Top Stories category, Page 738
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...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: March 24-26
We’ve made it to the first spring weekend of the year. Enjoy it with options from “Honky Tonk” sounds to a film festival gathering. Humanities Festival Pittsburgh Humanities Festival, a co-production of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and The Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon University, is Friday through Sunday. The headliners...
Morning Roundup: Wigle Whiskey turns 11
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, March 24, 2023: Wigle Whiskey turns 11 with special release Pittsburgh distillery Wigle Whiskey is celebrating its 11th birthday by releasing its longest-aged spirits to date: Single Barrel Straight Bourbon and Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey — aged...
Rain, possible flooding projected for Southwestern Pa.
Southwestern Pennsylvania — particularly areas south of Pittsburgh — will see increased rainfall and potential flooding heading into Saturday as a cold front enters the region. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Western Pennsylvania, east central Ohio and northern West Virginia through Saturday, and a...
Allegheny County public defender, legal experts question ethics of district attorney’s office
Two prosecutors in the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office said earlier this month that they couldn’t withdraw criminal charges in one case or make a plea deal in another because of politics. In both instances, the assistant district attorneys cited the upcoming primary election between their boss, six-term incumbent District...
Federal grant to pay for security upgrades in Westmoreland public housing
The Westmoreland County Housing Authority said it will use a portion of a $4.5 million federal grant to upgrade security efforts in its local communities. Money will be allocated to pay to install and upgrade security cameras throughout the authority’s public housing system as part of security enhancements that include...
U.S. launches airstrikes in Syria after drone kills American worker
BEIRUT — A strike Thursday by a suspected Iranian-made drone killed a U.S. contractor and wounded five American troops and another contractor in northeast Syria, the Pentagon said. American forces said they retaliated soon after with “precision airstrikes” in Syria targeting facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard,...
UPMC, surgeon deemed ‘high risk’ to Medicare after rejecting oversight
The government office that fights Medicare fraud has put UPMC and one of its star surgeons on a “high-risk” list after determining that they pose a “significant risk to federal health care programs and beneficiaries.” U.S. officials took the action after Pittsburgh’s multi-billion-dollar health system settled a sweeping Medicare fraud...
BrewDog closes Pittsburgh brewpub in East Liberty
Three years after opening a sparkling new brewpub in Pittsburgh, the multinational brewery chain BrewDog has closed the doors at its East Liberty location. BrewDog is based in Scotland and has a U.S.-based brewery in Ohio. In a statement, the company said it is closing a small number of its...
Former Pittsburgh city worker accused of altering, fraudulently depositing checks for $50K
A former employee in Pittsburgh’s Finance Office is accused of altering two checks totaling just more than $50,000 and using the money to pay property taxes, police said. Police said Gregory Fleming, 59, of Pittsburgh, altered and fraudulently deposited the two checks, paying them to a business entity he owned...
Aliquippa man found dead in house filled with snakes had old bite wound, officials say
Officials say a man found dead Tuesday in an Aliquippa house where dozens of venomous snakes were kept had been bitten by a snake, but the bite was not what killed him. The Beaver County Coroner has not yet ruled on the cause of death for the man, whose identity...
Forbes values Pirates at $1.32 billion, 24th in baseball team rankings
Forbes placed the team value of the Pittsburgh Pirates at $1.32 billion again in its annual rankings of baseball’s most valuable teams, which ranks 24th out of 30 major league franchises. Despite the Pirates enduring a second consecutive 100-loss season, Forbes estimated they made $51.5 million in operating income in...
Pa. woman gets 3 years in prison for entering Nancy Pelosi’s office during Jan. 6 Capitol riot
WASHINGTON — A Pennsylvania woman linked to a far-right extremist movement was sentenced on Thursday to three years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol, where she invaded then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office with other rioters. Riley June Williams, 23, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was charged but not convicted of helping...
Costa legislation could keep some homeowners in growing areas from being taxed out of homes
State Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa has introduced legislation that he said would protect longtime homeowners from being taxed out of their homes. Costa, D-Forest Hills, said the Longtime Owner-Occupant Tax Exemption Program, or LOOP, would allow first- and second-class cities and counties — including Pittsburgh and Allegheny County —...
Sen. Fetterman expected back ‘soon,’ no certain timeline yet
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s office said Thursday that he is expected to return soon to the chamber, although Democratic leaders are giving no timeline five weeks after he sought inpatient treatment for clinical depression. Fetterman, 53, was weeks into his service in Washington and still recovering from the...
Pittsburgh to delay plastic bag ban
A ban on single-use plastic bags in Pittsburgh will be delayed by several months, city officials said Thursday. The bag ban, which was approved last April, was slated to go into effect on April 14. Mayor Ed Gainey’s office said the city will delay enforcing the measure until Oct. 14,...
Police: Driver veered into Baltimore highway work zone, killing 6 workers
WOODLAWN, Md. — New details are emerging about a crash along the Baltimore beltway Wednesday that left six construction workers dead after a driver lost control of her vehicle, which went careening into a work zone, according to Maryland State Police. Lisa Adrienna Lea, 54, was identified as the driver...
