Top Stories category, Page 667
Million-dollar home listings on the rise in Alle-Kiski Valley
Ronald and Sue Zola of West Deer had no idea their beloved farm would garner a million-dollar price tag. Their family farm dates to the 1700s and is listed for $1.29 million. The couple’s decision to sell their 60-plus-acre farm to relocate closer to family resulted in a recent appraisal...
Free speech group says Penn State’s funding cut to student newspaper suggests lack of support for free expression
A group that advocates for speech and press freedoms is criticizing Penn State University’s decision to eliminate funding for its student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, saying the cut suggests the university does not truly support free expression. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression registered its concerns in a letter...
Groups combating rising antisemitism in Pittsburgh, nationally
Antisemitic fliers passed out in a park and placed on car windshields. Swastikas painted on the sides of buildings and etched into playground equipment. Bomb threats to synagogues. Slurs shouted at Jewish worshippers. The Anti-Defamation League documented all of those incidents in Pittsburgh during the last few months of last...
Review: Pink’s Summer Carnival tour reaches new heights at PNC Park
Pink may have made one of the grandest entrances in Pittsburgh concert history Saturday night at PNC Park. And then she raised the bar — literally — with how she closed out her latest show on the Summer Carnival Tour. The Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter bungeed down headfirst from behind a...
Half a year after derailment, East Palestine’s fight to recover continues
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Kat Smith has seen her share of ups and downs this year. In February, days after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine and a controlled chemical burn spewed plumes of smoke into the sky, doctors diagnosed Smith with bronchitis because of toxin exposure. When...
Pennsylvania man bitten on the head by bear during attack in his garage
DANVILLE — A Pennsylvania man says he’s paying a lot more attention to his surroundings after a surprise attack by a bear in the garage of his home. John Swartz, 60, and his wife Lori, 59, were watching TV at their home outside Danville on the evening of July 27...
Bushy Run battle reenactment draws crowds for living history education
Over 1,000 visitors were present by 1 p.m. Saturday and between 1,500 and 5,000 people were expected throughout the weekend for the 260th anniversary of the Battle of Bushy Run, following a year of deliberations over whether the annual reenactment event would be allowed to continue. Organizers with the Bushy...
Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium officials announced death of male lion
Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium officials are mourning the loss of an African lion. The leader of the pack at the park, 6-year-old Kit died Friday. Officials said via Facebook that he was showing signs of illness that morning and was taken to the zoo’s veterinary hospital. A blockage in his...
Fire at Brackenridge duplex under investigation, candle may be the cause
A fire that gutted the second floor and attic of a Brackenridge duplex Friday night may have been started by a candle, according to Allegheny County officials. Chief Matt Brown, the county’s fire marshal and chief of emergency services, said via email Sunday that the fire remains under investigation. However,...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Preseason reps vital for Kenny Pickett, so don’t play it safe
The Pittsburgh Steelers play their first preseason game Friday at Tampa. How much should Kenny Pickett participate? How many snaps should the Steelers quarterback get over the entirety of the three-game exhibition slate? My suggestion would be: a lot. The reality will be: not very many. A few series. NFL...
Black bear shot and killed by Montana man in his living room after break-in
BILLINGS, Mont. — A Montana couple got a late-night wakeup call from a barking dog alerting them that a black bear had broken into their living room before the man shot and killed the animal with a handgun. The confrontation with the large bruin happened in the rural community of...
Mega Millions players spurned again as jackpot climbs to $1.55 billion
Another Mega Millions drawing, another night without a jackpot winner. The numbers drawn Friday night were: 11, 30, 45, 52, 56 and the gold ball 20. Because no one matched all six numbers and won the estimated $1.35 billion jackpot, the top prize increased to $1.55 billion for the next...
Key to Catholic Diocese’s program to attract Ukrainian immigrants to Westmoreland County: a job and welcoming community
A group of Ukrainian families who toured the Greensburg area this week to possibly resettle and work here were generally pleased by what they experienced, said a Ukrainian priest who served as their translator. “They were excited to be here. They need a couple of days to decide about a...
Penn State works to trim deficits that have placed it in ‘vulnerable state,’ president says
A plan to phase out funding for The Daily Collegian over the next two years is part of a broader financial belt-tightening to address deficit spending at Penn State and its branch campuses. “As an institution, we have been spending more money each year than we bring in, which has...
Steelers embrace hoopla of night practice before 14,000 fans in Latrobe
Steelers players at large were in light and cheerful moods as they boarded buses — in full uniform, carrying helmets — on the Saint Vincent campus. A convoy of eight buses that carried players, coaches, staffers and the media meandered through cramped streets in downtown Latrobe over the latter stages...
Court finds Gillece Services violated state consumer protection laws
A Bridgeville-based home heating and plumbing contractor accused of deceptive and unlawful business practices that cost customers money was found guilty in Allegheny County Court of violating the state’s consumer protection laws, the state Attorney General’s Office said. Gillece Services was found guilty Tuesday, Aug. 1 of violating both the...
Attorney Judy Clarke, defender of villains, cannot keep synagogue shooter from death row
Even a partial resume of Judy Clarke’s cases reads like a rogue’s gallery of evil. The Unabomber. The so-called 20th hijacker on 9/11. The Atlanta Olympics bomber. A Boston Marathon bomber. And now, Robert Bowers, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter. Over a long, illustrious career, Clarke, a publicity-shy defense lawyer who...
Battle at Bushy Run set to return after ‘positive move’ by state commission
The Bushy Run reenactment will proceed as usual this weekend and in the years to come thanks to a living history policy approved by the state this week. The Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, which governs Bushy Run and all other state-owned historic sites, voted on its final living history...
Pair ordered to stand trial in connection with June 12 shooting in Tarentum that injured 2
A man accused of firing at least eight shots at two people in Tarentum in May has been ordered to stand trial. A district judge also ordered a woman who police said instigated an argument earlier in the day that resulted in the shooting to stand trial. Steven Jermain Prezzie,...
Latrobe’s Steelers Fest attracts fans from all over the country
A sea of black and gold filled the green grass of Legion Keener Park on Friday in Latrobe. Football fans from across the country turned out for Steelers Fest, the prelude to Friday Night Lights, the annual practice session held at the park by the Pittsburgh Steelers. As visitors made...
Dog abandoned by owner who left on flight from Pittsburgh airport, police say
A person abandoned their dog at Pittsburgh International Airport early Friday after being told it had to be in a crate to fly, Allegheny County Police said. The dog’s owner, who has not been identified, is expected to be charged with animal abandonment, county police said. According to county police,...
2 new businesses — bakery, Italian eatery — open in downtown Jeannette
The scent of hard work at two new businesses in Jeannette wafts out the front doors, rising from baked goods and Italian fare. Jennifer Toughlian and David Avolio spent months preparing to open their doors and said this week they were thrilled with the response they’ve received from the community....
Fate of Tarentum docks to be debated
Boaters who lease dock space in Tarentum could find themselves without a home on the water next spring. Council is debating whether to renew the borough’s 34 slips while it addresses aged electric codes and other safety violations. “It’s a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer,” said longtime boater Ray Fortuna, a...
Morning Roundup: Woman, child injured in rollover on Parkway West
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Aug. 4: Woman, child injured in rollover on Parkway West Green Tree Volunteer Fire Company responded Thursday afternoon to reports of a vehicle rollover crash and entrapment on the Parkway West. First responders found a vehicle that landed...
Helicopter aids hunt for Kiski River alligator
A helicopter joined the search for an alligator reported to be in the Kiski River, but didn’t spot it. Since Sunday’s initial report, Kiski Township Police Chief Lee Bartolicius said multiple sightings of the reptile have been reported. He said authorities are working to locate it, safely remove it from...
