Top Stories category, Page 612
MAWC warns of mandatory water restrictions as dry autumn persists
Mandatory water conservation could begin as early as next week for customers in the northern half of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County’s service area as water levels at the Beaver Run Reservoir continue to fall amid a dry autumn season. Authority manager Michael Kukura said more than 56,000 customers...
Excela pays $10M to settle suits by 2 cardiologists, doctors’ attorney says
Excela Health is paying $10 million to settle civil suits brought by two cardiologists who formerly held staff privileges at the health system’s Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, according to an attorney representing the doctors. In the suits that were dropped Tuesday in Allegheny County Court, Drs. George Bou Samra and...
Spending on Pa. Supreme Court race broke records, set precedent for outside influence
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — The candidates for Pennsylvania Supreme Court and their allies spent at least $22 million to influence the race’s outcome, with much of that...
Bills aim to hold lawmakers liable for costs to settle sexual harassment cases against them
Taxpayers no longer would foot the bill when the state settles cases in which state lawmakers are accused of sexual misconduct under a legislative package proposed Wednesday by members of the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus. “This will ensure perpetrators don’t get off scot-free,” said state Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa, R-Fayette....
Plans advance for new Downtown police substation on Wood Street
Pittsburgh police are looking to open a new, larger substation Downtown as some people continue to voice concerns about safety in the Golden Triangle. Public safety officials said they hope to open a new substation at 439 Wood St. to replace the current Zone 2 substation at 604 Liberty Ave....
Pittsburgh’s Frick Park being considered for historic designation
Pittsburgh’s Frick Park may soon receive historic designation. The 644-acre park in the city’s Swisshelm Park, Squirrel Hill South, Regent Square and Point Breeze neighborhoods is a “visual landmark” in those communities, said Sarah Quinn, of Pittsburgh’s Department of City Planning. It was nominated for historic designation by Preservation Pittsburgh,...
2 men arrested during SWAT raid at New Kensington home
Two men who are awaiting trial on drug charges were accused of making and selling crack cocaine at a New Kensington home raided by a SWAT team Tuesday morning. Police charged the homeowner, Andrew Michael “Sly” Slywczuk, 39, of the 400 block of Charles Avenue, with two felony counts of...
Peters man pleads to involuntary manslaughter for role in deadly fight outside Baldwin bar
A Peters man involved in a deadly fight at Baldwin’s Loose Moose Saloon more than two years ago pleaded guilty Wednesday to involuntary manslaughter. Zachary Blake, 24, is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20 for his role in the death of Mark Thompson, 51, of South Park. Involuntary manslaughter...
Ohio commission approves fracking in state parks and wildlife areas despite fraud investigation
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Some state parks can be fracked in Ohio, a decision made by a government commission Wednesday despite an ongoing investigation into oil and gas companies claiming possible fraudulent support. During a raucous meeting attended by many fracking opponents, the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission OK’d...
Analysis: Change is coming to Pitt football program, like it or not
After the 2022 season, Pat Narduzzi had the luxury of keeping that desk drawer locked where he stores his list of assistant coach candidates. It would be a big surprise if he doesn’t go looking for the key this offseason. There is always collateral damage when a team has a...
Invenergy scraps plan for gas-fueled power plant in southern Allegheny County
A Chicago-based company has scrapped plans to build a natural gas-fueled power plant on the Youghiogheny River in southern Allegheny County. Invenergy requested to terminate its Allegheny County Health Department permit for the project last week, according to county records. A company spokesperson said Invenergy was dropping the proposal in...
Tyler Murray upgrades from Amazon worker to Steelers linebacker
Tuesday, Tyler Murray was working a shift at Amazon. “I was in my uniform and all,” Murray said. About 24 hours later, Murray took part in a practice for the Pittsburgh Steelers. “It was crazy,” Murray said from a locker stall just assigned to him at the UPMC Rooney Sports...
NTSB at scene of deadly Ohio interstate crash involving busload of high school studentsVideo
ETNA, Ohio — A National Transportation Safety Board team was planning to start work Wednesday at the scene of a deadly highway crash in Ohio involving a charter bus filled with high school students that left six people dead and 18 injured. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the team would...
Barring ‘thin blue line’ flag on Pennsylvania township property is unconstitutional, U.S. court rules
A federal court has ruled that a Pennsylvania community’s resolution prohibiting the display of an American flag with a thin blue line on all township property is unconstitutional. The ruling about the flag that’s also used as part of the police union’s logo came down Monday. The dispute in Springfield...
Man found fatally shot in Munhall apartment complex
Allegheny County Police are investigating a homicide they said took place early Wednesday in Munhall. According to a 911 dispatcher, EMS and police arrived to the 500 block of E. Ninth Ave. around 4 a.m. Police said a man in his early 30s was shot and killed inside an apartment...
15-year-old teen shot, killed in Wilmerding
Allegheny County Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a teenager Tuesday night. According to police, first responders arrived around 11:30 p.m. to a 911 call reporting a shooting in the 300 block of Patton Street. Once on scene, police said they found the victim, a male teenager, with a...
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in North Huntingdon
(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...
Pennsylvania House OKs $1.8 billion pension boost for government and public school retirees
HARRISBURG — Democrats who control the state House of Representatives on Tuesday advanced an estimated $1.8 billion boost to the pensions of Pennsylvania state government and public school retirees, while some Republicans said taxpayers will unfairly shoulder the financial burden. The legislation passed 140-63, with every Democrat supporting it. It...
Pitt-Greensburg student struck by car near campus entrance
A University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg student was struck by a vehicle Tuesday evening near the entrance to the college in Hempfield, according to school officials. First responders were called to the intersection of Mt. Pleasant Road and University Drive just after 5 p.m., according to a Westmoreland County 911...
Toxicologist continues testimony in Springdale injunction proceedings
A Texas-based toxicologist testified Tuesday that health complaints reported by some Springdale residents following the June implosion of two towering smokestacks at the former power plant there are consistent to exposure of materials and fibers from the implosion. But the defense attorneys for the landowner and demolition company attempted to...
Westmoreland airport contemplates future as airline merger looms
Local leaders insist they don’t know what the future holds for Arnold Palmer Regional Airport amid fears the Unity facility’s lone carrier could pull up stakes pending the outcome of a proposed airline merger. “We don’t have a plan,” said Westmoreland County Airport Authority board member Richard Ridilla. “No one...
Astrobotic expansion could spur creation of ‘space district’ in Pittsburgh, officials say
Pittsburgh’s leading space company said Tuesday it plans to move some of its operations into a $20 million office building on the North Side and more than double its workforce. Astrobotic, a Manchester-based company that builds equipment to send to the moon, said it has bought a five-story building on...
Pathologist testifies Apollo woman was killed by shot to back of head at storage unit
Kelly Steele was shot execution style with one round fired from a semi-automatic pistol pressed against the back of her head, according to testimony Tuesday in the second day of her husband’s murder trial. Forensic pathologist Dr. Jennifer Hammers testified Steele, 41, was killed as a bullet traveled through her...
Forest Hills man gets house arrest for Plum crash that left 1 dead, 1 seriously injured
Jean Armany suffered serious injuries on June 15, 2018, when her car was broadsided by a man driving recklessly in Plum. The Shaler woman had 25 fractures that required immobilizers and surgery and her lacerated lungs required chest tubes. Her 90-year-old mother, Olga Kocon, a passenger in Armany’s car, was...
Body of missing Springdale man recovered from Allegheny River
The body of a Springdale man who had been missing since Oct. 30 was recovered Tuesday afternoon from the Allegheny River. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the identity of the man as Sean Michael Dugan, 58, of Springdale. His body was found in the river near Penn Hills....
