Top Stories category, Page 625
Powerball jackpot up to $1.4 billion after no one matches all the numbers
PINEVILLE, N.C. — The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.4 billion after no players matched all six numbers and hit it rich Wednesday night. The winning numbers announced were: 9, 35, 54, 63, 64 and the Powerball 1. Players will next have a shot at the Powerball jackpot Saturday...
Greensburg Central Catholic principal and director of admissions resigned last month, search is ongoing
Three high-level administrators have left Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School since June. Principal Kevin Frye resigned without warning effective immediately Sept. 6, two weeks into the academic year. Director of Admissions Elyse Bogner resigned in the same fashion Sept. 8. The assistant principal, Nicole Marchese, left in June —...
Coroner IDs 2 victims fatally shot in Pittsburgh’s Hill District
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified two people killed Wednesday following a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood. Robert Lee Freeman, Jr., 33, of Pittsburgh, was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head at 3:09 a.m. in the 2300 block of Webster Avenue, after Pittsburgh police...
911 dispatch centers struggle with staff shortages
It’s a call that can save someone’s life, but the local centers where 911 dispatchers work to answer those pleas for help are seeing more and more empty work spaces. Officials say staffing issues continue to plague emergency dispatch centers as municipalities struggle to fill shifts and force employees to...
3 Philadelphia officers injured in shooting after dispute about video game, police say; suspect dead
PHILADELPHIA — Three Philadelphia police officers responding to a home where people were arguing about a video game were wounded in a shootout Wednesday evening, authorities said. Acting Police Commissioner John Stanford told reporters the suspect was killed. The officers were taken to an area hospital, where they were in...
Arnold firefighter charged in connection with 4 arson fires in New Kensington, Arnold
An Arnold man who just returned to the Arnold Volunteer Fire Company has been charged with arson in connection with four fires over the weekend in New Kensington and Arnold. Authorities said that in one of the arsons, Andrew J. Bischof, 21, of Arnold set the fire, left the scene...
Officers describe intense struggle to arrest New Florence man wanted on bench warrant; defense questions police motives
The injuries Ray A. Shetler Jr. suffered in December 2021 while he was taken into custody on a bench warrant didn’t need to happen, according to police. But, when Shetler, 39, of New Florence, was confronted in a St. Clair Township mobile home, police officers serving that warrant said, he...
Testimony about chloroform presented at trial of man accused of trying to make wife fall down basement stairs
The bottle of chloroform was tucked away in William “B.J.” Dankesreiter’s Derry Township basement behind numerous paint cans, according to neighbor Gary Simms. He was helping Laura Dankesreiter clean the basement last year and immediately became suspicious. The paper label was turned in to the face the wall, Simms testified...
Carnegie Museum of Art gives up $1 million Egon Schiele drawing as original owner’s heirs drop lawsuit
For the first time since 1960, the Carnegie Museum of Art will be absent its million-dollar Egon Schiele drawing, “Portrait of a Man.” The museum Wednesday renounced its claim to the 1917 artwork, ending a criminal probe into whether the piece was stolen property and capping a long legal battle...
Attack ads and millions of dollars flow into race for Pennsylvania Supreme Court seat
HARRISBURG — Spending in the campaign for an open Pennsylvania state Supreme Court seat is picking up, with millions of dollars flowing into the race as the sides sharpen their attacks over questions about ethics and abortion rights. The race between Democrat Dan McCaffery and Republican Carolyn Carluccio won’t change...
RIDC sells historic roundhouse in McKeesport
A remnant of U.S. Steel’s operations in McKeesport has a new owner. RIDC has sold the historic McKeesport Connecting Railroad roundhouse to W&E Investment LLC for $273,000. The four-acre parcel is located at RIDC’s Industrial Center of McKeesport. The McKeesport Connecting Railroad was a division of U.S. Steel that connected...
Mining company employee killed in Somerset County mine accident
HOLLSOPPLE — A mining company employee was crushed to death in an accident involving a shuttle car in a Somerset County mine, authorities said. LCT Energy said in a statement that the man became trapped between the car and an interior wall of the company’s Maple Springs mine on Monday...
No evidence to support criminal charges in Derry police dog death, DA says
After investigating the death of Derry police dog Smoke, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday there is “not evidence to support charging a criminal offense at this time.” The DA’s office said it conducted a “thorough and extensive investigation” into the euthanasia of the dog after an incident...
Penn State suspends fraternity over alleged hazing incident
A Penn State University fraternity has been suspended for four years following an investigation into an alleged hazing incident. The sanction imposed on the Delta Theta chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity runs through fall 2027. Details of the incident were not released by the university. The fraternity chapter was...
Pittsburgh Public Schools employee accused of raping teen ordered to stand trial
A Pittsburgh Public Schools employee has been ordered to stand trial on charges that he raped a 14-year-old girl this summer at his Baldwin home. Bryan Deering, 46, is accused of giving the girl alcohol and at least two “marijuana cigarettes” before sexually assaulting and raping her after a night...
Bail set at $3M for Penn State student charged with vehicular homicide in State College crash
BELLEFONTE — Centre County’s top judge set bail at $3 million Wednesday for a Penn State student charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a fellow student who was killed while jogging near the University Park campus. Centre County President Judge Jonathan Grine’s ruling gave Ahmed M. Alqubaisi, 20,...
Missing HBO docuseries star Patrick Pespas reportedly visited Ross barVideo
Missing HBO docuseries star Patrick J. Pespas of “Telemarketers” reportedly was at a Ross bar Saturday evening, according to one of the series’ co-directors. On Saturday, Adam Bhala Lough, who made “Telemarketers” with Sam Lipman-Stern, posted to X, formerly Twitter, that Pespas has been missing since Friday and that he...
Hempfield Area School District committees to discuss high school renovation finances
Members of Hempfield Area School District’s buildings and grounds and finance committees will discuss the financial situation of the stalled high school renovation project tonight. The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the administration building, 4347 Route 136. It will feature presentations from the district’s business manager, bond counsel...
A Gathering of Chefs: Chef Martin Thomas leads kitchen team a final time
Martin Thomas always makes room at the table because to him, enjoying a meal together feeds both the body and the soul. “Meals spent together are just so important,” said Thomas, executive chef at Chartiers Country Club in Robinson. “Being able to prepare food for others is what a chef...
Thousands of U.S. health care workers go on strike in multiple states over wages and staff shortages
LOS ANGELES — Picketing began Wednesday morning at Kaiser Permanente hospitals as some 75,000 health care workers go on strike in Virginia, California and three other states over wages and staffing shortages, marking the latest major labor unrest in the United States. Kaiser Permanente is one of the country’s larger...
What comes next in the Speaker of the House situation?
WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives is entering uncharted territory after a far-right effort to remove fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy from the speakership succeeded thanks to support from Democrats. A resolution — titled a motion to vacate — from Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., passed Tuesday with the support of eight...
The U.S. is forgiving more federal student loans in a bid to tackle ‘unsustainable debt’ for borrowers
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden outlined a new round of federal student loan forgiveness on Wednesday to address the “unsustainable debt” that borrowers accumulate to complete their college education. The announcement comes as borrowers brace for payments to restart after a three-year pause that began during the covid-19 pandemic and...
Morning Roundup: Kittanning man found guilty of sexual assault; West Mifflin man missing
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Oct. 4: Kittanning man found guilty of sexual assault A Kittanning man has been convicted of multiple sexual offenses and domestic violence crimes against three young women between the ages of 16 and 20. A jury on Tuesday...
2 men killed in Hill District shooting
Two men were killed early Wednesday following a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood. Pittsburgh police from Zone 2 responded to the 2300 block of Webster Avenue for a 16-round ShotSpotter alert at about 3 a.m., police spokeswoman Cara Cruz said. Officers found a man with a gunshot wound to...
‘He saved my life’: Hillandale Farms founder donates $25M to Pitt after back surgeries
The pain in Orland Bethel’s lower back and hips became excruciating. In 2014, he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis — a narrowing and squeezing of the nerves and spinal cord. The 87-year-old Greensburg resident consulted with six orthopaedic surgeons. They told him they would need to “cut a chunk of...
