Top Stories category, Page 601
Some see presidential aspirations in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s school voucher support
HARRISBURG — In the partisan politics of education funding, the school choice movement has pressed states for decades to send taxpayer money to private and religious schools and long had to concentrate its efforts on states where a Republican governor was an ally. That suddenly changed over the summer. Pennsylvania...
At 16%, Westmoreland County tops local population loss estimates
With deaths outpacing births in Southwestern Pennsylvania, counties will continue to lose people through 2050, with Westmoreland’s 16% projected drop the second largest of any county in the Keystone State, according to a new report on population projections. “This is not surprising at all. We’ve been losing population for a...
Voter rolls are new battleground, including in Pa., as intimidation fears grow
SANTA FE, N.M. — A group has been impersonating government officials, harassing New York residents at their homes and falsely accusing them of breaking the law, state officials have warned. But what sounds like a scam aimed at people’s pocketbooks is actually part of a shakedown with a much different...
Derry Township man not guilty of attempted murder of wife
A Derry Township man accused of installing a trip wire to cause the fatal fall of his wife three years ago was found not guilty Friday of attempted murder. Westmoreland County prosecutors claimed William “B.J.” Dankesreiter, 63, spent months plotting his now former wife’s death to end a bad marriage...
Price of a Forever stamp is going up again
The price of First-Class postage is going up again. On Friday, the U.S. Postal Service said the price of a Forever stamp will increase by 2 cents on Jan. 21. The stamp will go from 66 cents to 68 cents. The price hike notice was filed with the Postal Regulatory...
Acquitted of killing St. Clair cop in 2015, Ray Shetler found guilty of assault in case involving deputy sheriff
A New Florence man acquitted in the 2015 killing of a police officer was found guilty of assaulting a deputy sheriff during a violent confrontation with law enforcement officials who attempted to serve an arrest warrant nearly two years ago. Following two days of testimony and more than three hours...
AHN, Johns Hopkins end cancer center partnership
After nearly a decade, Allegheny Health Network and Johns Hopkins are ending their cancer center collaboration. The affiliation between the Pittsburgh-based health care system and the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins was established in 2014 and ended earlier this year. AHN will continue to partner with Johns...
NY appeals court declines to halt Trump’s civil fraud trial while he contests a pretrial ruling
NEW YORK — A New York appeals judge declined Friday to halt Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial, rebuffing the former president’s request to postpone it while he fights a pretrial ruling that could strip him of control of such assets as Trump Tower. The appellate judge agreed that control over...
A Texas killer says a prison fire damaged injection drugs. He wants a judge to stop his execution
HOUSTON — Attorneys for a condemned Texas killer have asked a federal judge to stop his execution, alleging the drugs he is to be injected with next week were exposed to extreme heat and smoke during a recent fire, making them unsafe. The Texas Attorney General’s Office says testing done...
Police bodycam video shows arrest of suspect in 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur
LAS VEGAS — Newly released police body camera video shows officers arresting Duane “Keffe D” Davis on suspicion of murder in the 1996 shooting of Tupac Shakur off the Las Vegas Strip. Davis, 60, was walking near his home in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson on Sept. 29 when...
Kiski gators at rescue center, headed for permanent southern homes
Nathan Lysaght has some alligators to bathe. Nine of the them, actually, all from Thursday night’s roundup of the animals in Kiski Township. “The goal is to safely relocate the nine alligators to rescues in either South Carolina, Texas or Florida,” said Lysaght, director of Nate’s Reptile Rescue in South...
Pittsburgh launches site to track crime
Pittsburgh police Thursday launched a new publicly available, online public safety tool, which provides a general overview of criminal activity that occurs across the city. Data for 2023 is collected from the police bureau’s records management system and will be manually updated on a monthly basis to reflect the preceding...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Oct. 6-9
We’ve reached the weekend — three days off for some on Columbus Day. Here are some ways to spend it. Last call The 16th annual and final Steel City Big Pour will be held on Saturday at Rockwell Park in North Point Breeze. There will be more than 20 restaurants...
Jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi wins the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting women’s oppression
Imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in recognition of her tireless campaigning for women’s rights and democracy and against the death penalty. Mohammadi, 51, has kept up her activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. “This prize is first...
Morning Roundup: Man charged in Downtown stabbing; McKeesport teachers ready to strike
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Oct. 6: Police say argument led to assault A Thursday night altercation near the Second Avenue Commons shelter ended with one man being stabbed, hospitalized and charged with assault. Marvin Kennedy, 53, of Pittsburgh, was awaiting arraignment early...
Columbia Gas tests hydrogen blends in natural gas appliances
Near Beaver Valley Mall in Center, a micro-village is undergoing an experiment. They call it Safety Town. Small cabin-like structures surround a tiny house that’s been outfitted with the usual natural gas appliances you’d find in any home — a stove, water heater, washer and dryer and fireplace. There, Columbia...
Arnold, New Kensington residents express shock that volunteer firefighter is suspect in arsons
Relief that a suspected arsonist in the Arnold and New Kensington area had been captured was tempered with shock that he was a volunteer firefighter and concern that one of the houses he is accused of setting ablaze was his grandmother’s home. “I can’t believe it was her own grandson....
Penn Hills artist helps increase visibility of Tarentum-based animal rescue, Paws Across Pittsburgh
For three years, nonprofit Paws Across Pittsburgh has been saving thousands of animals from high-kill shelters and other tragic situations, all with little fanfare in a nondescript Tarentum building. Enter Penn Hills artist Sean Coffey, who is helping to jazz up the facility’s exterior and draw some much-needed attention from...
Kiski Township man shocked to find wayward alligator on his porch, 9 taken from neighbor’s property
When Tony Gularsky opened the door to his front porch, he had “a rude awakening”: An alligator was blocking his doorway. Gularsky, 60, of Kiski Township, had just gotten out of the hospital on Thursday, and he was expecting some friends were coming to visit him to see how he...
Russian strike on cafe kills 51, Ukrainian officials say, as Zelenskyy seeks more Western supportVideo
HROZA, Ukraine — A Russian rocket blast turned a village cafe and store in eastern Ukraine into rubble Thursday, killing at least 51 civilians in one of the deadliest attacks in the war in months, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials in Kyiv. Rescuers searched for survivors...
Police trooper testifies Derry husband researched ways to kill wife, defense says wife’s story not plausible
A Derry Township husband spent weeks researching potential methods to kill his wife, a state police detective testified on Thursday. State Police Tpr. John Beynon told a Westmoreland County jury William “BJ” Dankesreiter Jr., 63, conducted multiple internet searches about chloroform, other forms of anesthesia, and uses for fishing wire...
New Florence man claims he was targeted for retribution by police over officer’s killing
A New Florence man told jurors he was he severely beaten and blinded in his left eye with a targeted shot from a Taser as retribution for his role in the the 2015 death of a police officer. Ray A. Shetler Jr., 39, testified that a group of masked police...
Federal judge won’t stop Comprehensive Healthcare’s $56 million sale of seven nursing homes
A federal judge on Thursday denied the request of the U.S. Department of Labor to halt the potential $56 million sale of seven nursing homes belonging to an embattled company about to go on trial for violating wage and hour laws. U.S. District Judge William V. Stickman IV said in...
Defense attorneys: Washington County DA seeking death penalty for political reasons
Defense attorneys in a Washington County homicide case are moving to disqualify the appointed district attorney amid allegations that he is misusing the death penalty for political gain as he faces a heated election in November. Jason Walsh, who was appointed to fill the position when District Attorney Gene Vittone...
Trib HSSN don’t miss high school football matchups for 2023 Week 6
September football this season provided tremendous weather and lots and lots of points. So as the calendar turns and October football begins, what can we expect over the next four weekends? The weather won’t be the same, at least for this weekend, as we cool off and bring a serious...
