Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1000
Cries and candle scents: Over 100 feared dead after twisters
MAYFIELD, Ky. — Workers on the night shift at Mayfield Consumer Products were in the heart of the holiday rush, turning out Christmas candles, when a tornado closed in on the factory and the word went out to “duck and cover.” Autumn Kirks pulled down her safety googles and took...
Anne Rice, author of gothic novels, dead at 80
Anne Rice, the gothic novelist widely known for her bestselling novel “Interview With the Vampire,” died late Saturday at the age of 80. Rice died due to complications from a stroke, her son Christopher Rice announced on her Facebook page and his Twitter page. “In her final hours, I sat...
Wind, rain leave pockets of power outages behind in Western Pa.
Saturday’s wind and rain left behind pockets of power outages across the region, and while most of those have been taken care of in Allegheny County, Westmoreland County and areas east are having electricity issues lingering into Sunday. West Penn Power reported around 1,500 customers were still without power by...
A-K Valley residents pay wide range of prices for water pulled from the same source
That tall glass of water can carry a vastly different price tag depending on where you live, according to a Tribune-Review analysis of water prices throughout the region. The examination of prices charged by 24 water providers in the Alle-Kiski Valley and across the region revealed customers paying quarterly rates...
Lack of oversight, coordination leads to wide disparity in water prices across Western Pa.
Thomas Brudnok is on a quest for answers. His quarterly water bill is never less than $102, even if his Youngstown household uses less than the minimum of 10,000 gallons in that time. What baffles Brudnok is that while Youngstown Borough Municipal Authority buys treated water from nearby Latrobe, he...
Seven Springs sale to Vail Resorts seen as possible boost to tourism
The planned sale of Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion to a Colorado company with 37 ski resorts across 15 states and three countries has the potential to bring more tourists to the Laurel Highlands from many other locations through the buyer’s seasonal pass, a regional tourism official said. “We’ve...
Pitt launches teacher prep program amid growing shortage of teachers
No one can remember exactly when the University of Pittsburgh last offered an undergraduate degree in education. But officials at Pitt say it is high time for a change. They recently announced the university, which boasts a robust graduate school of education, will open a new bachelor’s program in education...
High winds topple scaffolding at Etna construction site across the street from houses, no one hurt
Etna residents who live across a narrow street from an industrial building being overhauled were evacuated Saturday when high winds pulled scaffolding from the building. The incident took place at about 4:30 p.m. near the intersection of Butler and Bridge streets. There was a fire at the three-story industrial building...
Diocese of Pittsburgh announces Central Catholic alum will return to school as principal
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has announced a Central Catholic alumnus will be the school’s next principal. Brother Michael Andrejko, FSC, has been named the next principal of the school in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, formally beginning in the position on July 1. A brother for more than 30 years, Andrejko...
GOP leaders call for task force to meet to fight covid surge; Wolf says it still meets
A group of key Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, have urged Gov. Tom Wolf to reconvene a state covid-19 joint task force as hospitals across Pennsylvania are besieged by new cases and shrinking bed space. “The information-sharing capabilities established through the development of the task force helped...
Wilkinsburg community group files annexation petition to court, seeking to be added to Pittsburgh
The Wilkinsburg community organization behind the push for Pittsburgh to annex this neighboring borough submitted a petition to an Allegheny County court Friday, effectively initiating the process. The Wilkinsburg Community Development Corp. in the summer gathered the required number of signatures from Wilkinsburg residents in favor of an annexation, despite...
Medical examiner identifies West Mifflin mother who police say was murdered by son
The West Mifflin mother who was found dead in her backyard Friday after, according to police, her son murdered her has been identified. Officials said the woman was Helene Nulty, 52. Her cause of death is listed as ligature strangulation, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Her son,...
Kentucky governor: Storms may have killed at least 70 people
MAYFIELD, Ky. — A monstrous tornado killed dozens of people in Kentucky and the toll was climbing Saturday after severe weather ripped through at least five states, leaving widespread devastation. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said upwards of 70 may have died when a twister touched down for more than 200...
Westmoreland boosts tourism with nearly $550,000 in grants to 44 institutions, groups
Westmoreland County’s tourism industry will get a boost of almost $550,000 next year with grants to 44 entities that draw tourists to the county. They include organizations, festivals, museums, theaters, historical societies, hotels and restaurants. Officials say the tourism industry is the second strongest economic driver in the county. The...
Historic Penn Salt Co. houses in Natrona being torn down; museum planned to preserve history
Work began this month on Federal Street in Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood to tear down two historic Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing houses from the 1850s. Harrison Commissioner Chuck Dizard said the houses were falling in under their own weight. “They were in terrible condition and unsafe for the neighborhood,” he said. The...
FBI agent said Pittsburgh man’s Twitter posts were intended to intimidate investigators
Part of FBI Special Agent Nicholas Edquist’s job as a member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force was to review social media accounts for possible threats. In the fall of 2020, as he was involved in an investigation into a threat made a year earlier on YouTube, Edquist had attempted...
West Mifflin man arrested, accused of killing his mother
A West Mifflin man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his mother and discarding her body in garbage bags in her back yard. Jonathan Nulty, 21, is charges with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. Allegheny County Police said the case began as a missing person...
Westmoreland water authority: Adamsburg waterline break won’t be fixed until at least late Saturday
Crews finished repairing a waterline break along Edna Road in Hempfield on Saturday night, according to the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. The waterline break was reported at about 3 p.m. Friday, leaving about 60 customers without water service. The repair was completed around 7:30 Saturday evening, according to MAWC...
Rest of December to feel more like September in Western Pa.
It’s beginning to look a lot like…spring? Maybe the alternative rock group Counting Crows should change the name of their hit song to “A Warm December.” Temperatures are expected to reach the mid 60s by Saturday and after a slight cool down to the mid 40s on Sunday, we’ll be...
2 dozen Arnold Manor residents displaced by fire expected to return to high-rise Tuesday
Residents displaced by a fire Thursday at Arnold Manor public housing in Arnold are expected to return to their apartments next week. The 76-unit high-rise complex, built in the 1970s, was evacuated about 2 p.m. Thursday when a fire erupted in apartment No. 411. The American Red Cross and a...
Beaver County district attorney consulted with state police before shooting, then ruled it justified
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 — In 2016, after eight hours of a violent standoff with a man in Beaver County, the Pennsylvania State Police...
Pa. Supreme Court upholds lower court decision throwing out mask mandate
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday affirmed a lower court ruling that the state’s acting secretary of health did not have the authority to issue a mandatory mask mandate for schools in August. The ruling ends the mandate effective immediately. Going forward, school districts can implement their own masking policies...
Georgia man arrested in Rostraver for using fake ID to buy iPhones, Airpods
A Georgia man who was being questioned Thursday by Rostraver police for allegedly using false information to purchase two iPhones at a Verizon store was arrested after he began struggling with an officer, according to court documents. Christopher D. Pace, 43, of Snellville, Ga., was arrested by township police for...
Explainer: Why U.S. inflation is so high, and when it may ease
WASHINGTON — Inflation is starting to look like that unexpected — and unwanted — houseguest who just won’t leave. For months, many economists had sounded a reassuring message that a spike in consumer prices, something that had been missing in action in the U.S. for a generation, wouldn’t stay long....
Vandergrift man accused of strangling girlfriend when she caught him using dating app
Vandergrift police say a man beat and strangled his girlfriend after she discovered him using the Tinder dating app, authorities say. Steven Joseph Trenga, 26, of Wallace Street in Vandergrift was charged with a felony count of strangulation and a lesser charge of simple assault in connection with a Dec....
