Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 821
Trial begins for Murrysville man accused of taking political signs
According to his lawyer, former Franklin Regional School Director Gary English was just picking up litter when he loaded campaign signs into the back of his pickup truck in April 2020. “Twice a year we are all assaulted by these campaign signs that litter our roadways and are prohibited from...
Hempfield book policy draft could provide guard rails to sexualized content
After a yearlong debate over appropriate books in the school library, Hempfield Area officials have drafted updates to the district’s resource material policy that could shape the future of book selection and challenges in the district. The draft, penned by Superintendent Tammy Wolicki and district solicitor Krisha DiMascio, sets guard...
Plum planners recommend approval of first phase of 158-home development
Plum’s planning commission has recommended approval of the first 35 houses in a planned 158-home development. Plum Council might vote on approval of the first phase of the three-phase Patriot Estates plan in February, Assistant Borough Manager David Soboslay said. The first 35 single-family homes would be built on a...
Bus riding bank robber admits holding up 3 Pittsburgh banks
A former Pittsburgh man pleaded guilty in federal court to three counts of bank robbery Tuesday. The incidents took place between Jan. 31 and Feb. 8, 2022. Calvin Leavy, 68, of Pride Street in the Hill District, admitted attempting to rob the First National Bank at 3721 Forbes Ave. in...
Donald Trump says he never read book accusing him of rape
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump said he has never read any part of a book in which the columnist E. Jean Carroll accused him of raping her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s, according to court records unsealed Wednesday. Trump was questioned under oath in...
Allegheny County special election date set, results will determine state House control
The dates for three pivotal state House special elections in Allegheny County are set following legal wrangling over who could schedule them and when they would be held. The outcomes of the races will determine which party controls the state House for the remainder of the two-year session. The Allegheny...
Youngwood man cuts trial short, pleads guilty to fatal stabbing
Michael Covington Jr. sat on the witness stand Wednesday and told the surviving family members of Matthew Genard that he struggles to deal with his actions from more than five years ago when, police said, he robbed and stabbed his victim at least 22 times in the back. “His life...
Report: Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger messaged victim on Instagram weeks before slaying
In the weeks before four students were found dead inside a residence near the University of Idaho, suspect Bryan Kohberger messaged one of the victims on Instagram — and then kept reaching out after she did not respond, according to a new report. Kohberger, a criminology graduate student at Washington...
Pittsburgh to issue $68M in bonds to cover capital projects
Pittsburgh City Council voted Wednesday to approve issuing nearly $68 million in bonds to pay for capital projects this year. The measure will fund projects that City Council has already approved in Mayor Ed Gainey’s 2023 capital budget, Jennifer Gula, the city’s finance director, said. This year’s operating budget, which...
Family of man who died trying to help Beaver County shooting victim sues Center Township, police officer
The sister of a Beaver County man who died after being tackled by a Center Township police officer as he was trying to help a shooting victim in November has filed a federal lawsuit against the township and the officer. Deborah Little filed the complaint on behalf of her brother,...
Fate of Pitt’s English Language Institute remains uncertain
For years, Taylor Swift fans have sung along with the artist’s mega-hit “I Knew You Were Trouble” as they nursed their own heartbreaks, speculating which one of her exes inspired the song. But for two instructors at the University of Pittsburgh’s English Language Institute, there’s another reason why many people...
Pittsburgh Councilman Bruce Kraus won’t seek reelection, his top staffer Bob Charland looks to replace him
Longtime Pittsburgh City Councilman Bruce Kraus said Wednesday that he will not seek reelection. Kraus, a Democrat from the South Side, is in his 16th year representing the city’s District 3 and served as council president from 2014 to 2020. He was the first openly gay person elected to council....
Voters to select successor to state Rep. DeLuca in upcoming special election
Residents of Oakmont, Verona and most of Plum will vote for a new state representative on Feb. 7. The special election for the 32nd state House district is one of three scheduled for that day in Allegheny County. The others are for the 34th and 35th districts. Only residents registered...
Microsoft cuts 10,000 jobs, about 5% of global workforce
Microsoft is cutting 10,000 workers, almost 5% of its workforce, joining other tech companies that have scaled back their pandemic-era expansions. The company said in a regulatory filing Wednesday that the layoffs were a response to “macroeconomic conditions and changing customer priorities.” The Redmond, Washington-based software giant said it will...
Morning Roundup: Police say man who shot at mail carrier shot others on McKnight Road
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023: Police: Man who shot at mail carrier shot others on McKnight Road Police have connected a man who they say shot at a mail carrier in Pittsburgh earlier this month with a shooting that injured...
Hempfield teen convicted in brother’s slaying paroled from state prison
Ian Bishop, who was 14 when he bludgeoned his 18-year-old brother to death in the family’s Hempfield home in 2002, is out of prison. Bishop, now 35, was paroled Jan. 3, according to records made public by the Pennsylvania Parole Board. He served 21 years in prison. Bishop was prosecuted...
Police say no foul play in man’s fatal fall from Lower Lawrenceville building
A man who died after falling about 30 feet from a rooftop Tuesday in Pittsburgh’s Lower Lawrenceville neighborhood has been identified. Jonathan Encrapera, 41, of Pittsburgh was declared dead shortly after he fell, according to an Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office report. Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said officers...
ShotSpotter reports 11 shots fired in the East Hills, Pittsburgh police find man shot in the arm
A man was hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday after being shot in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said officers were dispatched shortly after 8 p.m. to the 2300 block of East Hills Drive after a ShotSpotter alert reported 11 rounds had been fired. Police found a...
O’Hara residents to see changes in trash collection in a few months
Changes are coming to O’Hara trash collection, specifically with new bins and collection days. Township officials recently approved a new trash and recycling contract with Waste Management through the North Hills Council of Governments. It runs 2023-26 with an option year for 2027. Township Manager Julie Jakubec said garbage collection...
Plum man faces federal gun, drug charges
A Plum man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on drug and gun charges. Authorities said convicted felon Taiwan Donje Rodgers, 25, of Unity-Trestle Road possessed firearms and ammunition as well as possessed heroin and fentanyl with the intent to distribute them. The charges stem from...
Allegheny County Jail inmate records videos from inside jail, has them posted to YouTube
A man awaiting trial on a rape charge may no longer represent himself in court after he used recording equipment inside Allegheny County Jail to make multiple videos — including a sample opening statement — and posted them on YouTube. James Taric Byrd, 44, has been incarcerated while awaiting trial...
Austin Davis inaugurated as Pa.’s first Black lieutenant governorVideo
Former state Rep. Austin Davis, D-McKeesport, was sworn in as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor Tuesday, becoming the state’s first Black person to hold that position. Davis was inaugurated alongside Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, in Harrisburg. Davis is succeeding John Fetterman, who was recently sworn in as Pennsylvania’s newest U.S. Senator. “Today...
Feds won’t seek death penalty for El Paso Walmart shooter
Federal prosecutors will not seek the death penalty for a man accused of fatally shooting nearly two dozen people in a racist attack at a West Texas Walmart in 2019. The U.S. Department of Justice disclosed the decision not to pursue capital punishment against Patrick Crusius in a one-sentence notice...
Slain Monroeville teen remembered as ‘sweetest person’
Eloisa Creighton has read the flood of online comments and social media posts about her grandson, Aceyn Ausbrook, who was shot and killed last weekend outside a Monroeville birthday party. Now, she said she wants to add her voice to the chorus. “People say it all the time, but he...
South Fayette man pleads to Jan. 6 Capitol riot charges
A South Fayette man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Jorden Mink, 29, will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss on April 11 on two counts including assaulting, resisting or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon and theft of...
