Top Stories category, Page 676
Fetterman’s bill would free money to fix Pennsylvania streets
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has proposed a bill to make streets safer, citing Harrisburg as once being home to the “deadliest road in America” and the traffic fallout of the Interstate 95 collapse in Philadelphia. “The recent disaster on I-95 and the subsequent detour to the already dangerous Roosevelt Boulevard...
Pride on display: Merchandise backlash concerns local LGBTQ community, some retailers
“Love wins” and “Love is love” are among the messages adorning apparel displayed in recognition of Pride Month at Rue 21, a chain clothing store at Westmoreland Mall. Not everyone is taking to heart such messages supporting the LGBTQIA community during June, as evidenced by recent backlash against some major...
West Deer approves Leto well pad; neighbors plan to appeal
West Deer supervisors approved conditional use and land development applications for the proposed Leto well pad, and neighbors say they plan to appeal that decision in court. The well pad, located off Oak Road behind a Dollar General store, was proposed by Olympus Energy of Cecil Township. Olympus plans to...
Pittsburgh woman says she stabbed husband in self-defense, doesn’t recall wrapping body in garbage bags
An attorney for Janet L. Winbush said the woman with a long and well-documented history of mental illness fatally stabbed her husband in self-defense in December 2020 after years of domestic abuse. Prosecutors argue that Winbush had planned to kill Deric Bryan Davis, 53, and then, after she did, she...
Pa. campus assault suspect eludes arrest for 2 years, after ‘So I raped you’ Facebook message
PHILADELPHIA — Two years after a former Gettysburg College student finally saw charges filed over her 2013 campus sexual assault, the man suspected of sending her a Facebook message that said, ” So I raped you,” remains on the run. Shannon Keeler, 28, and her attorneys question how Ian T....
Pittsburgh pools offer free swimming for city children 15 and younger
Pittsburgh children 15 and under will be able to swim for free at any of the city’s 15 open pools this summer. “It’s all about … giving them opportunities for a safe, fun summer,” Mayor Ed Gainey said. Pittsburgh children had needed to have a recreation center membership tag to...
Response to fiery Ohio derailment frustrated by poor communication and incomplete information
OMAHA, Neb. — Firefighters who responded to February’s fiery train derailment in Ohio struggled to immediately identify the hazardous chemicals the train was hauling due to a lack of communication from the railroad, officials said Thursday. During a public hearing in East Palestine — where thousands of residents had to...
The Westmoreland names Silvia Filippini-Fantoni as new director and CEO
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art has named Silvia Filippini-Fantoni as its new Richard M. Scaife Director/CEO, effective in August. Filippini-Fantoni comes to The Westmoreland from The Newark Museum of Art in New Jersey, where she is deputy director of learning and engagement. “I am dedicated to ensuring that this...
Property owner: Don’t rezone former Springdale power plant from industrial use
The owner of the former Cheswick Generating Station is repeating its stance on the property: Springdale should not rezone it from industrial use. No action was taken at borough council’s meeting this week — the matter wasn’t even on the agenda — but representatives from Cheswick Plant Environmental Redevelopment Group...
Hondurans see little hope for nation’s prisons as details of cold-blooded massacre emerge
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Authorities in Honduras began to hand over to relatives the hacked, burned corpses of 46 women killed in the worst riot at a women’s prison in recent memory. Some of the bodies were so badly burned they need genetic testing or dental studies to identify, said Yuri...
Moscow court rules U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich must stay in jail until late August
MOSCOW — A Moscow court on Thursday ruled that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich must remain in jail on espionage charges until at least late August, rejecting the American journalist’s appeal to be released. The 31-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested in late March while on a reporting trip. A...
A year after fall of Roe, 25 million women live in states with abortion bans or tighter restrictions
One year ago Saturday, the U.S. Supreme Court rescinded a five-decade-old right to abortion, prompting a seismic shift in debates about politics, values, freedom and fairness. Twenty-five million women of childbearing age now live in states where the law makes abortions harder to get than they were before the ruling....
Coast Guard: The Titan submersible imploded, killing all 5 on boardVideo
A submersible carrying five people to the Titanic imploded near the site of the shipwreck and killed everyone on board, authorities said Thursday, bringing a tragic end to a saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the missing vessel. Coast Guard officials said during a...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh man charged in connection to McKeesport hit-and-run fatal
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, June 22: Man arrested in fatal McKeesport hit-and-run Police arrested a 31-year-old man who they said fatally struck a woman in McKeesport with his vehicle early Thursday. Allegheny County Police said the suspect, Brandon Pendleton of Pittsburgh’s Sheraden...
Murrysville, Plum officials deal with injection well issues
There are multiple injection well operations and appeals of operations in the communities of Plum and neighboring Murrysville. Plum officials are appealing the decision of their own zoning hearing board, which approved a second injection well in the borough. The Sedat injection well has been in operation since late spring...
Injection rejection: Indiana County community pushes back against fracking residue well
When Judy Wanchisn was a few years into her fight to stop operation of a fracking injection well in her neighborhood, several people asked why she didn’t just move. “This is our family homestead,” she said, gesturing to the house and small building adjacent to her home on Sebring Road...
Sheetz clears initial zoning hurdle in plans for new Greensburg store
Sheetz has passed the first hurdle in its plan to construct a new store on Greensburg’s East Pittsburgh Street. The city’s zoning hearing board on Wednesday granted a series of variances the convenience chain requested from normal landscaping, building and signage requirements for a store and gas station it wants...
Programming changes could be coming to WESA, WYEP radio during ‘challenging times’
Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation plans to offer voluntary buyouts to two of its reporters and programming changes could be forthcoming along with staffing adjustments. PCBC owns WESA-FM, the local NPR affiliate, and WYEP. The employees are represented by SAG-AFTRA, a national union for broadcasters. In a letter sent to members,...
Justice Department begins turning over evidence to Trump team in classified documents case
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Wednesday night that it had begun turning over evidence to former President Donald Trump’s legal team as his lawyers prepare a defense to charges that he illegally retained classified documents. The evidence includes transcripts of grand jury testimony taken in both Washington and Florida,...
Bill would allow Pa. patients to get medical marijuana regardless of illness
Legislation that would loosen up Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act to allow a patient’s doctor to certify medical cannabis as a suitable treatment regardless of the patient’s medical condition is advancing in the state Senate. The Senate Law & Justice Committee on Wednesday voted 10-1 to approve a bill that would...
House censures Rep. Adam Schiff over Trump-Russia investigationsVideo
WASHINGTON — The House voted Wednesday to censure California Rep. Adam Schiff for comments he made several years ago about investigations into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia, rebuking the Democrat and frequent critic of the former president along party lines. Schiff, who will stand in front of the House while...
MAWC officials say local water supply in good shape despite dry conditions
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials said Wednesday that, based on local conditions, there is no reason to implement a mandatory water conservation order. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection last week issued a drought watch and suggested residents enact voluntary efforts to reduce water usage by 5% to 10%....
Allegheny Valley school directors push for football season at Veterans Memorial Field
The Allegheny Valley School District plans to stay the course and play its football games at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Springdale despite an issue with a leaning wall at the field. At a meeting Tuesday, board members discussed the field, where part of a wall is leaning toward the stadium...
Pittsburgh City Council considers $45M, 10-year contract for police cameras, Tasers, other equipment
Pittsburgh City Council is considering a proposed $45 million, 10-year contract for city police to buy and upgrade body and vehicle cameras, Tasers and related equipment and software. The proposed contract would be with Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Axon Enterprise. Pittsburgh police now use Axon for their body-worn cameras and tasers, but...
Overgrown Herr Chapel Cemetery full of hidden history
There’s no telling how many Union soldiers and prominent local figures are buried beneath the dense overgrowth at Herr Chapel Cemetery. Many monuments are sunken, caked in moss or eroded beyond legibility. Others appear to simply be half-buried rocks, and may or may not indicate a grave. Without the worn,...
