Top Stories category, Page 909
New Kensington man accused of attacking caregiver with shovel handle
A New Kensington man is accused of assaulting a caregiver with the cut-off handle of a shovel. Police charged Marvin Tyree Hall, 36, of Constitution Boulevard with two felony counts of aggravated assault and a misdemeanor count of simple assault. Police said the assault was reported shortly after 11 a.m....
Pennsylvania certifies primary election in 64 of 67 counties
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania has certified the results of primary elections from 64 of 67 counties, leaving out three counties in a growing legal dispute over whether to count mail-in ballots on which the voter didn’t handwrite a date, state officials said Wednesday. Certification of the remaining three counties — Berks,...
Westmoreland residents can help map next phase of broadband expansion through survey
Westmoreland residents over the next several months will be asked to help map out an expansion of broadband internet in the county. Officials this week announced the kickoff of a survey of the existing broadband infrastructure and service areas as part of an effort to enhance accessibility throughout the more...
Westmoreland DA to add information officer, fiscal coordinator/grant writer
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said three new jobs in her office will improve transparency and enhance the prosecutor’s efforts to secure additional public funding for services. The county’s salary board, which includes the three commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, signed off on Ziccarelli’s plan to create the new...
Indiana Republicans propose banning abortion with exceptions
INDIANAPOLIS — Leaders of Indiana’s Republican-dominated Senate on Wednesday proposed banning abortion with limited exceptions — a move that comes amid a political firestorm over a 10-year-old rape victim who came to the state from neighboring Ohio to end her pregnancy. The proposal will be taken up during a special...
Judge refuses to lift restrictions for Mechanicsburg woman accused of stealing Pelosi’s laptop at Capitol riot
A Cumberland County woman accused of stealing Nancy Pelosi’s laptop during the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol will continue to be confined to her home and must wear an ankle monitor leading up to her trial, according to a judge’s ruling. Riley Williams, 23, of Mechanicsburg, previously filed...
Biden announces modest climate actions; pledges more to comeVideo
SOMERSET, Mass. — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced modest new steps to combat climate change and promised more robust action to come, saying, “This is an emergency and I will look at it that way.” The president stopped short, though, of declaring a formal climate emergency, which Democrats and...
California artist paints giant Mac Miller mural on side of Etna recording studioVideo
California artist Gustavo Zermeño Jr. was happy he waited three years to paint a giant mural of Mac Miller at I.D. Labs, where the late rapper and Pittsburgh native recorded his music in Etna. Zermeño painted a mural for Miller, whose real name is Malcolm James McCormick, on the side...
Federal judge unswayed by Unity man’s gun possession claim, sentences him to federal prison
A Unity man was sentenced Wednesday to seven years and three months in federal prison in a gun case, and the judge rejected claims that the defendant was unaware he was prohibited from having the weapons because of past felony convictions. “(Thomas G. Stanko) acted consistently with somebody who knew...
Donatelli’s Italian grocery in Bloomfield announces impending closure
After an unsuccessful attempt to sell off the family business, Donatelli’s Italian grocery store in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood announced Wednesday that it will be closing sometime in August. The storefront has sat on Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Little Italy for more than 90 years. In 2021, owner/operator Russell Donatelli announced...
Another closing of Logans Ferry Road in Plum to detour thousands for up to 3 months
Work to repair a landslide will close a section of Logans Ferry Road in Plum for up to three months. The stretch between Entrance Drive and Columbia Road, near the border of Plum and New Kensington, tentatively is scheduled to close beginning Aug. 2. PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said, if...
Uvalde schools look to fire Chief Arredondo after shooting
UVALDE, Texas — Facing massive public pressure, Uvalde’s top school official has recommended the firing of the school district police chief who was central to the botched law enforcement response to the elementary school shooting nearly two months ago that killed two teachers and 19 students. The South Texas city’s...
Former Elizabeth police chief who stole heroin from department now faces federal charge
The former Elizabeth Borough police chief who admitted to stealing thousands of bags of heroin from his department’s evidence room to feed his own addiction has been indicted by a federal grand jury. Timothy L. Butler Jr., 45, of Finleyville, is charged with a single count of theft of government...
Police: Pair face felony charge for stabbing each other with fork during dispute
Two people from Springdale were charged with a felony after each of them told police the other person stabbed them with a fork. Gary Joseph Turner, 64, and Theresa Marie Smiesko, 50, both of the 600 block of Lincoln Avenue, were charged with a felony count of aggravated assault in...
‘The mouth of a bear’: Ukrainian refugees sent to Russia
NARVA, Estonia — For weeks Natalya Zadoyanova had lost contact with her younger brother Dmitriy, who was trapped in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Russian forces had bombed the orphanage where he worked, and he was huddling with dozens of others in the freezing basement of a building...
Lower Burrell couple charged with fraud over insurance claim on jewelry
A Lower Burrell couple face fraud charges after police say they filed an insurance claim for gold and diamond jewelry and a Louis Vuitton handbag they reported stolen after selling the items. William Leonard Klems II, 41, and Kaylyn Leeann Klems, 31, of the 100 block of Chippawa Drive, each...
How I moved, lost my dog and regained faith in humanity over 5 days in July
Sometime late last fall, my husband, two sons and I decided to move. We’d lived for 17 years in Brentwood — front-row seats to the best Fourth of July parade around — but wanted a house with two bathrooms, maybe a game room and a bigger yard for the boys...
Trump, Pence rivalry intensifies as they consider 2024 runs
NEW YORK — Former Vice President Mike Pence is becoming increasingly brazen in his willingness to counter former President Donald Trump. The two will hold dueling rallies in Arizona on Friday as they stump for rival candidates who offer dramatically different visions of the Republican Party in a critical battleground...
Trump-backed Cox wins Maryland governor primary over Hogan’s pick
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Dan Cox, a far-right state legislator endorsed by former President Donald Trump, won the Republican primary for Maryland governor on Tuesday, defeating a moderate rival backed by outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan. Cox will face the winner of the highly competitive Democratic primary in the November general election....
Firefighters battle house blaze in Washington Township
No injuries were reported in a house fire Wednesday morning in Washington Township. Fire crews responded about 7:30 a.m. to a home in the 100 block of Hope Hollow Road. Clayton Murphy, Washington Township fire chief, confirmed a man and a dog were not at home when the blaze broke...
Police say Beechview man filmed teen girl in fitting room at South Hills Village
A Beechview man is accused by Bethel Park police of filming a 14-year-old girl trying on clothing in a fitting room at a store inside South Hills Village, according to a criminal complaint. Police said they found the 30-second video of the girl on a cellphone belonging to Miguel M....
Allegheny Circle set to reopen for 2-way traffic
The $3.2 million project converting Allegheny Circle into a two-way roadway is nearly complete, officials with Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure said, and will be converted for two-way traffic Thursday evening. The roadway will be open to traffic during the conversion, though there will be isolated lane restrictions to...
Pittsburgh council approves $1.95 million in repairs to 30th Street Bridge
A local construction company will perform $1.95 million in repairs to Pittsburgh’s 30th Street Bridge. Pittsburgh City Council unanimously approved the measure Tuesday. The 30th Street Bridge — which connects Herr’s Island and River Avenue — is one of several city bridges in need of repairs and improvements. City Council...
Armstrong Tunnels in Pittsburgh to close for 3 hours Friday morning
The Armstrong Tunnels in Pittsburgh will close from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday for investigation work, according to the county’s Department of Public Works. During the closure, inbound drivers should use Second Avenue, Ross Street and Forbes Avenue, while outbound motorists should drive on Forbes Avenue, Chatham Square, Fifth...
Quaker Valley School District to host tours of proposed high school site
Quaker Valley School District officials plan to host tours of a proposed high school site in Leet. District director of facilities Charlie Gauthier will serve as the tour guide of the property at 210 Camp Meeting Road. It is a walking tour. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes. It...
