Top Stories category, Page 690
Harmar beer distributor sells $1 million scratch-off ticket
It’s not unusual for owner Linda Wilson to sell scratch-off lottery tickets to customers at Willy’s Beer and Beverage in Harmar. What is unusual? Having a million-dollar winner. That’s exactly what happened June 22, when one of Wilson’s regulars scratched off a “$1 Million? Seriously” ticket at the store. “I...
Ligonier Township man wielded machete before being fatally shot by police, detectives say
Ligonier Valley Police were responding to a domestic disturbance Sunday afternoon when they fatally shot a machete-wielding man at a Ligonier Township home, according to Westmoreland County detectives. Robbie Thomas Saunders, 59, was armed with a machete when officers arrived just before 4 p.m. at a Gravel Hill Road home....
Oakmont woman found guilty of 1st-degree murder in starvation death of 3-year-old stepdaughter
An Oakmont woman was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder in the starvation death of her partner’s child. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Bruce R. Beemer also found Laura Ramriez, 31, guilty of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful restraint and conspiracy to commit homicide in connection...
2 dead in fire in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover
Two people died Monday morning after a two-alarm fire in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood. Firefighters responded to a residential fire around 5:40 a.m. in the 400 block of Cedarhurst Street, Pittsburgh Public Safety said. The first crews arrived within four minutes to find “an active fire with possible entrapment,” officials said....
Wait for U.S. passports creates travel purgatory, snarls summer plans
WASHINGTON — Seeking a valid U.S. passport for that 2023 trip? Buckle up, wishful traveler, for a very different journey before you step anywhere near an airport. A much-feared backup of U.S passport applications has smashed into a wall of government bureaucracy as worldwide travel rebounds toward record pre-pandemic levels...
Fleeing suspect fatally shot by state trooper after chase in Indiana County
A Pennsylvania State Police trooper shot and killed a Center Township man following a miles-long car chase through Indiana County Sunday night, state police said in a press statement. At about 11:55 p.m., police said the trooper initiated a traffic stop near Yankeetown and Lockard avenues in Center Township, Indiana...
1 hospitalized after vehicle slams into Beltzhoover house
One person was hospitalized early Monday after Pittsburgh police said a vehicle they were pursuing crashed into a house in Beltzhoover. Police from Zone 3 said they tried to pull over a car around 3 a.m. but the driver of the car refused to stop. The driver of the car...
Despite weather, labor challenges, sweet corn is still king for area farmers
Greg Forejt Jr., owner and operator of Windy Heights Farm in East Huntingdon, was determined to get an early jump on sweet corn season this year. He and his team began in the early spring by planting about 140,000 seeds in a greenhouse on his property. As the stalks began...
Fireworks in Pennsylvania: Public menace or family fun?
For decades, backyard fireworks enthusiasts in Western Pennsylvania had two choices: trek across state lines to purchase fancy pyrotechnics or settle for some sparklers in Pennsylvania. Rob Kuhns of Hempfield spends around $500 a year on fireworks for the Fourth of July and would cross the border to Ohio every...
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is making a long-awaited trip to China
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel Thursday to Beijing as part of an ongoing Biden administration effort to thaw U.S.-China relations, a senior Treasury official said Sunday. Yellen, who has called the notion of an economic decoupling from China “disastrous,” has frequently said in the past year that...
Officer-involved shooting leaves 1 person dead in Ligonier Township
A Ligonier Valley police officer shot and killed an unidentified man Sunday at a township residence, authorities said. Police responded to a Gravel Hill Road home about 3:50 p.m., which led to the shooting, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole W. Ziccarelli said in a news release. She did not elaborate...
Excessive heat warnings remain in many areas of US through MondayVideo
Excessive heat warnings remain in place in many areas across the U.S. and are expected to last at least through Monday. In Arizona’s largest metro area, Phoenix and surrounding communities flirted with a high of 115 degrees on Sunday. The National Weather Service in Phoenix is forecasting 116 degrees for...
Elon Musk imposes daily limits on reading posts on Twitter
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter owner Elon Musk has limited the number of tweets that users can view each day — restrictions he described as an attempt to prevent unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data from the social media platform. The site is now requiring people to log on to view...
Police say Pittsburgh bar owner hired locksmith to open padlocked nuisance property
A Penn Township man who owns a Pittsburgh bar that was padlocked Friday was arrested over the weekend after authorities said he hired a locksmith and entered the building, according to court papers. Derrick Hemby, 60, was released on his own recognizance Sunday on felony charges of trespass and solicitation....
Climate change keeps making wildfires and smoke worse. Scientists call it the ‘new abnormal’
It was a smell that invoked a memory. Both for Emily Kuchlbauer in North Carolina and Ryan Bomba in Chicago. It was smoke from wildfires, the odor of an increasingly hot and occasionally on-fire world. Kuchlbauer had flashbacks to the surprise of soot coating her car three years ago when...
Are you confronting a big medical bill? Attack it with a plan — and these tips
An enormous medical bill can trigger a wave of panic, but try to resist. That startling invoice that arrived in the mail may not be what you wind up paying. Errors or slow insurance payments may have inflated the total. Even if it’s accurate, financial aid or other assistance might...
Baltimore block party shooting victims include more than a dozen minors, police sayVideo
BALTIMORE — Gunfire erupted Sunday at a block party in Baltimore — killing two people, wounding 28 and leaving an extensive crime scene that marred the U.S. holiday weekend, police said. Three of the wounded were in critical condition and more than a dozen were under 18. The shooting took...
Pittsburgh man charged after police chase, crash in Moon Township
An arrest warrant was issued for a man who reportedly led state troopers on a chase and then crashed in Moon. Police said Ryan Chapman, 30, of Pittsburgh, was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries. Chapman fled from police in a Chevrolet Camaro on Ewing Road and Business...
Cleats and call-ups: Today’s Pirates earned their stripes with the Curve
ALTOONA — Over the years, Altoona Curve fans have gotten a chance to see talent like Gerrit Cole, Andrew McCutchen, Endy Rodriguez and, recently, Oneil Cruz before they got called up to play for the Pirates. Henry Davis, who began the season with Altoona before moving on to the Pirates’...
Altoona Curve’s PNG Field is just like the big leagues — only more affordableVideo
ALTOONA — Taking the family to a Pittsburgh Pirates game can be a costly endeavor. From tickets to parking to meals and snacks inside the stadium, the price tag can run into the triple digits in short order. Less than two hours away, baseball fans can buy any ticket at...
Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor-league affiliate Altoona Curve offers idyllic baseball settingVideo
ALTOONA — A couple of hours before first pitch, it’s easy to see the appeal of PNG Field, home of the Altoona Curve. On a gorgeous June afternoon under clear skies, the Allegheny Mountains rise south of the Blair County ballpark, which is bookended by wooded hillsides. Over the right-fielder’s...
4th week of Pittsburgh synagogue attack trial focused on mental health
Defense experts used words like psychotic, paranoid, illogical and delusional to describe Robert Bowers. Prosecutors used other words: methodical, calculated, premeditated, intentional. Bowers, 50, of Baldwin, was found guilty last month of killing 11 people as they worshipped at a Squirrel Hill synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018. Before Bowers can be...
Downtown Pittsburgh is rebounding, but less smoothly than some would like
Downtown Pittsburgh is a neighborhood of contrasts. Since the start of the pandemic, Western Pennsylvania’s busiest business district has seen tens of thousands of workers disappear as many companies have shifted to remote work, but it has gained thousands of residents. Violent crime arrests Downtown are dropping, but shootings and...
Being a furry in Pittsburgh takes money, time and planning
Being a furry in Pittsburgh is not as easy as it might appear. It involves more than just showing up, putting on an animal costume, and walking in a parade. For example it takes a considerable financial investment to become what is known in furry circles as a “high dollar...
Unusual arts, crafts showcased at Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival
An idea and a leap of faith led business partners Tina Fink and Ron Johnson down a new career path — creating jewelry and other items from vintage flatware and coins. Fink said it’s been rewarding to find unique pieces and then a new home for them. One customer who...
