Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 774
Turkey’s parliament ratifies Finland’s membership in NATO
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s parliament on Thursday ratified Finland’s application to join NATO, lifting the last hurdle in the way of the Nordic country’s long-delayed accession into the Western military alliance. All 276 lawmakers present voted in favor of Finland’s bid, days after Hungary’s parliament also endorsed Helsinki’s accession. “This...
Congresswoman Summer Lee speaks out on House floor about hoax shooting reports
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, decried Wednesday’s hoax shooting reports that shut down schools in Pittsburgh and other Pennsylvania communities in remarks on the House floor. “Active shootings aren’t normal. Shooting hoaxes aren’t normal. The evacuations and drills are not normal. There’s nothing about this that’s normal,” Lee said Wednesday....
911 calls reveal terror at Nashville school during attackVideo
NASHVILLE — Authorities released 911 recordings on Thursday that capture the terror inside a Nashville elementary school during a mass shooting this week, as callers pleaded for help in hushed voices while sirens, crying and gunfire could be heard in the background. Police released recordings of three 911 calls made...
Joint Base Andrews on lockdown after armed person reported
WASHINGTON — Joint Base Andrews, one of the nation’s most sensitive military bases and home to Air Force One, has been locked down after reports of a man carrying an “assault-style” rifle on Thursday, authorities said. The Maryland base was locked down after the person was reportedly seen near the...
George Wolfe, Wolfie’s Pizza owner, to be honored by foundation for rock drummer he admired
One of the first things George Wolfe said to Hannah Isenberg was that he was not a “total weirdo.” Each already had heard of the other. Isenberg knew Wolfe was a big fan of the Canadian rock band Rush; Wolfe knew Isenberg was a niece of the band’s legendary drummer,...
Chicago woman accused of being part of catalytic converter theft ring
A Chicago woman was jailed this week in connection with a catalytic converter theft ring in Southwestern Pennsylvania that authorities said caused $200,000 worth of damage. Westmoreland County authorities initially sealed the arrest papers for Maria D. Padilla, 37, because of ties to a street gang in Chicago and concerns...
Former Washington Township man accused of trying to rip off Richland family by posing as wealthy homebuyer arrested in Rhode Island
A former Alle-Kiski Valley man accused of posing as a wealthy homebuyer to scam a Richland Township family who agreed to sell their home and other property to him for $5.1 million was arrested in Rhode Island on Friday, according to authorities. Timothy Paul Bierly, 27, who previously lived along...
Opening Day: 5 things to know before Pirates’ 1st pitch in CincinnatiVideo
At just after 4 p.m. today, the Pittsburgh Pirates will embark on their 142nd season, hoping to improve on back-to-back 100-loss campaigns behind a new group of veteran voices and a talented pool of young players. Bucco fans’ expectations again are a mix of cautions optimism for a new season...
Connellsville native among 7 victims in massive chocolate factory explosion in Pa.
PHILADELPHIA — The Berks County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday released the names of the remaining victims of the explosion at the R.M. Palmer chocolate factory in West Reading that killed seven people. The remaining five were identified as: Susan H. Halvonik, 63, a Connellsville native who lived in Upper Providence...
Greensburg’s SummerSounds concert season opens with 2 tribute acts
Organizers of Greensburg’s SummerSounds concert series don’t like to book the same act two years in a row. They’re making an exception this year, though, to bring back the top draw from 2022. Elton Rohn, the Canadian Elton John tribute artist who packed St. Clair Park on July 7, is scheduled...
Vatican: Pope improving since hospitalization with infection
ROME — Pope Francis has shown a “marked improvement” following intravenous antibiotics for a bronchitis infection and could be released from the hospital in the coming days, the Vatican and his doctors say. The 86-year-old pontiff, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, ate breakfast, read...
Russia arrests Wall Street Journal reporter on spying charge
Russia’s security service arrested an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal on espionage charges, the first time a U.S. correspondent has been detained on spying accusations since the Cold War. The newspaper denied the allegations and demanded his release. Evan Gershkovich was detained in the city of Yekaterinburg while...
9 killed in Army Black Hawk helicopter crash in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Nine people were killed in a crash involving two Army Black Hawk helicopters in Kentucky, a military spokesperson said. Nondice Thurman, a spokesperson for Fort Campbell, said Thursday morning that the deaths happened the previous night in southwestern Kentucky during a routine training mission. A statement from...
Editorial: Pain, panic and fear: the fallout of a faked school shooting report
How dare you? This short sentence — equal parts earnest question, alarmed utterance and angry interjection — is directed at the person or persons, organization or movement behind computer-generated “swatting” calls made Wednesday reporting active shooter situations. Allegheny County 911 received calls about Central Catholic and Oakland Catholic. Both schools...
Morning Roundup: SWAT response in Allentown
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, March 30, 2023: SWAT response in Allentown A police SWAT team responded to a home in the 600 block of Eureka Street in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood just before midnight Wednesday. A police spokeswoman said the response was for...
Westmoreland courthouse garage rebuild nears completion
A parade of 49 trucks hauling nearly 2,000 tons of concrete will travel through Greensburg on Saturday morning as part of a final push to complete construction of a two-story underground parking garage at the Westmoreland County Courthouse. Main Street will be closed to traffic in front of the courthouse...
Inflation is declining, but health premiums and medical costs are heading higher
WASHINGTON — During the pandemic, health care costs — usually a main driver of U.S. inflation — remained surprisingly stable, rising just about 2% annually even as prices for many goods and services soared more than three or four times that rate. But signs are emerging that medical inflation is...
How ‘swatting’ hoax threats cause chaos and panic
As Quaker Valley School District’s police chief, Aaron Vanatta is responsible for the well-being of 1,900 children. But, on Wednesday, he needed to tend to a student outside his jurisdiction: his daughter, a seventh grader 40 miles away in Washington County. A morning flurry of hoax threats that triggered lockdowns,...
On 50th anniversary of Vietnam War’s end, veterans remember those who didn’t come home
March 29, 2023, marked the 50th anniversary of the last U.S. troops leaving Vietnam, ending combat operations in what Americans know as the Vietnam War. But it’s the names — the 58,000 or so of them etched into black stone on a wall in Washington, D.C. — that linger in...
Entering 4th season as manager, Derek Shelton expects that Pirates ‘have a team that’s better’
CINCINNATI — Derek Shelton sat in the visiting dugout at Great American Ball Park on the eve of Opening Day, believing his fourth season managing the Pittsburgh Pirates finally will bring progress. If that’s received with a shrug, it’s because Shelton’s first three seasons have been a bit of a...
Tennessee man gets 25 years in roadside killing of Butler County native
NASHVILLE — The man who shot and killed a Tennessee nurse as she was driving to work two years ago was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday, according to the Nashville district attorney’s office. In January, a jury found Devaunte Hill guilty of murder in the death of...
Fetterman expected back to Senate in April
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman will return to the Senate in April, two months after the freshman Democrat sought inpatient treatment for clinical depression, a person close to Fetterman said Wednesday. The person, who was not authorized to discuss Fetterman’s plans and spoke on condition of anonymity, said...
Pittsburgh to get $1.5M for electric vehicles, natural gas trucks
Pittsburgh is slated to receive more than $1.5 million in state grant money for new electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and compressed natural gas trucks. Three separate grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will provide the cash, pending approval from Pittsburgh City Council. Council members unanimously supported...
‘I’m a very flawed man’: Man who forged letters to court gets 6½ years
One letter described a scene where the defendant was so kind that, for an afternoon, he took in a one-legged man standing outside in the cold in the Strip District. They stopped at a shop, and Randy Frasinelli bought the man a hoodie and sweatpants, then he took him home,...
Lottery officials present Mt. Pleasant man with $1 million ‘check’ at North Huntingdon pharmacyVideo
Nick Pletcher stopped by the pharmacy to get a prescription filled. He left with $1 million. Well, technically he left with a winning Pennsylvania Lottery ticket. On Wednesday morning, he was joined by lottery officials at AccuServ Pharmacy in North Huntingdon, where he bought the winning Millionaire Maker scratch-off ticket....
