Top Stories category, Page 661
Veto override withdrawn for Allegheny County property assessment bill
After a series of successful efforts overriding Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s veto, another veto override was withdrawn Tuesday. Allegheny County Council passed a bill in July to establish a new chief assessment officer appointed by council that would render calculations each year of the county’s property tax ratios. That...
Remembering devoted mom who died in Plum explosion: Heather Oravitz was ‘a special wife’
Lindsay and Fran Sciullo thought so highly of Heather and Paul Oravitz that they entrusted to the Oravitzes’ daughter what was most precious to them — their two sons. Taylor Oravitz would babysit the Sciullo boys, Maddox and Brady, when Lindsay and her husband, Fran — educators in the Plum...
They’re back: College students arrive on Western Pa. campuses
Overstuffed move-in carts, frazzled parents and traffic lined up outside dorms are making a comeback this week and next as Western Pennsylvania college students arrive for fall semester classes. Campuses, meanwhile, are trying to curb stress among the new arrivals. Some initiatives to soothe the psyche are as involved as...
After months of speculation, Amazon says it will use New Stanton warehouse
Amazon ended months of speculation by acknowledging what many had suspected for close to two years: It will be using the 1 million-square-foot warehouse being built in New Stanton. The $120 million warehouse with the blue stripes on the exterior will be operated by Amazon, company spokesman Sam Fisher said...
A Pennsylvania study suggests links between fracking and asthma, lymphoma in children
HARRISBURG — Children who lived closer to natural gas wells in heavily drilled Pennsylvania were more likely to develop a relatively rare form of cancer, and nearby residents of all ages had an increased chance of severe asthma reactions, researchers said in reports released Tuesday evening. The taxpayer-funded research by...
State Rep. Rob Mercuri announces run for Congress in 17th District
Two-term state Rep. Rob Mercuri, R-Pine, is hoping to flip a congressional seat that covers many Pittsburgh suburbs. Mercuri announced Tuesday his run for Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District, which includes all of Beaver County, as well as suburban communities in Allegheny County’s North Hills, Allegheny Valley, and several boroughs just...
Hit-and-run victim found in middle of Oakland road identified
James Jerry Vas-Patterson, 23, was the fatal hit-and-run victim found dead Sunday night in Oakland, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office announced Tuesday. Vas-Patterson, whose home address is unknown, was found by Pittsburgh police officers just before 10 p.m. in the middle of the road in the 2300 block of...
Hempfield Area officially rejects bids on high school project, plans to revise scope
Less than two weeks from the start of the 2023-2024 school year, Hempfield Area is going back to the drawing board on its ambitious high school renovation project. After learning the project bids came in millions of dollars over budget at a meeting on Aug. 9, board members rejected all...
University of Pittsburgh trustees chair abruptly resigns
Douglas Browning has resigned as chairman of the University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees due to “an unanticipated personal matter,” officials confirmed on Tuesday. He notified the university Monday evening. By Tuesday morning, his bio had been removed from the university website. The site now lists Louis R. Cestello, vice...
Police: Man cornered in yard after fleeing when officer spots gun on Tarentum boat dock
A Tarentum man was charged with carrying a gun without a permit after police accused him of running from a boat launch when an officer spotted the weapon on a dock. Ryan Allen Berry, 21, of the 900 block of East Sixth Avenue faces a felony charge in connection with...
Wilkinsburg-Pittsburgh merger group files for state Supreme Court review
A group seeking the annexation of Wilkinsburg with the City of Pittsburgh late Monday filed a petition seeking review by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In it, those advocating for the merger said that two lower courts misinterpreted the law and violated the separation of powers principle in doing so. “Petitioners...
How the Georgia indictment against Donald Trump may be the biggest yet and other case takeaways
The fourth indictment of former President Donald Trump may be the most sweeping yet. The sprawling, 98-page case unveiled late Monday night opens up fresh legal ground and exposes more than a dozen of Trump’s allies to new jeopardy. But it also raises familiar legal issues of whether the First...
A look at the 19 people charged in Georgia indictment connected to Trump election scheme
ATLANTA — Donald Trump and 18 other associates were charged Monday in Georgia as part of a sweeping indictment alleging they schemed to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss and stop the peaceful transition of power. The indictment, brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, follows an investigation that...
Morning Roundup: West Nile virus detected in Pittsburgh mosquitos
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Aug. 15: West Nile virus detected in Pittsburgh mosquitos The Allegheny County Health Department will spray a mosquito pesticide in several Pittsburgh areas and neighboring municipalities where mosquitos have tested positive for West Nile Virus. Mosquito samples collected...
Hempfield school library book policies approved at heated meeting
New rules will govern books and other library materials at Hempfield Area School District, after the school board voted Monday to enact two policies defining what content is permitted on the district’s bookshelves. About 80 people attended the board meeting and more than a dozen residents spoke their opinions on...
Trump and 18 allies charged in Georgia election meddling as former president faces 4th criminal caseVideo
ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump and 18 allies were indicted in Georgia on Monday over their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state, with prosecutors using a statute normally associated with mobsters to accuse the former president, lawyers and other aides of a “criminal enterprise” to keep...
Democrats scrambling after Hovis withdraws from Westmoreland commissioner race
Westmoreland Democrats are scrambling to fill a vacancy on the November ballot after learning through a social media post Monday that one of the party’s two candidates for county commissioner withdrew from the race. Sydney Hovis, 28, of Scottdale announced via Facebook she formally petitioned to have her name removed...
Philadelphia teen accused of buying and testing bomb-making materials in support of foreign terror group
PHILADELPHIA — A 17-year-old from West Philadelphia has been charged with buying and testing bomb-making materials in support of a foreign terrorist group, state and federal authorities announced Monday. The teen, whom prosecutors declined to name because he is a juvenile, was arrested Friday at his home in the Wynnefield...
Judge in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial permanently seals juror list
The federal judge who presided over the trial of the man who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue has permanently sealed the names of the jurors who convicted him. U.S. District Judge Robert J. Colville initially sealed the names and addresses of the jurors and prospective jurors during jury...
Mon Incline closed indefinitely
The Monongahela Incline has been shut down for an indefinite time period, Pittsburgh Regional Transit announced Monday. The 153-year-old incline that shepherds passengers between Station Square and Grandview Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington neighborhood has had a slew of problems over the years, including several closures. On Friday, the incline...
Proposed Bakery Square expansion cause for excitement, concern in East End
Charles Taylor said he loves working in Pittsburgh’s Bakery Square. The operations manager at City Kitchen was originally from Larimer, but moved away to find work in the 1990s. He said there were no good jobs in the area then, but he’s glad there are now. “I just love coming...
New entertainment venue coming to former Shop ‘n Save in Hempfield
A new entertainment venue is expected to open in Hempfield in November. Owners of 814 Lanes & Games of Johnstown announced last year they would open a second location at the former Shop n’ Save, 4589 Route 136. The grocery store closed in 2014 and the 44,000-square-foot building has remained...
Mark Madden: Steelers’ Kwon Alexander, Keeanu Benton have talent, pedigree to earn starting roles
Loaded like a freight train, flying like an aeroplane and set to deliver refreshing sports notes to those ready to crash and burn! • Kwon Alexander played well at inside linebacker Friday night at Tampa. If he outperforms Cole Holcomb or Elandon Roberts, Alexander should start. Alexander has started 86...
David McCormick is gearing up for a Senate run in Pennsylvania. But he lives in Connecticut
WASHINGTON — David McCormick had a clear explanation for why his fellow Republican, Dr. Mehmet Oz, lost a critical Pennsylvania Senate seat last year: Voters viewed the daytime television celebrity as an interloper from New Jersey with limited ties to the state he hoped to represent. “People want to know...
Man found dead in Pittsburgh’s South Oakland neighborhood
Pittsburgh police are investigating after a man was found dead Sunday evening in the city’s South Oakland neighborhood. He was found in the 2300 block of Second Avenue, according to Tribune-Review news partner WTAE. WTAE reported that Pittsburgh Public Safety confirmed the man’s body had been discovered, but officials have...
