Top Stories category, Page 774
Pittsburgh creating new office to handle events from film productions to block parties
A newly created Pittsburgh government office will be responsible for managing events ranging from large-scale film productions to neighborhood block parties. The Office of Film and Event Management will operate within the city’s Department of Public Safety. The office will receive and vet applications for small- and large-scale events and...
Gas prices heading back toward $4 after 5 weeks of increases
The average price of gas in the U.S. has increased more than 10% in the past month and could reach $4 per gallon again, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. The national average price of gasoline Monday was $3.51 per gallon, according to AAA. That’s 9 cents higher than last week,...
7th Memphis officer disciplined, EMTs fired in Tyre Nichols death
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two more Memphis police officers have been disciplined and three emergency responders fired in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols, officials said Monday, widening the circle of punishment for the shocking display of police brutality after video showed many more people failed to help him beyond...
Westmoreland Bar Association plans free clinic on child custody issues
A free clinic in Greensburg next month is aimed at helping with child custody legal issues and questions, which are among the top reasons people call the Westmoreland Bar Association, according to Executive Director Alahna O’Brien. Often, those callers can’t afford an attorney or a fee to get a consultation...
Car topples gas-station pump in East Pittsburgh
A car crashed into a gas station parking lot early Monday, toppling a gas-station pump. An 18-year-old woman was driving along Lincoln Highway in East Pittsburgh when, just before 2 a.m., she lost control of the car, spun counter-clockwise and struck a gas-station pump, knocking it over, state police said....
Lunch crowd slowly finding its way back to challenged Downtown restaurants
When Wiener World opened on Smithfield Street in Downtown Pittsburgh in 1965, the disc jockeys in KQV radio’s storefront studio a block away were only in their second year of playing Beatles records, Lyndon Johnson was president and the U.S. was still four years away from landing a man on...
Mon-Fayette Expressway’s next phase will help test innovative road concepts
Paul Metzler of Murrysville isn’t confident that truckers will voluntarily limit their use of “jake brakes” on the stretch of Route 22 situated down the hill from his home in Manordale Farms. “Between the ribbed concrete that the highway is made of and the increase in trucks that all use...
Death toll from Pakistan mosque suicide bombing rises to 74
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The death toll from previous day’s suicide bombing at a mosque in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday jumped to 74 after rescuers retrieved 15 more bodies from the rubble, police and rescue official said. Bilal Faizi, the chief rescue official, said they were still removing the rubble after...
Greensburg YMCA plans job expo to remedy staffing shortage, curtailed programs
The Greensburg YMCA is planning a Job Expo on Wednesday to help fill available openings ranging from child care teachers to lifeguards and custodians. CEO Suzanne Printz said the nonprofit organization is looking to hire about 50 people as it copes with staff shortages that have been a problem since...
Narcan training in West Deer aims to bolster awareness, knowledge of opioid overdoses
Esther Whittinger doesn’t know anyone who takes drugs. She doesn’t have any loved ones she thinks might overdose. But she still attended a free Narcan training clinic and took with her a few doses of the drug, which reduces the effects of opioid overdoses. “I’m just interested in the aspect...
As pandemic tax credits fade, prepare for shrinking tax refunds
The clock has started ticking for people to file their tax returns but this year, there’s one thing to brace for — smaller refunds. That’s because many of the benefits put in place to help people weather the pandemic — such as boosting the child tax credit and earned income...
Bushy Run draws support after state halts annual reenactment
In Rob Malley’s opinion, Bushy Run is experiencing its third battle. The first battle occurred in August 1763 between the British and Native Americans during Pontiac’s War. The second happened in 2009, when the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission threatened to close the historical Penn Township park that memorializes the...
Suspect in attack on Paul Pelosi calls California TV station from jail
Hours after a San Francisco court released body-camera video of a man attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer, QAnon extremist David DePape, the suspect in the attack, made a surprise call from jail to a Bay Area news station expressing regret that he didn’t go further. “I’m so sorry I...
1 injured in Wilkinsburg shooting
A man was injured in a shooting on Sunday afternoon in Wilkinsburg. Allegheny County police responded to a report of a shooting at the Get-Go on Penn Avenue at 3:43 p.m. First responders found a man there suffering multiple gunshot wounds, officials said. Police said further investigation revealed the shooting...
No injuries reported after shots fired in Downtown Pittsburgh overnight
No one was injured after gunshots were fired in Downtown Pittsburgh early Sunday morning, public safety officials said. Police officers in the area of Sixth Avenue and Smithfield Street reported hearing multiple gunshots just after 1 a.m. that they believe were fired into the air, officials said. The shots damaged...
Elon Musk’s mysterious ways on display in Tesla tweet trial
SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk’s enigmatic personality and unconventional tactics are emerging as key exhibits in a trial revolving around one of his most polarizing pursuits — tweeting. The trial, centered on a pair of tweets announcing Musk had obtained the money to take Tesla private in 2018, reeled the...
Biden, McCarthy to discuss debt limit in talks on Wednesday
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Sunday he is looking forward to discussing with President Joe Biden a “reasonable and responsible way that we can lift the debt ceiling ” when the two meet Wednesday for their first sit-down at the White House since McCarthy was elected to the...
The River Community Church Pastor Dean Ward went from diving for golf balls to growing the church’s mission
Serving an estimated 1,100 visiting police officers for funeral events for fallen Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire was just another facet of The River Community Church in New Kensington and its pastor, Dean Ward. Ward, 56, of New Kensington isn’t your typical pastor. He built a business diving for golf...
‘Don’t be numb to this’: Battling despair over gun deaths
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Increasingly it feels like America is at war with itself. In New Orleans, just days into the new year, a 14-year-old girl was shot to death, along with her father and uncle. A few days after, in a Virginia classroom, a six-year-old boy pulled out a gun...
Tyre Nichols case revives calls for change in police culture
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An unarmed Black man dies after a videotaped beating by police. The officers involved are fired. After a thorough review of the evidence, criminal charges are swiftly filed against the offending officers. Investigation, accountability and charges. This is often the most Black citizens can hope for as...
Should federal grants favor highway repair over expansion?
Arizona officials refer to a notoriously congested stretch of desert highway through tribal land as the Wild Horse Pass Corridor, a label that’s less about horses than the bustling casino by the same name located just north of where the interstate constricts to four lanes. With the Gila River Indian...
Egg prices remain high in first month of 2023
Egg prices have remained high this month, following concerns about increases in grain costs and the impacts of bird flu on agriculture. In December 2022, egg production in Pennsylvania was down 17% from the year before, and the total number of egg-laying birds was down 15%, according to the northeastern...
Stings by Harrison police, state agents lead to arrest of 2 accused heroin dealers
Two accused heroin dealers targeted in separate sting operations by Harrison police and state narcotics agents are scheduled to appear before a district judge this week to face felony drug charges. Last February, an undercover team of Harrison police officers and agents from the state Attorney General’s Office arranged to...
Community in shock as Greensburg police chief’s apparent double life is exposed
It wasn’t a major arrest, but one that can make a small difference in a community. Shawn Denning got a tip Aug. 10 and the next day staked out Spring Avenue in Greensburg, eyes peeled for a blue Chevrolet Colorado. The driver had a few bundles of heroin, according to...
From perfume to light bulbs, Lower Burrell Plaza’s former JCPenney building getting more than a facelift
A couple of mannequins and a drop ceiling were among the last vestiges inside the old JCPenney building in Lower Burrell, now gutted to make way for an open-air, 90,000-square-foot electrical supply warehouse and store. The former department store’s brick shell still stands, but most of the interior is gone....
