Top Stories category, Page 674
Judge denies request to exhume corpse of Pittsburgh synagogue shooter’s father
The federal judge presiding over the trial of the man convicted of killing 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue denied a motion by the defense to have their client’s father’s body exhumed. Defense attorneys for Robert Bowers, 50, of Baldwin, filed a motion Tuesday seeking to have Bowers’ father’s...
Biden’s son Hunter pleads not guilty to 2 tax crimes after agreement with prosecutors falls through
WILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two tax crimes after a deal with federal prosecutors unraveled during a court hearing following the judge’s concerns over the agreement. Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanor tax crimes of failure to pay more...
Blistering heat set to hit Western Pa. region
Western Pennsylvania is in for a sweltering week amid a national heat wave, with temperatures expected to climb into the 90s, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. Meteorologist Jason Frazier of the weather service said temperatures are expected to increase from Wednesday through Friday into the upper 80s...
No Mega Millions winner — jackpot rises to $910 million
The Mega Millions jackpot climbed to an estimated $910 million after Tuesday night’s drawing produced no big winners, extending a stretch of bad luck dating back to April. The numbers drawn were: 3, 5, 6, 44, 61 and the yellow ball 25 The absence of a winner for the estimated...
Life sciences company brings corporate headquarters to Lawrenceville
A drug development company is sinking its roots further into the region, moving its corporate headquarters to Lawrenceville after expanding its laboratory in the neighborhood. Predictive Oncology Inc., a publicly traded company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to accelerate oncology drug discovery, recently expanded its footprint to nearly...
Former Tarentum church up for sale, could become 24-hour gym
Holy Martyrs Church in Tarentum could once again draw crowds of people, albeit not for prayer. The 51-year-old building at 344 W. Ninth Ave. is up for sale, with the potential owner hoping to replace pews and altars with treadmills and a basketball court. The site is being sought by...
Formal arraignment postponed for Harrison nurse accused of killing 2 patients
The formal arraignment for a Harrison nurse accused of killing two patients by insulin overdose was continued Tuesday. Heather Pressdee, 40, was scheduled for a hearing at the Butler County Courthouse, but her case will be heard at a later unscheduled date, according to the Clerk of Courts Office. Pressdee...
2 hospitalized in Shaler fire that draws massive emergency response
Two men were hospitalized in critical condition, and a firefighter was treated for dehydration, Tuesday night as a result of a fire in Shaler. Allegheny County 911 dispatch said the calls for the two-alarm fire at a home along the 1600 block of Burchfield Road came in shortly after 9...
Glassport man pleads guilty to killing man in high-speed crash in North Versailles
A Glassport man who was driving nearly 100 mph last year when he crashed into a car in North Versailles, killing the driver, pleaded guilty Tuesday to homicide by vehicle and other charges, authorities said. Shamar Allyn Roach, 25, was driving a van about 95 mph when the crash happened...
Point Park University names Chris W. Brussalis as president
Trustees at Point Park University Tuesday evening removed the “interim” from Chris W. Brussalis’ title and made him the institution’s ninth president, six months after he stepped in following the departure of Don Green. Brussalis, 59, a North Hills resident, is a known entity both on campus and in Pittsburgh....
Victims identified in double fatal Mt. Pleasant Township motorcycle crash
Two residents of Greensburg were killed in a motorcycle crash Tuesday night on Route 819, according to information released by the Westmoreland County coroner. Timothy P. Kuhns, 50, was driving a Harley-Davidson motorcycle north on Route 819 in Mt. Pleasant Township just before 8 p.m. when he lost control around...
Fire damages attic, basement of former South Huntingdon coffee shop
Fire damaged a former coffee shop in South Huntingdon Township on Tuesday evening. According to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher, fires were found in the basement and the attic of the former Breaktime Coffee Services building, located at 2246 First St. in Wyano. No one was found in the building...
Blaze on Brunot reignites interest in historic Pittsburgh island
It’s certainly no Herr’s, much less a Neville. But Brunot Island — small, scrappy and often overlooked locally compared to its better-known cousins — is no slouch when it comes to its place in Pittsburgh history. Nestled snugly in the Ohio River just a few miles from The Point and...
Embattled Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer could go to sheriff’s sale
The Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer could go to sheriff’s sale this fall. According to court filings, a notice of sheriff’s sale for real estate that includes the mall property will be held at 9 a.m. Oct. 2 in the Allegheny County Courthouse. Filings indicate Pitt Galleria Reality LLC, Pitt...
Allegheny County Jail inmate who died over the weekend identified
A man who died in Allegheny County Jail over the weekend was identified Tuesday as Douglas Bonomo, 59, of McKeesport. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet provided a cause or manner of death. Bonomo, an inmate at the jail, was pronounced dead by paramedics around 7:20 a.m....
Connellsville native Johnny Lujack, 1947 Heisman winner who led Notre Dame to 3 national titles, dies at the age of 98
Connellsville native Johnny Lujack, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback who led Notre Dame to three national championships in the 1940s, died Tuesday in Florida following a brief illness. He was 98. Lujack’s death was confirmed by his granddaughter, Amy Schiller, who said he had entered hospice care recently after having been...
Witness testifies that Pittsburgh synagogue shooter saved his life as a teen
When Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers was a teenager, he saved a friend who was struggling to stay afloat in the Monongahela River. Frank Ray testified Tuesday in federal court that he and other boys went to find a rope swing hanging underneath the Glenwood Bridge and go swimming in...
Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh workers seek to unionize
About 100 workers at the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh are seeking to unionize with the United Steelworkers union. It’s the latest in a series of efforts to organize workplaces in the region and nationally at a time when more workers are going on strike — or have been on...
Fitzgerald, Catena spar over vetoed Allegheny County property assessment bill
Two of Allegheny County’s top elected officials are trading barbs over a bill that sought to address the county’s property tax assessment role. Allegheny County Council passed a bill by a 9-6 vote early this month to establish a new chief assessment officer appointed by council that would render calculations...
UPS reaches contract with 340,000 unionized workers, averting potential strike
NEW YORK — UPS has reached a contract agreement with its 340,000-person strong union Tuesday, averting a strike that had the potential to disrupt logistics nationwide for businesses and households alike. The agreement was announced after UPS and the Teamsters came back to the negotiating table Tuesday to talk over...
City’s office cleaners march in Pittsburgh ahead of contract negotiations
Dozens of unionized office cleaners marched to Pittsburgh’s City-County Building on Tuesday to call for better wages and support. Their current four-year labor agreement — which covers more than 1,200 office cleaners in Pittsburgh — expires at the end of October. The workers are represented by the 32BJ SEIU union....
DA Zappala’s son charged with assault in connection with alleged domestic dispute
The son of Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has been arrested in connection with a domestic incident, police said. Stephen John Zappala, 31, of Ben Avon Heights, was charged by Ohio Township police Sunday with simple assault and harassment, court records show. He was arraigned early Monday...
DeSantis uninjured in car crash on way to Tennessee presidential campaign events
WASHINGTON — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was involved in a multi-car accident on Tuesday in Tennessee but was uninjured as he traveled in a motorcade to a campaign stop for his 2024 presidential bid. The crash happened before 8:15 a.m. when traffic slowed on Interstate 75 in Chattanooga, causing four...
Defense seeks to exhume corpse of Pittsburgh synagogue shooter’s father to verify paternity
Defense attorneys for the man found guilty of killing 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue are seeking to have his father’s body exhumed to confirm paternity. Robert Bowers, 50, of Baldwin, was found guilty of all 63 counts against him for the Oct. 27, 2018, attack on the Tree...
Morning Roundup: Trader Joe’s recalls cookies for possible rocks
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, July 25: Trader Joe’s recalls cookies for possible rocks Trader Joe’s warned customers over the weekend that some cookies purchased from the store might contain an unpleasant surprise: rocks. The grocery store, which has three locations in the...
