Top Stories category, Page 726
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...
Family of man who died after being tackled by Beaver County police officer settles wrongful death suit for $950K
The sister of a Beaver County man who died in November after being tackled by a Center Township police officer has settled with the officer and the township for $950,000. Deborah Little agreed Thursday to the nearly $1 million settlement, 40% of which was attributed to the wrongful death of...
New Kensington man claims jury erred in Arnold slaying case
The lawyer for a New Kensington man serving a life sentence for a 2020 murder argued his client’s claims of self defense were not properly considered by a Westmoreland County jury. Assistant Public Defender John Sweeney said evidence presented last year during a weeklong trial did not support the jury...
Court ruling paves way for Airmall operator to return to Pittsburgh International Airport
A state appellate court on Tuesday ruled that the operator of the Airmall at Pittsburgh International Airport can return to work after being evicted over the summer. Pennsylvania’s Superior Court reversed an August decision by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Christine Ward. Ward had denied a request for a preliminary...
Sen. Dianne Feinstein returning to Washington after extended absence
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is flying back to Washington, her spokesman said Tuesday, after her extended absence because of the shingles virus threatened to derail Senate Democrats’ agenda. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Feinstein, who had been convalescing in the Bay Area since mid-February, boarded a charter private plane on...
Pittsburgh leaders push for more transitional housing to address homelessness
Members of a Pittsburgh City Council committee dedicated to addressing homelessness on Tuesday outlined their vision for more transitional housing in the city. Transitional housing is meant to be more stable and longer-term than the traditional overnight shelters, and it would offer the privacy and safety of single-room occupancy, as...
Morgan Wallen reschedules 2 shows at PNC Park in Pittsburgh
Morgan Wallen’s two concerts this summer at PNC Park in Pittsburgh have been postponed from June to August. The country music star went on social media on May 9 and announced that six weeks worth of shows would need to be postponed because of a vocal injury he suffered over...
Pittsburgh City Council to hold public hearing, interview with police chief nominee Larry Scirotto
Pittsburgh City Council will hold a public hearing and an interview with acting police Chief Larry Scirotto before voting on whether to confirm his nomination as the city’s top cop. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey last week announced Scirotto, a veteran of Pittsburgh’s police bureau, as his nominee for chief. Scirotto...
Highland Park residents call on Pittsburgh officials to close nearby police firing rangeVideo
A Highland Park community group called on Pittsburgh officials Tuesday to shut down the city police force’s nearby open-air firing range, calling the sound of gunfire emanating from the 40-year-old facility “a public health issue.” “We want (police) to get their training but it’s not a comforting sound — it’s...
Jury finds Trump liable for sexual abuse, awards accuser $5MVideo
NEW YORK — A jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House. The verdict was split: Jurors rejected Carroll’s claim that...
Judge allows prosecution to conduct psychiatric evaluation of accused Pittsburgh synagogue shooter
The judge presiding over the trial of the man accused of killing 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue has granted the government’s motion to conduct a psychiatric evaluation of the defendant. U.S. District Judge Robert Colville issued a 23-page opinion Monday giving government experts permission to evaluate Robert Bowers,...
Reports: Pittsburgh man dies when car drops on him hours after his graduation
A Pittsburgh man who’d attended the University of Dayton in Ohio was killed hours after graduating. KDKA reports that Ian Brunner, 22, was working on his car on Sunday night when the jack apparently slipped, pinning him beneath the vehicle. WPXI reports that emergency responders arrived to the student housing...
