Top Stories category, Page 797
Donald Trump reinstated to Facebook after 2-year ban
Facebook parent Meta is reinstating former President Donald Trump’s personal account after a two-year suspension following the Jan. 6 insurrection. The company said in a blog post Wednesday it is adding “new guardrails” to ensure there are no “repeat offenders” who violate its rules. “In the event that Mr. Trump...
Police: 2 juveniles recovering after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood
Pittsburgh police are investigating the shooting of two juvenile boys in the city’s Homewood neighborhood. Public Safety spokeswoman Amanda Mueller said officers were dispatched at about 11:15 p.m. Tuesday for a Shotspotter alert along the 7200 block of Susquehanna Street. First responders located two boys who had been shot in...
Graham Spanier’s on-campus book event at Penn State canceled because of wintry weather
A scheduled on-campus appearance by former Penn State President Graham Spanier was canceled Wednesday after the university canceled classes and some school activities because of wintry weather. Spanier had planned to promote his book, “In the Lion’s Den: The Penn State Scandal and a Rush to Judgment,” in an appearance...
Pittsburgh City Council nixes plans for curfew enforcement to combat youth violence
Pittsburgh City Council has nixed a proposal to ramp up enforcement of the city’s curfew for minors. Council members, however, say they remain committed to opening 24-hour resource centers geared toward the city’s youth to try to curb an increase in violence in Pittsburgh. Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End,...
$2 ticket surcharge at planned entertainment venue would support Hill District revitalization
A portion of all tickets sold at a planned entertainment venue on Pittsburgh’s former Civic Arena site will go toward revitalizing the Hill District. Plans to develop the 4,600-seat entertainment venue, along with a six-story parking garage, retail space and a public safety station, on the former arena site in...
Pennsylvania passes ‘forever chemicals’ drinking water limit
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania has enacted a statewide drinking water limit on two forms of highly toxic chemicals, nicknamed “forever chemicals.” The rule, published earlier this month in the official register of state government agency actions, sets a limit of 14 parts per trillion for perfluorooctanoic acid and 18 parts per...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh detectives look for missing 72-year-old
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023: Pittsburgh detectives seek missing 72-year-old Detectives with the Pittsburgh police Special Victims Unit are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 72-year-old man. Melvin Wilson was last seen at 4:10 p.m. Tuesday in...
Man who body-slammed girl at mall accused of harassing district judge late at night
An East Vandergrift man has been accused of harassing Allegheny Township District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec with late-night phone calls. Tyler Drew Zidek, 25, of East Vandergrift faces several misdemeanor charges of harassment by a communication device. Zidek has a criminal record, including a guilty plea for body-slamming a teenage...
Greensburg police chief out, charged with drug distribution
Greensburg Police Chief Shawn Denning is off the job after he was arrested by federal officials who claim he was the go-between for interstate drug deals, even providing menus and prices of available substances. Denning is charged with two counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine and three...
Morning snow transitions to rain across Western Pa.
Snow that coated roads in the region Wednesday morning was changing to rain, a National Weather Service meteorologist said. Nearly all locations in southwestern Pennsylvania will change to rain by noon as warm air moves in, meteorologist David Shallenberger said. The high temperature will be rising into the mid-40s. The...
With more ways to tip, customers willing to pay it forward
Desiree Singleton recalled her late father, Bill Ringler, having her, her brother and sister figuring out a tip on a bill when the family dined out. “He talked to us about the service we got and how much we should tip,” Singleton said Tuesday inside her business, Harvest Moon Coffee...
McKean County woman found guilty of felony and misdemeanor charges relating to 2021 Capitol breach
A McKean County woman who breached the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection that attempted to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election has been found guilty of federal charges. Pauline Bauer, 55, of Kane, was found guilty of felony and misdemeanor charges for...
Censure vote fails against Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam
Allegheny County Council voted down Tuesday night an attempt to censure Councilwoman Bethany Hallam over foul language she directed at a fellow board member earlier this month. Council members voted 3-10 for the censure, with two council members abstaining. Several council members said it was inconsistent to bring a censure...
Strip District development with nearly 300 apartments, dozens of townhouses earns approval
Plans for a Strip District development with nearly 300 apartments and dozens of townhouses are moving forward. Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission approved plans Tuesday for The Brickworks Residential Development. It includes eight buildings on a 3.45-acre lot at 2121 Smallman St. Plans call for two six-story apartment buildings with 114 rental...
13-year-old arrested in connection with robbery, abduction of Pittsburgh pizza delivery driver
A 13-year-old boy has been arrested and charged in connection with the Jan. 3 robbery and abduction of a pizza delivery driver in Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood. Pittsburgh police did not identify the teen. Police spokeswoman Amanda Mueller said the boy has not been charged as an adult because of his...
Pittsburgh declares homelessness a public health emergency, looks for solutions
Homelessness has been declared a public health emergency in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh City Council approved legislation Tuesday asking the mayor, city housing authority and several city departments to come up with proposals to address homelessness in the long term, as well as temporary, immediate solutions to help homeless people right away....
In reversal, U.S. poised to approve Abrams tanks for UkraineVideo
WASHINGTON — In what would be a reversal, the Biden administration is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Tuesday, as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians begins to erode. The decision could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though...
Pittsburgh City Council approves plan for medical debt relief
Pittsburgh City Council passed legislation Tuesday to use $1 million in covid-relief funding to alleviate residents’ medical debts. Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side, who introduced the legislation last month, had initially suggested contracting with the New York-based nonprofit RIP Medical Debt to buy dischargeable health care debt from hospitals and...
District judge not at fault for crash that injured 13-year-old girl in Butler County
Authorities in Butler County said a district judge who struck a teen crossing Route 228 near Mars Middle School on Nov. 30 has been cleared of wrongdoing. Saxonburg District Judge Sue Haggerty was behind the wheel when a 13-year-old girl walked into the path of her vehicle about 5:30 p.m.,...
Contractors hit with $1.1M fine for illegal asbestos removal at Churchill property
The Allegheny County Health Department has fined a contractor nearly $1.1 million for illegally disposing of asbestos while renovating the former Westinghouse headquarters in Churchill. An environmental group called the contractor’s disregard for the asbestos-containing material “unconscionable” and said the fine “is a victory for public health.” “Their reckless behavior...
Suspect sought after 3 killed in Washington state convenience store shootingVideo
SEATTLE — At least three people were killed in a random shooting early Tuesday in Yakima, Washington, and police are still searching for the suspect. Yakima police Chief Matt Murray said the shooting was reported at a Circle K convenience store about 3:30 a.m., and responding officers found three people...
Classified documents at Mike Pence’s home, too, his lawyer saysVideo
NEW YORK — Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana home last week, his lawyers says, the latest in a string of recoveries of confidential information from the homes of current and former top U.S. officials. The records “appear to be a small number...
After 35 years, police ID woman killed in fiery Turnpike crash in Somerset County
Forensic genealogy testing helped investigators finally identify a 26-year-old woman as the second victim in a 1987 double-fatal crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, authorities said. Linda J. McClure, of Indiana, Pennsylvania, was a passenger in a tractor-trailer that crashed Oct. 22, 1987, while traveling east near mile marker 119.4 in...
Allegheny County releases public health plan for next 5 years
As Allegheny County transitions between health directors and is poised to elect a new county executive this year, its Health Department has released a plan that lays out public health goals for the next five years. The 2023-27 Plan for a Healthier Allegheny released Monday was completed under former Health...
Gainey orders review of Pittsburgh’s ‘purely public charities’ to see if they meet tax-exempt requirements
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey signed an executive order Tuesday calling on the city’s finance and law departments to investigate whether the city’s purely public charities meet requirements for tax-exempt status. Purely public charities are nonprofits that, under the state’s definition, must advance a charitable purpose, donate a substantial portion of...
