Top Stories category, Page 619
Westbound turnpike reopens after road repairs from tanker truck crash near New Stanton
The Pennsylvania Turnpike’s westbound lanes from Breezewood to New Stanton reopened Friday morning after repairs to the highway as a result of a crash Thursday near the New Stanton exit. One person was hospitalized after a tanker tractor-trailer overturned about 1:50 p.m. Thursday during a collision with a flatbed tractor-trailer....
Pittsburgh International Airport to auction off abandoned items
People leave a lot of odd items at the Pittsburgh International Airport and the public will soon have an opportunity to bid on some of them. The airport is hosting its annual auction in October and this year’s items up for bid include cars, jewelry, Marc Jacobs and Telfar bags,...
Official: Boil water advisory for Leechburg area could extend past Saturday
Depending on test results, the earliest a boil water advisory would be lifted for people in the Leechburg area would be Saturday, according to authorities. The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County issued a precautionary boil water advisory Monday for its customers in Leechburg, West Leechburg, Hyde Park and part of...
Penn State study says spotted lanternflies don’t damage trees, forests
Spotted lanternflies have overtaken much of Pennsylvania and are expanding their reach, but a new study reports that the invasive insects are doing less damage to trees than previously believed. Research from Penn State recently published in the journal Environmental Entomology shows spotted lanternflies have no long-term effects on forests...
Kiski Township supervisors toss animal regulation proposal amid pet alligator escapes
Regulations governing the keeping of animals in Kiski Township are unchanged, for now. Facing a crush of public criticism and opposition, the township supervisors voted Wednesday to toss out the draft of an ordinance governing everything from pets to farm animals. It specifically would ban crocodilians, including the American alligator....
Route 28 lane restrictions set for the weekend in Harmar
Route 28 motorists will encounter lane restrictions in Harmar beginning Friday. The restrictions, expected to last until Monday afternoon, will occur on two bridges so crews can perform work on expansion dams and the approaches to the bridges, according to PennDOT. Beginning at 6 p.m. Friday and running continuously through...
Norwin grad Colleen Shogan sworn in as first woman to serve as U.S. archivist
WASHINGTON — Southwestern Pennsylvania native Colleen Shogan was sworn in as the 11th Archivist of the United States on Monday, marking the first time a woman has been appointed to oversee billions of the nation’s records and artifacts since the role was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Supreme Court...
NASA releases UFO report and says more science and less stigma are needed to understand them
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA said Thursday that the study of UFOs will require new scientific techniques, including advanced satellites as well as a shift in how unidentified flying objects are perceived. The space agency released the findings after a yearlong study into UFOs. In its 33-page report, an independent...
Morning Roundup: Firefighters battle chemical blaze in Washington County
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Sept. 14: Firefighters battle chemical blaze in Washington County Emergency crews were called to the scene of a fire Wednesday night at Reaxis Specialty Chemical in Washington County. Crews reported to the 900 block of Robinson Highway at...
Aspinwall’s revived media policy raises freedom of speech concerns
Aspinwall is limiting access to how information is given out to the public, prompting some media experts to say this could be a roadblock to adequate communication with residents. All questions, requests and comments from the media must be submitted to Aspinwall Council President Tim McLaughlin and borough Manager Melissa...
Tarentum boaters start dismantling docks ahead of deadline
Tom Kish sat on his Tarentum boat dock Wednesday and watched 20 years of work, dreams, money and family memories go up in smoke. Friends helped him dismantle a wooden roof from his 28-by-24-foot deck and toss it into a fire along the Allegheny River shoreline. “This was a happy...
Westmoreland County equipment auction seeks bids on cars, pedal boats, skis
Westmoreland County officials are having a garage sale — of sorts. Among the many items up for grabs are about 12,000 covid-era disposable plastic face shields looking for a new home. Unused personal protective equipment accumulated during the early days of the pandemic is among the nearly 200 lots up...
Monongahela mother charged after death of infant son
A Monongahela mother was charged with homicide following the death of her 12-day-old son Tuesday. Monongahela City Police and Tri Community Ambulance Service were dispatched to the home of Darian Helmantoler, 22, of Monongahela, just before 9 a.m. Tuesday, according to court documents. The Washington County 911 Dispatch Center reported...
UAW chief says offers from Detroit companies are inadequate, says union is ready to go on strikeVideo
DETROIT — With just over 24 hours left before a strike deadline, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said Wednesday that offers from the companies aren’t enough and the union is getting ready to strike. In an online address to union members, Fain said General Motors, Ford and Stellantis have...
Federal judge again declares that DACA is illegal with issue likely to be decided by Supreme Court
HOUSTON — While a federal judge on Wednesday declared illegal a revised version of a federal policy that prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, he declined to order an immediate end to the program and the protections it offers to recipients....
Beer wholesaler opens 300,000-square-foot warehouse in Salem, more than 100 jobs anticipated
Happy hour started a little early for Frank Fuhrer III and his guests Wednesday afternoon. It’s only appropriate — Fuhrer was cutting the ribbon on a new 300,000-square-foot warehouse for his beer and soda pop distribution business, so getting a few coolers full of beer was a matter of walking...
Jury finds Mt. Pleasant man not guilty of shooting at police
Richard Teeters has heard the whispers and noticed the stares from community members since his arrest more than two years ago on charges that he fired a handgun toward police as they responded to his Mt. Pleasant Borough residence following a report of a home invasion. He said he hopes...
North Side residents offer mixed opinions on Allegheny General Hospital’s proposed development plan
People in Pittsburgh’s North Side expressed mixed opinions about Allegheny General Hospital’s potential development plans for the next decade during a City Council public hearing Wednesday. The potential development plans, contained in AGH’s proposed 10-year institutional master plan, earned the support of the city’s Planning Commission in June. None of...
McKeesport homicide suspect arrested in Larimer, officials say
A Pittsburgh man suspected in a deadly McKeesport shooting last year has been arrested, authorities said Wednesday. Detectives from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office arrested Vernon Eutsey, 27, of Hazelwood, in the 600 block of Paulson Avenue in the city’s Larimer neighborhood, spokesman Mike Manko said. Eutsey has been a...
Men get mandatory life in prison for Downtown shooting that killed 18-month-oldVideo
Dea’Shea Green told a judge that she hasn’t been herself for one year, three months and seven days — since her 18-month-old son, De’Avry Thomas, was killed in a drive-by shooting Downtown. Green said she struggles to sleep because every time she closes her eyes, the events of May 29,...
Pa. lawmakers look to thwart ‘grinch bots’ from price gouging concert tickets
HARRISBURG — Buying tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour proved a fiasco for the pop star’s legion of fans, largely blamed on computer software leveraged by scalpers to circumvent purchasing limits, snatch up tickets at face value and resell them online at an enormous markup. Tickets originally priced from $49...
Trump waives right to speedy trial as Georgia prosecutor seeks to try him with 18 others next month
ATLANTA — Former President Donald Trump is waiving his right to seek a speedy trial in the Georgia case in which he and 18 others are accused of participating in an illegal scheme to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election. Trump’s filing is part of the legal maneuvering...
Biden brushes off House impeachment inquiry, says Republicans want to shut down the government
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden late Wednesday brushed off the House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry, saying the way he sees it, they launched the investigation against him because they want to shut down the federal government. Biden, speaking at a Democratic fundraiser in Virginia, said that instead of being concerned about...
Bridgeville man died in Allegheny County Jail of brain hemorrhage, officials say
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled a Bridgeville man’s May death at Allegheny County Jail an accident. James Washington, 42, died from a brain hemorrhage, the medical examiner’s office said. Washington was being processed into the jail around 9:30 a.m. May 7 when he became unresponsive, the medical examiner’s...
Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante captured after 2 weeks on the run
POTTSTOWN — A murderer who brazenly escaped from a Pennsylvania jail was captured Wednesday in the woods by a team of tactical officers, bringing an end to an intense search that terrified residents as the fugitive broke into homes for food, changed his appearance, and stole a van and rifle...
