Top Stories category, Page 527
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...
8 teens injured in Philadelphia bus shooting, 4th gunfire incident in as many daysVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Police say eight Philadelphia high school students waiting to board a city bus after classes Wednesday were wounded by gunshots from suspects who jumped from a car and opened fire, the fourth shooting on the transit system in as many days. The previous three shootings each involved a...
‘We’re going all in on Connellsville’: Penn-Trafford grads, Franklin Regional coach seek to enliven city with event center, restaurant
The city of Connellsville is alive with development. Three Penn-Trafford graduates and a former Franklin Regional High School football coach are a part of the reason why — pitching in with plans to build an event center, restaurant and short-term rental property. When Nate Morgan, a 1993 Penn-Trafford graduate, bought...
For the Penguins, being out of a playoff position isn’t strange, ‘it’s awful’
Jesse Puljujarvi had every reason to celebrate an individual accomplishment Tuesday. During the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-3 home win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the winger opened the scoring at PPG Paints Arena with his first goal in more than a calendar year. It was an accomplishment worth noting considering Puljujarvi...
Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Bar ready to open on Pittsburgh’s North Shore
A vintage 4020 John Deere tractor is parked inside the establishment with built-on shelves displaying of bottles of alcohol. The signature bright green paint on the vehicle with bold yellow wheels and large rear tires is consistent décor. It’s pretty much a given who owns this place. Country music star...
Nikki Haley suspends her campaign and leaves Donald Trump as the last major Republican candidate
NEW YORK — Nikki Haley suspended her presidential campaign on Wednesday after being soundly defeated across the country on Super Tuesday, leaving Donald Trump as the last remaining major candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination. Haley didn’t endorse the former president in a speech in Charleston, South Carolina. Instead, she...
Morning Roundup: Station Square fatal shooting victim ID’d; Monroeville police officer struck by vehicle in Penn Hills
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, March 6. Victim identified in fatal shooting Friday in Station Square The Allegheny County Medical Examiner has identified the 25-year-old man fatally shot Friday night in Station Square. According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, police responded to reports of...
Butler County bear attack sends woman to the hospital
A black bear attacked a woman in her Butler Township backyard Tuesday night, injuring the woman badly enough that she’s hospitalized. Lee Ann Galante, 55, was attacked after her dog had an altercation with the mother bear’s three cubs, according to Butler Township Patrolman Jon Schaffner. The attack happened about...
Allegheny County Council resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas voted downVideo
Allegheny County Councilman Nicholas Futules summed up about five hours of public comment Tuesday night about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. “This world sucks,” he said. The comment was made shortly before the 14 county council representatives in attendance voted 3-9-2 not to pass a resolution...
Pittsburgh police: Suspect in Florida homicide caught Downtown during Market Square smoke shop raid
A Florida man wanted on homicide charges in Florida was arrested in downtown Pittsburgh on Tuesday when police were searching for a suspect at a Market Square smoke shop, police said. The suspect, Danitto Simpson, 26, was wanted on a warrant in connection with a homicide last September in Daytona...
