Top Stories category, Page 737
Mass protests erupt in Israel after Netanyahu fires defense chiefVideo
JERUSALEM — Tens of thousands of Israelis poured into the streets of cities across the country on Sunday night in a spontaneous outburst of anger after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly fired his defense minister for challenging the Israeli leader’s judicial overhaul plan. Protesters in Tel Aviv blocked a main...
Death toll rises to 7 in Pa. chocolate factory explosionVideo
WEST READING — Almost 48 hours after an explosion at the R.M. Palmer chocolate factory in Berks County, all Frankie Gonzalez and his family could do on Sunday was pray. Pray that his sister Diana Cedeno, one of the people still missing Sunday morning, was found in the wreckage. Pray...
Trump, facing potential indictment, holds defiant Waco rally
WACO, Texas — Facing a potential indictment, Donald Trump took a defiant stance at a rally Saturday in Waco, disparaging the prosecutors investigating him and predicting his vindication as he rallied supporters in a city made famous by deadly resistance against law enforcement. With a hand over his heart, Trump...
Daunting recovery underway in tornado-devastated Mississippi
ROLLING FORK, Miss. — Help began pouring into one of the poorest regions of the U.S. after a deadly tornado wrought a path of destruction in the Mississippi Delta, even as furious new storms Sunday struck Georgia, where two tigers briefly escaped their badly damaged safari park. At least 25...
12 hurt after floor collapses in apartment building near Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Twelve people were injured late Saturday after a second-story floor collapsed inside an apartment complex near Indiana University of Pennsylvania, state police said. Five people were treated at the scene, and seven others were taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment of injuries ranging from minor to serious, Trooper...
Animal sedative poses increased threat in local drug overdoses
A powerful tranquilizer normally used by veterinarians treating horses and cows was found in more than 18% of fatal overdose cases in Westmoreland County, according to the Coroner’s Office. Officials said the drug, xylazine, is becoming an increasingly popular additive to heroin, fentanyl and other drugs. Its presence has local...
Recovering addicts give firsthand look at opioid crisis in documentary by Allegheny-Kiski Health Foundation
Falling into a coma didn’t quell Brooke Damore’s craving for heroin. Neither did sitting in jail. “I was doing 10 bags a day at one point,” said Damore, 30, a Leechburg native who attended Kiski Area High School. “I had to learn to walk and talk again after I was...
Renaissance of vinyl records prompts Greensburg pop-up sale
As the compact disc marks 40 years of availability in the United States this month, it is being surpassed by an older form of music media — vinyl. The number of CD album sales dropped by about 12%, to 36 million, between 2021 and 2022, while vinyl record sales grew...
Biden’s pick to lead FAA withdraws amid shaky Senate support
WILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden’s choice to run the Federal Aviation Administration has withdrawn his nomination, a setback for the administration that comes after Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington appeared to lack enough support in the closely divided Senate. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed Washington’s withdrawal in a...
Wind gusts cause downed wires, trees down across region
Downed trees and wires were being remedied Sunday throughout the region, while nearly 23,000 customers were without power after wind gusts as fast as 55 mph swept through. Colton Milcarek, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon, said the area experienced wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph...
New Kensington woman accused of repeatedly hitting a state police horse, 1 of 2 incidents during IUPatty’s revelry
A New Kensington woman is facing charges after troopers said she struck a state police horse in Indiana during a delayed St. Patrick’s Day celebration by college-age revelers dubbed IUPatty’s. State and local police boost enforcement during the annual weekend that is student-planned and not associated with Indiana University of...
Boil-water advisory continues for some East End PWSA customers after water main break fixed
A precautionary boil-water advisory is still in effect Saturday evening in some East End neighborhoods after a water main break Friday impacting 4,400 households was repaired Saturday afternoon, according to Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. The authority said a 20-inch line impacting the Garfield storage tank system broke, causing water...
Pennsylvania chocolate plant blast kills 3, leaves 5 missing
WEST READING, Pa. — An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania on Friday killed three people and left five people missing, authorities said. One person was pulled alive from the rubble overnight. Rescue crews using dogs and imaging equipment continued to search through the rubble Saturday — hours after...
Coroner: 23 dead in tornado that ripped through Mississippi and Alabama
ROLLING FORK, Miss. — Powerful tornadoes tore through parts of the Deep South on Friday night, killing at least 23 people in Mississippi, obliterating dozens of buildings and leaving an especially devastating mark on a rural town whose mayor declared, “My city is gone.” The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said...
Westmoreland water authority, CNX reach $600K settlement
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County is set to receive more than $600,000 to settle a federal lawsuit it filed in 2016 against the energy company that operates dozens of gas wells at the Beaver Run Reservoir. Board members this week approved the settlement with CNX Resources. The lawsuit involved...
Pittsburgh woman charged in neighbor’s stabbing
Police have accused a Pittsburgh woman of stabbing another woman Friday afternoon in the city’s Fineview neighborhood. City police charged Shamerea Wilson, 29, with aggravated assault, stemming from a reported altercation shortly before 1 p.m. in the 1700 block of Letsche Street. The stabbing victim told officers she had been...
Major safety enhancements planned for busy Harrison intersection
When Harrison capped off more than $80,000 in repairs to the World War II Honor Roll at Freeport and Springhill roads in February, it was only the start to upgrades at the busy intersection. The township commissioners are eyeing a $2 million project to redo the five-way intersection, which, at...
Women have more power than ever in Pennsylvania’s legislature, but lawmakers say big hurdles remain
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — When Emily Kinkead asked Lisa Bennington for advice on running for elected office, the former Pennsylvania state lawmaker gave...
Weinstein fires back at Lamb, alleging violations in city controller’s office
Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein, a Democratic candidate for county executive, fired back at one of his opponents after a week of his campaign taking criticism over alleged ethics violations. On Wednesday, Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb, also a Democratic county executive candidate, said he was surprised and angered that Weinstein...
Ashley Kertes, wife of Westmoreland commissioner, dead at 36
Ashley Kertes, the 36-year-old wife of Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes, died unexpectedly Friday morning. Greensburg Mayor Robb Bell said police were called to Kertes’ home shortly before 7:30 a.m., where she was found unresponsive in bed. No foul play is suspected. The cause of her death has not been...
Last McDonald’s in Downtown Pittsburgh expected to close
The last McDonald’s in Downtown Pittsburgh is expected to go dark by the end of April. The fast food restaurant opted not to renew the lease at the spot on Stanwix Street just outside Market Square. Nick Nicholas, who owns the building that housed the Golden Arches for about 50...
Officials identify human remains found in Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar woods
Allegheny County Police on Friday revealed the identity of human remains found in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhood. The remains were identified as Kaylene Oehling of Etna, who went missing in early 2020. Her remains were found Sunday by hunters in a wooded area near the 1200 block of Washington Boulevard, officials...
$4.5M bridge project would reconnect Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights with Riverview Park
A proposed $4.5 million bridge project could reconnect Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood with Riverview Park. The Civic Design Committee of the city’s Art Commission has approved plans for a new Davis Avenue bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists. Pending approval from the city’s Department of Mobility & Infrastructure, construction could begin...
Zappala threatens to keep Kennywood from opening if it doesn’t comply with security demands
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said Friday he will go to court to keep Kennywood Park from opening for the season if it does not comply with his office’s list of security demands. At a news conference in McCandless, Zappala said the iconic West Mifflin amusement park...
Ligonier Township farm with 175-year legacy lists for $1.8 million
The next owners of a 150-acre Ligonier Township property won’t just be buying a farm — they’ll be continuing a legacy. About a mile north of Ligonier Borough, Kananga Farm is listed with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services for $1,825,000. “It has a history to take into the future. To...
