Top Stories category, Page 681
Man dead, another injured after fall through 3 floors at Blairsville building restoration site
One man died and another was injured after the pair fell three floors into the basement of a dilapidated former school they were assessing for demolition Wednesday in Blairsville, borough officials said. John Plunkett, 63, of Blairsville, died at UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh from blunt force injuries related to...
Arnold approves decertifying 117-year-old No. 1 fire department
A roomful of Arnold residents appeared to go through many of the seven stages of grief before the city’s council voted Tuesday to decertify the older of its two volunteer fire departments. Residents were in shock and angry that council was considering decertifying the 117-year-old Citizens Volunteer Fire Company No....
Pittsburgh officials prepare for crowds, heavy traffic ahead of Taylor Swift, Juneteenth
Pittsburgh Public Safety officials Wednesday said they’re prepared for large crowds, heavy traffic and road closures as Juneteenth celebrations and Taylor Swift stadium concerts are expected to bring thousands to the city this weekend. “Our public safety bureaus have been working very closely with the organizers of both Juneteenth and...
‘We were filled with terror,’ Pittsburgh synagogue attack survivor testifies; closing arguments Thursday
Andrea Wedner and her 97-year-old mother, Rose Mallinger, lay head-to-head under their pew, hiding from the man who had just fired an AR-15 repeatedly inside the Tree of Life synagogue. They were frantic. Wedner had seen the man later identified as Robert Bowers standing in the doorway at the back...
Old Western Penitentiary site in Pittsburgh up for sale
The state is looking for a buyer to transform the large site of a former prison in Pittsburgh into a mixed-use development on the banks of the Ohio River. The former State Correctional Institution-Pittsburgh site covers more than 21 acres in Pittsburgh’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. It includes 42 buildings. SCI-Pittsburgh, historically...
$1 million scratch-off ticket sold in Allegheny Township
A million-dollar scratch-off ticket was sold at a grocery store in Allegheny Township. Pennsylvania Lottery officials announced Wednesday a winning ticket for Hasbro’s “The Game of Life” was sold at the Giant Eagle, 41 Towne Center Drive. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket. Scratch-off tickets...
Taylor Swift fans seeing red over Eras Tour ticket prices
Forget a blank space. You darn near need a blank check to work your way into either of this week’s Taylor Swift concerts at Acrisure Stadium. Ticket prices are soaring days before the most-anticipated concert stop of the year. Swift’s Eras Tour hits the stadium Friday and Saturday. On Wednesday,...
Pennsylvania using tons of recycled glass nuggets to rebuild collapsed Interstate 95Video
Pennsylvania will truck in 2,000 tons of lightweight glass nuggets to help quickly rebuild a collapsed section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and crews will work 24 hours a day until they can reopen the critical commercial artery, officials said Wednesday. Instead of rebuilding the overpass right away, crews will...
Brackenridge woman charged in connection with Tarentum gunfire
A Brackenridge woman has been charged in connection with a shooting Monday along Corbet Street in Tarentum. Freedom Brown, 41, faces two counts each of terroristic threats and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. Allegheny County Police said two people suffered minor injuries — cuts and bruises — while running from...
Police say man racked up $26K on credit cards he got using Fawn neighbor’s info
Allegheny County Police detectives accused a man of using his former Fawn neighbor’s banking information to open a dozen credit cards and steal nearly $26,000 after she cosigned a car loan in 2018 so he could drive to work. Jonathon Theron Sam Fry, 42, of the 3800 block of Riverview...
Crime stoppers offers reward for information on disappearance of girl in 1987
Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information in the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl in Indiana County 36 years ago. Alicia Markovich has been missing since April 26, 1987 when she left her father’s home off Route 22 in Blairsville, just over the border from Westmoreland County....
Zoning change would clear way for GetGo with ‘expanded offering’ of fresh foods in Homewood
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission is considering a zoning change on a Homewood West site where GetGo is looking to open a gas station and convenience store with fresh groceries and hot food. The site, near the corner of Frankstown and Fifth avenues, is now zoned for residential use. The proposal before...
Here’s how to score Taylor Swift merchandise at Acrisure Stadium
Don’t want to wait in line Friday or Saturday at The Eras Tour show to score Taylor Swift merch at Acrisure Stadium? You’re in luck. You can wait in line Thursday instead! Early merchandise sales open at noon Thursday at a Taylor Swift Merch truck on Art Rooney Avenue and...
Morning Roundup: Monroeville Eat’n Park robbed
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, June 14: Eat’n Park robbed in Monroeville Eat’n Park in Monroeville was robbed Sunday — the second time this year, according to the Monroeville Police Department. Police responded to the Monroeville Boulevard restaurant after two managers said they...
How rare are Taylor Swift’s 2 sellouts? Promoter Rich Engler has never seen it before
The Taylor Swift Eras Tour, a journey through the musical eras of Swift’s career, is set to hit Acrisure Stadium. The shows Friday and Saturday are sold out at the 68,400-seat facility. So how rare is that? Concert promoter Rich Engler, who has worked in the industry for 53 years,...
Taylor Swift concert: What to know before you go
The Taylor Swift concerts are just days away, and Swifties are making friendship bracelets to trade and adding final touches to their outfits for The Eras Tour shows Friday and Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Here are five things to know before going: 1. Plan for parking The North Shore will...
Original Westmoreland flag still on display at Fort Pitt Museum
Re-enactors with Proctor’s Militia always bring a Westmoreland County flag with them to events, according to Capt. Scott Henry. It’s an important piece of local history and their family heritage, as many are descendants of men who were part of Col. John Proctor’s battalion, created in 1775 as one of...
Some Western Pennsylvania United Methodist churches make split official at conference
ERIE — The Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church is now more than a third smaller after a solemn and at times emotional meeting completed a more than yearlong process of disaffiliation for some congregations. There were 298 churches in the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist...
Woman dead, 2 injured in Oakland shooting
A woman is dead and at least two other people were injured Tuesday night in connection with a shooting in Pittsburgh’s West Oakland neighborhood. The victim was identified as Tanika Paul, 29, of Pittsburgh, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said officers responded...
What to know about Trump’s appearance in federal court in Miami to face felony charges
Donald Trump made a first appearance Tuesday in federal court in Miami facing 37 counts related to the mishandling and retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Here’s a look at the charges, the special counsel’s investigation and how Trump’s case differs from those of other politicians known to...
‘Rock star’ Stan Savran left indelible mark on co-workers, fans during iconic career
After diabetes stole some of his toes, Stan Savran’s co-workers at AT&T SportsNet would drive the iconic sportscaster two blocks down North Shore Drive and drop him off at the Bill Mazeroski statue outside PNC Park. “He’d open the door, and it was like a rock star getting out,” said...
Federal officials warn I-95 collapse could affect shipping across East Coast as local businesses feel the squeeze
PHILADELPHIA — The collapse of a portion of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia following a massive blaze caused by an overturned tanker truck could cause supply chain headaches across the East Coast, state and federal officials warned Tuesday. Following a tour of the site, Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said...
Fitzgerald vetoes $20 minimum wage proposal for Allegheny County employees
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald on Tuesday vetoed a bill passed by county council to establish a $20 minimum wage for county workers. The executive said his veto message shouldn’t be taken as disagreement with the need to pay county employees a living wage, noting his commitment to increase wages...
Train safety bill inspired by East Palestine derailment faces tough odds in Pa. legislature
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — In the wake of a hazardous train derailment less than a mile from the Ohio border, Pennsylvania lawmakers are...
Police investigating the death of a 5-year-old girl in Springdale
A 5-year-old girl died Tuesday morning after she was found unresponsive at a home in Springdale, leaving a tight-knit neighborhood in shock. According to Allegheny County Police, the girl was found about 8:45 a.m. at a row house in the 40 block of Duquesne Court. Allegheny County Police detectives are...
