Top Stories category, Page 666
Is Pa. primed to legalize weed? 2 lawmakers introduce bill to allow recreational use
Two Senate lawmakers are making a new run at legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania. Sens. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie County) and Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) introduced a bill Thursday that would allow those 21 and older to use recreational marijuana in the state. The measure would include provisions for enforcement of DUI and...
Police: Albino python found in Ross park 1 of 5 snakes released by owner; 4 remain at large
An albino python isn’t something usually seen slithering through the grass in Ross. But that’s what was discovered Tuesday evening near the baseball diamond in Ross Community Park, where the township held its annual Fourth of July celebration. “One of our officers who responded to the call is familiar with...
Texas gunman in Walmart shooting that killed 23 gets 90 consecutive life sentences
EL PASO, Texas — A white gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack on Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart in a Texas border city was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life sentences but could still face more punishment, including the death penalty. Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty earlier...
Swindell Bridge on Pittsburgh’s North Side to close for about a month
Repair work on the North Side’s Swindell Bridge will close the span for nearly a month starting Monday, city officials said. The full closure is expected to last through Aug. 7, according to officials with the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure. Swindell Bridge — which links Pittsburgh’s Perry South...
Wilson’s Bar-B-Q in North Side’s Perry South neighborhood ‘opening soon’
As Ira Lewis talked about plans to reopen Wilson’s Bar-B-Q on Thursday, the phone kept ringing with people inquiring about when the eatery will open. “People have been waiting,” Lewis said. “When I come in every day, there are 60-plus calls. And there are Facebook messages and texts.” Lewis doesn’t...
Tickets still available for Ed Sheeran concert at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium
Pittsburgh’s summer of big concerts continues Saturday. British pop star Ed Sheeran will take the stage at Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore. Opening guests are expected to be Khalid and Rosa Linn. Khalid missed the past few shows because he was in a car accident and it is not...
Greensburg Catholic Diocese: Westmoreland could be home for Ukrainian refugees
The Catholic Diocese of Greensburg has launched an initiative to help refugees from war-torn Ukraine by offering some of them the opportunity to settle in Westmoreland County. “It is an important part of the church’s mandate” to help those in need, said Bishop Larry J. Kulick. The diocese is planning...
Morning roundup: Mars man jailed after allegedly soliciting sex from group posing as minors
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, July 7: Mars man accused of soliciting sex from minors A Mars man has been charged with trying to solicit sex from two decoys posing as teenage girls. Adams Township police charged Dale Wahl Pine, 61, with permitting...
Greensburg Community Development Corp. selects new executive director
A Greensburg resident is set to take the reins of the Greensburg Community Development Corp. as the nonprofit takes key steps in its efforts to revitalize the city. The organization’s board recently selected Alec Italiano as its new executive director. He will succeed John Stafford, 23, who is set to...
Cruiser crash sends Pittsburgh police officer to hospital
A Pittsburgh police officer was taken to a hospital after a city cruiser was involved in a crash Thursday evening in the East Allegheny neighborhood. A city Public Safety spokeswoman said the crash happened at about 7:30 p.m., at Madison and Spring Garden avenues, while the officer was responding to...
Government expert says synagogue shooter has personality disorder, not mental illness
A nationally renowned psychiatrist who has evaluated some of the most notorious criminals of the 20th and 21st centuries believes that the man who killed 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue does not have any diagnosable mental illness, including schizophrenia. What Robert Bowers does have, though, that expert said,...
Idlewild tightens summer hours: Park to close every Wednesday for the rest of the season
Idlewild and SoakZone in Ligonier Township will be closed on Wednesdays for the rest of the summer. The amusement park’s online calendar indicates closures every Wednesday through July and August. The park did not respond to requests for comment left Thursday afternoon. Kennywood Park in West Mifflin will be closed...
National Senior Games expected to bring 10K athletes, $30M in visitor spending to Pittsburgh
The National Senior Games getting underway Friday in and around Pittsburgh will showcase some of the top 50-and-older athletes while also pumping tens of millions of dollars into the region’s economy, officials say. The National Senior Games — hosted by SportsPittsburgh, a division of the tourism agency VisitPittsburgh — is...
Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi has full FDA approval now and that means Medicare will pay for it
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials granted full approval to a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug on Thursday, clearing the way for Medicare and other insurance plans to begin covering the treatment for people with the brain-robbing disease. The Food and Drug Administration endorsed the IV drug, Leqembi, for patients with mild dementia...
Study: Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets contains potentially harmful chemicals
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets likely contains “forever chemicals” that may cause cancer and other health problems, according to a government study released Wednesday. The synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS are contaminating drinking water to varying extents in large cities and small...
4-year-old shot in Rostraver, flown to Pittsburgh hospital
A 4-year-old boy was shot in the head Thursday in Rostraver and was flown to a hospital for treatment, according to officials. Westmoreland County detectives and township police were investigating Thursday afternoon at the scene along Gaudio Drive, which intersects with Route 201. The child was flown to UPMC Children’s...
Soapy suds fill Levin Furniture fountain in Monroeville
Levin Furniture & Mattress employees arrived at their Monroeville location Thursday morning to find a giant mountain of soap spilling out of the waterfall which adorns the front of their property on Route 22. “People sabotaged it overnight and threw four bottles of Dawn dish liquid into it,” said Levin...
Walnut Capital looks to expand Bakery Square, support affordable housing in Pittsburgh’s East End
Walnut Capital is looking to nearly double the size of its Bakery Square development in Pittsburgh’s East End. The Bakery Square office and commercial development opened in 2009, expanded to include housing and now sits on 20 acres in Larimer and Shadyside. Walnut Capital is looking to expand the specially...
Inflatable domed structure in Pittsburgh ‘Architects of Air: Daedalum’ is an immersive experience
Cavernous domes, enchanting tunnels and captivating pods are located inside the multipeaked structure that’s situated in The Backyard, the summer arts park at the corner of Eighth Street and Penn Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh. The exhibition is dubbed “Architects of Air: Daedalum.” The inflatable sculpture, known as a luminarium, was...
2 more lawsuits target Mammoth Park’s Giant Slide
Two more individuals are suing Westmoreland County, claiming they were injured while riding the rebuilt Giant Slide in Mt. Pleasant Township’s Mammoth Park. Danielle Hunter-Campbell of Mt. Pleasant Township claims she dislocated and fractured her left ankle on Feb. 9; and Christina Savisky of Youngwood says she fractured her right...
1 in 5 United Methodist congregations in U.S. have left denomination over LGBTQ conflicts
More than 6,000 United Methodist congregations — a fifth of the U.S. total — have now received permission to leave the denomination amid a schism over theology and the role of LGBTQ people in the nation’s second-largest Protestant denomination. Those figures emerge following the close of regular meetings in June...
Pennsylvania House approves state budget after Gov. Shapiro backs off voucher plan
HARRISBURG — Late Wednesday night, the Democratic-controlled Pennsylvania House approved a new state spending plan after a days-long stalemate in Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature. The chamber approved the main bill in a $45 billion spending plan, 117-86, as the state government plowed through its fifth day without full spending authority....
Morning Roundup: Coroner identifies Coraopolis teen killed in Parkway West crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, July 6: Coraopolis teen killed in Parkway West crash The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the person killed in a two-car crash this week on the Parkway West. Santino Didomenico, 19, of Coraopolis, was pronounced dead...
‘You will have an ambulance’: Jeannette leaders scramble in wake of EMS closing
Members of Jeannette council likely will discuss during a work session Tuesday how to move forward after Jeannette EMS abruptly closed this week, leaving city officials scrambling to ensure residents have ambulance coverage. Councilwoman Robin Mozley, who is the service’s liaison with the city, said questions remain after what she...
Breaking bread: Brown Bear Bread Cafe in Mt. Oliver creates more than loaves of dough
Mt. Oliver has a neighborhood bakery again — and if Kate Clemons has her way, just maybe a greater sense of community because of it. Brown Bear Bread Cafe opened last month in spot that once housed the hyped Kevin Sousa restaurant Mount Oliver Bodega and most recently The Finer...
