Top Stories category, Page 686
Republican Joe Rockey picks up key labor endorsements in Allegheny County executive race
The Republican candidate for Allegheny County executive picked up a rare, but not unprecedented, endorsement from a large labor union on Thursday. The Pennsylvania District Council of the Laborers International Union of North America endorsed Republican Joe Rockey, a retired chief risk officer at PNC. He is facing state Rep....
2 men convicted in Downtown Pittsburgh killing of 18-month-old
De’Avry Thomas was a happy toddler. “He never really cried,” said Khalil G. Darden, Jr., 22, of Pittsburgh, the boy’s godfather. “He always wanted to have fun. He was always smiling.” De’Avry just 18 months old, was killed in a drive-by shooting Downtown over Memorial Day Weekend in 2022. On...
2nd week of Pittsburgh synagogue attack trial wraps up with testimony from police, FBI
The tourniquet wasn’t working. In the minutes after Pittsburgh SWAT Officer Anthony Burke was shot through his right hand during a gunfight at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill, he moved to another upstairs classroom, and another team member placed the tourniquet around his arm. “My hand was...
Proposal would provide bike-share memberships to all Pittsburgh city employees
City of Pittsburgh employees could receive annual bike-share memberships under a proposal before City Council. Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side, introduced legislation this week to enter into an agreement with bike-share provider POGOH to provide all of the city’s thousands of employees with memberships that would include unlimited 30-minute rides....
Larry Scirotto sworn in as Pittsburgh’s police chief
Larry Scirotto on Wednesday was formally sworn in as Pittsburgh’s 55th police chief. Scirotto has been serving as acting chief since Mayor Ed Gainey nominated him for the position last month. City Council unanimously confirmed his appointment weeks after he was nominated. A Pittsburgh native, Scirotto, 49, retired from the...
Murrysville staple Dick’s Diner under new ownership
Vasil Oblockovich’s work day starts about 3 a.m., when he turns on the lights in the kitchen at Dick’s Diner and starts a full day of pastry baking. Oblockovich is part of a new team at the longtime Murrysville restaurant, which opened in 1946 and marked its 75th anniversary in...
Republican presidential field is largely set. Here are takeaways on where the contest stands
NEW YORK — After a trio of new announcements this week, the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential field is all but set. A handful of stragglers may jump in later, but as of now there are at least 10 high-profile Republican candidates officially seeking their party’s nomination. And with the announcement...
Pat Robertson, broadcaster who helped make religion central to GOP politics, dies at 93
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Pat Robertson, a religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition, has died. He was 93. Robertson’s death Thursday was...
Hempfield high school project cost rises to $132 million
“Hyperinflation” has driven the Hempfield Area High School revitalization project to an estimated cost of $132 million, according to new details shared by school officials and engineers at a town hall meeting. Originally estimated in January 2022 to cost between $97.4 million to $109.9 million, the project aims to keep...
Morning Roundup: Mars woman charged with homicide after deadly Butler Township wreck
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, June 8: Mars woman charged with homicide by vehicle after deadly Butler Township wreck A woman who was driving one of the vehicles involved in a fatal crash in Butler Township Tuesday was charged with homicide by vehicle,...
Penn State New Kensington supports proposal for student housing in downtown New Ken
A New Kensington business owner wants to build housing for college students and others on Fifth Avenue. Jake Lydick, owner of Eye-bot Aerial Solutions and Patriot Technology Holdings, has a plan to build residential units in existing buildings at 713, 715 and 717 Fifth Ave. The addresses are among nine...
House Republicans pull back contempt charge against FBI director Wray over Biden doc
WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday called off a vote on a contempt of Congress charge against FBI Director Christopher Wray, accepting a last-minute offer by the bureau to allow the full committee access to a confidential document of an unverified tip about President...
Justice Department moves closer toward possible indictment of Trump in classified documents investigationVideo
WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury investigating Donald Trump in Florida heard from at least one additional witness Wednesday amid signs that the Justice Department was moving toward a possible indictment over the former president’s mishandling of classified documents. In the last week, his lawyers have met with Justice Department...
Colleges and universities moving away from standardized tests in admissions decisions
More than eight out of every 10 colleges and universities that award bachelor’s degrees no longer require or do not consider standardized tests in admissions decisions, according to a national survey released Wednesday. The latest tally from FairTest, an Arlington, Mass., group that has long been critical of the SAT...
Claims for properties impacted by Springdale implosion due Friday
Springdale-area residents impacted by the smokestack implosion last week at the former Cheswick Generating Station have until 5 p.m. Friday to submit claims and concerns to the property owner. Sam Miller of Louisville, Ky.-based Charah Solutions said crews are continuing to address the aftermath of the implosion, where two smokestack...
New Kensington defendant expected to testify in second day of sex assault trial
Chester Elmer Green Jr. of New Kensington is expected to take the stand Thursday in his defense against charges that he sexually assaulted a 9-year-old girl almost a decade ago. His accuser, now in her late teens, testified Wednesday in Westmoreland County Court that she wasn’t sure of the date...
Pennsylvania looking to charge electric vehicle owners a $290 annual fee
Pennsylvanians who own electric vehicles may soon be required to pay an annual fee to help pay for road and bridge improvements. The Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday approved a bipartisan-backed bill by a 13-1 vote that would charge owners of non-commercial passenger electric vehicles a $290 fee annually —...
Conservative group says Pitt violated free speech rights of organizers of transgender debate
A conservative group representing organizers of an April transgender rights debate at the University of Pittsburgh claims that Pitt violated the organizers’ free speech rights by charging an $18,734 security fee to quell raucous student protests outside. The Alliance Defending Freedom made the accusation in a letter to the university...
Pittsburgh synagogue gunman described as ‘nice and cordial’ after the attack
As he was being treated at Allegheny General Hospital for gunshot wounds suffered in a firefight with Pittsburgh police at the Tree of Life synagogue, Robert Bowers was described as being “very polite, very cooperative.” “He kind of was very nice and cordial with everybody,” Pittsburgh police Detective Robert Shaw...
Breeze Airways adds flights between Pittsburgh and Maine
Maine’s many wonders, including Acadia National Park and lobster shacks along the Atlantic coastline, just got easier to reach for Pittsburghers. Low-cost carrier Breeze Airways announced last week that it has begun offering direct, nonstop flights between Pittsburgh International Airport and Portland, Maine. Round-trip flights will run twice a week,...
It’s Global Running Day, here’s where to run in Pittsburgh all summer long
Wednesday is Global Running Day, a day that encourages people to get out and go for a run worldwide. Global Running Day’s beginning The holiday began in the United States as National Running Day in 2009. It continues to promote being physically active and the benefits of running for exercise...
Western Pa. air quality worsens as Canadian wildfires continue to burn
Air quality in Western Pennsylvania dropped to unhealthy levels Wednesday and could remain that way until at least Sunday as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to pollute the Northeast. Pittsburgh’s air quality index, or AQI, hit 155 around 3 p.m., according to the government website AirNow.gov. The reading had dropped...
West Newton police officer reports being shocked with Taser during fight with suspect
A West Newton police officer reported in court papers being hit by his own Taser during a fight with a shirtless and shoeless suspect in the street Tuesday night. Police said Joseph Samuel Babilya, 31, of West Newton was under the influence of drugs. He was being held on $100,000...
Pirates’ past, present get together in meeting between Andrew McCutchen, Roberto Clemente’s family
Roberto Clemente III, also known as R.C. III, is a lucky boy. Not only does he have a grandfather who has been revered and celebrated inside and outside the baseball world for more than a half-century, but he gets to have two birthday celebrations this month. "22 is good. 21...
Voices from the violent civil rights era see attacks on voting rights as part of ongoing struggle
They are part of a small, vanishing group who lived at the epicenter of the struggle for voting rights six decades ago, an era driven by segregation, violence and the yearning for equality that eventually led to laws bringing the U.S. closer to its promise of democracy for all its...
