Top Stories category, Page 633
Inquest examines dangers of rafting near Dimple Rock at Ohiopyle
Julie Ann Moore thought she was going on a beginner-friendly whitewater rafting trip, one that would be appropriate for her 13-year-old twin daughters. The Ohio woman sent text messages to her mother-in-law and a friend that said she and the girls were going to meet her boyfriend of two years,...
Asay’s newsstand in Tarentum robbed by man wielding knife; suspect sought
The only thought that entered April Baczynski’s mind when a knife-wielding man entered Asay’s newsstand in Tarentum on Wednesday afternoon demanding money was her baby. “I thought it was odd that he was wearing sunglasses when he came in,” the 29-year-old store clerk said. “But I didn’t think much about...
Judge dismisses Leechburg district’s immunity claim in lawsuit alleging girl was raped at middle school
An Armstrong County judge struck down the Leechburg Area School District’s claim that a state law gives it immunity from being sued by the mother of a former middle school student who alleges her daughter was raped during an after-school program in 2021. In May, the girl’s mother filed a...
Greensburg’s Rialto to reopen as gastropub
The restaurant and bar in downtown Greensburg that was closed last year after a series of violent incidents is expected to reopen this fall with a new name and new owners. “There’s definitely a deal in place,” said Rich Butcher, who along with his wife, Danielle, are finalizing the purchase...
Russian agency says mercenary leader Prigozhin was aboard plane that crashed, leaving no survivorsVideo
MOSCOW — Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was aboard the plane that crashed north of Moscow on Wednesday, killing everyone on board, according to Russia’s civil aviation agency. Rosaviatsia posted a list of seven passengers and three crew members who it said were aboard the plane “according to the airline.”...
Rudy Giuliani turns himself in on Georgia 2020 election charges after bond is set at $150,000Video
ATLANTA — Rudy Giuliani turned himself in at a jail in Atlanta on Wednesday on charges related to efforts to overturn then-President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The former New York mayor, was indicted last week along with Trump and 17 others. Fulton County District...
30 bricks of fentanyl seized, Rankin man charged after bust in Salem
State police seized 30 bricks of suspected fentanyl Tuesday during a bust in a Salem fast food restaurant parking lot, according to court papers. Troopers said they learned the drugs would be delivered by Cerick Seibles, 23, of Rankin, around 2:45 p.m. off Route 22 to a person known by...
Garfield gunman dead after 6-hour standoffVideo
A gunman died in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood Wednesday night after exchanging thousands of rounds with police in a tense, six-hour standoff. Less than 90 minutes into the standoff, during a lull in the gunfights, authorities rushed residents from Broad Street and North Mathilda Street homes out of the area. Police...
Beaver County man charged with multiple sex assaults on boy
A Beaver County man has been charged with more than 700 counts of sex-related offenses stemming from alleged assaults on a boy over several years. Daniel Vogel, 61, of Midland is charged with corruption of minors and multiple counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, involuntary deviate sexual...
Sprawling estate listed for $28M in North Strabane
A luxurious estate with mega-amenities is on the market in North Strabane Township, Washington County. Oak Grove, a 110-acre property at 784 Waterdam Road in North Strabane, is listed by Coldwell Banker Realty for $28 million. That whopping listing price makes it the most expensive single-family residential listing currently in...
Review: Sizable ensemble delivers on George Clinton’s vision in McKees Rocks show
One of the many distinctive aspects of George Clinton’s 1970s-era music was his ability to integrate complex arrangements featuring a multitude of voices with eminently danceable rhythms. To take it to the stage, so to speak, the venerable leader of multiple bands brings a contingent of more than a dozen...
Morning Roundup: I-79 lanes reopen after truck rollover in Allegheny County
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Aug. 23: I-79 lanes reopen after truck rollover in Allegheny County Northbound lanes of Interstate 79 were open once more shortly after 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, after a truck rollover in Allegheny County restricted traffic to a single lane...
Stolen Jeep results in arrest of convicted sex offender
When a Vandergrift man called police to report his Jeep had been stolen, he was the one who ended up being arrested. State police say Calvin Walter Kendall Jr., 44, of the 100 block of Longfellow Street is a convicted sex offender who did not report to police that he...
Prosecutors say witness in Trump’s classified documents case retracted false testimony
WASHINGTON — A witness in the criminal case against Donald Trump over the hoarding of classified documents retracted “prior false testimony” after switching lawyers last month and provided new information that implicated the former president, the Justice Department said Tuesday. The statements from the witness, a Trump staffer identified in...
Tropical Storm Franklin nears Dominican Republic and Haiti, bringing ‘life-threatening flooding’Video
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Authorities in the Dominican Republic shut schools and government offices Tuesday as Tropical Storm Franklin took aim at the island of Hispaniola that it shares with Haiti and threatened to unleash landslides and heavy floods. The storm was expected to make landfall on the island...
A day after protest, West Virginia University announces 1 administrator’s retirement, HR restructuring
West Virginia University says it intends to restructure a large administrative unit on the Morgantown campus as part of its continuing review and transformation efforts. It was not known if or how many jobs would be impacted, beyond a vice president who is retiring and will not be replaced. Changes...
Pittsburgh police: Stolen dump truck hits vehicles in Shadyside, 1 hurt
One person was injured and several vehicles damaged when a stolen landscaping dump truck plowed into up to four cars Tuesday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood. The incident began shortly before 3 p.m. when Pittsburgh police responded to reports of a landscaping company dump truck being stolen from the 4900...
Longtime defense attorney acquitted in Allegheny County Jail drug caseVideo
A longtime defense attorney accused of sneaking drug-soaked papers into Allegheny County Jail more than four years ago is not guilty. Paul Gettleman, 78, was charged with contraband, drug delivery and conspiracy, after a grand jury said he delivered papers soaked in K-2, or synthetic marijuana, to an inmate at...
Local doctors: New RSV vaccine can help protect newborns from severe illness
A newly approved vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, will give pregnant moms a chance to protect their babies from wheezing, coughing and other more serious symptoms that can land infants in the hospital. Pfizer Inc.’s Abrysvo is the first vaccine for use during pregnancy that works...
Pittsburgh police issue charges in hit-and-run that killed 66-year-old pedestrian
Pittsburgh police issued an arrest warrant Tuesday in connection with an April 11 hit-and-run that killed a Pittsburgh pedestrian. Joseph Betha, 54, of Wilkinsburg has been charged with homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death, accidents involving death while not property licensed, and involuntary manslaughter, police spokesperson Cara Cruz said. It...
Nurse’s aide accused of prying rings from Murrysville dementia patient’s hand
A nurse’s aide accused of stealing a Murrysville dementia patient’s engagement and wedding rings likely pried them from the elderly woman’s hand, police said. Christina L. Ankney, 39, of Braddock is charged with robbery in connection with the incident at Redstone Highlands in Murrysville. A warrant has been issued for...
Cleveland-Cliffs wants U.S. Steel to disclose other buyout proposals
Cleveland-Cliffs, the steelmaker attempting to acquire the historic Pittsburgh company U.S. Steel, wrote a letter demanding that U.S. Steel disclose any other buyout offers it has received. Last week, the United Steelworkers union (USW) said it would only back the Cleveland-based steel producer in acquiring U.S. Steel. The letter, dated...
Spotted lanternflies are swarming Western Pennsylvania
When Moshe Marvit got off work in Green Tree this week, he noticed that every single car in the parking lot was covered in spotted lanternflies. “There were tens of thousands of them in a small space,” said Marvit, a lawyer who lives in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood. “It felt like...
Dick’s Sporting Goods to lay off employees as retail theft cuts into profits
Dick’s Sporting Goods said on Tuesday that retail theft has hurt its profits, one of the reasons the Findlay-based chain is laying off an unspecified number of employees. “We are conducting a business optimization of our organization to better align our talent, organizational design and spending in support of our...
Father of NFL cornerback Caleb Farley killed in explosion at North Carolina home
RALEIGH, N.C. — The father of Tennessee Titans cornerback Caleb Farley died overnight in an explosion that destroyed the NFL player’s North Carolina home and left another person injured, authorities said. Robert M. Farley, 61, was found dead in the debris of the Lake Norman, N.C., house Tuesday morning, said...
