Top Stories category, Page 627
Swissvale woman accused of having yearslong sexual relationship with teen boy
A Swissvale woman accused of maintaining a yearslong sexual relationship with a boy starting when he was 14 was arrested Friday, police said. Rachel Witkowski, 42, faces five counts of indecent assault, two counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corruption of minors, and one count each of statutory...
Former Springdale power plant to be demolished Sept. 22
A Sept. 22 implosion date has been set for the boiler house building at the former Cheswick Generating Station plant in Springdale. Scott Reschly, vice president of operations for Charah Solutions, an environmental remediation firm and the property’s owner, said Friday the demolition of the boiler house building is planned...
Spotlight PA fights to unseal lobbyist communications with the legislature
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Deep within Pennsylvania’s 36-page Right-to-Know Law, a clause says that correspondence between a state lawmaker and a person seeking their help is off-limits to the...
Wallen, Wiz and a porta-potty: Morgan Wallen brings excitement with 2 shows in Pittsburgh
Fans were in for a lot of excitement during Morgan Wallen’s two-show stint in Pittsburgh. The country star performed two nights in a row at PNC Park, and the shows included two events that ended up going viral on social media. During the Wednesday night show, four Wallen fans were...
New Kensington Bridge reopens to traffic
The New Kensington Bridge reopened to traffic, a couple days earlier than planned. PennDOT announced Friday that the bridge, which spans the Allegheny River between East Deer and New Kensington, reopened after it was closed for about six weeks. The 10th Street underpass on the New Kensington side of the...
Allegheny County officials seeking to place a small homeless shelter in Carrick
Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services is seeking proposals to build a homeless shelter in Carrick that would house about a dozen people. The move comes as the Department of Human Services is seeking to fund multiple small, low-barrier shelters across the county. Homelessness in Allegheny County has been increasing...
Pa. to end state funding for anti-abortion counseling centers
HARRISBURG — For nearly 30 years, Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania have approved millions of taxpayer dollars for an anti-abortion program. Now the state’s new governor plans to end the contract as the organization that distributes those funds and other groups like it gain attention since the overturning of...
Morning Roundup: Fire destroys vacant Hempfield home
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Sept. 1: Fire destroys vacant Hempfield home A Hempfield home along Middletown Road was destroyed in a fire early Friday. Firefighters were met around 2 a.m. with heavy flames and smoke centered on the front part of the...
1 dead, 2 injured in shooting in Downtown Pittsburgh
A man was killed and two others were injured in a shooting in Downtown Pittsburgh late Thursday, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner and city police. Lonnie Latham III, 23, of Pittsburgh died at a hospital after the 10:30 p.m. shooting in the area of Strawberry Way and Smithfield...
Man convicted of killing girlfriend escapes Pa. prison
WEST CHESTER — A man recently convicted of murder in Pennsylvania for the fatal stabbing his ex-girlfriend remained at large Friday, a day after he escaped from a county jail. Danelo Cavalcante, 34, is also wanted in his native Brazil in a separate slaying and is considered an extremely dangerous...
Planned reduction of Medicare drug costs could ease burden on cash-strapped seniors
Susie Bell of Penn Township dreads this time of year. It’s not the hot weather that bothers her, but the fact that by early summer, she’s fallen into the “doughnut hole,” a colloquial term for the annual Medicare coverage gap — when the health care plan contributes far less toward...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Sept. 1-4
It’s a Labor Day holiday weekend, three days off for some. If you aren’t going to the Miller Lite Kickoff and Rib Festival outside Acrisure Stadium, here are some other ways to spend it — the weather should be perfect with temperatures in the 80s. WWE World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Payback”...
120-year-old St. Ladislaus church is coming down in Natrona
Harrison resident Ron Pastorek spent nearly 45 years attending Mass at St. Ladislaus Catholic Church in Natrona, the most recent of which were his fondest. “My wife and I would buy the flowers for the grounds. And the last couple years, our grandson, Jordan, was able to help me plant...
5 things to watch in Week 1: A red-letter day in Aliquippa as the new Heinz Field opens
Not only is Aliquippa’s new football stadium named Heinz Field, but like its North Shore namesake, the Red Zone should be popular. When the Quips cross the 20-yard line, the stadium’s new LED lights will flash red, Aliquippa athletic director Jennifer Damico said. The first game at the new stadium...
Woman offers gas imaging camera service to Rustic Ridge residents
A certified thermographer said Thursday she hoped to give residents in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood some peace of mind by volunteering to use hydrothermic technology to look for possible gas leaks in homes. Christina Digiulio of Chester County visited Rustic Ridge and offered to use a hydrocarbon imaging camera to...
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell can continue with his work schedule, congressional physician says
WASHINGTON — The attending physician to Congress said Thursday that he had cleared Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell to continue with his planned schedule after evaluating an incident in which McConnell appeared to freeze up at an event in Kentucky. But the health episode — his second in public this...
Harmar House fire leaves clients scrambling to find alternate venues
Bride-to-be Ashley Pometo spent most of Wednesday night in shock — and in tears. Pometo, 23, of New Kensington thought the plans for her Sept. 23 wedding were neatly squared away until a fire swept through Futules’ Harmar House on Wednesday evening, leaving the popular family-owned event venue considered to...
CCAC to offer free courses in computer information technology
The Community College of Allegheny County will offer free, for-credit courses in computer information technology starting next week at its Homewood-Brushton Center. The menu of 12- and 14-week, in-person courses have two start dates: next Tuesday and on Sept. 18, officials said Thursday. Costs for tuition, fees and textbooks are...
Governor touts Connellsville as an example of success investing in outdoor recreationVideo
Connellsville Mayor Greg Lincoln needs only to look around if he wants to see the impact that outdoor recreation has had on the Fayette County city. There’s a restaurant and event center being developed near the Connellsville Comfort Inn, along with another new restaurant nearby. Independence Health System is working...
For more than 50 years, Bill Hillgrove’s voice has been ‘the soundtrack to our sports memories’
Before he called Tony Dorsett’s 303rd rushing yard against Notre Dame in 1975, Kenny Pickett’s fake slide in the 2021 ACC championship game or M.J. Devonshire’s pick-6 against West Virginia last year, Bill Hillgrove’s first venture behind a microphone required him to play the part of a brat. It was...
Penguins announce new name for AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
When news broke this week that Penguins owner Fenway Sports Group would buy AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh from Warner Bros. Discovery, a name change seemed like a given. On Friday, the Penguins formally announced the deal and the new name of the channel: SportsNet Pittsburgh. The Penguins will remain on the...
Home purchases by corporations increase in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County
As Pittsburgh’s real estate market heats up, a new study shows corporations are buying up residences at increasing rates, driving up competition with local residents. A study by the nonprofit Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group shows the share of Allegheny County homes sold to corporate entities nearly doubled over the past...
Squeezing in one last summer trip over Labor Day weekend? Expect crowded airports and full flights
DALLAS — By some measures, air travelers have enjoyed a less stressful summer than last year, but canceled flights remain elevated as airlines face their last big test of the prime vacation season: Labor Day weekend. The Federal Aviation Administration predicts that this will be the third busiest holiday weekend...
Pittsburgh synagogue shooter arrives at federal death row in Indiana
The man who killed 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue has been moved to federal death row at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind. Robert Bowers, 50, was sentenced to the death penalty on Aug. 3 after a jury heard from 51 witnesses over nine days of testimony...
Ex-Proud Boys organizer sentenced to 17 years in prison for plot to keep Trump in power
WASHINGTON — A former organizer of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced on Thursday to 17 years in prison for spearheading an attack on the U.S. Capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election. Federal prosecutors had...
