Top Stories category, Page 576
Penn State student calls for federal probe after students denied access to campus crime data
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. STATE COLLEGE — Nick Rizzio wanted to know why Penn State was sending fewer crime alerts. He had anecdotes. He had emails. He had theories....
Arnold Palmer airport celebrates 3 millionth passenger, looks toward expansion
When Steve Smith arrived at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport on Monday for a flight to Myrtle Beach, he became the 3 millionth passenger to leave there on a Spirit Airlines flight. “I didn’t even look at my ticket,” said Smith, 66, of Saltlick. “Usually, my wife’s the lucky one.”...
3 people taken to hospital after fire at Greensburg’s Pershing Square apartments
Three people were taken to a hospital Monday after a fire in an apartment at Pershing Square in Greensburg that displaced residents of four units. Two of the injured were a city firefighter and the occupant of the unit where the flames started, according to Fire Chief Tom Bell. “The...
Hezbollah and Hamas’ military wings in Lebanon exchange fire with Israel; tension rises along border
RMEISH, Lebanon — The military wing of Palestinian group Hamas said Monday it fired rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel, triggering Israeli airstrikes on the Lebanese side of the border. The Qassam Brigades said in a statement its militants fired 16 rockets on the town of Nahariya and the southern...
Mark Madden: When Penguins go splat, core 3 will head elsewhere
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 10-2 win at San Jose on Saturday was fun but insignificant. The Sharks (0-10-1) may be historically bad. The Penguins (4-6-0, last in the Metropolitan Division) started their season rotten against perhaps the easiest part of their schedule. That victory, while needed, is like slapping a butterfly...
Man arrested after rampage at North Side convenience store
A 29-year-old man was arraigned in court Monday after police say he attacked several people a day earlier at a 7-Eleven in the North Side. Tyler Vick entered the Western Avenue convenience store at about 11:55 a.m. on Sunday and, after trying to pay for several items with just a...
Derry man accused of pointing gun at bar patrons, using racial slur
A Derry Borough man is behind bars after Latrobe police said he pointed a gun at two men and directed a racial slur at them. Charles Noel, 67, is charged with two counts each of aggravated assault, terroristic threats and ethnic intimidation. The incident was reported at 10:30 p.m. Saturday...
Westmoreland City man arrested after car chase, crash, dump truck theft
A Westmoreland City man was arrested Sunday after leading state troopers on a car chase, fleeing the scene of a crash and stealing a commercial vehicle in Indiana County. Police stopped Terry Bruce Ely Jr.’s 2008 Chevrolet Aveo on Sunday around 5:19 p.m. on Route 119 in Center Township after...
Harrison woman faces criminal charges after German shepherd attacks 5th person, a township police officer
A Harrison woman is facing criminal charges that include reckless endangerment after her German shepherd attacked a township police officer. It is the third such incident, and fifth attack, made by the dog, police Chief Brian Turack said. Daureen Linn, 49, of North Meadow Street is scheduled for a preliminary...
Protester confronts Fetterman on Gaza stance at McKeesport rally
Police were called on to remove a protester from an election event in McKeesport on Sunday night after he loudly criticized Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, for his position on not calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Fetterman was among the speakers at a Get Out The Vote rally for Democratic...
Trump lashes out from the witness stand at judge, NY attorney general as he testifies in fraud trial
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump vigorously defended his wealth and business on Monday, tangling from the witness stand with the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial and denouncing as a “political witch hunt” a lawsuit accusing him of dramatically inflating his net worth. Trump’s long-awaited testimony about property...
Election HQ: Western Pennsylvania voter guide to 2023 general election
General election day in Pennsylvania is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. The state has an online tool to let voters find their polling place by entering their address here. For more...
Morning Roundup: Man surrenders to SWAT in Upper Hill; 4 injured in Fayette County crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Nov. 6: Man surrenders following SWAT situation in Upper Hill A man surrendered to Pittsburgh police around 5:30 a.m. Monday after a SWAT incident that lasted nearly an hour in the city’s Upper Hill neighborhood. Police responded around...
What would recreational marijuana legalization do for Pennsylvania tax revenue?
Seven years after Pennsylvania legalized marijuana for medical use, lawmakers are debating whether to allow recreational use — and what that would look like. It has created quite a buzz in the evolving industry. “Pennsylvania has a lot of market potential,” said Brendan Mitchel- Chesebro, a marketing content manager for...
Election Day races to watch across the region on Tuesday
From the Westmoreland County commissioners to the Allegheny County executive and district attorney, numerous high-profile races will greet voters on Election Day. Arguably, no race has been more contentious than for state Supreme Court, where Republican Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Carluccio and Democratic Superior Court Judge...
Call to help find missing man draws robust response from communities that know him well
The turnout Sunday on short- notice caught even the organizers by surprise. More than 200 volunteers, some clinging as tightly to their optimism as their walking sticks, chose to forgo a cloudless autumn day ripe for relaxation to join what arguably was a long shot search and rescue effort for...
‘You don’t have to let it go in the river:’ Breeders, owners defend exotic pets, push responsible care
Of the 600 to 700 reptiles Jessie Freeman brought to the Westmoreland Reptile Expo on Sunday, the crocodiles are his favorite. “They’re cool. They can hide and thrash out on you so fast, yet … if you understand their behavior, you can interact with them,” said Freeman of Asheboro, N.C....
Ligonier, Laurel Mountain residents asked to boil, conserve water following main break
Residents in Ligonier and Laurel Mountain boroughs and portions of Ligonier and Fairfield townships will have to boil their water before use following a water main break Sunday near Waterford. The main break occurred along the transmission line from the Greater Johnstown Water Authority, said Matt Junker, spokesperson for the...
Burrell football coach says playoff opponent used racial slurs, his protest led to ejection
Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta said his players were targeted with racial slurs in a game Friday against Mohawk and that he was ejected after confronting game officials about it. “Their kids were repeatedly using racist remarks toward our kids,” said Liotta, a sixth-year coach at Burrell. “Our coaches and...
Trump’s decades of testimony provide some clues about how he’ll fight for his real estate empire
NEW YORK — Donald Trump has testified in court as a football owner, casino builder and airline buyer. He bragged in a deposition that he saved “millions of lives” by deterring nuclear war as president. Another time, he fretted about the dangers of flung fruit. Conditioned by decades of trials...
Building the Valley: Upper Burrell’s Union Barn event venue brings people together
As a former police officer, Mike Seefeld often saw people at their worst. Now, he’s seeing them at their best at his family’s new business, the Union Barn in Upper Burrell. “I wanted to do something totally different from what I’ve been doing,” he said. Seefield and his wife, Susie,...
Gaza has lost telecom contact again, while Israel’s military announces it has surrounded Gaza City
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Gaza came under the third total communications outage since the start of the war, while Israel’s military announced late Sunday that it had encircled Gaza City and divided the besieged coastal strip into two. “Today there is north Gaza and south Gaza,” Rear Adm. Daniel...
Drop in Jeannette’s Democratic voters reflected in city council shift
In the past 20 years, the number of Democrats registered to vote in Jeannette has decreased by about 2,000 while the number of Republican voters has risen by 400, according to West moreland County statistics. Now, that shift will be reflected in city council. After Tuesday’s election and once a new...
Spending of covid relief to be focus of new commissioners’ board
Westmoreland commissioners voted last week to allocate $270,000 from the county’s pool of American Rescue Plan funds, and, as a result, about half of the $105 million pool of covid-relief cash received from the federal government in 2021 has been spent. Commissioners will have nearly $53 million to allocate by...
School board meetings attract crowds as races become next political frontier
From book bans to gender-neutral bathrooms, culture wars have found a battlefield in Western Pennsylvania schools. National politics increasingly are influencing school boards, as party lines are splitting members over hot button issues such as sex education, trans rights and the appropriateness of classroom materials. School boards’ once-marginally attended monthly...
