Top Stories category, Page 937
Vehicle that crashed in Squirrel Hill Tunnel was overweight, police say
The driver of an overweight vehicle lost control upon braking in the outbound Squirrel Hill Tunnel Friday, causing it to overturn and block Parkway East traffic for two hours, according to state police. Troopers said Ronell L. Smith, 44, of Pittsburgh, was driving a Chevrolet pickup truck with a semi-trailer...
Candidates of color say they need more party support, financial backing to be successful in Pa.
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 — Neither Omy Maldonado nor Yamelisa Taveras had run for office before May of this year. Maldonado is a U.S....
Growth trend continues at Westmoreland Mall as sneaker, clothing store set to open
The Westmoreland Mall continues to see an uptick in business after the 2020 opening of a casino at the Hempfield complex. Two new stores: Kadiskicks, a locally owned sneaker store, and Daily Thread, a women’s clothing store, soon will be opening at the shopping center, according to the mall’s website....
Thousands of fans celebrate Kenny Chesney’s return on Pittsburgh’s North Shore
Maybe it’s because the weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor tailgate on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. Or maybe it’s because the music of country superstar Kenny Chesney brings people together. Or maybe it’s because so much of the world shut down over the last two years because of covid-19. Whatever...
Authorities identify man shot to death in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood
Officials have identified the man shot to death Friday in Knoxville as Isiah Paillett, 46, of Pittsburgh. Officers responded to the 400 block of Parklow Street around 8 p.m. where they found a man had been shot in the chest multiple times, a Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman said late Friday....
Freeport Area property taxes to increase; amount depends on where you live
Taxes will increase for Freeport Area School District residents next school year — but by how much depends on where you live. Those living in Buffalo Township will be hit substantially harder than those in Freeport or South Buffalo. That’s because the formula for the way property taxes are calculated...
What’s next for the Jan. 6 panel? More hearings, more Trump
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol has laid out a roadmap for the hearings this month as it examines President Donald Trump’s responsibility for the melee and the damage that resulted for law enforcement officers, members of Congress and others in attendance...
Pittsburgh man gets up to 40 years prison for 2019 fatal Arnold shooting
Shawden L. Ross told a Westmoreland County judge Friday he understood the pain his victim’s family members experienced as he endured the same kind of loss. Ross, 36, of Pittsburgh was ordered to serve 20 to 40 years in prison for the third-degree murder of 27-year-old Lamont Simmons on April...
Former NFL player Brandon Short announces foundation for students impacted by gun violence
Brandon Short knows first-hand the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. The McKeesport native and former NFL player’s 26-year-old daughter Karli was shot and killed last September in the Christy Park section of McKeesport. She had been shot in the head and was dead at the scene....
Pittsburgh leaders brace for busy weekend amid ongoing violence
Pittsburgh city and police officials held a catch-all news conference Friday afternoon to discuss safety measures this weekend on the North Shore and South Side, though they declined to give updates on any high-profile ongoing investigations. Violence on the city’s South Side, particularly in the East Carson Street entertainment district,...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust drops masking requirement
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will no longer require masks at its theaters and facilities starting next week after the number of covid-19 cases in Allegheny County dropped below a high rate of transmission. Beginning Tuesday, guests are not required to wear masks at indoor events. The announcement came after the...
Pilots will push jets to their limits at Westmoreland Airshow
When Air Force pilot Capt. Aimee Fiedler hits the skies this weekend above Westmoreland County, she will be 100% on her game. Seated behind the controls of an F-16 Viper flying above thousands of spectators at the Shop ’n Save Westmoreland Airshow, Fiedler will be making sure she’s executing maneuvers...
Allegheny County Democratic Party chair not running for re-election
Eileen Kelly, the chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, announced Friday that she is not running for re-election, forecasting a shift in leadership for the Pittsburgh region’s largest Democratic Party organization. Kelly helmed the committee for that last four years and said she is proud of her tenure. She...
Judge accused of bias in Greensburg woman’s appeal of sentence for 2010 torture slaying
The former Greensburg woman who was the first person convicted in the 2010 torture murder of a mentally disabled woman contends a Westmoreland County judge abused her discretion late last month when she imposed a prison sentence of 60 years to life. In an appeal filed Friday, Angela Marinucci, 29,...
Jack Del Rio fined $100K for comments about Capitol riot
Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has been fined $100,000 by the team for his comments about protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Coach Ron Rivera announced the fine in a statement Friday after meeting...
Researchers: Fireflies are being threatened by artificial light, habitat loss
Growing up around Seattle, Ainsley Seago said she never saw a firefly until she visited Hershey as a teenager. These days, she watches in amusement as her 10-year-old son, Maxwell, enjoys catching lightning bugs and releasing them. “How can you not catch them?” asked Seago, associate curator of invertebrate zoology...
South Side shooter used stolen gun, victim returned fire, police say
One of two men critically injured in a shooting last weekend along busy East Carson Street instigated the incident, according to police, prompting one of the victims to return fire. Christopher Young, 27, used a stolen gun when he opened fire, police said. He is charged with attempted homicide in...
Squirrel Hill Tunnel reopens after overturned truck cleared
Outbound traffic on the Parkway East resumed about 11:30 a.m. after a truck overturned in the Squirrel Hill tunnel that blocked both lanes, according to PennDOT officials. No injuries were reported in the crash that occurred about 9:30 a.m., but first responders shut down the outbound tunnel to clear the...
Lawsuit: Allegheny Co. Jail gave poor care during woman’s pregnancy, miscarriage
A Wilkinsburg woman alleged that poor care by medical staff at the Allegheny County Jail caused her to lose her pregnancy and suffer a painful, days-long miscarriage, according to a lawsuit filed this week in federal court. A county spokeswoman declined to comment on the pending litigation. Kenya Harper and...
Authorities ‘actively investigating’ homicide of New Kensington 9-year-old Azuree Charles
Authorities are still investigating the now-more-than-month-old homicide of a 9-year-old New Kensington boy, according to a statement Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli released Thursday. Azuree Charles was found dead May 4 outside his East Ken Manor home on Haser Drive. Authorities have not disclosed how Charles died, and no...
Harrison Hills off-leash dog park on pace to open in fall
An off-leash dog space at Harrison Hills Park is on track to open this fall. Joel Perkovich, Allegheny County landscape architect, is eyeing a summer start for construction of the 1.3-acre site along Woodchuck Drive, across from the Laurel Shelter. “It’s a big open field right now,” Perkovich said. “It’s...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 10-12
It’s the weekend. Here are some ways to spend it. Kenny Chesney Country music star Kenny Chesney brings his “Here and Now Tour” to Pittsburgh on Saturday. The show starts at 5 p.m. with guests Carly Pearce, Old Dominion and Dan + Shay. Chesney is set to take the stage...
Westmoreland Airshow provides boost to restaurant, lodging traffic
After three years, the full Shop ’n Save Westmoreland Airshow is back — and Latrobe area businesses anticipate an influx of customers during the action-filled weekend. “It’s a very big weekend for us,” said John Heiple, general manager of Sharky’s Cafe. “We definitely benefit greatly between having an outdoor facility...
Authorities launch homicide investigation in death of shaken baby syndrome victim — 29 years after incident
Authorities are investigating the death of Samantha Delariva, 28, of Allegheny Township, who died last year from head injuries suffered as an infant. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office reported Wednesday — about six months after her death — that the cause of Delariva’s death was abusive head trauma and...
Capitol riot panel blames Trump for Jan. 6, ‘attempted coup,’Video
WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol laid the blame firmly on Donald Trump Thursday night, saying the assault was hardly spontaneous but an “attempted coup” and a direct result of the defeated president’s effort to overturn the 2020 election. With a never-before-seen...
