Top Stories category, Page 762
Did raccoon dogs start covid pandemic? Western Pa. experts weigh in
After international scientists discovered a potential link between the origin of the covid-19 virus and raccoon dogs, medical experts in Western Pennsylvania said the animal could be where the virus began. Samples collected from the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China — where the first human cases of covid-19 were...
Pa. delegation pushes to end opioid treatment co-pays, saying many people thwarted by cost
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey this week introduced a bill that would lower costs for people who need drug addiction treatment. Another Pennsylvania Democrat, U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, said she would introduce a similar bill in the U.S. House. What would the bills do? Mainly, they would eliminate insurance deductibles and...
U.S. Steel ready to close 3 of 10 batteries at Clairton Coke Works
U.S. Steel announced it will shut down three of Clairton Coke Work’s 10 coke batteries this month, which it projects will reduce emissions from the plant. The decision to close the site’s three oldest batteries at the Mon Valley’s biggest source of airborne pollutants originally was announced two years ago...
DA to seek death penalty against man charged in McKeesport officer’s fatal shooting
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s office on Friday filed notice that it will seek the death penalty against Johnathan Morris, the man accused of killing McKeesport police Officer Sean Sluganski last month. To seek capital punishment, the prosecution must lay allege at least one of several aggravating factors listed in...
Pa. woman mauled to death while caring for neighbor’s dogs, coroner says
A woman who went to her neighbor’s Perry County home to feed their dogs while they were out of town was mauled to death by the pets, authorities said. Two Great Danes killed Kristen Potter, 38, of New Bloomfield, around 5 p.m. Thursday on the 700 block of Clouser Hollow...
Pa. woman whose wheelchair was shoved down stairs by Mercyhurst student athletes lost legs in car wreck
A 22-year-old Erie woman who lost both of her legs in a car crash in 2021 owned the wheelchair that was shoved down a flight of stairs by Pa. college student athletes at a bar Saturday night, PennLive has found. Sydney Benes, who has a TikTok account under the name...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: March 17-19
We’ve made it to the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Here are some ways to spend it. Flower Show “Five Senses of Splendor” opens Saturday at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Oakland. There will be thousands of spring blooms, including lilies, amaryllis, petunias, daffodils, tulips and hyacinths, in addition to...
Fetterman to open Pittsburgh regional office next month
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, on Friday announced he will open a Pittsburgh regional office early next month. “Our team is proud to open another office to serve the people of Pennsylvania, this time in Pittsburgh,” said Joe Pierce, Fetterman’s state director. “This location will provide top services to the people...
Morning Roundup: Weekend forecast to include rain, cold, maybe snow
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, March 17, 2023: Weekend forecast to include rain, cold, maybe snow The weekend ahead in Western Pennsylvania will be a little bit of a sometimes-wet, sometimes-cool situation, with a small chance of snow Saturday. Rain is expected Friday...
Woman arrested after kids injured in car crash in Elizabeth Township
A woman was arrested and two children were taken to the hospital after a crash in Elizabeth Township on Thursday. The crash took place in the 800 block of McKeesport Road, Elizabeth Township police told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. Police said they took the driver, Kristi Assenti, into custody on...
Somerset County DA convicted of sex assault
SOMERSET — A Western Pennsylvania county prosecutor was in jail Friday after jurors convicted him of six charges for an attack on a woman while acquitting him of sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault. The verdict against suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey L. Thomas was issued Thursday after less...
West Deer police say contractor bilked family for $30K over unfinished work
West Deer police charged a home improvement contractor from Butler County with felony charges after a family accused him of collecting more than $30,000 in up-front payments for work that was never completed. Austin Reges, 27, of the 100 block of Cayman Drive, Penn Township, was charged with felony counts...
Long-term closure of Highland Park Bridge link to Route 28 South to resume
PennDOT says the long-term closure of the ramp from the northbound Highland Park Bridge to Route 28 South (toward Pittsburgh) will continue Monday, weather permitting. Starting around 7 a.m. , the northbound ramp will close to traffic around-the-clock through mid-May. Crews will complete reconstruction work, bridge rehabilitation, and drainage improvements...
Pitt students gear up for March Madness game against Iowa State with cautious optimism
So, maybe it’s not full-on madness — at least not yet. But with the University of Pittsburgh’s men’s basketball team set to face Iowa State University on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Panthers fans who haven’t had a tournament win to celebrate since 2014 are...
Passersby save woman from her burning Sewickley Township home, can’t save husband
Despite their quick actions, Kurtis Baker, Bradley Cook and Takoma Ganett all had the same sentiment: “We wish we could have done more.” The trio of passersby were able to pull a woman out of her burning Sewickley Township home Thursday afternoon but could not save her husband. David Wayne...
Pittsburgh man sentenced to federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse materials
A Pittsburgh man has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after he was convicted of possessing materials depicting sexual exploitation of a minor. U.S. District Judge Marilyn J. Horan sentenced Desair McCray, 22, Pittsburgh, after it was determined McCray knowingly possessed images and videos containing child...
Norfolk Southern CEO: ‘I understand my responsibility’ in Ohio derailment cleanup
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw confidently chugged a glass of East Palestine, Ohio, tap water in front of a group of reporters Thursday as he promised to clean the site of a fiery train derailment and invest in local rebuilding efforts. “We’ve been not only engaged here ever since the...
Man accused of shooting at state Attorney General agents arrested in Penn Hills
A Pittsburgh man accused of shooting at state agents and a McKees Rocks police officer was apprehended in Penn Hills on Thursday. Allegheny County Police announced the arrest of 25-year-old Eric Durah Jr., who is charged with multiple crimes stemming from a shooting incident in Stowe on Feb. 27. Police...
Penn State president says cuts will be deeper than anticipated as leaders finalize layoff plans
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. STATE COLLEGE — A Penn State administrator directed university leaders representing nearly all departments to...
Pitt, Duquesne involved in talks to play football game at Acrisure Stadium
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Pitt and Duquesne officials are in the midst of talks that could bring their football teams together for the first time since 1939, possibly in one of the next few seasons at Acrisure Stadium, Pitt Athletic Director Heather Lyke said Thursday. Duquesne has played Power 5 schools...
Overdose deaths dropped significantly in Westmoreland in 2022
Accidental drug overdose deaths decreased significantly in 2022 with 118, but the number of deaths by suicide — 62 — set a record, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s annual report. Officials involved in drug abuse prevention hope the decrease is a good sign for the harm reduction efforts they’ve...
U.S. releases video of Russian jet dumping fuel on its droneVideo
KYIV, Ukraine — The Pentagon on Thursday released footage of what it said was a Russian aircraft pouring fuel on a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone and clipping the drone’s propeller in international airspace over the Black Sea. The 42-second video shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the...
Police investigating attempted abduction of 2 children in Gilpin
Southern Armstrong Regional police are investigating a report of an attempted abduction Wednesday of two juveniles in the 300 block of Route 66 near the Dollar General in Gilpin. Police received a report at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday of an older, white man with long, dark hair driving a tan minivan...
Morning Roundup: 2-alarm fire at Turtle Creek duplex
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, March 16, 2023: 2-alarm fire at Turtle Creek duplex First responders were called to the scene of a two-alarm house fire in Turtle Creek early Thursday. The call about the fire came in at 3:53 a.m., Allegheny County...
Westmoreland candidates face lawsuits that could boot them from primary ballot
Several candidates for contested races in the May primary are facing challenges to be removed from the ballot because of perceived flaws in their nominating petitions. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Jim Silvis will hear the challenges at 11 a.m. Friday in the cases. Silvis is hearing the cases because...
