Top Stories category, Page 573
Late Vietnam vet from Freeport gets proper military honors 5 years after death
Late Freeport Navy veteran Bob Johnston described his time in the Vietnam War as a shooting gallery where soldiers lived like pirates. “We took the rockets, the mortar fire and the artillery fire from the enemy at night,” Johnston wrote in his 2017 raw account of battle, “Blood and Brown...
Wagon Wheel restaurant will close doors after 6 decades
Jodi Susick wasn’t going to miss her chance to order the red devil’s food cake from the Wagon Wheel. “My dad would pick me up on his lunch break and bring me with him for lunch,” said Susick, 49, of Salem as she waited for a massive slice of Our...
3 injured in crash that shut down parts of Interstate 70 in Westmoreland County
An adult and child were flown to a hospital after being injured in a two-vehicle crash that shut down parts of Interstate 70 in Westmoreland County Thursday night. Dispatchers from 911 said another person was taken to a hospital by ambulance. The adult who was flown had been ejected from...
Election offices are sent envelopes with fentanyl or other substances. Authorities are investigatingVideo
WASHINGTON — Authorities were hunting Thursday for whoever sent suspicious letters — including some containing fentanyl — to elections offices in at least five states this week, delaying the counting of ballots in some local races in the latest instance of threats faced by election workers around the country. The...
Hempfield Area security committee ‘ironing out details’ before renting metal detectors
Hempfield Area School District is considering additional metal or weapons detectors for its buildings, but options to safeguard its schools could depend on staffing levels and training, members of the new security committee said. At the committee’s meeting this week, board member Mike Alfery said the group is considering renting...
Allegheny County announces plan to add beds for homeless population as winter approaches
With temperatures dropping and winter approaching, Allegheny County officials have announced a plan to increase the number of available beds for homeless residents when overflow facilities become full or a shelter has to close unexpectedly. The county Department of Human Services said Thursday it is partnering with the city of...
Remains of Pittsburgh native, shot down over Sicily in 1943, positively identifiedVideo
On July 10, 1943, Pittsburgh native and Army Air Force 2nd Lt. Gilbert Myers was flying a bombing mission over Sicily with crewmates from the 310th Bombardment Group, part of the 381st Bombardment Squadron during World War II. Myers’ B-25 Mitchell was struck by anti-aircraft fire and went down near...
Pittsburgh office market stabilized in 3rd quarter after being pummeled by pandemic
Office vacancies in Pittsburgh stabilized in the third quarter after the market was pummeled by a pandemic that forced many workers out of offices and into their homes, according to reports from two real estate firms. “One of the reasons why you haven’t seen much adjustment to the overall vacancy...
Former Pittsburgh cop facing wiretapping allegations to receive $6,500 monthly pension
A former Pittsburgh police zone commander who retired amid investigations into whether he wiretapped fellow officers will receive a monthly pension of nearly $6,500 unless he’s convicted on criminal charges, police officials said Thursday. The board of managers of Pittsburgh Policemen’s Relief and Pension Fund voted unanimously Thursday to pay...
Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin won’t seek reelection, giving GOP a key pickup opportunityVideo
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Thursday that he won’t seek reelection in 2024, giving Republicans a prime opportunity to pick up a seat in the heavily GOP state. Manchin, 76, said in a statement that he had made the decision “after months of deliberation...
TV Talk: Strike’s end means filming will return to Western Pa., including a Sammy Davis Jr. limited series
With the actors’ strike over, though yet to be officially ratified by the members of SAG-AFTRA (they will ratify it), everyone wants to know: When will things go back to normal? When will my favorite shows return? It’s going to be a little bit yet. Regarding local production, “Mayor of...
Former Bethel Park police lieutenant pleads guilty to smuggling Venezuelan woman into U.S.
A former Bethel Park police lieutenant pleaded guilty Wednesday to helping a woman illegally enter the United States from Mexico because he said he “loved her” and she could “keep his house.” Blake Babin, 59, will be sentenced March 13 in federal court on a single count of transporting an...
Medical examiner identifies pedestrian killed Nov. 9 in North Braddock crash
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office on Saturday identified a pedestrian struck and killed by a car Nov. 9 in North Braddock. Harry King, 75, of Braddock, was killed when a motorist driving north on Braddock Avenue went off the roadway around 8:15 a.m. and struck him, police and the...
Hollywood’s strikes are both now over as actors reach deal with studios, return to work with writers
LOS ANGELES — On Thursday, for the first time in more than six months, neither Hollywood’s actors nor its writers will be on strike. The long-awaited clearing in the industry’s stormiest season in decades comes as a deal was reached late Wednesday to end what was, at nearly four months,...
2 antisemitic incidents in Pittsburgh bring annual tally to nearly twice 2022’s figure
Two antisemitic incidents — a “threatening” Instagram meme and graffiti scrawled at the University of Pittsburgh’s campus — were reported this week to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, bringing 2023’s number of incidents to 242, nearly twice the total reported last year. Security officials released the information Thursday morning,...
More questions than answers in search for man seen jumping from Hulton Bridge
More questions than answers remain as authorities continue to search the Allegheny River for a man witnesses say jumped from the Hulton Bridge between Harmar and Oakmont after crashing his car Tuesday evening. The man remains missing and unidentified publicly, Harmar police Chief Jason Domaratz said Thursday while providing an...
Shadyside Gap employee accused of secretly taking photos of customer in changing room
A employee of the Gap clothing store in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside was accused of secretly taking photos of a woman in a changing room in September. Police responded to the Walnut Street store after a caller reported trying on clothes in a dressing room when she saw a phone camera appear...
Lawsuit: Man removed from transplant list after UPMC officer assaulted him, falsified charges
A UPMC police officer assaulted a Uniontown man during a medical transport and then lied about the incident to file criminal charges and have him involuntarily committed, a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday claims. The allegations led to the man’s removal from a liver transplant list, although the charges were ultimately...
Morning Roundup: Man stabbed in Wilkins Township Shop ‘n Save; police investigating purchase made with stolen credit card in Hempfield
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Nov. 9: Man stabbed in fight in Wilkins Township Shop ‘n Save A 42-year-old man was stabbed multiple times during a fight in the Shop ‘n Save in the 3000 block of William Penn Highway in Wilkins Township...
Unity mother reflects on ‘the worst 4 months of my life’ as probe into daughter’s killing stalls
Bruna Vesco Leonard had a few video chats with her 25-year-old daughter on the evening of June 9. Brianna Lartz was visiting a friend in Jeannette, and they were getting ready to eat dinner. Hours later, Leonard was panicked to hear about a shooting at the friend’s home. Leonard said...
Butler Health System losses nearly doubled in 2023, according to financial statements
Butler Health System’s losses almost doubled in the fiscal year ending June 30, according to newly released financial documents. The system, which in January merged with Excela Health to create Independence Health System, lost $43.3 million in fiscal year 2023. Butler Health reported $22.8 million in losses in the fiscal...
Union workers at West View Water Authority poised to strike as contract negotiations drag on more than a year
Members of the Utility Workers Union of America Local 416 at West View Water Authority could go on strike at any time. Union president John Witheral said members voted in May to authorize a strike after negotiations with the authority stalled but have held off. Their last contract, a five-year...
GOP presidential candidates unified on Israel but divided on China as they debate without TrumpVideo
MIAMI — In their first debate since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, the Republican presidential candidates all declared hawkish support for Israel but squabbled over China and Ukraine as they faced growing pressure to try to catch Donald Trump — who was again absent. At center stage were Ron...
SAG-AFTRA committee approves deal with studios to end historic strike
LOS ANGELES — SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee has approved a a tentative deal with the major studios that would end a nearly four-month-long strike that has sidelined thousands of workers. The tentative contract — which still must be ratified by the union’s board and members — would boost minimum pay for...
Westmoreland political leaders take contrasting view of election results
Westmoreland County Democratic leaders had high hopes but few expectations with regards the handful of county races on Tuesday’s ballot. While Republicans maintained control of county government, the more than 31,000 votes received by an underfunded and untested candidate who was on the campaign trail for just two months signaled...
