Top Stories category, Page 805
Man’s body discovered in Penn Hills
The body of a deceased man was found on a hillside in Penn Hills Friday afternoon. Allegheny County dispatch confirmed police activity shortly before 3 p.m. along the 9000 block of Frankstown Road. It was still an active scene a few hours later. Mayor Pauline Calabrese said she spoke with...
New Kensington man receives life prison sentence for Arnold fatal shooting
Shirley Clegg didn’t mince any words for the man who killed her brother. “I hope you never know peace because I will never know peace,” Clegg testified Friday during a sentencing hearing for Mario Gatti. Gatti, 33, of New Kensington was convicted of first-degree murder in October for the January...
Bolivar man charged in attempted Ligonier Township kidnapping
A nearly weeklong search ended Friday when a Bolivar man was arrested in connection with the attempted kidnapping of a female jogger at gunpoint in Ligonier Township. Frank Springer, 56, was taken into custody by Westmoreland County detectives and Ligonier Valley police and charged with attempted homicide, attempted kidnapping, aggravated...
Rivers Casino reopens after being closed due to leak
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh temporarily closed Friday after a cracked refrigeration pipe leaked onto the gaming floor. The casino on the city’s North Shore reopened around 8 p.m., according to a staffer who answered the phone. Repairs were made and crews cleaned up the area after the break, said Jack Horner,...
4% price increase effective Sunday at Pennsylvania liquor stores
The prices of more than 3,500 of the most popular items at state liquor stores will increase by 4% Sunday, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced. In a statement, the LCB cited 40-year record-high inflation as the reason for price hikes. “These increases will allow the PLCB to generate revenues...
Pittsburgh Land Bank scales back goals after losing $3M in proposed ARPA funding
Pittsburgh’s Land Bank is now expecting to buy and sell fewer properties than officials initially hoped, after the city pulled $3 million of the bank’s proposed $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. While Mayor Ed Gainey had initially proposed giving the Land Bank a $10 million infusion from...
Court greenlights holding Pa. House special elections Feb. 7
A Pennsylvania court ruled Friday that special elections to fill three vacancies in Democratic-leaning state House districts will be held together next month, with partisan control of the chamber at stake. A three-judge Commonwealth Court panel sided with the House’s Democratic floor leader, Rep. Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia, who had...
Pittsburgh police resuming traffic stops for minor infractions
Pittsburgh police are once again able to pull over drivers for minor, secondary infractions, as city police have put a hold on training officers about a city ordinance that banned traffic stops for minor infractions. Pittsburgh City Council voted in late 2021 to bar police from pulling over drivers for...
Former WDVE, WXDX radio host ‘Max’ talks addiction on his ‘Recovery Cast’ podcast
When WDVE radio hired Oxford, Ohio, native Pawley Bornstein to be a nighttime disc jockey in the mid-1990s, it was a dream come true. But, that dream contributed to the nightmare of addiction Bornstein was dealing with at the time. Bornstein, 52, has been clean and sober for 16 years...
Andrew McCutchen returning to Pirates on 1-year, $5 million deal, bringing former face of franchise home
Andrew McCutchen is coming back home, possibly to finish his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The immensely popular, five-time All-Star outfielder and 2013 NL MVP who was the catalyst in leading the Pirates to end two decades of losing seasons with three consecutive postseason appearances, agreed Friday to a one-year...
Tornado hits Selma, Alabama; 7 deaths reported across South
SELMA, Ala. — Rescuers raced Friday to find survivors in the aftermath of a tornado-spawning storm system that barreled across parts of Georgia and Alabama, killing at least nine people, and inflicted heavy damage on Selma, a flashpoint of the civil rights movement. A better picture of the damage was...
Pa. Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro talks about his, and his family’s, next chapter
The Josh Shapiro Era is upon us and in a lot of very visceral ways it figures to be a lot different from the Tom Wolf Age. First is generational change, and all that entails. Wolf, who became governor at age 66, saw his first run for political office as...
Worthington businessman defends billboard messages some consider hate speech
The man behind a Butler County billboard displaying what some consider disturbing messages said his intent is to rally “Americans to take back the country.” John Placek of Worthington rented an electronic billboard at the intersection of Route 422 and Bonniebrook Road in Summit Township to lobby against issues he...
Route 380 crashes in Murrysville: ‘You can’t eliminate human error’
Eleven crashes, eight injuries and one death in four years. Those are the traffic statistics Murrysville police recorded going back to the start of 2019 for the section of Route 380 — barely a mile of roadway — between routes 286 and 366. A number of factors come together to...
Families of local fallen police officers are helped — then they do the helping
David “Mogie” Magill plans to add fallen Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire to his Back the Blue T-shirt, which he will sell for a fundraiser concert to help local police departments in June. McIntire’s name and badge number, 1501, will join other local police officers who were shot to death...
5 Things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Jan 13-16
For many folks, this is a three-day weekend due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday on Monday. So, topping the list are some things that tie in with the importance of the holiday. Author Jacqueline Hamer Flakes book discussion Jacqueline Hamer Flakes is the daughter of civil...
Growths on deer spotted in North Huntingdon are likely papillomavirus, Game Commission says
Jacquie Kreiger took all the right steps when her son encountered a deer infected by a papillomavirus, state Game Commission officials said. Kreiger became concerned for the animal spotted in her North Huntingdon neighborhood cul-de-sac, when her son sent her a photo of the deer covered in fibromas. “He said...
Storms, tornadoes slam South, killing at least 7 peopleVideo
SELMA, Ala. — A giant, swirling storm system billowing across the South on Thursday killed at least six people in central Alabama, where a tornado ripped roofs off homes and uprooted trees in historic Selma, while another person was killed in Georgia, where severe winds knocked out power to tens...
Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein announces run for county executive
One of Pittsburgh’s most veteran public officials announced his candidacy Thursday for Allegheny County executive, joining a large field in the Democratic primary for the region’s top elected official. Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein spoke in front of a crowd of around 1,000 supporters at the Heinz History Center in...
Former Allegheny County Jail officer gets 18 months in federal prison for possessing illegal shotgun
A former Allegheny County Jail corrections officer already convicted of selling illegal drugs there will serve 18 months in federal prison for possessing a sawed-off shotgun. Lewis Bagnato, 33, of Kennedy, pleaded guilty to the federal charge before U.S. District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand in August. He was sentenced on...
UPMC to raise its minimum wage to $18 an hour
Health care giant UPMC announced it is raising minimum wage for entry-level positions to $18 an hour by 2025 for workers in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Williamsport. Starting wages at UPMC’s other sites in Western Pennsylvania, western Maryland and southwest New York will reach $18 an hour by 2026. “This is...
Judge temporarily halts evictions for Roosevelt Building residents following fire
Residents of Downtown Pittsburgh’s Roosevelt building can stay in the partially condemned apartment building following a fire and response that caused serious damage, but it is unclear for how long. Tenants were initially told they would be evicted on Friday, but a verbal order was given by Allegheny County Common...
Valuable winning lottery ticket could be in your coat pocket
DES MOINES, Iowa — Thinking of lining up at the mini-mart for a shot at a $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot? Maybe you should first dig into your coat pockets or your car’s glove box to make sure you don’t already have a winning ticket from an earlier drawing. As...
Pittsburgh public safety officials hope to have new police chief in April
Pittsburgh public safety officials on Thursday said they hope to have a new police chief in place in April. Former Chief Scott Schubert retired in July after leading the bureau since late 2016. Deputy Chief Thomas Stangrecki is serving as acting chief as city officials conduct a national search for...
PennDOT lifts occupancy requirement on outbound HOV lane
PennDOT has temporarily lifted the occupancy requirement on the outbound High Occupancy Vehicle lanes on Interstate 279 and I-579 because of ongoing utility work near the HOV lane entrance in Downtown Pittsburgh. The occupancy requirement of at least two people per vehicle was lifted Wednesday, allowing motorists traveling alone to...
