Top Stories category, Page 641
State legislation could ease burden on local ambulance services
Shuttered Jeannette EMS will have to repay a loan and grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture even as proposed state legislation to help the finances of ambulance agencies continues to work through the system. Ambulance Association of PA executive director Heather Sharar said support from state legislators is a...
Volunteer fire companies strive to increase numbers with youth outreach, incentives, marketing
Volunteer fire departments are nearing a breaking point. About 37,000 firefighters suit up every day in Pennsylvania, according to the Office of the State Fire Commissioner. That’s down tenfold from the 1970s, when there were about 300,000 firefighters. “That’s close to a crisis in my mind,” said New Kensington fire...
Tornado, flood warnings issued across Southwestern Pa. as storms roll through
Warnings for severe thunderstorms and flash flooding and watches and warnings for tornadoes were coming rapidly from the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh on Saturday night as storms rolled through the region. At least one tornado was confirmed by radar in Washington County, the weather service said. On social media,...
Death toll rises to 80 in Maui wildfires as survivors begin returning to communities in ruins
LAHAINA, Hawaii — The death toll has risen to 80 as a result of the wildfires that decimated parts of the island of Maui this past week, officials in Hawaii said Friday. The number of confirmed fatalities in the 9 p.m. announcement by the County of Maui increased from the...
With costs expected to keep increasing, Jeannette seeks bids for fire station as it looks for ways to pay for project
Jeannette will begin seeking bids for a new fire station while continuing to look for more funding as fire Chief Bill Frye said he expects the total project cost to be much higher than originally anticipated. The city in 2022 received a $1.2 million grant for the new station through...
WVU facing possible academic program cuts, 7% faculty reduction
West Virginia University has unveiled preliminary recommendations to discontinue 32 of its 338 majors and reduce faculty ranks in Morgantown by 7% to confront enrollment losses and adapt to shifting student demand. Twelve of the majors are undergraduate level and 20 are at the graduate level, officials with the state’s...
Pirates debunk PNC Park kitten rumor, say employees actually helped
A kitten found near PNC Park was not sprayed with pesticides by ballpark employees, despite rumors circulating on social media, a Pittsburgh Pirates spokesperson said Friday night. In fact, Pirates employees came to its aid, according to club spokesperson Brian Warecki. Warecki said in a statement that the cat was...
Mon Incline out of service after riders get stuck in cars mid-ride
The Monongahela Incline is out of service until further notice, after incline cars got stuck on the tracks for about an hour on Friday evening, according to Pittsburgh Regional Transit. People trying to go up Mount Washington by public transit should instead take the Route 40-Mount Washington bus from downtown,...
UPMC, Pitt to test ‘revolutionary’ breast cancer vaccine
UPMC and University of Pittsburgh researchers will test a vaccine to prevent breast cancer in what they say is a revolutionary step in the fight against the most common cancer in women. The seed money — $100,000 — to launch the clinical trial came from the Wexford-based nonprofit, Glimmer of...
How Hawaiian wildfires might affect travelers from Western Pa.
Massive wildfires in the Hawaiian Islands have brought devastation and will continue to hurt the Aloha State, as the fires are sure to damage Hawaii’s tourism economy, its biggest source of revenue, said Pittsburgh-area travel agents. Officials confirmed Friday that at least 80 people have been killed in massive fires...
Pittsburgh area couple shares escape from ‘hellacious’ Maui wildfires
An immigrant cook building a new life. A widow preparing to say goodbye. And a couple taking their vows. All were caught in the crossfire, forced to flee as flames swallowed parts of Maui, that drop in the Pacific where roads wind past waterfalls, turtles glide through gem-blue waters and...
AG Garland appoints special counsel in Hunter Biden probe, deepening investigation
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday he has appointed a special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe, deepening the investigation of the president’s son ahead of the 2024 election. Garland noted the “extraordinary circumstances” of the matter as he named David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware who...
Hershey Chocolate World evacuated due to bomb threat
Hershey Chocolate World evacuated its building due to a bomb threat reported at around 3:30 p.m. Friday, according to officials. Security officials from Chocolate World called Dauphin County 911 dispatchers to report the threat, according to Jennifer Fitch, press secretary for Dauphin County. Fitch said the popular tourist destination was...
MedExpress to eliminate nursing positions
MedExpress Urgent Care is eliminating nursing positions at its nearly 150 locations. Tribune-Review news partner WTAE-TV reported that the workers are being let go in an effort to revamp the clinic’s staffing model. It’s unknown how many workers will be affected or what the new staffing plan is. Several nurses...
Pitcairn man attacks neighbor with hammer, police say
A Pitcairn man is behind bars after beating a neighbor with a hammer late Thursday, authorities said. William Alan Jackson, 42, was charged Friday with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and making terroristic threats, court records show. Police said they took Jackson, after a mental health evaluation,...
North Side father, son sentenced in shooting that injured 2
A Pittsburgh tow-truck driver is going to prison, and his son is getting probation after 18 months in Allegheny County Jail, for their roles in a February 2022 shooting that injured two people. Common Pleas Judge Bruce R. Beemer on Thursday sentenced Kurt Ianuzzo, 53, of Pittsburgh’s North Side, to...
Jeannette aims to curb truck traffic on residential streets
Commercial trucks traversing residential neighborhoods in Jeannette are damaging city streets, and officials hope increased education and potentially fines will curb that activity. Sgt. Derek Manley said he intends to start commercial motor vehicle enforcement next month after he wraps up the lengthy certification and training process through state police....
Butler County exotic hunting preserve on market for $10M
A luxury hunting preserve in Southern Butler County is up for grabs. Shilo Ranch at 399 Cornetti Road in Clearfield Township is for sale, with a listing price of $10 million. The hunting preserve encompasses 423 acres and features exotic animals such as axis deer, buffalo, ram, elk, fallow deer...
Jeannette man jailed since June 2018 for fatal fire sentenced to probation
A case manager will help a Jeannette man navigate life outside of jail after he was sentenced to two years of probation Friday in connection with a fatal 2018 house fire in Jeannette. Brian Rendon, 38, was set to be released from the Westmoreland County Prison where he has been...
Highmark among insurers that won’t cover new Alzheimer’s treatment for some customers
Some private insurers are balking at paying for the first drug fully approved to slow mental decline in Alzheimer’s patients. Insurers selling coverage in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York, among other states, told The Associated Press they won’t cover Leqembi with insurance offered on the individual market and through...
Bridgeville man surrenders in Fort Pitt Bridge ‘street takeover’ stunt
A Bridgeville man surrendered to Allegheny County sheriff’s deputies at a Downtown courthouse around 8 a.m. Friday, weeks after police charged him for his role in a July “street takeover” stunt on the Fort Pitt Bridge. Jason Stotlemyer, 31, was the first person charged in connection with the July 21...
U.S. suicides hit all-time high in 2022
NEW YORK — About 49,500 people took their own lives last year in the U.S., the highest number ever, according to new government data posted Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posted the numbers, has not yet calculated a suicide rate for the year, but available data...
W.Va. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he’s been thinking seriously about becoming an independent
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin said that he has been thinking “seriously” about leaving the Democratic Party and becoming an independent. The West Virginia lawmaker, who has raised his national profile as a swing vote on major spending packages in the closely divided U.S. Senate, made the comments...
Death toll rises to 67 in Maui wildfires
LAHAINA, Hawaii — Incinerated cars crushed by downed telephone poles. Charred elevator shafts standing as testaments to the burned-down apartment buildings they once served. Pools filled with charcoal-colored water. Trampolines and children’s scooters mangled by the extreme heat. Residents of Lahaina were being allowed back home Friday for the first...
Police: Argument between bar patron, security led to shootout that injured 5 in Pittsburgh
Charges filed against a Pittsburgh man appear to show that a heated argument between a bar patron and security led to a shooting which sent five people to the hospital, three in critical condition, on Wednesday night. Dean Marbury, 43, of Pittsburgh was charged Thursday with four counts each of...
