Top Stories category, Page 683
One-third of Americans under heat alerts as blistering weather spreads from Southwest to CaliforniaVideo
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — More than a third of Americans were under extreme heat advisories, watches and warnings Thursday as a blistering heat wave that’s been baking the nation spread further into California, forcing residents to seek out air conditioning or find other ways to stay cool in triple-digit temperatures....
New Kensington Bridge underpass in East Deer to close Monday
The underpass under the New Kensington Bridge in East Deer will close Monday, according to PennDOT. Northbound Freeport Road under the New Kensington Bridge will close at 7 a.m. and remain closed through late September. Travelers headed north on Freeport Road, toward Tarentum, will use the ramp up to the...
Palace Theatre director named Cultural Trust interim CEO
The Westmoreland Cultural Trust has named the operations and programming director for The Palace Theatre in Greensburg as its interim chief executive. Teresa Baughman, who has worked for the Trust since 1995, will lead the Trust in the role as interim CEO, in the wake of its former CEO leaving...
Soda sweetener aspartame now listed as possible cancer cause. But it’s still considered safe
The World Health Organization’s cancer agency has deemed the sweetener aspartame — found in diet soda and countless other foods — as a “possible” cause of cancer, while a separate expert group looking at the same evidence said it still considers the sugar substitute safe in limited quantities. The differing...
Police: 1-year-old child nearly drowns in Etna
A one-year-old child was hospitalized in critical condition Thursday afternoon after almost drowning in Etna, Allegheny County Police said. First responders performed life-saving measures on the child, who was reported unresponsive at about 3:40 p.m. in the 30 block of Sycamore Street, police said. The preliminary information suggests the child...
Penn Hills construction worker’s death in fall through Pine-Richland High School roof ruled accidental
A construction worker from Penn Hills died after falling through the roof at Pine-Richland High School, the school district confirmed Thursday. Joseph Gazzo, 44, died at a hospital Thursday morning after falling, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. The medical examiner’s office announced late Friday that death was...
First over-the-counter birth control pill gets FDA approvalVideo
U.S. officials have approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, which will let American women and girls buy contraceptive medication from the same aisle as aspirin and eyedrops. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it cleared Perrigo’s once-a-day Opill to be sold without a prescription, making it the first...
Snakes still loose in Ross spark interest, but not much fear
It’s been an anxious week for Ross residents since a 3-foot albino python was first seen slithering through the outfield grass near the baseball diamond at Ross Community Park on the Fourth of July. Though pythons are nonvenomous, the U.S. Geological Survey says the snakes can be dangerous because they...
Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery in the Waterfront is permanently closed
Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, one of the first tenants in the Waterfront in Homestead, has closed. The first Rock Bottom opened in Denver in 1991. At one time there were 17 locations across the U.S. There are currently 12. When it opened 25 years ago, it was one of...
Hollywood actors join screenwriters in historic industry-stopping strike as contract talks collapseVideo
LOS ANGELES — Leaders of a Hollywood’s actors union voted Thursday to join screenwriters in the first joint strike in more than six decades, shutting down production across the entertainment industry after talks for a new contract with studios and streaming services broke down. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, executive director of the...
Dismissal of cruelty charges against former Pittsburgh animal control officer draws criticism
A Pittsburgh police officer and an animal rights activist say they are disturbed by a district judge’s decision to throw out animal cruelty charges against a former city animal control officer. District Judge James A. Motznik dismissed all four charges against James Genco III, 48, during a July 6 preliminary...
Police: Blairsville carjacking suspect arrested in Georgia
A man accused of cutting a woman in the face and neck during a Blairsville carjacking was arrested Thursday in Georgia, according to state Trooper Tristan Tappe. Authorities had been searching for Michael A. Whitfield, 35, since the violent attack Wednesday morning outside a personal care home. He also is...
Powerball jackpot climbs to $875 million for Saturday after no winner in latest drawing
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Powerball jackpot soared to an estimated $875 million after no winning ticket was sold for the latest drawing. No ticket for Wednesday’s $750 million jackpot matched the white balls 23, 35, 45, 66, 67 and red Powerball 20. The new jackpot for Saturday’s drawing is...
Police say 900 packets of fentanyl seized during raid at New Kensington woman’s home; 2nd suspect sought
State and county narcotics agents accused a New Kensington woman of being a drug dealer after, they say, 900 packets of fentanyl were confiscated during a raid at her home. Ieesha Franshawn Rajab, 41, of the 1100 block of Fifth Avenue was charged with two felony counts of possession of...
Jury: Pittsburgh synagogue attacker eligible for death penalty
Robert Bowers is eligible for the death penalty. Whether a jury will impose it will be determined over the next few weeks. On Thursday, after deliberating for less than two hours, a jury of seven women and five men found that the man who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh...
TV Talk: FX’s ‘Justified’ comes full circle, returned to film in Western Pa. for 1st time since pilot episode
PASADENA, Calif. — Not all reboots and sequel series are the same. And they’re not all bad idea. While some don’t have a creative reason to exist, others provide a welcome mix of closure and fan service (the third season of “Star Trek: Picard”) and the best ones take what’s...
Morning roundup: Kennywood reverses course to remain open on Tuesdays
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, July 13: Kennywood to be open Tuesdays Kennywood has reversed course and will be open Tuesdays into August, according to the West Mifflin amusement park’s online calendar. “Due to an increase in demand from our guests we have...
Westmoreland County to spend $10 million for broadband expansion
Westmoreland County leaders are expected to allocate more than $10 million in covid relief funds this year to expand broadband to residents currently unable to receive reliable high-speed internet service. Commissioners on Thursday are expected to approve a $1.7 million contract with Verizon Pennsylvania LLC to install about 30 miles...
Previously uncertified parking meters operational, now being enforced in sections of Vandergrift
It’s time to feed the Vandergrift parking meters again. At least some of them. After several months with unenforceable meters, borough officials are making progress in their efforts to repair and certify 330 meters in Vandergrift to make them operational again. Police began enforcement of the parking meters Monday along...
North Huntingdon police locate missing autistic teen
North Huntingdon police located a 16-year-old autistic boy who had been reported missing late Wednesday night. Authorities were looking for the boy who was missing from the Ridge Road area of the township. They reported in an alert after midnight that the child had been found....
Police: 1 of 2 victims in Brighton Heights shooting has died
One of two women shot in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood Wednesday night has died, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Darkale Bonner, 35, died at a hospital just before 8:30 p.m., the medical examiner’s office said. The office said Bonner died from a gunshot wound to the head...
Tornado touches down near Chicago’s O’Hare airport amid severe weather warningsVideo
CHICAGO — The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday following warnings of severe weather for the city. There were no immediate reports of injuries. A confirmed tornado was on the ground around 7 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in...
Fire damages house of Greensburg firefighter, neighboring apartment
A Greensburg firefighter whose home was damaged by fire Wednesday night received hugs of support from his fellow firefighters and first responders as he sat on his neighbor’s front porch steps and watced his colleague’s efforts to extinguish any hot spots. Greensburg Fire Chief Tom Bell said the home of...
Bolivar man convicted in attempted murder, kidnapping of Ligonier joggerVideo
A Bolivar man was convicted Wednesday of the attempted murder and kidnapping of a college student who was out for a winter run through Ligonier. After hearing three days of testimony and deliberating more than four hours, a Westmoreland County jury said Frank Springer, 56, is guilty of all eight...
Former Trump supporter who got caught up in Jan. 6 conspiracy theory sues Fox NewsVideo
DOVER, Del. — A former Donald Trump supporter who became the center of a conspiracy theory about Jan. 6, 2021, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Wednesday, saying the network made him a scapegoat for the U.S. Capitol insurrection. Raymond Epps, a former Marine who said he was...
