Top Stories category, Page 725
Tim Benz: Plenty of worthy goats, sacrificial lambs after Penguins’ elimination — but no room for sacred cows
When we first heard the “Fi-re Hex-tall” chants from Pittsburgh Penguins fans at PPG Paints Arena during a 7-2 beatdown from the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 24, they really resonated. As general manager of the Penguins, Ron Hextall assumed a job that can’t escape criticism. His predecessors — Craig Patrick,...
Officials ponder how to dispose of 3 million gallons of water at Jeannette’s former Fort Pitt Brewery
Enough water to fill five Olympic-sized swimming pools is, in part, delaying efforts to tear down the former Fort Pitt Brewery in west Jeannette. Brian Lawrence, director of the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority and Land Bank, said officials are working out the best way to dispose of 3.3 million gallons...
Torrential storms batter South Florida, close key airportVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE — Nearly a foot of rain fell in a matter of hours in Fort Lauderdale — causing widespread flooding, the closure of the city’s airport and the suspension of high-speed commuter rail service for the Broward County region. The city of Fort Lauderdale released a statement Wednesday evening...
Tractor-trailer flips, injures 1 on I-79 in Washington County
One person was injured Wednesday afternoon when a tractor-trailer carrying cardboard overturned on Interstate 79 near the I-70 interchange in Washington County. State police said the rig was traveling north on I-79 around 3:45 p.m. when the driver lost control around a bend in the road near mile marker 34...
Lawsuit claims Excela secretly shared patient data with Facebook
A lawsuit filed this week in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court alleges Excela Health disclosed personal patient information to Facebook and Google. The court filing on behalf of two unnamed Westmoreland County residents claims the health system allowed confidential medical and personal data collected through Excela’s web portal for patients...
Inbound Fort Pitt Bridge, tunnel closures overnight this weekend
It’s going to be a challenging couple of nights for motorists who plan on using the inbound Fort Pitt Bridge and tunnel in Pittsburgh this weekend. Overnight closures are scheduled for Friday and Saturday night, weather permitting. PennDOT says the closures are being put in place to allow crews to...
Mt. Pleasant Borough mourns unexpected loss of volunteer fire chief
Mark Kraisinger was a hometown boy. Some say that he lived for Mt. Pleasant Borough, that “he would give the shirt off his back” if it meant seeing the community thrive. Kraisinger, a longtime Mt. Pleasant volunteer firefighter and currently its fire chief, was found dead Tuesday in his home....
Aggressive, distracted drivers targeted by police
It didn’t take long for police with an eye peeled for aggressive driving behaviors Wednesday in North Huntingdon to find a speeding motorist who was using a phone while behind the wheel. The traffic stop was one of many motorists can expect to see around the area as law enforcement...
Penguins’ postseason hopes finally extinguished
Perhaps the only thing sharper than Sidney Crosby’s dagger of a backhander is his comprehensive memory. Ask him about any random game in November 2008 or some mundane goal a long-departed teammate scored during the late winter of 2014, he can recall seemingly any nugatory detail such as what kind...
Doven launches attacks against Hallam in Allegheny County Council race
The mudslinging continued Wednesday in the Democratic primary race for Allegheny County’s at-large council seat. Challenger Joanna Doven held a news conference in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park to launch a series of personal attacks against incumbent Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam, D-North Side. Doven, who runs a public relations firm and...
Pennsylvania Turnpike lanes reopen after eastbound crash near New Stanton
Eastbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike reopened Wednesday evening more than two hours after a tractor-trailer overturned just east of the New Stanton interchange. The crash occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m., a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. According to New Stanton fire Chief Rob Cammarata, no one was injured when...
Abandoned house destroyed in New Kensington, neighbor angered that his house damaged, too
Matt Rhodes knew the abandoned house next to his New Kensington home was trouble waiting to happen. On Wednesday, it happened. A brush fire reported just before 3 p.m. spread to the back of the vacant house at 849 Franklin St. and then to his house next door. The fire...
East Liberty man used Nerf-style gun in 2 Shadyside bank robberies, police say
An East Liberty man in flip-flops used a blue and orange Nerf-style gun to rob two Shadyside banks in as many days before being arrested and confessing to the crimes, authorities said. Rashon Coleman, 29, stormed into PNC Bank on Centre Avenue around 4:30 p.m. Monday, shoving a white, plastic...
Dollar Tree moving into former Altmeyer’s in New Kensington
Another new business is moving into Riverview Plaza in New Kensington. A Dollar Tree will fill the space that, until recently, housed Altmeyer’s, according to plans filed with the city. Altmeyer’s, a more than 80-year-old, family-owned bed, bath and home goods store, filed for bankruptcy in July 2022 and started...
Mark Madden: Penguins’ loss to Blackhawks in must-win game was one of worst in franchise history
The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t good. Listing their blown leads and losses to rotten teams would take too long, and it adds up to a simple description: horse manure. Tuesday’s 5-2 home defeat to Chicago was one of the worst losses in franchise history, given what was at stake and the...
Western Pennsylvania under ‘red flag’ fire warning conditions
Most of Western Pennsylvania is under a “red flag warning” for fire conditions, meaning there is a higher risk of wildfire growth and spread, according to the National Weather Service. The warning is in place until 8 p.m. this evening. The fire watch indicates that “critical fire weather conditions are...
Construction worker falls at new FNB Tower in Uptown Pittsburgh
A construction worker fell Tuesday morning from the 26th to the 24th floor while working on the new First National Bank Tower in Uptown Pittsburgh. First responders were called to the construction site along Washington Place at about 8:30 a.m. The worker suffered a right leg fracture, shoulder and elbow...
Expelled Black lawmaker Justin Pearson to return to Tennessee HouseVideo
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The second of two Black Democrats expelled from the Republican-led Tennessee House will return to the Legislature after a Memphis commission voted to reinstate him Wednesday, nearly a week after his banishment for supporting gun control protesters propelled him into the national spotlight. Hundreds of supporters marched...
Democrats, GOP convention picks show Midwest’s political influence
CHICAGO — Donald Trump won the White House in 2016 by breaking up the famed electoral “blue wall,” snatching the Midwestern battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin, along with Pennsylvania, from Democrats. He lost the White House four years later when those same states flipped to Joe Biden. Both parties...
Lou Pappan, Beaver County restaurant founder, dead at 92
Lou Pappan, the founder of the Pappan’s Family Restaurant chain, died Tuesday morning at his Patterson Heights home in Beaver County at the age of 92. Pappan was well-known for his iconic commercials that ended with his trademark “You gonna like it.” “He is the American dream,” his son, Demetrios,...
Pittsburgh man killed in hit-and-run in Point Breeze
A Pittsburgh man was killed late Tuesday in a hit-and-run in Point Breeze, city police said. Freeman M. Holeman, 66, of Pittsburgh was pronounced dead at the scene near the intersection of Penn Avenue at Carnegie Place. Police said they were called just after 10 p.m. of a report of...
Deadline approaches to file federal tax returns, extensions
The deadline to file federal income taxes is less than a week away, but it’s not too late to get your paperwork in or seek an extension. Kim McHenry, a franchisee of H&R Block in Leechburg and Vandergrift, has been reminding clients of the looming Tuesday deadline. It’s the busiest...
Amtrak moves forward with station accessibility improvements in Latrobe
After four years of planning, Latrobe residents will soon witness the restoration of the historic Amtrak station on McKinley Avenue. Over the next two years, the circa 1903 station will be equipped with an accessible concrete and brick platform with lighting, guardrails and signs. A new pedestrian ramp will be...
Deliberations begin in trial of man charged in shooting death of off-duty Pittsburgh cop
The prosecution told the jurors they have more than enough evidence to reach a guilty verdict. The three .45-caliber bullets that struck off-duty Pittsburgh police Officer Calvin Hall in the back match a .45-caliber handgun found in an alley near the crime scene behind the defendant’s house. And DNA taken...
Sewickley Council denies request to demolish historic Herbst House
An old convent and private residence in Sewickley that also once was used as a Catholic school will remain standing as borough leaders have rejected a demolition request. Council voted 6-0 Tuesday night to stand by its historic review commission’s recommendation and not allow what is colloquially called the Herbst...
