Top Stories category, Page 704
New Kensington, Arnold leaders offer encouragement to Valley High football players
Three leaders of the New Kensington and Arnold communities have put themselves at the service of players on the Valley High School football team. New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo, Arnold Mayor Joe Bia II and District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. spoke to members of the Vikings team on the...
Hallam, Fitzgerald spar over proposed Allegheny County minimum-wage bill
Two political rivals in Allegheny County government are sparring again, this time over a proposal to raise the minimum wage for county workers to $20 an hour. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald claims the county council bill is legally flawed. Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam, one of the sponsors of...
Township lawsuit alleges zoning violation over revised use of golf clubhouse
Penn Township is accusing the owners of an event center and banquet hall of violating local zoning requirements by refusing to allow golfers access to a clubhouse, pro shop and social gathering space built for the links on the same property. The township, in a lawsuit filed Wednesday, contends The...
Tarentum beefs up security at water plant
Ahead of a possible $2 million upgrade at Tarentum’s water plant, cameras will be installed to boost security. Council on Tuesday approved about $11,500 for five security cameras that will be mounted at the plant, pump house and water tanks. Video feed will be collected from several locations, including parking...
Duquesne now allowed to recruit students to planned osteopathic medical school
Duquesne University is allowed to begin recruiting students to its planned college of osteopathic medicine, a significant step toward opening in the fall of 2024. The college rising along Forbes Avenue on the Bluff now has pre-accreditation status from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, campus officials said Wednesday. The...
After uttering anti-gay slur, WVU’s Bob Huggins will coach this season, but with a salary reduction, suspension
West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins will not lose his job, but he will pay a price for uttering an anti-gay slur Monday on a Cincinnati radio station. He will forfeit $1 million from his $4.2 million annual salary and face a three-game suspension, according to a statement released Wednesday...
PWSA files for 60% rate increases over next 3 years
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority filed for a proposed rate increase Tuesday that could raise water rates by nearly 60% for more than 300,000 customers in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. PWSA said the proposed rate increases would pay for mandated infrastructure improvements, as well as bring water and sewer...
Pennsylvania GOP puts clout back on line in primary after losing ’22 Senate, governor races
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Republican Party is trying to learn from internal strife over last year’s failure to endorse in premier primary contests and, this year, it is putting its clout on the line by issuing endorsements ahead of Tuesday’s primary election. Republicans are now putting up big bucks to try...
Police pursuit following stabbing incident in Hempfield home prompts brief school lockdown
A Hempfield man accused in a stabbing at his home early Wednesday fled from state police attempting to arrest him, prompting a brief lockdown at some Hempfield Area schools. Dashon Miller, 21, was apprehended later in the morning on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and terroristic threats. Troopers said...
37 cats abandoned in field off Athena Drive in Salem
Two local animal rescues are caring for 37 cats, some of which were pregnant, that were found Friday dumped in a field. The felines were frightened but in decent health, said Jen Johnson, founder of Ninth Life Rescue Center, who is partnering with Wayward Whiskers Animal Rescue to get the...
5 injured in head-on crash involving car, Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus
At least five people were injured when a man drove his car head-on into a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus Wednesday morning on the North Side, according to the transit agency. The driver hit the inbound 8 Perrysville bus around 10 a.m. near Cedar Avenue and Suismon Street in East Allegheny,...
Senate panel OKs rail-safety bill; railroad vows to help homeowners affected by Ohio derailment
A Senate committee on Wednesday approved a rail-safety bill introduced after the derailment of a freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, but its fate remains uncertain due to significant Republican opposition. The bill would increase inspections of trains carrying hazardous materials, require the use of technology to detect track defects,...
Oakland restaurant Fuel and Fuddle to close
The popular gastropub Fuel and Fuddle in Oakland announced Tuesday that it will close this month, citing increased rent and other issues. The restaurant at 212 Oakland St. in Pittsburgh is a favorite with college students and located close to the University of Pittsburgh’s campus. It has been open for...
Rep. George Santos pleads not guilty to charges alleging fraud, theft at heart of campaignVideo
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve. Afterward,...
Trump digs in on election lies, insults accuser during CNN town hall event
During a contentious CNN town hall Wednesday night, former President Donald Trump dug in on his lies about the 2020 election, downplayed the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, and repeatedly insulted the woman whom a civil jury this week found him liable of sexually abusing and defaming. Trump, returning to...
Britain: 1st babies born in country using DNA from 3 people
LONDON — Britain’s fertility regulator on Wednesday confirmed the births of the U.K.’s first babies created using an experimental technique combining DNA from three people, an effort to prevent the children from inheriting rare genetic diseases. Britain’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority said fewer than five babies have been born...
Morning Roundup: Indiana County inmate charged with felony contraband
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, May 10, 2023: Indiana County inmate charged with felony contraband An inmate at the Indiana County Jail has been charged with a felony contraband violation after state police said he was found in possession of suspected fentanyl. Police...
Roundabout construction requires summerlong road closure in Allegheny Township
An ongoing construction project in Allegheny Township soon will have motorists driving in circles, but for all the right reasons. Township officials long have sought a solution for a problematic traffic area at the intersection of Route 356 and La Belle Vue Road. Enter the roundabout. “That intersection has traditionally...
Pittsburgh police: Overbrook man safe after being reported missing
An 82-year-old Pittsburgh man who was reported missing Tuesday has been found, city police said. Police said Wednesday that John Roginski, who lives in Pittsburgh’s Overbrook neighborhood, is safe. He was considered missing after last being seen leaving his home at about 3 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities were concerned about his...
Lawyer: Abuse victims set to sue Baltimore ArchdioceseVideo
BALTIMORE — After Maryland lawmakers recently eliminated the statute of limitations for child sex abuse lawsuits amid heightened scrutiny of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced plans Tuesday to bring a series of civil claims on behalf of victims. The threat of litigation comes as the...
Ligonier Valley Police Commission fires chief after last week’s raid at the police station
Members of the Ligonier Valley Police Commission on Tuesday fired Chief John Berger in response to a raid at the department last week that Solicitor Mark Sorice said focused solely on the force’s now former leader. The five-member commission, composed of elected officials from Ligonier and Ligonier Township and one...
Grand jury indicts Pittsburgh man who struck attorney in federal court
A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has indicted a Pittsburgh man on contempt of court and assault charges after he was accused of striking his own attorney in court last summer, acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti has announced. According to the three-count indictment, James Taric Byrd, 46, Pittsburgh, allegedly struck...
U.S. Rep. George Santos facing federal charges
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. George Santos, who faced outrage and mockery over a litany of fabrications about his heritage, education and professional pedigree, has been charged with federal criminal offenses, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The charges against Santos, filed in the Eastern District of...
Judge calls out Westmoreland DA office over speedy trial rights violation
A Westmoreland judge has ruled that the county’s District Attorney’s Office failed to properly manage its caseload and violated the speedy trial rights of a Ligonier man charged in 2021 with drunken driving. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger dismissed the case against 38-year-old Jesse Springer. In a 12-page ruling, Krieger...
Former Uniontown man sentenced in Capitol riot case to 14 years in prison
A former Uniontown man will serve 14 years in prison for his role in the riot designed to upend the certification of the 2020 presidential election at the U.S. Capitol. A jury in December found Peter J. Schwartz, 49, who now lives in Owensboro, Ky., guilty of nine felonies and...
