Top Stories category, Page 985
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...
Biden to mark Transgender Day of Visibility with new actions
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is commemorating Transgender Day of Visibility by celebrating prominent transgender Americans and advocating against what his administration terms “dangerous anti-transgender legislative attacks” that have passed in statehouses across the country. Biden on Thursday is announcing new measures aimed at making the federal government more inclusive...
A key inflation gauge sets 40-year high as gas and food soar
WASHINGTON — An inflation gauge closely monitored by the Federal Reserve jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, with sharply higher prices for food, gasoline and other necessities squeezing Americans’ finances. The figure reported Thursday by the Commerce Department was the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982. Excluding...
More Americans apply for jobless benefits; layoffs still low
WASHINGTON — More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs remain at historic lows. Jobless claims rose by 14,000 to 202,000 for the week ending March 26, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The previous week’s tally of 188,000 claims was the fewest since 1969. First-time applications for jobless...
‘Get as far away as possible’: State police offer advice for motorists in large highway pileups
Drivers who find themselves in a pileup similar to a deadly one in Central Pennsylvania this week should get out of their vehicles, if possible, and head to a safe spot, according to state police. Troopers are warning motorists that standing around the wreckage at that type of scene can...
Scene from movie ‘A Man Called Otto’ filmed at Oakmont church, sans a man called Tom Hanks
Oakmont resident Kassandra Stotler held her sons, Glenn and Billy, as the stood outside St. Thomas Episcopal Church. They were watching folks not normally seen in town. Crews moved cars, trucks, cameras and equipment up and down Delaware Avenue and Fourth Street. The place of worship just a few blocks...
Sage’s Army still waging battle against drug abuse; mission continues after 10 years
Norwin graduate Troy Jones hit rock bottom four years ago when he “died.” It happened as Jones was driving on Route 30 in North Versailles, as a result of a dose of heroin laced, unknown to him, with fentanyl, a deadly drug that dealers often add to heroin and cocaine....
Biden planning to tap oil reserve to control gas prices
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is preparing to order the release of up to 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve, according to two people familiar with the decision, in a bid to control energy prices that have spiked as the U.S. and allies...
Senate candidate Oz talks fracking support and election fraud at Canonsburg campaign event
Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz spoke at a campaign event in Canonsburg on Wednesday evening, highlighting his energy policies and taking questions about the legitimacy of the 2020 election. Oz, the surgeon and former host of the Dr. Oz television show, held a panel discussion with prominent campaign supporters...
15-year-old boy killed in Homewood shooting
A 15-year-old boy died after being shot in the head early Wednesday evening in the Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, according to police and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Police found Dayvon Vickers of Pittsburgh injured when they responded to a call after four gunshots were fired shortly after 6 p.m. in...
