Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 689
Western Pennsylvania senator caught calling Philly firefighter a vulgar name apologizes laterVideo
The latest shot in the cross-state rivalry between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh is a Western Pennsylvania state senator’s insult aimed at a City of Brotherly Love firefighter. According to The Keystone, which first reported the incident, Republican state Sen. Devlin Robinson, who represents Robinson Township, used a vulgarity to describe PA...
First responders mingle with the public, display their equipment at New Kensington’s National Night Out
Most police officers want youths to engage in friendly conversations and be in a good mood when they see them ride around town. At least, that’s the case for New Kensington Sgt. Nick Rutkoski. A veteran of the city police force, Rutkoski has been involved in many community events. This...
Appeals court allows Biden asylum restrictions to stay in place
SAN FRANCISCO An appeals court Thursday allowed a rule restricting asylum at the southern border to stay in place. The decision is a major win for the Biden administration, which had argued that the rule was integral to its efforts to maintain order along the U.S.-Mexico border. The new rule...
Police, PennDOT urge motorists to keep eyes open for motorcycles
Being a motorcycle officer with the Pennsylvania State Police carries a unique set of demands. You have to answer the police radio and keep an eye out for lawbreakers while also staying safe on the road, just like any other motorcyclist. “It was an additional challenge being a motorcycle officer...
2 Navy sailors arrested on charges tied to national security, China
SAN DIEGO — Two Navy sailors have been arrested and accused of providing sensitive military information to China — including details on wartime exercises, naval operations and critical technical material, federal officials said Thursday. The two sailors, both based in California, were charged with similar moves to provide sensitive intelligence...
Latrobe residents set their sights on Steelers and Friday Night Lights
Not many things can bring every facet of a community together to work as one. But in Latrobe, the Pittsburgh Steelers and students have inspired the effort. From the school district to robots, every member of the community has pitched in to make the annual Friday Night Lights practice a...
Gov. Shapiro signs Pa. budget, scratches out $100 million for tuition vouchers
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a new state budget Thursday, putting to rest the worst fears over a budget stalemate that could cost Pennsylvanians access to critical safety net programs and send cash-strapped school districts scrambling for dollars to open for the new school year. The crisis was averted through a...
Hallam sues Fitzgerald, other county officials for lack of attendance at jail meetings
Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam, D-Brighton Heights, has filed a lawsuit against Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and two other elected county officials in an effort to compel them to attend Jail Oversight Board meetings. Hallam and advocates for better conditions at Allegheny County Jail have long been critical of...
Pink at PNC Park: What to know before you goVideo
What will Pink bring to her Saturday concert at PNC Park? If it’s anything like other stops on her Summer Carnival Tour, the crowd can expect acrobatics, gymnastics, dancing, dazzling costumes, motorized flamingos, confetti, fireworks and smoke cannons. And that’s in addition to her music — a high-energy mix of...
Judge formally sentences Pittsburgh synagogue shooter to death in emotional hearing
The emotions swung like a pendulum — from forgiveness, to kindness, to hate, to love, to regret, to gratitude. For each of the people who spoke Thursday at the formal sentencing hearing for the man who killed 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue nearly five years ago, they recounted...
Trump pleads not guilty to federal charges that he tried to overturn 2020 electionVideo
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to trying to overturn the results of his 2020 election loss, answering for the first time to federal charges that accuse him of orchestrating a brazen and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power. The former president appeared...
Pennsylvania anglers advised to catch, kill invasive Northern Snakehead fish
An invasive fish found in Pennsylvania fresh waters has made the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission advisory list. In a release Wednesday, the agency said anyone reeling in a Northern Snakehead in Pennsylvania should report their catch and dispose of the fish. The advisory applies to the lower Susquehanna River...
Squatters were cooking canned ravioli over indoor fire at dilapidated Jeannette row house, chief says
Some of the 10 Jeannette properties deemed public nuisances Wednesday have been broken into repeatedly by squatters, but one in particular stood out. The row house at 422 S. Fifth St. has been a “prime spot” for illegal activity, fire Chief Bill Frye said. The property is boarded up and...
Morning Roundup: Police say attempted carjacking ends with suspect jumping into the Mon River
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Aug. 3. Police pursuit results in man jumping into Mon River Pittsburgh police said a man they were pursuing over an attempted carjacking Wednesday jumped into the Monongahela River to escape arrest. Authorities said the attempted carjacking happened...
Lower Burrell angler catches American eel in Allegheny River
Shirley Cooper was hoping the fishing would be good while on her friend’s boat in the Allegheny River on Monday night. But she caught something she’d never seen in the river before — and neither have most people. At 9:50 p.m. near the Cheswick Marina, Cooper, who has fished her...
Mike Pence fought an order to testify but now is a central figure in his former boss’s indictmentVideo
NEW YORK — Mike Pence fought the Department of Justice in court to try to avoid testifying against his former boss. But the former vice president plays a central role in a new federal indictment unsealed Tuesday that outlines the first criminal charges against Donald Trump connected to his efforts...
‘A very long chapter’: Loved ones of synagogue shooting victims react to jury’s death penalty voteVideo
Nearly five years ago they gathered in a room at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill, the bloodshed and horror still fresh, to await information about their loved ones — who lived, who died, who was wounded. The Tree of Life synagogue shooting had just happened, and family members...
Editorial: Pittsburgh synagogue verdict shines light on the enigmatic nature of justice
On Oct. 27, 2018, 11 people were killed in the largest, most savage act of antisemitism in American history. Rose Mallinger. Bernice Simon. Sylvan Simon. David Rosenthal. Cecil Rosenthal. Dan Stein. Irving Younger. Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz. Joyce Feinberg. Melvin Wax. Richard Gottfried. They were observant Jews worshipping with their three...
Indiana DA finds police justified in fatal shooting
State police were justified in the fatal shooting of a 51-year-old man killed following a traffic stop last month near Homer City, Indiana County District Attorney Robert Manzi Jr. announced Wednesday. Manzi said the monthlong investigation into the circumstances of the July 3 fatal shooting of John V. Dye determined...
Multimedia gallery: Pittsburgh synagogue shooter trial Day 37Video
After hearing weeks of grueling, graphic and often heartbreaking testimony, a jury unanimously decided Wednesday that Robert Bowers should be put to death for killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue nearly five years ago. The panel of seven women and five men deliberated about 10 hours over two days....
Decision on Pittsburgh synagogue shooter’s fate draws reaction from victims’ families, Jewish community, others
Almost immediately after a jury recommended the death penalty for Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, statements began to pour in from family members of victims and survivors, Jewish leaders, politicians and others. “Although we will never attain closure from the loss of our beloved Rose Mallinger, we now feel a...
Remembering the lives lost in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
Joyce Fienberg, 75, traveled the world during her lifetime, but she couldn’t dream of living anywhere other than her beloved Pittsburgh. Her family recalled her as a dedicated attendee at Tree of Life who always put others’ needs ahead of her own. Read more about Fienberg. Richard Gottfried, 65, was...
IRS aims to go paperless by 2025 as part of its campaign to conquer mountains of paperwork
Most taxpayers will be able to digitally submit a slew of tax documents and other communications to the IRS next filing season as the agency aims to go completely paperless by 2025. The effort to reduce the exorbitant load of paperwork that has plagued the agency — dubbed the “paperless...
Timeline: Pittsburgh synagogue shooting case
Oct. 27, 2018: Robert Bowers enters the Tree of Life synagogue at the corner of Wilkins and Shady avenues in Squirrel Hill and opens fire, killing 11 congregants and wounding two others. Five responding police officers are also injured, including four by gunfire. It is the deadliest antisemitic attack in...
Ban on incandescent bulb sales officially in effect under new U.S. rules
SAN FRANCISCO — Get ready to say goodbye to the once ubiquitous incandescent light bulb, pioneered by Thomas Edison more than a century ago. You can thank — or blame — new federal energy efficiency regulations that went into full effect Tuesday. Quite possibly without you even noticing. The Energy...
