Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 747
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...
Biden: Debt meeting ‘productive,’ default ‘not an option’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and congressional leaders confronted each other on the debt limit impasse Tuesday, ending their meeting with no breakthrough but agreeing to meet again this week to try to avert the looming risk of an unprecedented government default. Speaking at the White House, Biden described the...
Authorities: Texas mall gunman had ‘neo-Nazi ideation’
ALLEN, Texas — The gunman who killed eight people and wounded seven others at a suburban Dallas shopping mall had no prior criminal record but had “neo-Nazi ideation,” authorities said Tuesday. Investigators are still trying to determine why Mauricio Garcia opened fire Saturday at the Allen Premium Outlets, Hank Sibley,...
For North Hills alum Margo Malone, personal loss inspired ‘an easy 26 miles’ en route to Pittsburgh Marathon win
For even the most competitive marathoners, some runs are far more challenging than others. Oftentimes it’s not the races. It’s the training. North Hills graduate Margo Malone can speak to that. A cross-country runner at Syracuse University from 2012-16, Malone remembers the early wake-up calls and brutal cold of the...
‘Only getting busier’: Local RV dealers still see interest in camping
People who caught the travel bug during the covid-19 pandemic and purchased RVs are now returning to those dealerships. It’s not because they’re dissatisfied with their purchases, sales representatives said. Instead, many discovered a love for the outdoors and are seeking to upgrade their RVs. “The industry’s changed for the...
Morning Roundup: Fire at Robinson Red Robin, no injuries reported
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, May 9, 2023: No injuries in fire at Robinson restaurant A fire broke out Tuesday morning at the Red Robin in Robinson. The blaze was reported just before 3:30 a.m. at the restaurant along Settlers Ridge Center Drive,...
Officials: Bridgeville man given Narcan at Allegheny County Jail, dies a day later in hospital
Several doses of Narcan were administered Sunday at the Allegheny County Jail to a Bridgeville man. He died the following day at a Pittsburgh hospital. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as James Washington, 42, who died about 5 p.m. Monday at UPMC Mercy Hospital. A cause...
Man charged with attempted murder of officer after gunfire exchange in Homestead
A North Versailles man has been charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and fleeing from police after officials said he exchanged gunfire with an officer Monday night in Homestead after driving away from an attempted traffic stop in Pittsburgh. The suspect, Erik Addison, 26, suffered a gunshot...
Jury hears final arguments in writer’s claims against TrumpVideo
NEW YORK — Donald Trump should be held accountable for sexually attacking an advice columnist in 1996 because even a former president is not above the law, a lawyer for the columnist told a jury Monday in closing arguments in the lawsuit that accuses Trump of rape. A lawyer for...
Allegheny County executive candidates raise more than $3M
Candidates for Allegheny County executive have raised more than $3 million this year, a record haul for the race for the county’s top elected position. Five of the six Democratic candidates submitted campaign finance reports by the May 5 deadline. They included former County Councilman Dave Fawcett, state Rep. Sara...
Source: Army booted Texas mall gunman over mental health
DALLAS — The man accused of killing eight people and wounding several others in a mass shooting at a suburban Dallas shopping mall was discharged from the Army in 2008 because of mental health issues and apparently had been working as a security guard, according to neighbors and an Army...
3 ways Shapiro’s budget would change public health in Pennsylvania
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 Josh Shapiro pitched his first budget as Pennsylvania’s governor during a nearly hour-and-a-half speech in March, the Democrat...
Developer wants to donate historic Tito House to Uptown Partners nonprofit
A developer plans to donate the Tito House to an Uptown nonprofit, but it wants to demolish the historic garage on the property to make way for a project that would bring more than 250 apartments to the site. Dallas-based Fountain Residential Partners is acquiring the property in Pittsburgh’s Uptown....
No major incidents during marathon weekend in Pittsburgh, officials say
There were “no major safety or security incidents” during a busy May weekend in Pittsburgh, which included the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, three Pittsburgh Pirates games, and Cinco de Mayo celebrations, Pittsburgh public safety officials said Monday. The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS, and Pittsburgh Bureau...
Ligonier Valley police chief on leave; phone, vehicle seized during raid at station
Ligonier Valley police Chief John Berger is on administrative leave after state troopers and agents of the federal Department of Homeland Security raided the police station last week, seizing his personal phone and police vehicle. It wasn’t clear what triggered the raid at the station in Ligonier Township, but Mark...
The U.S. is averaging 1 mass killing a week. It might be even worse.
So far this year, 115 people have died in 22 mass killings — an average of one mass killing a week, according to figures from the Associated Press. The statistics include the Saturday killings at a Dallas-area mall where eight people were fatally shot. But those statistics might be even...
