Top Stories category, Page 625
PUC rules public utility equipment not at fault in 2022 Plum home explosion
A Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ruling that an April 2022 home explosion in Plum was not caused by public utility equipment does not eliminate the possibility that natural gas caused the explosion. In a statement released Tuesday, the PUC’s safety division found no evidence that public utility natural gas equipment...
Deputy had cocaine in system when responding to Garfield standoff, sheriff says
Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus said Tuesday that he fired a deputy who tested positive for cocaine just after responding to the six-hour standoff in Garfield that ended with the gunman’s death. The deputy, a seven-year veteran who Kraus declined to name, was one of 13 officers tested by...
Suspect fatally shot by a law-enforcement officer near Route 30 in North Huntingdon, investigation continues
A law enforcement officer fatally shot a suspect in North Huntingdon on Tuesday afternoon while agents with the state Attorney General’s Office were conducting a narcotics investigation, according to officials. The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office released a joint statement on behalf of the state police that said that, after...
Altoona woman chases fame after Pittsburgh porta-potty fight video goes viral
Don’t call her Dalanie. Call her Romper Stomper. An Altoona-bred college student is cashing in on her 15 minutes of fame after a viral video from country star Morgan Wallen’s Aug. 31 performance at PNC Park showed her violently defending her mother at the concert’s porta-potties. Dozens of clips of...
Defense attorneys consent to gag order proposed by Zappala following video briefing
An Allegheny County judge on Tuesday granted a request for a gag order by District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. stemming from a video he made in which he commented on pending cases. The gag order covers a homicide case from August 2022, as well as the attempted homicide of...
Police say New Stanton Manor fire was intentionally set during argument
A Hempfield man is accused by state police of setting a fire in his apartment Sunday morning, prompting the evacuation of the building, according to court papers. Frank M. Starr, 45, is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bail. Troopers were called to New Stanton Manor at...
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin expects healthy roster for opener with 49ersVideo
The first injury report of the season could be a light one for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Coach Mike Tomlin indicated the Steelers could have a healthy roster on Sunday when they open the season against the San Francisco 49ers at Acrisure Stadium. “We did have couple guys somewhat limited (Monday),”...
Drew’s Family Restaurant, a fixture in Forest Hills, is on the market for $1.5M
A restaurant that’s been a longtime staple in the Forest Hills community is up for sale. Drew’s Family Restaurant has been listed by Century 21 Fairways for an asking price of $1.5 million. The listing describes it as a turnkey restaurant. The Ardmore Boulevard eatery was opened by Spiro Countouris...
Authorities expand search area for killer who escaped Pennsylvania prison after latest sighting
WEST CHESTER — Authorities have moved and expanded the search area for a convicted murderer who escaped from a suburban Philadelphia prison last week, after he was spotted on a trail camera at one of the nation’s premier botanical gardens. Danelo Cavalcante, 34, has been spotted five time since he...
Blackthorne clubhouse owner attempts to resolve dispute with golf course, lawsuit states
The owner of the clubhouse in Penn Township’s Blackthorne Estates community made an effort to resolve a dispute with the golf course owner, according to amended court documents. An update to a lawsuit filed by the township in May indicates that the clubhouse owner, Jeannine Schemm, was “willing to allow...
Dozens of Pittsburgh Public Schools move to remote learning because of heat wave
Pittsburgh Public Schools said Tuesday it is moving 38 of its schools to remote learning for the next two days because of the heat wave hitting the city. Spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said the district’s extreme heat protocols call for schools without air conditioning to move to remote learning when the...
Proud Boys’ Enrique Tarrio gets record 22 years in prison for Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy
WASHINGTON — Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was sentenced Tuesday to 22 years in prison for orchestrating his far-right extremist group’s attack on the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to stop the transfer of presidential power after Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Tarrio’s sentence is the longest...
Kim Jong Un and Putin may meet. What do North Korea and Russia need from each other?
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may travel to Russia for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, a U.S. official said, in a trip that would underscore deepening cooperation as the two isolated leaders are locked in separate confrontations with the U.S. U.S. officials also said...
Heat wave arrives in Pittsburgh region, cooler temperatures come later in week
The Pittsburgh region will see at least two more days with temperatures breaking into the 90s as a heat wave continues to hover over Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh office of the National Weather Service said many parts of the region will see temperatures above 90 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday....
Latrobe man killed in vehicle crash
A Latrobe man was killed late Monday when state police said the vehicle in which he was a passenger hit an embankment in Wilkinsburg. Troopers said Michael N. Zappone, 47, was a passenger in a Jeep Cherokee being driven by David A. Whitlatch, 32, of Waynesburg. The SUV was seen...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh looking for archers for its deer-culling pilot
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Sept. 3: City officials seeking 30 archers for deer culling in Pittsburgh parks The city of Pittsburgh is looking for 30 qualified archers to help cull deer in two city parks as part of a recently created pilot...
The next presidential campaign is coming into focus. It might look a lot like the last one
NEW YORK — The end of Labor Day weekend would typically mark the start of a furious sprint to the Iowa caucuses as candidates battle for their party’s presidential nomination. But as the 2024 campaign comes into greater focus, the usual frenzy is yielding to a sense of inevitability. Among...
Shooting suspect in custody after 7-hour standoff in McKeesport
A man is in police custody following an overnight standoff in McKeesport that lasted more than seven hours. Allegheny County Police on Tuesday charged Michael Paul Plopi, 42, of McKeesport, with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and a firearms violation in connection with the standoff, court records show. He had not...
Salem weighs sewage treatment options, amid resident concerns
Lisa Segina likes the rural feel of her Salem home. But, as the township considers joining a growing countywide sewage authority, Segina worries Salem will be subject to property development in the future. Since parting ways with the Crabtree Sewage Authority, the township has relied primarily on taps into the...
‘It’s shocking’: Apollo-area residents react after another alligator reportedly spotted in Kiski
Apollo area residents were saying “see ya later, alligator” after a gator some called Chomper was captured last month from the Kiski River. But over the weekend, another alligator, or something thought to be an alligator, was spotted in the same area. It left some river enthusiasts less enthused over...
Pa. high school football player battling for life has taken ‘positive step’
A day after saying they needed a miracle and asking people to pray, the family of a Pennsylvania high school football player who collapsed on the field Friday provided a positive update Monday. In a social media post shared to the Karns City Football page, senior quarterback Mason Martin’s mother,...
Revelers enjoy ‘last hurrah of summer’ at Labor United Celebration
The weather wasn’t the only hot thing at the 2023 Labor United Celebration held Sunday and Monday at Northmoreland Park. Hot fresh-cut fries were a hit with toddlers Waylon Smith and Jax Wheeler of Parks Township. The two friends were focused and determined as they shared a large helping of...
UAW’s clash with Big 3 automakers shows off a more confrontational union as strike deadline loomsVideo
DETROIT — A 46% pay raise. A 32-hour week with 40 hours of pay. A restoration of traditional pensions. The demands that a more combative United Auto Workers union has pressed on General Motors, Stellantis and Ford — demands that even the UAW’s own president calls “audacious” — are edging...
Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell dies at 56
LOS ANGELES — Steve Harwell, the longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated pop rock band Smash Mouth has died. He was 56. The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably” Monday morning surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho. The cause of death was...
Man’s condition stabilizes after stabbing in Mt. Washington, police say
A man was upgraded from critical to stable condition after a stabbing Monday morning in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood, according to a city Public Safety spokesperson. City police found the man with stab wounds to his arm and abdomen when they responded to the incident reported shortly before 9 a.m....
