhere from $117 to $275 to the annual tax bill for residents of...
USDA estimates 21 million kids will get summer food benefits through new program in 2024
Nearly 21 million children in the U.S. and its territories are expected to receive food benefits this summer through a newly permanent federal program, the United States Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. Thirty-five states, all five U.S. territories and four tribes opted into the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, or...
Schenley Park Skating Rink will not open this season
The Schenley Park Skating Rink will not open this season because of delays installing a new chiller system, Pittsburgh officials announced this week. The ice skating rink is expected to reopen for the 2024-25 season. Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works last year began installation work on the vital refrigeration system,...
Morning Roundup: Vehicle crash lands on parked car in North Versailles; downed power lines ignite fire in Greenfield
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 10: Vehicle crash lands on parked car in North Versailles Two vehicles were significantly damaged early Wednesday morning during a crash in North Versailles. A vehicle crashed and flipped onto a parked car near the 3200 block...
Ecuador’s escalating gang violence is broadcast live to the nation as masked gunmen storm TV studio
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — It was a day like any other at the TC Television studio in Ecuador, with its mid-afternoon newscast underway, when masked gunmen burst in, unleashing at least 15 minutes of threats and fear — all broadcast live. First, a man with a pistol appeared in the middle...
High winds leave thousands without power in Westmoreland County; more expected in Pittsburgh region
High winds Tuesday afternoon left more than 10,000 FirstEnergy customers without power in Westmoreland County. More high winds can be expected Wednesday in the Pittsburgh area, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. Sustained winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts between 40 and 50 mph are forecast...
Charah files notice to appeal injunction decision regarding boiler house in Springdale
The owner of the former power plant in Springdale has 21 days to show how an Allegheny County court erred in granting a preliminary pause to imploding the boiler house at the site. Allegheny County Judge John T. McVay Jr. ordered Tuesday that Charah Solutions has 21 days to file...
Lawyer buys former Steelers player’s estate where retreat center had been planned
A 133-acre Ligonier Township estate owned by a former Pittsburgh Steelers player who wanted to operate a retreat center for clergy and pastors was sold to a former Pittsburgh attorney who said this week he plans to use it as a personal home. Antonio “Tony” and Amy Dias of Miami...
State Sen. Jim Brewster retiring at end of 2024
A Mon Valley political fixture is stepping down from his state Senate seat, but he insists it won’t lead to a sea change in his district. State Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, said Wednesday that he is retiring at the end of this year. He will not seek reelection. Brewster serves...
Pittsburgh Planning Commission OKs 6-story apartment building in Bluff with murals on facade
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved plans for a new apartment building that will prominently display 10 large panels of artwork on its facade. Pittsburgh-based GSX Ventures intends to construct a six-story, 211-unit apartment building, dubbed Phoenix on Forbes, on a 1.4-acre site in the city’s Bluff neighborhood. The...
Trial begins for New Stanton man charged with bathroom rape at 2020 Halloween party
A Mt. Pleasant woman testified Monday that she intentionally kept quiet during an alleged rape in a bathroom because her daughter was sleeping in the next room. “I just left the bathroom and didn’t call out for help because my daughter was in the next room sleeping,” she said in...
Firefighters called to rescue motorist from Ligonier Township flooding; several roads closed
Flooding and downed utility lines caused the closure of several roads around Westmoreland County from Tuesday to Wednesday as a storm pounded the region with rain and high winds. Firefighters from Ligonier and Waterford were dispatched around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to assist a motorist from a vehicle in a flooded...
Defense Secretary Austin treated for prostate cancer, urinary tract infection, doctors sayVideo
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has prostate cancer, and his recent secretive hospitalization was for surgery and later to treat a urinary tract infection related to that operation, his doctors said Tuesday. The cancer revelation answers the main question about Austin’s hospitalization, which has now lasted eight days. But...
Sprawling storm wallops U.S. with tornado reports, damage and heavy snow, closing roads and schoolsVideo
DES MOINES, Iowa — A sprawling storm hit the South with tornado warnings and strong wind that blew roofs off homes, flipped over campers and tossed about furniture in Florida on Tuesday. Another storm brought cities across the Midwest to a standstill with more than half a foot of snow,...
TV Talk: What you need to know with the Chiefs-Dolphins game only available via Peacock
Saturday’s 8 p.m. AFC Wild Card game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs will only be available via streaming on Peacock in Western Pennsylvania. Here’s what viewers need to know about how to watch that game: What is Peacock? Peacock is NBCUniversal’s attempt to create a Netflix streaming...
Girl Scout cookies cost more dough this year
Girl Scout cookies are back, but they’ll take a bigger bite out of your pocketbook this year. Boxes cost $6, up from $5 last year. The cookies will be available until March 24. Emily Ruffing, public relations and marketing coordinator for Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania, said the price increase will...
Must-win games over past 3 weeks have Steelers ready for playoffs, Mike Tomlin says
Mike Tomlin would like to offer a correction to the postseason schedule the NFL released once the field was solidified Sunday night. It has the Pittsburgh Steelers playing their playoff opener at 1 p.m. Sunday against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y. The date, time and opponent all are...
Plum honors Rustic Ridge resident for heroism, elevates interim manager
Plum has honored a man for his heroism in the aftermath of the Rustic Ridge explosion, while also taking a step to help the borough’s government move forward from the August catastrophe that left six dead. Greg Renko, president of the Rustic Ridge homeowners association, received a proclamation honoring him...
Faulty valve, ruptured tank thwart ‘soft landing’ on moon for Astrobotic’s PeregrineVideo
Pittsburgh-based space company Astrobotic theorized Tuesday that its lunar mission was undone by a malfunction in the lander’s propulsion equipment. Astrobotic sought to make history with the first commercial lunar landing, but a fuel leak on the spacecraft after launch scuttled any possibility of that. The lander, dubbed Peregrine, has...
Brighton Heights woman charged with killing man over drugs, sex, money
A Brighton Heights woman was jailed Tuesday on charges that she fatally shot an Arlington man last month in a confrontation that police said revolved around illicit drugs, sex and a $700 CashApp payment. Jaelyn Nowlin, 20, is charged with killing Grant Gibeault, 25, in his apartment in the 2200...
Tech company Excelitas commits to moving global HQ to Pittsburgh’s Strip District
A tech company is poised to move its global headquarters to Pittsburgh’s Strip District, showcasing the region’s continuing success at attracting high-tech businesses. Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday that Excelitas Technologies has committed to occupying roughly 50,000 square feet of space at 2545 Railroad St. in the Strip. Excelitas, a...
2 tractor-trailers go over an embankment along Pa. Turnpike near Donegal
Two westbound tractor-trailers crashed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike between the Somerset and Donegal exits Tuesday morning, with the vehicles rolling over a snow-covered embankment. The crash happened about 9:15 a.m. near milepost 95, state police said. The turnpike passes over Route 130 in the area. Police said one of the...
Pa. bear harvest lowest in 16 years for hunters, but wildlife experts know the likely causes
After white-tailed deer hunting, no big-game species draws the interest of Pennsylvania sportsmen like black bears. The Keystone State is renowned for its bruin-hunting opportunities, as well as the extremely large bears it gives up annually. Over the years, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) has expanded its bear hunting opportunities...
With Trump present in court, judges express skepticism of claims that he’s immune from prosecution
WASHINGTON — With Donald Trump listening intently in the courtroom, federal appeals court judges in Washington expressed deep skepticism Tuesday that the former president was immune from prosecution on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The panel of three judges, two of whom were...
