Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 766
Deliberations begin in trial of man charged in shooting death of off-duty Pittsburgh cop
The prosecution told the jurors they have more than enough evidence to reach a guilty verdict. The three .45-caliber bullets that struck off-duty Pittsburgh police Officer Calvin Hall in the back match a .45-caliber handgun found in an alley near the crime scene behind the defendant’s house. And DNA taken...
Sewickley Council denies request to demolish historic Herbst House
An old convent and private residence in Sewickley that also once was used as a Catholic school will remain standing as borough leaders have rejected a demolition request. Council voted 6-0 Tuesday night to stand by its historic review commission’s recommendation and not allow what is colloquially called the Herbst...
Baldwin police seek information on suspicious series of brush fires
Baldwin Borough Police suspect that a half-dozen brush fires reported in rapid succession on Tuesday may have been intentionally set. “We responded to a total of six scenes within minutes of each other,” police said in a post to the department’s Facebook page. Police are asking residents with outdoor-facing cameras...
Pitt student, others describe chaotic scene of gunman hoax; chancellor says, ‘We must do better’
Jullian Lorenzo awoke in his dorm room at the University of Pittsburgh late Monday night to the sound of sirens, nonstop coming from outdoors and 10 stories down. Peering from his window inside Bruce Hall, diagonally across Forbes Avenue from Hillman Library, he saw a chaotic scene, the start of...
Video shows Louisville police under fire from bank shooterVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Police body camera video released Tuesday shows Louisville officers being fired upon as they arrive at the bank where five people were killed and the harrowing minutes while officers confront the shooter and work to rescue a wounded colleague. Two patrol officers who responded to the shooting...
Former Uniontown woman gets 2 years for Capitol riot
A former Uniontown woman will serve two years in federal prison for her role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Shelly Stallings, who now lives in Morganfield, Ky., was sentenced on Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. In addition to her prison term, Stallings must also serve...
Vee Neal Aviation proposes growth with flight school, aircraft hangar at Unity airport
Vee Neal Aviation is looking to grow its commercial aviation operations at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, with expanded aircraft hangar space and a flight school. The Westmoreland County Airport Authority, which operates the airport in Unity, on Tuesday granted Vee Neal development partner Jodaron Realty an exclusive two-year option to...
Manhattan DA sues Rep. Jim Jordan over Trump indictment inquiryVideo
NEW YORK — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg sued Rep. Jim Jordan on Tuesday, an extraordinary move as he seeks to halt a House Judiciary Committee inquiry that the prosecutor contends is a “transparent campaign to intimidate and attack” him over his indictment of former President Donald Trump. Bragg, a...
Lawsuit: Pa. chocolate factory ignored warning before deadly blast
A Pennsylvania candy-maker ignored warnings of a natural gas leak at its chocolate factory and bears responsibility for a subsequent explosion that killed seven workers and injured several others, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The family of Judith “Judy” Lopez-Moran, a 55-year-old mother of three, filed what their lawyers...
U.S. organ transplant system overhaul: What will it mean for Pennsylvanians waiting?
For nearly 40 years, organ transplants in the United States have been directed by a single nonprofit called the United Network for Organ Sharing — UNOS. Critics say UNOS has come to be plagued by problems including outdated technology, wasted organs and lack of transparency. In March, the Biden administration...
Public hearing set to discuss potential alcohol sales at convenience store near Kiski Area High School
Beer could be sold at a convenience store across the street from Kiski Area High School if a request for a liquor license transfer is approved by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Anna K. Holdings, the transfer applicant, is applying for the license to sell malt and/or brewed alcoholic beverages...
Kennywood to open on time following security meeting with DA’s office, law enforcement
Kennywood says it will open for its 125th season as scheduled on April 22 after amusement park officials met with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office last week to address security concerns. “The intent of the meeting and future steps is to demonstrate the shared commitment the park, law enforcement...
Ohio train derailment highlights waste disposal predicament
When word surfaced that soils and liquids laced with chemicals from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment were being sent to southeastern Michigan for storage, local residents and politicians were livid. “People were seeing pictures of what happened in Ohio — the smoke plumes, wildlife dying,” said Jordyn Sellek, director...
Code Orange air quality warning declared for Mon Valley
An air quality action day has been issued for Allegheny County’s Mon Valley because of a spike in particulate matter pollution. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day on Tuesday, which was caused by a strong temperature inversion in the morning and light...
Students return to school at Elizabeth Forward
After two months of remote learning following a fire, students returned to Elizabeth Forward High School on Tuesday. The fire damaged the inside of the school in February. According to the school, rooms and areas adjacent to the auditorium space where the fire occurred are walled off and will not...
Electric buses headed to Mon Valley as part of $10M clean air grant
Pittsburgh Regional Transit will replace diesel buses with electric models to serve the Mon Valley thanks to a $10 million federal grant meant to improve air quality. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyselected Allegheny County on Monday for the grant to replace four, 40-foot diesel buses with zero-emission, electric buses and...
Fire out inside Century III Mall, cause not yet clear
West Mifflin fire crews responded early Tuesday to a fire at the site of the former Century III Mall. An Allegheny County alert sent at 7:10 a.m. said the fire was in the walls above the food court area on the third floor. West Mifflin borough police chief Gregory McCulloch...
Active shooter reports at Pitt library deemed a hoax
Reports of an active shooter at Hillman Library on the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus just after 11 p.m. Monday night turned out to be false after a heavy police presence was called to the scene. At 11:20 p.m., Pittsburgh and Pitt police responded to reports of shots fired at...
Greensburg hires new police chief, looks to rebuild trust after former chief’s arrest
Charles Irvin said one of his tasks as Greensburg’s new police chief will be to restore the community’s trust in the department following the January arrest of his predecessor on federal drug charges. City council on Monday unanimously approved promotion of Irvin, an 18-year veteran of the force, from detective...
University of Pittsburgh Chancellor-elect Joan Gabel talks top priorities
University of Pittsburgh Chancellor-elect Joan Gabel said in a wide-ranging interview Monday that her top priorities after taking office figure to include identifying the school’s next provost, initiating a capital campaign and dealing with tuition and labor issues. But Gabel said her first 100 days and beyond “will also include...
Justice Department appeals Texas abortion pill order
AUSTIN, Texas — The Justice Department on Monday appealed a Texas court ruling that would halt approval of a drug used in the most common method of abortion in the U.S., calling the decision “extraordinary and unprecedented.” If allowed to stand, the order issued last week by U.S. District Judge...
Black lawmaker who was expelled to return to Tennessee House
NASHVILLE — One of the two Black Democrats who were expelled last week from the GOP-led Tennessee House was reinstated Monday after Nashville’s governing council voted to send him straight back to the Legislature. The unanimous vote by the Nashville Metropolitan Council took only a few minutes to restore Rep....
Sources say Pittsburgh close to announcing new police chief from list of 3 finalists
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is expected to name the city’s next police chief soon, possibly within days, according to those close to the hiring process. Gainey and three committees have been working, largely behind closed doors, for nearly six months to find a successor to former Chief Scott Schubert, who...
Indiana County man killed in Route 380 motorcycle crash
A 34-year-old Indiana County man was killed Monday in a motorcycle crash along Route 380 in Washington Township, authorities said. Ryan James Gould of Shelocta died of blunt force trauma, Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said. The wreck was reported near the intersection of North Washington Road shortly before 3:30...
Pa. launches abortion access website in wake of Texas ruling against abortion medication
After a federal judge’s ruling in Texas last week halted the approval of a drug used in medication abortions, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro launched a website informing state residents about their rights to accessing to abortion services. Shapiro said Monday that Pennsylvanians’ reproductive rights have not changed because of the...
