Top Stories category, Page 998
Pennsylvania Supreme Court takes control of redrawing state’s congressional map
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court took control of the high-stakes selection...
Westmoreland DA Nicole Ziccarelli seeks removal of 2 elected constables
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli is seeking to remove two elected constables from office, one in Arona and another in New Kensington. Ziccarelli, a first-term Republican who took office in January after ousting Democrat John Peck — who served as the county’s top prosecutor for a quarter century —...
Allegheny health director: ‘Measured cause for optimism’ despite pandemic’s deadly January toll
Allegheny County saw 236 covid-19-related deaths in January, the third deadliest month since the pandemic began and the deadliest since vaccines became widely available, county health officials said. Ninety were among those ages 80 and older, 18 were in their 50s and 13 were under the age of 50, the...
Parkway West bridge reopens in Rosslyn Farms after being struck
The bridge carrying traffic from Rosslyn Road to the inbound side of the Parkway West has reopened after a vehicle struck it on Wednesday afternoon. PennDOT officials announced via their Twitter feed that the structure carrying traffic from Rosslyn Road to eastbound I-376 was closed shortly after 6 p.m. while...
Winter storm warning issued for Pittsburgh region as massive weather system moves across U.S.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for a cold front expected to bring the dreaded “wintry mix” of snow and sleet to the Pittsburgh region Thursday. Freezing rain is expected to begin in Pittsburgh by 4 p.m. and in points east by 6 p.m. on Thursday,...
Pa. health officials visit Youngwood pharmacy to boost covid vaccine efforts
The 25,000 covid-19 vaccines delivered over the past year by a Westmoreland County community pharmacy were lauded Wednesday by acting Pennsylvania Health Secretary Keara Klinepeter. However, there is still work to be done in a county that ranks 27th in Pennsylvania in percentage of residents fully vaccinated, according to state...
Wolf, Democrats outline proposal for $1.7B in pandemic funds
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s governor and his Democratic allies in the Legislature on Wednesday laid out a proposal to spend federal pandemic relief money on workers, environmental and climate change programs as well as a one-time property tax subsidy for lower-income homeowners and renters. The plan was announced less than a...
Former priest facing sex charges dies 8 days after being found unresponsive in Allegheny County Jail
A 77-year-old man being held in Allegheny County Jail died Sunday at a local hospital — eight days after being found unresponsive in his cell. Paul Spisak, who was jailed Jan. 4 after police said he used a cellphone to record a 13-year-old boy in a Target bathroom stall in...
Fayette County coroner releases identity of woman killed in duplex fire
The Fayette County Coroner’s office has released the identity of a 90-year-old woman who was killed after a fire broke out in her Grindstone home Tuesday afternoon. Coroner Dr. Phillip Reilly said Peggy L. Caringola died in the blaze that severely damaged her home on the 100 block of E....
Pittsburgh City Council defends proposed 15% pay raise
Pittsburgh City Council members on Tuesday defended a proposed pay raise for themselves, but froze the proposed increase until they could further consult with the city’s legal department and other officials. Council President Theresa Kail-Smith said former Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration proposed boosting council members’ pay from $72,000 to $83,000...
2 men charged with abuse of corpse as missing woman’s body found in Washington County
Two men are charged with abuse of a corpse and other violations related to the discovery Tuesday of the body of a Washington County woman who was reported missing on Jan. 19. The suspects — Matthew Shashura, 24, of Vestaburg, and Christian Panyko, 44, of Washington — also were charged...
Winter storm packing snow, freezing rain moves across U.S.
CHICAGO — A major winter storm with millions of Americans in its path brought a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow to the middle section of the United States on Wednesday as airlines canceled hundreds of flights, governors urged residents to stay off roads and schools closed campuses. The...
Fired Harmar gas station clerk faces charges he stole $4,300 worth of winning lottery tickets, cash
Harmar Township police arrested a former gas station clerk on charges that he stole more than $4,300 worth of winning lottery tickets and cash during a one-week period in November. Joshua Andrew Lang, 19, of Spruce Street, Verona was charged Jan. 26 with a felony count of theft by deception...
Fern Hollow Bridge collapse viewing area closed ‘indefinitely’ just 2 days after opening
The observation platform meant to satisfy curious onlookers of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse site was short-lived, as Pittsburgh officials shut it down indefinitely Wednesday morning as crews prepare to rebuild the well-traveled span. The public viewing area, opened Monday on the Squirrel Hill side of the Fern Hollow Bridge,...
Extra ticket release, lottery coming for ‘Hamilton’ in Pittsburgh
If you are looking for “Hamilton” tickets and are seeing the “No Availability” notice on the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website, don’t despair. “Additional seats will be made available for sale closer to the engagement,” said Marc Fleming, the Trust’s vice president of marketing, communications and Broadway programming. “We encourage people...
As Pittsburgh considers studying mergers, neighboring communities say they’re not interested
Officials from several of Pittsburgh’s neighboring municipalities say they aren’t interested in merging with the city, which last week introduced legislation to explore such possibilities. As Pittsburgh City Council seems poised to vote down a proposal to annex Wilkinsburg, they are considering a measure to launch broader investigations into merging...
Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie among Rock Hall nominees
NEW YORK — Dolly Parton, Eminem, Lionel Richie, Duran Duran and A Tribe Called Quest are among this year’s first-time nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Cleveland-based institution announced 17 artists and groups being considered for Rock Hall induction, including Rage Against the Machine,...
Allegheny County preps for winter storm, offers online info for reporting problem roads
Allegheny County plans to have 32 trucks on the road to deal with snow, ice and freezing rain that is expected to hit the region by early Thursday, the county’s Department of Public Works said Wednesday. The National Weather Service in Moon issued an advisory calling for at least 3...
Water gushes from Stanwix Street garage in Pittsburgh
Water gushed down the floors of a Pittsburgh parking garage Wednesday morning on Stanwix Street near Fort Duquesne Boulevard. An Allegheny County 911 supervisor confirmed emergency crews were sent to the scene shortly before 3:30 a.m. WPXI-TV reported that water was continuing to pour down the building and onto the...
Lower Burrell engineer, a whole week into his career, helps team lift 60-foot bus out of ravine
Alex Delp was seven days into his engineering career with Allegheny Crane and Rigging last week when he found himself hovering 250 feet in the air overlooking the rubble of Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge. “It started out like any normal Friday,” said Delp, 23, of Lower Burrell. The day quickly...
Police from dozens of departments show up in force to support boy battling cancer at Children’s HospitalVideo
Fox Chapel, Sewickley and Plum police officers were among the cavalcade of crime fighters that came out Tuesday to support a boy battling cancer at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Police from 76 departments spanning Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Westmoreland, McKean and Washington counties rode in 87 vehicles around the facility...
Body of Washington, Pa., woman missing since mid-January found in Cecil
A 33-year-old woman who was reported missing in January was found dead Tuesday in Washington County, officials said. Rebecca Jordan Kloster, of Washington, was found in a wooded area near the 300 block of Hahn Drive in Cecil, according to the Washington County Coroner’s Office. Kloster was reported missing on...
Motorist in driveway crash that injured 3 at Derry birthday bash found not guilty of assault
A Greensburg man was found not guilty of serious felony offenses for the assaults of three people caused when he ran over them with his pickup two years ago in the driveway of a Derry Township apartment building. Police said Dominic G. Bellone, now 21, was drunk when he backed...
90-year-old woman dies in Fayette County fire
A 90-year-old woman was killed after a fire broke out in a Fayette County home Tuesday afternoon, Grindstone Fire Chief Rich Lenk confirmed. Crews responded to the 100 block of E. Second Street in Grindstone around 2:10 p.m. for reports of the fire at the duplex house. Officials believe the...
East Deer merger with Allegheny Valley Regional Police moves closer to reality
East Deer is coming closer to merging its police force with the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department after receiving two approvals for its application. The Allegheny Valley Regional Police Commission approved East Deer’s application during a special meeting Jan. 25. Then, on Friday, Jan. 28, the Springdale Township commissioners voted...
