Top Stories category, Page 915
Arnold police officer accused of lying about hit-and-run damaging patrol car
An Arnold police officer is accused of lying about his patrol vehicle being damaged in a hit-and-run and staging a scene at a convenience store parking lot. The officer, Ryan Matthew Clark, 32, of Buffalo Township, is suspended without pay, Mayor Joe Bia said Wednesday. The Westmoreland County Detective Bureau...
Man charged with rape of girl, 10, who traveled for abortion
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio man has been charged with raping a 10-year-old girl whose case drew national attention following a doctor’s comments that the child had to travel to Indiana for an abortion, an account that had led some prominent Republicans — including Ohio’s attorney general and a congressman...
Pittsburgh could spend $1.95 million to repair 30th Street Bridge
Pittsburgh City Council is looking to contract a local construction company to repair the 30th Street Bridge for $1.95 million. The 30th Street Bridge, which connects Herr’s Island and River Avenue, is one of several city bridges in need of repairs and improvements. On Wednesday, council advanced a measure that...
Police: Pittsburgh man stole Allegheny County maintenance truck, crashed into pole
A Bloomfield man stole a leaf blower and a maintenance truck with 50 road cones in its bed from an Allegheny County Public Works garage and crashed it into a pole the next morning, according to police. Gregory Galvez, 47, is charged with theft, receiving stolen property, moving violations and...
Educator aiming for ‘Ivy League feel’ at new private school in Arnold
A new private, nonprofit middle school will have an “Ivy League” feel when it opens in Arnold in the fall of 2025, its backers say. Matt DeHart, a South Carolina teacher and founder of the Teach from DeHart Foundation, shared conceptual designs for Teach from DeHart Academy with Arnold Council...
Fitzgerald defends decision to veto Allegheny County parks fracking ban bill
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald called a news conference Wednesday to further explain his decision to veto a bill to prohibit new natural-gas leases in county parks. Fitzgerald and said that the language in the bill is unfairly critical of all fracking companies. He said not all fracking companies are...
Underage curfew violators could face $1,000 penalty in Jeannette
Child scofflaws of Jeannette’s 11 p.m. curfew will be facing hefty penalties of up to $1,000 under a revamped proposed ordinance. Police have been having issues with children out late at night and Chief Donald Johnston and Mayor Curtis Antoniak said the update is needed to address the problem. The...
U.S. inflation surges again in June, raising risks for economy
WASHINGTON — U.S. inflation surged to a new four-decade high in June because of rising prices for gas, food and rent, squeezing household budgets and pressuring the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates aggressively — trends that raise the risk of a recession. The government’s consumer price index soared 9.1%...
Foxtail, Skybar temporarily close, citing South Side’s ‘problematic’ customer base
Foxtail and Skybar on Pittsburgh’s South Side have shut down indefinitely, days after a video began circulating of a lewd act that allegedly took place at a private pool party at the venue. Owners did not address the video and did not return requests for comment but noted in a...
Unity man seeks dismissal of charges in Latrobe woman’s fatal overdose
The lawyer for a Unity man charged with selling drugs to a Latrobe woman who died from an overdose in 2019 asked a Westmoreland County judge to dismiss the case for lack of evidence. Defense attorney Tim Miller said prosecutors do not have enough evidence to support the charge of...
Remember When: Tunnel under Allegheny River once carried coal from Plum to Springdale
When one thinks of tunnels in this region, it’s usually something seen by the general public. Think the Fort Pitt Tunnel, the Squirrel Hill Tunnel or even the quaint railroad tunnel along Russellton Road in Indiana Township, where you have to toot your horn before continuing through. But there once...
PIAA moves closer to allowing NIL deals for high school athletes
Local TV commercials might feature high school football players or a popular basketball star could sell ads on social media. Those ideas are now closer to reality for Pennsylvania high school athletes once they’re allowed to profit from selling their name, image and likeness under a tentative policy the PIAA...
Rankin man identified as June 29 shooting victim
The identity of the Rankin man who died after being shot multiple times in Rankin on June 29, was released Tuesday by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. The victim, William Earl Dykes, 33, died at UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh about an hour after he was shot at 7:40...
Police: Investigation underway into death of goat working in Aspinwall park
Aspinwall police took to Facebook hoping people would come forward about what happened a goat that was part of a herd clearing brush and noxious plants at Firemen’s Memorial Park and died. Six goats from Capricious Goats, run by McCandless couple Monica and Timothy Shields, began work to clear the...
Video shows police milling in hallway during Uvalde massacre
AUSTIN, Texas — Surveillance footage captured the gunman in the Uvalde school shooting enter the building with a AR-15 style rifle and later shows officers in body armor milling in the hallway outside the fourth-grade classrooms where 19 children and two teachers were killed. The video published Tuesday by the...
Western Pa. U.S. Attorney Cindy Chung nominated to 3rd Circuit bench
President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated Cindy K. Chung to become a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Chung, 46, has served as the U.S. Attorney for Western Pennsylvania since 2021. She would become the first Asian American to sit on the Third Circuit court...
New covid subvariants highly contagious, immune evasive, experts say
A rapidly spreading covid variant is highly contagious and can cause breakthrough infections, but it’s not more severe or dangerous than prior strains, local experts say. The omicron subvariant — known as BA.5 — has “really taken off, nationally and locally,” said Dr. Lee Harrison, professor of infectious disease and...
Twitter sues to force Elon Musk to complete his $44B acquisition
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter sued Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday, trying to force him to complete his $44 billion takeover of the social media company by accusing him of “outlandish” and “bad faith” actions that have caused the platform irreparable harm and “wreaked havoc” on its stock price. Back...
Brothers plead guilty to 2019 fatal shooting in Penn Hills home invasion
Two brothers accused of killing a Penn Hills man during a home invasion in late 2019 pleaded guilty this week to criminal homicide and other charges. Laron Cornell Howard, 22, and Laquon Khylil Perkins, 21, both of Swissvale, each were charged with criminal homicide, robbery, burglary and conspiracy in connection...
Former Pittsburgh City Councilman Doug Shields looks to run for seat again
Former Pittsburgh City Councilman Doug Shields on Tuesday announced he will be running again for his former seat. Corey O’Connor stepped down from City Council on Sunday to take on a new role as Allegheny County Controller. He is replacing Chelsea Wagner, who was elected as an Allegheny County Common...
Acrisure CEO thinks ‘alignment’ with Steelers in naming rights deal is perfect fit for growing company
Greg Williams realizes the company he founded in 2005 might be unfamiliar to Pittsburgh residents in general and Steelers fans in particular. Until Monday, when Acrisure was named as the new naming rights recipient of the former Heinz Field, the company likely had little brand recognition outside its home base...
New state law punishes caregivers who sexually assault care-dependent people
People accused of sexually assaulting the elderly or others for whom they provide care will face the same charges as those who commit the crime against students, inmates and children in institutional settings. A measure signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday was sponsored by state Rep. Carrie...
Here’s what you need to know about Pa.’s new child care tax credit
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf has approved a new, permanent child care tax credit that will allow families to claim thousands...
Poll: Many young, educated Republicans ready to move on from Trump
A day after a New York Times poll indicated that a majority of Democrats do not want President Joe Biden as their 2024 candidate, a second poll shows that most young Republicans do not want Donald Trump to win their party’s nomination. The New York Times/Siena College poll showed that...
Panel says more accountability would make policing safer for communities, officers
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. Missed Spotlight PA’s event about the limitations of Pennsylvania’s police hiring database? Here are five of the most interesting takeaways from...
