Top Stories category, Page 545
Feds slam Pittsburgh synagogue shooter’s push for new trial
Federal prosecutors say the man who killed 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue five years ago should not get a new trial and doesn’t even deserve a hearing on his request. In a 124-page response to a motion seeking a new trial filed by Robert Bowers in November, the...
$1.8 million winning lottery ticket sold in Murrysville
Pennsylvania Lottery officials will stop in Murrysville Friday morning to present a $1.8 million check to a recent Cash 5 winner. Highway foreman Dennis O’Neill, 55, of Monroeville, purchased the winning ticket on New Year’s Eve at the Murrysville Shop’n Save. O’Neill told lottery officials he plans to continue working...
Morning roundup: Snow’s coming; Butler butcher shop damaged by fire
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Jan. 18: The Pittsburgh area could see a few inches of snow in the coming days, with a “winter weather advisory” in effect for most of southwestern Pennsylvania from 1 a.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday, according to...
Editorial: Mike Tomlin should punt the pettiness and petulance
A coach is someone who gives instruction. Coaches train. They teach. They help make people better. The simple arithmetic of wins and losses shows the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin is a good coach. He joined the organization in 2007. In that time, he has amassed two Super Bowl appearances with...
Monroeville man charged with homicide in the slaying of Carrick man on New Year’s Eve
A Monroeville man has been charged with homicide and other crimes after he allegedly shot and killed a man on New Year’s Eve in Carrick. Timothy Debold, 43, also faces charges of burglary, carrying a firearm without a license and persons not to possess firearms in connection with the Dec....
‘We want to bring everybody in’: Hempfield aims to bring fire stations under township management
Hempfield will meet with its 11 fire departments to discuss having all of them being managed by the township. North Hempfield Fire Department became Hempfield’s first “nonchartered station” — managed entirely by the township — in 2021. That means all of its expenses are paid by the township. The township...
Pittsburgh police search for missing Brookline man
Pittsburgh police seek the public’s help in locating a missing man. Dino Cardamone, 61, of the city’s Brookline neighborhood, was heard from on Monday. He is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds with short brown hair and brown eyes. Public Safety officials said Cardamone may be wearing...
Power line falls on car during Oregon ice storm, killing 3 and injuring a baby, authorities sayVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — A power line fell on a parked car in northeast Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring a baby during an ice storm that turned roads and mountain highways treacherous in the Pacific Northwest. Shortly before noon, dispatchers started receiving frantic calls about a downed...
3 Pittsburgh Public Schools on modified lockdown through Friday due to online threats
Pittsburgh Public Schools district officials said three schools that share a campus will be under modified lockdown through Friday after threats were made over social media. Pittsburgh Public Schools spokesperson Ebony Pugh said the lockdown affects West Liberty PreK-5, South Brook 6-8, and Pittsburgh Pioneer Education Center. Those schools are...
U.S. military launches another barrage of missiles against Houthi sites in Yemen
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military fired another wave of ship- and submarine-launch missile strikes against Houthi-controlled sites Wednesday, multiple U.S. officials said, marking the fourth time in days it has directly targeted the group in Yemen as violence that ignited in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war continues to spill...
Astrobotic planning for failed lunar lander to re-enter Earth over the South Pacific
Officials at Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic believe their failed lunar lander will reenter Earth’s atmosphere over a remote area of the South Pacific, the company announced Wednesday. Astrobotic’s team has worked closely with NASA analyzing the Peregrine spacecraft’s travels and they do not anticipate any hazards. “A safe re-entry is our top...
Gun control measures advance out of Democratic-controlled Pennsylvania House committee
HARRISBURG — Democrats in majority control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives advanced several gun control measures Wednesday, including one that would ban sales of automatic and semi-automatic guns, after years of standstill in the politically divided state government. The bills were passed by the Judiciary Committee on party lines...
Greensburg law firm gets $72K raise for Westmoreland water, sewer advice
A Greensburg law firm will be getting a 42% raise this year for the work it provides to the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. Avolio Law, led by Scott Avolio, has been the authority’s attorney since 2013, and, for the past decade, was paid a flat fee of $170,000 annually...
More than 122,000 water customers in region will see rates increase by 9%
Water and sewer rates will increase in April for Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers. Authority board members Wednesday unanimously approved 9% increases as part of a $117 million budget officials said was impacted by rising costs associated with the water and sewer service. “The board directed management to keep...
‘It’s unconscionable’: Adda Coffee and Tea workers rally against Pittsburgh closures
Nearly a week after a local coffee chain abruptly closed all of its locations, former employees, union workers and supportive local politicians gathered Wednesday morning to demand severance pay and criticize ownership. Adda Coffee & Tea House abruptly closed all four of its locations Jan. 11, claiming it has been...
Librarian Nicole Ruscitto takes aim at flipping pivotal South Hills state senate seat
One of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s most crucial state senate districts has a challenger, as school librarian and local basketball coach Nicole Ruscitto announced her candidacy Tuesday. Ruscitto, a Jefferson Hills Democrat who works in the South Park School District, is challenging Republican incumbent Sen. Devlin Robinson of Bridgeville for the 37th...
Supreme Court wrestles with major challenges to power of federal regulators
WASHINGTON — Conservative Supreme Court justices on Wednesday voiced support for weakening the power of federal regulators, but it was not clear whether a majority would overturn a major 40-year-old decision. Billions of dollars are potentially at stake in front of a court that, like the rest of the federal...
Saint Vincent College introduces new aviation degree
A new major at Saint Vincent College will propel students to careers in aviation and help them earn a license to become a pilot. The unique partnership behind the offering has been in the works for about a year, said officials from the Unity college, Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, Community...
What a new federal rule banning funny roadway signs means for Pennsylvania
Have you ever noticed the electronic sign “Don’t Drive Star Spangled Hammered” on the Parkway West and chuckled? Well, that and other similar quirky messages are going away in a couple years. They will be banned in 2026. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has given states two years to implement...
Sen. John Fetterman to pen political memoir with ‘Friday Night Lights’ author
Pennsylvania’s U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s unconventional political career, along with his many personal battles, sounds like the stuff of Shakespeare. Now, it will be a book that the hoodie-wearing Democrat is planning to write, with the help of “Friday Night Lights” author Buzz Bissinger. All this is according to a...
Resident warming frozen pipes sparks fire at Hempfield mobile home
A resident using a heat gun Wednesday morning to thaw pipes in a Hempfield mobile home sparked a fire that heavily damaged the home, according to fire Chief Anthony Kovacic. The resident escaped unharmed and called 911 about 10:30 a.m. Firefighters extinguished the flames, leaving about half of the Flamingo...
‘This will be a game-changer’: Duquesne University opens medical college
Students in the inaugural class of Duquesne University’s medical college will learn the intricacies of human anatomy through the time-tested method of dissecting cadavers. But they also will slip on a high-tech headset with eyewear and instantly see before them a hologram of the human body. They can walk around...
Demolition of Tree of Life building begins, making way for memorial design
As contractors braved the bitter cold Wednesday and started demolishing parts of the Tree of Life-Or L’Simcha building, Carole Zawatsky grew nostalgic. The head of a nonprofit working to rebuild the Squirrel Hill synagogue where 11 Jewish congregants were killed during a Shabbat service Oct. 27, 2018, Zawatsky said her...
Top House Democrats endorse Rep. Summer Lee in contested primary
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, is gathering some major support ahead of her contested spring primary, as she hopes to hold on to her seat during what is likely to be an expensive and competitive election. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, endorsed Lee on Wednesday, her highest...
Frigid conditions persist, shuttering and delaying over 300 schools in Western Pa.
More than 300 schools in Western Pennsylvania delayed or canceled classes Wednesday morning in the face of continued frigid temperatures, sub-zero wind-chill readings and lingering snow. Pittsburgh Public Schools closed for a second straight day Wednesday, a move its leaders announced Tuesday night. Other districts, such as Greensburg-Salem, Hempfield Area...
