Top Stories category, Page 984
House votes to decriminalize marijuana, but Senate fate dim
WASHINGTON — Marijuana would be decriminalized at the federal level under legislation the House approved Friday as Democrats made the case for allowing states to set their own policies on pot. The bill is unlikely to become law since it is expected to die in the Senate. That would mirror...
Lamb revives gun incident to attack Fetterman in Senate race
Conor Lamb is accusing rival John Fetterman in Pennsylvania’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary of skipping candidate forums to avoid talking about a 2013 incident when shotgun in hand, he confronted a Black man because he suspected the man was involved in gunfire nearby. The accusation marks a sharp escalation in...
Braeburn Alloy files for bankruptcy, proposes sale to new owner
Braeburn Alloy Steel filed for bankruptcy with the intent of being acquired by an affiliate of its largest customer and keeping the 125-year-old Lower Burrell business in operation. CCX, which acquired Braeburn in 1944 and operates under its name, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware on Sunday. Chapter 11...
Redrawn Pittsburgh City Council district map would maintain 2 majority-minority districts
Proposed changes to Pittsburgh City Council’s district map would consolidate Oakland into two districts, move the Strip District and Polish Hill into new districts and maintain two districts where people of color make up a majority of the population. The nine-member Reapportionment Advisory Committee, formed in late September, drew up...
Sandcastle to open early with new look, first new slide in 10 years
Like its sister attractions Kennywood and Idlewild & SoakZone, Sandcastle will open earlier than usual this season. On Friday, the water park in West Homestead announced opening day is May 21 — a week prior to the traditional Memorial Day weekend start. Kennywood opens April 16 and Idlewild on May...
Hempfield man told police he ripped state flag from pole over tax refund check
A Hempfield man who state police said ripped the Pennsylvania state flag from a pole last week was angry he had yet to receive his tax refund check, according to court papers. Misdemeanor charges of theft, maliciously taking down a flag and defacing a flag and a summary criminal mischief...
Hill District woman accused of stabbing her children, ages 3 and 7, as they slept
Pittsburgh police said a Hill District woman told them how she walked into her sons’ room early Friday and stabbed both in the neck with a kitchen knife. The children’s father was able to wrestle away from her before summoning police for his critically injured sons, police said. Sydnie Jefferson,...
Unity’s Victory Brinker earns Guinness Record as youngest opera diva
Among pint-sized opera singer Victory Brinker’s early public appearances were the openings of the two Westmoreland Art Nationals exhibitions in spring 2019. “Her dad got in touch with us and asked if she could perform,” said Diane Shrader, executive director of the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival, which sponsors the...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: April 1-3
It’s the weekend. Here are some ways to spend it. Car Bazaar Car Bazaar returns from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Downtown. The shopping market in the Forbes and Smithfield (400 Cherry Way) garage will feature 100 makers, artists, retailers, vintage dealers and garage-sale vendors selling wares from...
Traffic crossover to begin on Ardmore Boulevard in Forest Hills
A 1-mile stretch of Ardmore Boulevard in Forest Hills will be the site of road work for the next several months, prompting traffic changes that are set to begin Friday evening. Eastbound traffic on Route 30 will be reduced to one lane and directed onto the westbound side of the...
Springdale power plant shuts down, demolition work to begin
Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale is shutting down today after more than 50 years of operation. It was the the last coal-fired electric power plant in Allegheny County. Commissioned in 1970, it produced 565 megawatts of electricity. Charah Solutions Vice President Scott Reschly said Charah will take possession of the...
Moratorium lifted on Pennsylvania utility shutoffs; services can be interrupted beginning Monday
It’s no April Fools’ joke — utility companies across Pennsylvania can begin turning off services for delinquent customers beginning Monday under state regulations lifting a ban on winter shutoffs. “There are still a substantial number of at-risk residential and business customers” although the number of accounts in arrears has continued...
Uptown man, 67, charged with 3 Downtown Pittsburgh bank robberies
An Uptown man is facing a federal indictment, accused of robbing three Downtown Pittsburgh banks between Jan. 31 and Feb. 8. Calvin Leavy, 67, of Pride Street, was arrested Feb. 8 in the Midtown section of the city, police said. They said Leavy had taken a Port Authority bus after...
Franklin Regional ‘unpauses’ teaching of honors English novel ‘Persepolis’
The Franklin Regional School District’s curriculum committee called a special meeting earlier this week, at which its members voted to “unpause” the teaching of Marjane Satrapi’s 2004 graphic novel “Persepolis,” set during the Iranian Revolution. The committee voted 3-0 — school director and committee member Traci Eshelman Ramey was not...
Pittsburgh police: Stolen vehicle crashes into Downtown construction site, the suspect’s 4th arrest in a week
Construction crews doing sidewalk repair and street work at the closed intersection of Wood Street and Sixth Avenue now have some additional work to do, after a stolen vehicle crashed into the closed intersection Thursday morning. Just before 10:30 a.m., Pittsburgh police responded to the 300 block of Sixth Avenue...
1 officer killed, 2 others shot in Lebanon County
LEBANON — A Pennsylvania police officer was killed and two officers were injured Thursday during a shooting while responding to a domestic disturbance, Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello said. Police went to a home in the city at about 3:30 p.m. for the disturbance call. Nearly an hour later gunfire broke...
$12,720 tax lien filed against Westmoreland Coroner Tim Carson
Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson owes more than $11,000 in unpaid state income taxes, according to court documents. Carson, a Republican from Scottdale, won the November election and took office in January. For more than two decades, he has owned and operated Carson’s Tavern and Catering, a restaurant and events...
Alcosan moving ahead with tunnel project to reduce sewage overflow, part of $2 billion plan
The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority is moving ahead with a massive project aimed at curbing sewage overflow by creating a massive tunnel system under Pittsburgh and its rivers. Alcosan officials said the new system — along with other elements of their Clean Water Plan — will reduce sewage overflow by...
Severe storms pummel South, killing at least 2 in FloridaVideo
A line of severe storms packing isolated tornadoes and strong wind ripped across the Deep South overnight — killing at least two in the Florida Panhandle, toppling trees and power lines and leaving homes and businesses damaged as the vast weather front raced across several states. In Florida, the Washington...
Construction of 3rd building at Hazelwood’s Mill 19 nears completion
Construction of a third building under the skeleton of a former steel mill in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood is nearing completion. The O’Hara-based Regional Industrial Development Corp. held an event at the Mill 19 development site Thursday to mark the third building’s final steel beam being put into place. Construction of...
NAACP, WPXI-TV program to focus on upcoming special election, primary
The NAACP Pittsburgh Branch and WPXI-TV are teaming up for a program Thursday night for a televised voter education event that will encourage people to cast their ballots in the upcoming special election and primary. Special elections on Tuesday will determine who finishes out terms for state House seats vacated...
It’s now possible to text 911 in an emergency in Westmoreland County
People can now text 911 in an emergency in Westmoreland County. The new tool can come in handy for those who have language or hearing difficulties or others who would be safer not making a phone call, such as a person hiding from an intruder, said Cassandra Kovatch, spokeswoman for...
Turtle Creek man headed to trial in deadly 2021 shootings on Parkway East, Route 28
A Turtle Creek man accused of gunning down two people on different highways last year will head to trial, a district judge ruled. District Judge Kevin Cooper Jr. dismissed six charges against Howard Milligan, but the most serious will proceed to trial, including two counts of homicide. Over one deadly...
Russian forces leaving Chernobyl after radiation exposure
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian troops began leaving the Chernobyl nuclear plant after soldiers got “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches at the highly contaminated site, Ukraine’s state power company said Thursday as heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. Energoatom, the operator, gave no immediate...
Woman charged after trooper pierced with needle during New Stanton arrest
A state trooper was medically evaluated this week after his finger was pierced by a hypodermic needle during an arrest at a New Stanton hotel, according to court papers. The incident reportedly happened when the trooper was arresting Angeline M. Percha, 33. She is charged with aggravated assault, theft, receiving...
