Top Stories category, Page 758
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...
1 killed, another injured in I-79 crash in Franklin Park
A Crescent Township teen died and another was injured Wednesday night in a crash on Interstate 79 in Franklin Park. State police said Luke Cooper, 18, died after being thrown from the vehicle he was driving. The crash happened after 10 p.m. in the northbound lanes of I-79. Police said...
Library association reports record book ban attempts in 2022
NEW YORK — Attempted book bans and restrictions at school and public libraries continue to surge, setting a record in 2022, according to a new report from the American Library Association being released Thursday. More than 1,200 challenges were compiled by the association in 2022, nearly double the then-record total...
Holy month of Ramadan begins for Muslims across the world
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began at sundown on Wednesday, as the faithful prepared for a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting intended to bring them closer to God and to remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate. For the next 30 days, Muslims...
Morning Roundup: Fire shuts down bridge on South Side
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, March 23, 2023: Fire shuts down bridge on South Side Part of P.J. McArdle Roadway on the South Side of Pittsburgh is closed after a fire under the span overnight, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. The station...
Fern Hollow Bridge to get new artwork along trails beneath span
Pittsburgh’s reorganized Art Commission on Wednesday approved an art installation for the rebuilt Fern Hollow Bridge. The art installation, designed by Carin Mincemoyer, will be installed under the new span along a walking trail and will feature sculptures and benches designed to look like driftwood and river rock. “Taking the...
Allegheny County Council to study potential replacement for closed juvenile detention center
After Allegheny County’s Shuman Juvenile Detention Center has been closed 18 months, efforts are ramping up to find some sort of replacement. On Tuesday, Allegheny County Council voted 11-2 to form a study group to review the overall needs of the county’s juvenile justice system in the aftermath of Shuman...
Springdale teacher ‘couldn’t imagine life’ without his service dog
When Connor Green returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and was discharged from the Army in 2014, all he wanted was to live unnoticed. The transition to civilian life, coupled with a diagnosis of a seizure disorder, was more difficult than being deployed. Green couldn’t fathom his life...
Trump lawyer ordered to turn over Mar-a-Lago case documents
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court in a sealed order Wednesday directed a lawyer for Donald Trump to turn over to prosecutors documents in the investigation into the former president’s retention of classified records at his Florida estate. The ruling is a significant win for the Justice Department, which has...
New paranormal group forms in Vandergrift, plans ‘investigations’
For anyone who has wondered how to explain something unexplainable, there’s a new group in Vandergrift that might be right up your alley. The 12 O’Clock Society for Paranormal Investigation is a public group for people looking to socialize, explore paranormal topics and conduct paranormal investigations. The group is based...
$1M instant lottery ticket winner sold in North Huntingdon
A frequent scratch-off lottery ticket buyer at a North Huntingdon pharmacy parlayed his hobby of purchasing a $20 Millionaire Maker chance into a $1 million winner. “I was in disbelief when I scratched it off. I saw that (winning ticket) and thought ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ ” said...
Workers to start some maintenance, construction at Parks Township nuclear waste dump
People near the nuclear waste dump in Parks Township will start to see some activity as the Army Corps of Engineers prepares to excavate the area. Over the next few months, the Army Corps’ Pittsburgh District said, more workers will be on hand performing maintenance such as repairing fencing, drainage,...
Another Allegheny County Executive candidate calls for ethics reform in local government
Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb, a Democratic candidate for Allegheny County Executive, has become the latest official to call for more ethics guidelines in county government. At a Wednesday news conference, Lamb called for all candidates and public officials to sign what he called a Pledge of Good Governance that would...
Man pleads guilty to stealing unmarked FBI car, agent’s weapon
A Pittsburgh man on Wednesday pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing an FBI agent’s unmarked car in 2021. Lashawn Norwood, 57, of the Hill District, was charged with theft of government property. He pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak. Prosecutors said an unmarked SUV owned...
