Top Stories category, Page 570
North Huntingdon man pleads guilty to smuggling Hondurans, cocaine into U.S.
A North Huntingdon businessman’s scheme to smuggle Hondurans and cocaine into the country came undone when the U.S. Coast Guard found his yacht floundering in the Gulf of Mexico, the Justice Department said in court documents. Carl “Car” Allison, 47, pleaded guilty in federal court in New Orleans this month...
Pa. lawmakers free up funding for community colleges, public libraries
Lawmakers in Harrisburg agreed Wednesday night to release almost $262 million for the state’s 15 community colleges that had been held up for almost six months, plus $70 million for public libraries. The breakthrough on the last scheduled day for legislators to meet this calendar year also means K-12 school...
Feds say owner of Pa. snow, ice removal company padded bills; seek forfeiture of his Mt. Washington mansion
The owner of a Pittsburgh-based snow and ice removal company has been indicted on accusations that he padded customer bills for services that weren’t performed, and authorities are seeking the forfeiture of his Mt. Washington mansion. Charles W. Lantzman, 50, owner of Snow and Ice Management Co. of Pennsylvania, is...
Pennsylvania is in its Taylor Swift era, her home state decides
HARRISBURG — She’s Time magazine’s person of the year. She’s the most-played artist globally on Spotify. She’s helmed the first tour to gross more than $1 billion and then the highest-grossing concert film of all time. And now Taylor Swift can add one more accolade: A state House of Representatives...
Morning Roundup: Small fire at Norwin football stadium; state police car damages vehicles in traffic stop
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Dec. 14: Small fire extinguished at Norwin football stadium A small fire was extinguished Thursday morning in the visitor side concession stand at Norwin School District’s football stadium in North Huntingdon, according to Lauren Steiner, district director of...
Holiday displays appear at Westmoreland courthouse despite resolution passed in 1997
A holiday display outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Main Street in Greensburg is something passersby may not have seen in years. A 23-foot Christmas tree and a menorah in a frame were donated and placed last week. Commissioner Sean Kertes said he asked Public Works Director Greg McCloskey to...
Wanna get Pitt volleyball fever? Here are 5 things to know about the fast-paced college sportVideo
Women’s volleyball has become one of the most entertaining sports across the college sports universe. ESPN will televise Thursday’s NCAA Division I semifinals in Tampa, Fla., as Pitt takes on Nebraska at 7 p.m., followed by Texas vs. Wisconsin. The championship match will is set for 3 p.m. Sunday on...
Freeport Area student-produced documentary to air on WQED
An award-winning media course has united aspiring student filmmakers and resulted in benefits that go beyond book learning at Freeport Area High School. Students channeled their inner lights, camera, action for months, filming a behind-the-scenes peek into all aspects of creating a high school musical. Junior and senior students enrolled...
JetBlue mum on post-merger service at Arnold Palmer airport
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport enters the holiday travel season shrouded in turbulence. The airport is forging ahead with expansion plans despite passenger traffic plummeting this year — all while the lone airline serving the Unity facility is poised to merge with another airline that has failed to commit to retaining...
Private schools, child care legislation pass in Pennsylvania as lawmakers move past budget feud
HARRISBURG — Lawmakers moved past a monthslong budget feud Wednesday in Pennsylvania’s Capitol, with the House and Senate advancing legislation to tie up loose ends and send millions more to subsidize private school tuition and child care tax credits for parents. After days of negotiations that typically play out before...
2 arrested in September van crash that killed Serra Catholic student
Allegheny County Police arrested two men in connection with a September school van crash in Dravosburg that left a 15-year-old Serra Catholic student dead. William Soliday II, 43, of North Huntingdon and Andrew Voigt, 37, of Pittsburgh were arrested Wednesday. Soliday is facing charges that include third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter...
Plum residents worried, angry as council approves nearly 40% increase in property tax rate
Plum residents voiced concerns and, at one point, erupted in anger as council approved a nearly 40% increase in borough property taxes Wednesday. Council voted 6-1, with Dave Vento against, to increase the borough’s 2024 property tax rate by 1.85 mills, from 4.78 mills to 6.63 mills. It will support...
Beaver County police officer charged in 2022 death of bystander at shooting scene
A Beaver County police officer accused of assaulting a man who later died is facing an involuntary manslaughter charge, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. A grand jury recommended charging former Center police officer John J. Hawk, 37, with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and perjury....
2 girls hit by vehicle on the North Side; 1 in critical condition
Two 11-year-old girls are hospitalized after being hit by a vehicle Wednesday afternoon in the North Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Allegheny County dispatchers confirmed that two people were hit and taken by medics to the hospital after the incident, which was reported shortly after 4:30 pm. Police said one girl...
House approves impeachment inquiry into President Biden as Republicans rally behind investigation
WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday authorized the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, with every Republican rallying behind the politically charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president. The 221-212 party-line vote put the...
Judge in Trump election case pauses court deadlines as appeal is heard on presidential immunity
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case in Washington will be put on hold while the former president further pursues his claims that he is immune from prosecution, a judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case, agreed in a three-page order to pause...
Neighbor describes ‘war’-like explosion that destroyed Sewickley Heights cottage
Rich Engler was sitting with a friend in his Sewickley Heights home when the neighborhood shook. “All of a sudden, this immense blast took place — we thought something had hit our place,” said Engler, 77, a local music producer who’s lived among the borough’s massive estates and rolling hills...
PPG expands in Europe with new facility in France
Pittsburgh-based paint and coatings company PPG has opened a facility in France to improve its operations in Southern Europe and North Africa. The $17 million aerospace application support center in Toulouse, France, will provide filling and packaging capabilities for aerospace materials, including coatings and sealants for aircraft, according to the...
Pittsburgh to use money from anti-violence trust fund on parks, recreation
Money from Pittsburgh’s anti-violence trust fund can now be used on parks and recreation projects. City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to allow up to 10% of the money in the Stop the Violence trust fund to go to the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle, D-Hill...
New home for 2nd ‘Red Zone’ 33-foot ketchup bottle to be unveiled at Heinz History Center
The other half of “Heinz Red Zone” has moved across the river. A new home has been found for the second 33-foot Heinz ketchup bottle that for two decades “poured” into the scoreboard when the Pittsburgh Steelers reached the opponent’s 20 yard-line during home games. One was hung outside of...
Pirates join SportsNet Pittsburgh with Penguins to televise gamesVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates found a new television home by becoming joint owners of SportsNet Pittsburgh with the Pittsburgh Penguins, a partnership that begins at the start of the new year. The Pirates announced Wednesday morning that they have entered an agreement to jointly own SportsNet Pittsburgh, which previously carried their...
3rd person accused of failing to keep gators from escaping in Kiski Township
Another person is facing charges in the case of wayward alligators in Kiski Township. Stephanie A. Suman, 26, of the 1300 block of Brownstown Road in Kiski Township, was charged via summons last month with two misdemeanor counts each of reckless endangerment and cruelty to animals. Police say she risked...
House set for key vote on Biden impeachment inquiry as Republicans unite behind investigation
WASHINGTON — The House is pushing toward a vote Wednesday to formally authorize the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden as Republicans rally behind the charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president. The vote...
After shooting trooper, Damian Bradford gets additional 10 years in killing of Mercer County urologist
A Pittsburgh man formerly of Beaver County will have to spend another 10 years in federal prison for killing a Mercer County urologist in 2005 while having an affair with his wife. The additional time was imposed on Damian Bradford, 42, after a judge determined that he violated his release...
Indiana Township ambulance service closing after 28 years
After working under the same roof for almost three years, employees with Seneca Area Emergency Services soon will be working as West Deer EMS Service. Seneca Area EMS announced Tuesday night that it will close as of Jan. 1, after operating for 28 years. Seneca Area EMS covers the western...
