Top Stories category, Page 928
PPG’s Springdale plant to celebrate 75th anniversary
PPG Industries’ Springdale plant is marking a big milestone: 75 years. To celebrate the occasion, the plant hosted an event for employees and their families to tour the facility Saturday. The plant, built in 1947, specializes in manufacturing coatings used on a variety of items, including commercial vehicles, buildings, kitchenware,...
FDA bans Juul e-cigarettes tied to teen vaping surge
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials on Thursday ordered Juul to pull its electronic cigarettes from the U.S. market, the latest blow to the embattled company widely blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping. The action is part of a sweeping effort by the Food and Drug Administration to...
Plum man accused of stealing 2 loaded handguns in Washington Township
A Plum man is accused by police of stealing two loaded handguns in Washington Township after officers came in contact with him twice in less than seven hours, according to court papers. Brandon M. Wise, 39, is being held without bail at the Westmoreland County jail on charges of drug...
Supreme Court expands gun rights, with nation dividedVideo
WASHINGTON — In a major expansion of gun rights after a series of mass shootings, the Supreme Court said Thursday that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense, a ruling likely to lead to more people legally armed. The decision came out as Congress and states...
1/6 panel to hear of Trump’s pressure on Justice Department
WASHINGTON — The Jan. 6 committee will hear from former Justice Department officials who faced down a relentless pressure campaign from Donald Trump over the 2020 presidential election results while suppressing a bizarre challenge from within their own ranks. The hearing Thursday will bring attention to a memorably turbulent stretch...
Fewer Americans file for jobless aid
WASHINGTON — Fewer Americans applied for jobless benefits last week as the U.S. job market remains robust despite four-decade high inflation and a myriad of other economic pressures. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending June 18 fell to 229,000, a decline of 2,000 from the previous week, the...
Scammers steal $11K from Somerset County after posing as commissioner, police say
State police are investigating after someone who posed as a Somerset County commissioner stole $11,295 from the county. Troopers said in a news release that the county treasurer’s office received on June 8 an email, believed to be from a county commissioner, which requested a wire transfer to a company...
Free seminar in New Kensington to cover firearm safety, responsible gun ownership
The basics of firearm safety and shooting fundamentals will be covered in a free seminar Sunday in New Kensington. “We want to make sure the people that are interested in protecting themselves, their family and their loved ones have the opportunity to have good training under their belts,” said Aaron...
No injuries in early-morning fire at Tarentum high-rise
Residents at Golden Towers in Tarentum returned to their apartments shortly before 6 a.m., following a three-alarm fire reported early Thursday. Residents were partially evacuated following the fire, which was reported shortly before 4 a.m. at the apartment complex on the 200 block of Allegheny Street. “It took about 40...
Man found stabbed in Hazelwood
A man who was found late Wednesday night in Hazelwood with two stab wounds to the chest was hospitalized in critical condition, Pittsburgh police said. Police said they found the man outside his vehicle at the intersection of Trowbridge Street and Glenwood Avenue at approximately 9:30 p.m. They had located...
Reports: Multiple people killed in helicopter crash in West Virginia
LOGAN, W.Va. — Multiple people were killed when a helicopter crashed Wednesday in West Virginia, according to news outlets. The identities were not confirmed, but Ray Bryant, chief of operations for Logan Emergency Management, told WSAZ-TV they were not local residents. The helicopter was based at the Logan airport and...
Severe thunderstorm downs trees, wires in Southwestern Pennsylvania
A storm blew through Southwestern Pennsylvania early Wednesday evening and toppled numerous trees, knocking out electricity and damaging homes. West Penn Power reported it had about 12,500 customers without electricity in Southwestern Pennsylvania, primarily in Westmoreland, Washington, Indiana, Butler and Fayette counties, as of 5:52 a.m. Thursday morning. Outside of...
Belle Vernon dad organizes blood drive in honor of ‘superhero’ son battling eye cancer
Albert Jasso knows how important it is to have donated blood at the ready during a medical emergency. Jasso’s 11-year-old son, Cam, recently needed blood transfusions while undergoing chemotherapy treatments for orbital rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of the eye. “This time around, we knew it was going to be more intense,...
Wecht testifies Hyde Park woman’s injuries not caused by accidental fall
Head wounds and multiple bruises on the body of Patricia Fondrk after her death were not caused by an accidental fall, forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht testified Wednesday in the murder trial of her husband, Jeffrey Mark Fondrk. The prosecution rested its case against the 59-year-old Hyde Park man, who...
Activist Leon Ford, outgoing Pittsburgh police Chief Schubert form nonprofit to improve police-youth relations
An unlikely friendship forged out of healing and the desire to help Pittsburgh led to the creation of a new nonprofit aimed at repairing and growing the relationship between police and the city’s young people. The Hear Foundation, launched Wednesday, was co-founded by Leon Ford, an activist and police shooting...
Swimming pool supply, installation costs spike as summer begins
Justin Rushin, who has been involved in the swimming pool industry for 20 years, said he has never seen prices spike like they have in the past year. “There’s been periods of inflation, little bounds of inflation, but nothing like this,” said Rushin, who co-owns Cheswick Pools and Patios with...
Lawmaker wants Penn State to report location, condition of Joe Paterno statue
Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Butler/Beaver/Lawrence) is attempting to force Penn State University to provide information regarding the location and condition of the Joe Paterno statue by tying it as an amendment to Senate Bill 1283, which would provide the school’s funding for the fiscal year. Bernstine, who is a Penn State...
The Pennsylvania primary election set voter turnout records. Here’s what else the data show
The 2022 Pennsylvania primary election — finally filed away in the history books after a recount — wasn’t just a wild political saga. It also set voter turnout records. More Democrats and Republicans voted than in any midterm election primary in the last 25 years. Who those voters are, where...
Monroeville man who had to cancel wedding over misread covid test result sues UPMC
By late July 2020, Michael Martin and his fiancee, Inger Tyree, had everything set for their Aug. 1 wedding. Because it was the height of the covid-19 pandemic, Martin and Tyree planned to have their 125 guests attend the Boyce Park reception in shifts so they could follow capacity rules...
From ‘carp’ to ‘copi’: unpopular fish getting a makeover
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — You’re in the mood for fish and your server suggests a dish of invasive carp. Ugh, you might say. But how about broiled copi, fresh from the Mississippi River? Here’s the catch: They’re the same thing. Illinois and partner organizations kicked off a market-tested campaign Wednesday...
Bills on poll watchers, earlier presidential primary advance in Pa.
HARRISBURG — Proposals to hold Pennsylvania’s presidential primaries in March rather than April and to permit poll watchers to operate outside the counties where they live were advanced Wednesday by a divided House State Government Committee. Both bills had already passed the state Senate and were approved for consideration by...
Tickets to get $2.38-per-gallon gas in Lower Burrell were gone in 45 minutes
Margie Shutack of Tarentum got to Lower Burrell three hours early to buy gas at a BP station Wednesday for a special event featuring $2.38 a gallon for regular unleaded. “It pays to be first,” said Shutack, who needed to fill up three-quarters of her tank. It pays to be...
Biden calls for 3-month suspension of gas, diesel taxes
President Joe Biden on Wednesday called on Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes for three months — an election-year move meant to ease financial pressures that was greeted with doubts by many lawmakers. The Democratic president also called on states to suspend their own gas taxes or provide...
Kennywood, Sandcastle, Idlewild are going cashless
You can leave your cash at home if you’re heading for Idlewild & SoakZone and its sister parks this summer. The parks will accept credit, debit and prepaid cards or secure mobile payments including MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover only starting next week. Guests can also use Apple Pay...
Brookline man accused of attacking postal worker in Mt. Lebanon now faces federal charges
A Brookline man already facing state charges accusing him of attacking a postal worker with a baseball bat has now been indicted in U.S. District Court for attempted murder of a federal employee. Matthew Harrison, 43, is also charged with assault of an employee with a deadly weapon. The original...
