Top Stories category, Page 582
Protesters call for Westmoreland DA to reopen probe into Derry police dog’s death
A handful of Derry residents protested Wednesday in front of the county courthouse in Greensburg, demanding Westmoreland District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli reopen an investigation into the death of the borough’s police dog. Protest organizer Yvonne Earhart claimed the district attorney’s probe into the August death of Smoke, a 4-year-old Malinois,...
SUV passenger dead in pileup on 1-80 in Mercer County, officials sayVideo
A male passenger in an SUV was killed in a multi-vehicle crash early Wednesday that left Interstate 80 in Mercer County shut down for nearly 11 hours, according to state police. The pileup occurred about 5:45 a.m. in the highway’s eastbound lanes near mile marker 14 in East Lackawannock Township,...
First snow of season hits Western Pennsylvania
Snow hit parts of Western Pennsylvania on Wednesday morning. It began overnight on Halloween. Much of the snow was north of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County in places such as Butler and Mercer counties, as well as Westmoreland County to the east. National Weather Service meteorologists had predicted an accumulation of...
Pittsburgh looks to reduce waste with climate change ‘action plan’
Pittsburgh officials said they’re eyeing ways to cut back on waste, be more environmentally friendly and prepare for potential impacts of climate change as part of the city’s Climate Action Plan. Flore Marion, the city’s energy advisor, said the city’s sustainability and resilience team are working to combat climate change...
Morning Roundup: Man killed in Homestead shooting; boy injured in Halloween hit-and-run
Here are some of the latest news items of note on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Man killed in Homestead shooting A man is dead and another is in critical condition in the hospital following a shooting Wednesday morning in Homestead. The shooting happened about 1:10 a.m. in the 300 block...
U.S. infant mortality rate rose last year — CDC says it’s the largest increase in 2 decades
NEW YORK — The U.S. infant mortality rate rose 3% last year — the largest increase in two decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. White and Native American infants, infant boys and babies born at 37 weeks or earlier had significant death rate increases. The CDC’s...
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in Derry borough, township
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
Warhol Museum set to move ahead with $45 million North Shore entertainment venue
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission on Tuesday approved The Andy Warhol Museum’s new $45 million entertainment venue in the city’s North Shore. The 57,776-square-foot entertainment venue on Sandusky Street is slated to include a first-floor concert venue with standing room for up to 1,000 people. Plans presented to the commission also showed...
Vehicle, cash stolen in 2 robberies on same night at Bloomfield, Shadyside businesses
Pittsburgh police are investigating whether there is a connection between two armed robberies that occurred shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday in the city’s adjacent Bloomfield and Shadyside neighborhoods. In the first robbery, in the 4700 block of Baum Boulevard, a man forced the staff at Mercedes-Benz of Pittsburgh into the...
State House approves funding for Pitt, Penn State, 2 others — but with a stipulation the universities are balking at
The state House passed legislation Tuesday that Democrats and Republicans quickly hailed as progress toward ending a monthslong stalemate over this year’s appropriations to the University of Pittsburgh and other state-related institutions. But at least one potential glitch has developed — a big one. The House, where Democrats hold a...
Bills to combat hate crimes gain Pennsylvania House approval
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Three bills seeking to expand and strengthen Pennsylvania’s anti-hate crime statutes were passed Tuesday by the state House of Representatives. All members of the chamber’s Democratic majority supported the proposals along with a handful of Republicans, voting amid national concerns about a spike in hate crimes during...
Amazon discriminated against Muslim women at Pittsburgh distribution center, lawsuit says
Three Muslim women who wear hijabs are suing Amazon saying that they were subjected to religious discrimination while working at a Pittsburgh distribution center last year. Yvette Smith and her two daughters, Tiara Smith and Sadaira Smith, of Pittsburgh’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. filed the federal complaint on Monday alleging religious, race...
Police step up patrols after antisemitic graffiti scrawled in Squirrel Hill
Pittsburgh police said Tuesday they are increasing patrols in Squirrel Hill following the second incident in under a week of antisemitic vandalism appearing in the neighborhood with the city’s largest Jewish population. Police received reports Tuesday morning of graffiti scrawled on the sidewalks at a parklet in the Summerset at...
Pittsburgh rabbis urge Rep. Summer Lee to take stand against Hamas, terrorism
A group of 40 rabbis and cantors from the Pittsburgh region are denouncing recent votes by U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, in connection with the Israel-Hamas war. Rabbi Dan Fellman of Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill organized an open letter, released Tuesday, and said its signatories represent a broad swath...
Lawsuit: Washington County DA, judge conspired against man for invoking 5th Amendment
A Donora man who claims he was jailed for five days for invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination is suing Washington County’s district attorney and president judge. Elijah White, 24, filed the federal lawsuit on Tuesday including claims for false imprisonment, false arrest, malicious prosecution, due process violations, conspiracy,...
Pittsburgh adds grace period to controversial purple curb parking program
Pittsburgh’s controversial smart loading zone program is set to be revamped after some local residents and business owners expressed confusion and frustration over the new initiative. The smart loading zones, marked with purple-painted curbs and matching signs, were meant to make it easier for delivery drivers to get in and...
Lawsuit alleges wrongful arrest by Pittsburgh police following incident at Brookline bar
A family is suing the city of Pittsburgh and several police officers, claiming they were wrongfully arrested two years ago following an altercation at a Brookline bar. Matthew Hindman, Angie Hindman and their daughter Brianna Holland filed the lawsuit in federal court on Monday alleging claims for malicious prosecution, due...
Man accused of planting hidden camera, filming 12-year-old girl
A Moon resident is headed to court on charges that he planted a hidden camera on a toilet to film a 12-year-old girl showering, and also possessed pornographic images of other children. Justin James Stokes, 34, waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday morning and is set to be arraigned in Common...
Recycling pumpkins is good for wildlife, environment
The carved and uncarved pumpkins that will be in businesses and homes over Halloween can be put to good use once trick-or-treat is over. Just like glass, plastic, tin, aluminum, paper and cardboard, the old pumpkins can be recycled and put to good use for the environment, the state Department...
Progressive Sara Innamorato and centrist Joe Rockey square off to become next Allegheny County executive
Allegheny County will see a new top elected official for the first time in 12 years, as a progressive candidate faces a Republican campaigning on centrist views who hopes moderate Democrats will cross party lines at the polls next week. County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, a Democrat, is leaving office after...
Charges filed against Pa. trooper accused of domestic violence in Derry Township are subject of probe
State police are reviewing why a domestic violence allegation against a state trooper based in Greensburg initially resulted in a summary harassment charge. The harassment citation was not the charge recommended by the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office based on its review of the case which was investigated by state...
Morning Roundup: Police say Homestead school teacher assaulted; arrests made for Anderson Bridge graffiti
Here are some of the latest news items of note on Tuesday, Oct. 31: Man charged with assaulting Homestead elementary teacher A man is facing multiple charges after police said a teacher was assaulted outside a Homestead elementary school. Court paperwork said the assault happened shortly after 3:20 p.m. Monday...
Cold, snowy Halloween in store for Western Pa.
A cold and snowy Halloween is in store for the Pittsburgh area, according to the National Weather Service. “In terms of accumulations, we’re really not expecting much,” said meteorologist Tim Cermak with the National Weather Service office in Moon. “We’re expecting about an inch, possibly as high as an inch-and-a-half...
Charges dismissed against man accused of stealing Steelers QB Kenny Pickett’s SUV
Charges were dismissed Monday against a Murrysville man who had been accused by police of taking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett’s SUV from a car dealership in Monroeville. Court records show charges were dismissed by District Judge Jeffrey L. Herbst. Christopher Carter, 60, who had been scheduled for a preliminary...
3 New Kensington brothers among 10 to be honored for 50 years of volunteer firefighting service
The Davis boys looked up to Tippy. Growing up in New Kensington’s Parnassus neighborhood in the 1960s, elder brother Larry, twins John and Perry, and Bruce, the youngest of the four, would see their neighbor and volunteer firefighter H.C. “Tippy” Robertson run out of his house when the fire whistle...
