Top Stories category, Page 691
‘A cancer on our society’: Gun violence awareness rally comes to Pittsburgh
The timing of Friday’s “Wear Orange” National Gun Violence Awareness event wasn’t meant to occur simultaneously with the Pittsburgh synagogue trial. That’s a coincidence. Josh Fleitman notes that it’s a common one these days. “I think the trial that’s happening right now, for so many people in the Squirrel Hill...
Mother says she saw son killed in New Kensington shooting; bail denied for alleged shooter
Jackee Harris said her son was kind and generous toward the older teen she claims killed her son in an exchange of gunfire in New Kensington. Harris said she was watching from a car nearby when her son, Divine Warner, 16, confronted Dylan Walmsley, 19, along Fourth Avenue on April...
Tarentum, Brackenridge police consolidation talks moving forward
Legal and financial details are being ironed out for Tarentum to absorb the Brackenridge Police Department and provide coverage to both boroughs by the end of the year. “We’ve met with the state several times and had a few formal conversations among everyone involved,” Tarentum Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said....
Pittsburgh officer wounded in synagogue attack recounts encounter with gunman
Pittsburgh police Officer Daniel Mead was just about to start his 10 a.m. shift in Squirrel Hill on Oct. 27, 2018, when, during roll call, he and his partner heard a report of an active shooter at the Tree of Life synagogue a few blocks away. They raced out the...
Murrysville woman accused of stealing $30K in jewelry from cleaning client
A Murrysville woman who owns a cleaning business is accused by police of stealing $30,000 worth of jewelry from a client. About half of the items were returned. Holly Lynn Simpson, 48, was arrested Wednesday on charges of theft and receiving stolen property. She is free on $15,000 unsecured bail....
TV Talk: Taking the temperature of Pittsburgh’s TV market
Pittsburghers love TV, and data from a January 2023 Nielsen Insights report proves it. Even though Pittsburgh is now the 26th largest TV market nationally, it’s No. 1 in TV viewing in the top U.S. markets with the most advanced Nielsen measurement. Pittsburgh viewers ages 18 and older spend an...
Greensburg’s Rialto to remain closed; owner gives DA power to approve future sale
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli will have the right to approve any potential sale of the shuttered Rialto bar and restaurant in Greensburg under an agreement approved Wednesday. Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. signed off on a consent decree between Ziccarelli and Rialto Inc. owner John Rullo that...
New president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas couldn’t pass on chance to run Penguins
Kyle Dubas said he wasn’t going anywhere. As recently as May 15, Dubas pledged as much. During a season-ending press conference in Toronto, Dubas said his time as the highly scrutinized general manager of the Maple Leafs was so taxing on his family that he wouldn’t immediately take a job...
64th annual Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival continues to evolve
If you’re planning on venturing into Downtown Pittsburgh for the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, it’s best to plan accordingly. The festival coincides with so many happenings Downtown this weekend — from Pittsburgh Pride Revolution: NO FEAR to “The Little Mermaid” in concert at Heinz Hall to concerts from...
Monessen man who possessed child pornography sentenced to 8 years in prison
A Monessen man was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in a federal prison for having child pornography. Robert Haggerty, 63, was ordered to spend five years on supervised release after the prison term, according to federal prosecutors. Investigators said Haggerty had 92 images and eight videos of child pornography. He...
Morning Roundup: 4 homes destroyed in Cecil fire
4 homes destroyed in Cecil fire A townhouse in the Lawrence section of Cecil Township, Washington County, erupted in flames just before 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. The fire started in the garage and spread to homes on either side, Cecil Township Fire Chief Noel McMullen said in a statement. Four...
What to know about the implosions of the Cheswick Generating Station smokestacks
Springdale’s biggest attraction — literally — is being imploded Friday, and officials are preparing for its demise. At 8 a.m. or soon after, the two Cheswick Generating Station smokestacks in Springdale will be imploded. Local law enforcement will coordinate with the Cheswick Plant Environmental Redevelopment Group, the property owner; Grant...
Some look back wistfully at Springdale’s towering smokestacks, others welcome implosions
Mark Mattone of Springdale still recalls when he scaled the “stacks” on a crisp fall day in October 1973. Mattone, 73, a retired electrician, worked at what was then the Duquesne Light Power Station during the 1970s. “I was asked if I was afraid of heights, and before you know...
Pollution, weather, climate change all affect start, severity of allergy season
April showers bring May flowers, but those blooms can bring sneezes and sniffles along with itchy, watery eyes. As the region heads into the summer months, tree and grass pollen coupled with other irritants are ushering in suffering for those affected by allergies, according to local experts. Tree and grass...
Reports: Prosecutors have tape of Trump discussing holding onto classified doc after leaving officeVideo
WASHINGTON — Justice Department prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of former President Donald Trump from after he left office in which he talks about holding onto a classified Pentagon document related to a potential attack on Iran, according to media reports. CNN first reported that Trump suggested on the...
Penn Hills School District to petition the state to lift financial recovery status
The Penn Hills School District may be on its way out of its “financial recovery” status. A petition to the state Department of Education is in the works, state-appointed chief recovery officer Dan Matsook announced at a board meeting Wednesday, May 31. He said there will be a lot of...
Part of Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell reopens after water main break is fixed
A portion of Leechburg Road was closed and several Lower Burrell residents went without water Wednesday as a result of a water main break the night before. The Lower Burrell Emergency Management Agency reported via Facebook the break occurred around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Officials said there was damage to the...
Actor Danny Masterson found guilty of 2 out of 3 counts of rape in retrialVideo
LOS ANGELES — A jury found “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson guilty of two out of three counts of rape Wednesday in a Los Angeles retrial in which the Church of Scientology played a central role. The jury of seven women and five men reached the verdict after deliberating...
Allegheny Health Network trims losses as patient volume climbs
Allegheny Health Network shrank its losses during the first three months of the year, citing higher patient numbers and increased membership in its insurance units. The 14-hospital system on Wednesday reported an operating loss of $36.2 million for the first quarter compared to a loss of $105.5 million during the...
40 Pittsburgh schools to shift to remote learning Thursday due to heat
Pittsburgh Public Schools plans to temporarily close 40 district schools in favor of remote learning Thursday because of anticipated high temperatures. For a list of the affected schools, which officials said do not have sufficient air-conditioning, click here: www.pghschools.org/Page/6250. Students from those schools will receive virtual instruction on Thursday and...
Antisemitic stickers found in Squirrel Hill park on 1st day of synagogue shooting trial
Antisemitic stickers were found in a Squirrel Hill park Tuesday, as the much-anticipated Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial got underway. About 15 stickers were removed from utility poles and other public surfaces at Wightman Park, and the stickers also have been found in Schenley Park, along Beechwood Boulevard, and in Oakland,...
Officials seek beds for people displaced from Smithfield Shelter in Pittsburgh
Allegheny County officials on Wednesday said they are working to provide additional resources and alternate shelter spaces for the people who have been using the Smithfield United Church of Christ temporary overnight shelter, which will close by the end of June. The shelter typically is open only during the winter...
Teachers leaving their jobs at an accelerating rate in Pennsylvania, new study finds
HARRISBURG — Teachers are leaving their jobs at an accelerating rate in Pennsylvania, amid fears of a nationwide exodus of burned-out teachers and a collapse in enrollment in recruitment programs that is making teachers increasingly difficult to replace. A new analysis by Penn State’s Center for Education Evaluation and Policy...
‘We moved toward the gunfire’: Pittsburgh synagogue shooting survivors testify
Dan Leger thought he was dying. Moments earlier on the morning of Oct. 27, 2018, Leger had been shot in the abdomen during services for the Dor Hadash congregation inside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill. The long-time palliative care nurse recognized his symptoms — mounting internal...
Sick workers tied to 40% of restaurant food poisoning outbreaks, CDC says
Food workers who showed up while sick or contagious were linked to about 40% of restaurant food poisoning outbreaks with a known cause between 2017 and 2019, federal health officials said Tuesday. Norovirus and salmonella, germs that can cause severe illness, were the most common cause of 800 outbreaks, which...
