Top Stories category, Page 919
Stop the violence rally held in New Kensington in response to Raiford shootingVideo
Calls to “stop the violence” and “put the guns down” rang out Wednesday evening through the heart of New Kensington as dozens of residents participated in a rally, three days after a fatal shooting. The Rev. David Trent of Chosen Generations Ministries led the group of about 30 people in...
Pa. House approves Pitt funding after months of debate over fetal tissue research
The University of Pittsburgh is set to narrowly escape with its state funding after months of heated back-and-forth between Pitt and House Republicans over the university’s fetal tissue research. The state House voted Wednesday night to pass Pitt’s appropriation. Lawmakers reworded an agricultural funding bill to provide Pitt’s funding and...
Fire dancers among entertainers, artists participating in first Sizzling Summer Night in New Kensington
Saturday night promises to be a hot time in New Kensington. Nearly 50 businesses and a baker’s dozen of entertainers — including fire dancers — are scheduled to participate in New Ken’s Sizzling Summer Night, a first-time event running from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fifth Avenue between Eighth and...
Aspinwall police officer struck by vehicle while working traffic detail
An Aspinwall police officer was treated and released from a hospital after being hit by a vehicle Wednesday afternoon. Allegheny County dispatchers said there was a vehicle/pedestrian crash about 4 p.m. near the intersection of Western Avenue and Freeport Road. The department posted on its Facebook page that Officer Scott...
Allegheny County Council passes park fracking ban, Fitzgerald vows to veto
Allegheny County Council passed a bill that would ban fracking at nine Allegheny County parks, but the bill still has to clear the desk of Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who has vowed to veto it. The fracking-ban proposal would prohibit new leases on county-owned park land for industrial use....
Report details 3 missed opportunities to slow, stop Uvalde gunmanVideo
DALLAS — A report released Wednesday details three missed opportunities to slow — or even stop — the Uvalde gunman before he entered Robb Elementary School, where he ultimately killed 19 students and two teachers in Texas’ deadliest school shooting. The 24-page report by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response...
Fatal crashes over Fourth of July holiday drop by almost half, state police report
Fatal crashes statewide over the Fourth of July holiday dropped by about half this year in areas patrolled by Pennsylvania State Police, according to statistics released this week. Troopers reported investigating four such crashes — none of which involved alcohol — that claimed as many lives between Friday and Monday...
KDKA reporter leaving Pittsburgh for Denver
KDKA reporter/anchor Amy Wadas is leaving her hometown station for a new adventure in the Rocky Mountains. Wadas announced Monday on social media that July 14 would be her last day with KDKA-TV, which hired her in 2014. “This was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make,”...
Democrat Josh Shapiro picks up Republican endorsements in race for governor
Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s gubernatorial campaign has earned a slew of endorsements from prominent Republicans. Shapiro, a Democrat from Montgomery County, said his campaign has received nine GOP endorsements from across Pennsylvania. In a swing state like Pennsylvania, having crossover appeal can be paramount to success in statewide races. Republicans...
Parade shooting suspect contemplated 2nd shooting
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — The man charged with killing seven people at an Independence Day parade confessed to police that he unleashed a hail of bullets from a rooftop in suburban Chicago and then fled to the Madison, Wisconsin, area, where he contemplated shooting up an event there, authorities said...
Lower Burrell veterans seek missing flags ripped from poles in microburst
Most Lower Burrell residents know all too well the snapped trees, downed power lines and other destruction caused by a June 22 microburst. American flags lining Leechburg Road also took a hit during the storm as high winds, ranging from 58 mph to 65 mph, according to the National Weather...
Trump White House counsel Cipollone to testify to Jan. 6 panelVideo
WASHINGTON — Pat Cipollone, Donald Trump’s former White House counsel, is scheduled to testify Friday before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a person briefed on the matter. Cipollone, whose reported resistance to Trump’s schemes to overturn his 2020 election defeat has...
Prospect Cemetery in Brackenridge continues cleanup after June storm
Cleanup continues at Prospect Cemetery in Brackenridge after a late-June storm caused up to $10,000 in damage. “We had a real mess here,” said Cindy Homburg, cemetery president. “It was a ton of damage.” She estimated at least $6,000 in tree damage from the June 22 storm, which pummeled the...
Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial appoints new executive director, continues legacy of support
Though she grew up in Somerset, Donna Gibson was living close to Pittsburgh during the terrorist attacks on 9/11. After moving back to Somerset, she and her husband received an invitation to plant trees at the Flight 93 National Memorial in 2012. And, since then, she’s brought a team to...
Feds sue over new Arizona citizenship proof law for voting
PHOENIX — The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday sued Arizona over a new law requiring people who use a federal form to register to vote to provide additional proof of citizenship if they want to vote for president or using the state’s popular vote-by-mail system. The law signed by...
Former Allegheny East NAACP leader charged in theft of $194K
An anonymous letter sent to police two years ago culminated Tuesday in theft charges against Kenneth Huston, president of the Pennsylvania and Allegheny East chapters of the NAACP. Huston, 54, of Monroeville, used nearly $194,000 of money from the Allegheny East chapter, including $165,000 that was either funneled from the...
Blawnox man — off-duty officer — slain in apparent road rage incident remembered for desire to serve
The only thing Charles “Chuckie” Stipetich ever dreamed about while growing up was becoming a Marine and a police officer. So it was no surprise to his parents when the Fox Chapel Area High School student joined the military after graduating in 2017. “It’s all he talked about while growing...
Swindell Bridge in Pittsburgh closed indefinitely after maintenance work damages drainage trough
The Swindell Bridge on Pittsburgh’s North Side will remain closed indefinitely until damage caused during milling and paving last week can be repaired, city officials said Tuesday. The bridge, which connects Perry North to Northview Heights over I-279, underwent maintenance work last week but was shut down Friday when debris...
Group files 60-plus misconduct complaints against Allegheny County Judge Mariani
An advocacy group that has spent the last two years observing criminal proceedings in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court and has been highly critical of the overuse of probation in the county, last month filed more than five dozen misconduct complaints against Judge Anthony M. Mariani with the state Judicial...
Giuliani, Graham testimony sought in Trump election probe
ATLANTA — The Georgia prosecutor investigating the conduct of former President Donald Trump and his allies after the 2020 election is trying to compel U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and other members of Trump’s campaign legal team to testify before a special grand jury. Fulton...
Rudy Giuliani, Lindsey Graham testimony sought in Trump election probe
ATLANTA — The Georgia prosecutor investigating the conduct of former President Donald Trump and his allies after the 2020 election is trying to compel U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and other members of Trump’s campaign legal team to testify before a special grand jury. Fulton...
Allegheny County court error causes postponement of jury trials
An administrative error in the criminal division of Allegheny County Common Pleas Court means that no potential jurors received summonses this week, leading to the postponement of multiple jury trials and frustration among prosecutors and the defense bar. The error didn’t come to light until Friday — leading into a...
Parade shooting suspect charged with 7 counts of murderVideo
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — The man charged Tuesday with seven counts of murder for opening fire at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago legally bought five weapons, including two high-powered rifles, despite authorities being called to his home twice in 2019 for threats of violence and suicide, police said....
Police: Latrobe woman assaulted, choked after asking man to lower radio volume
A 32-year-old woman was punched and strangled by a man outside a Latrobe apartment complex after she asked him to lower the volume of his radio, police said. The woman was flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital because of the extent of her injuries. The man, Lionel Thomas,...
Gainey proposes $1.5M contract to assess 150 Pittsburgh bridges
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey has proposed to spend $1.5 million to contract a company to help assess the structural integrity of the city’s 150 bridges. Bills in front of Pittsburgh City Council would advance Gainey’s plans to ensure local bridges are safe through the Bridge Asset Management Program. Gainey in...
