Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1032
Defense seeks 2nd ballistics expert for Loyalhanna triple murder case appeal
A second expert will be sought to review ballistics as part of an appeal to be filed for a former Indiana County man on death row for the killing of his mother, sister and elderly aunt in 2009 at a family-owned automotive glass repair shop in Loyalhanna. Westmoreland County Common...
I-70 eastbound reopened near Yukon exit after 4-vehicle crash
The eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 reopened before noon Thursday after a crash among two tractor-trailers and two tri-axle trucks, according to PennDOT and a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The crash was reported just after 7 a.m. near the Yukon exit in South Huntingdon and the highway was shut down for...
Chartiers Valley student’s death at basketball practice triggers grief, donations
A 12-year-old student from Chartiers Valley School District died Wednesday after collapsing at basketball practice, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Jayson Kidd, of Bridgeville, collapsed during warm-ups at about 5 p.m. and was taken to a local hospital where he died. Kidd was a student at the...
Body of missing Ford City man found in Allegheny River lock
The body of a Ford City man missing since Sunday was discovered in the Allegheny River on Friday morning, according to the Armstrong County coroner. Todd Tremont, 59, was reported missing by family members, police said. Initial search efforts were focused along a Rails to Trails path near the Allegheny...
‘We just can’t forget what happened here’: Community observes 3 years since Tree of Life shootingVideo
Andrea Wedner was among the hundreds of people who gathered Wednesday to remember the victims of the Tree of Life synagogue attack three years earlier. Wedner’s mother, Rose Mallinger, was among the 11 people killed. “It helps to be with people,” Wedner said outside the synagogue. It helps to talk,...
North Allegheny’s Carson Middle School boosts security after unclear, online threat
Students at Carson Middle School in North Allegheny School District saw extra security when they arrived to class Thursday after someone posted an online threat that was vague but still concerning to district officials. Officials were notified Wednesday of an online threat against a “CMS student,” Superintendent Melissa Friez told...
No one injured in fire that spread to several homes in Pittsburgh’s Perry South
Some residents of Kennedy Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Perry South section had to jump to safety after their homes caught fire early Thursday, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety officials. No one was injured in the fire that spread to at least three homes. The fire, which started in a two-story home...
Excela unveils $10 million robotic surgical center with focus on cancer
Excela Health unveiled a new $10 million surgical institute Wednesday with a focus on cancer treatment at the health system’s Latrobe Hospital. Officials said it will allow residents in the region to receive state-of-the-art robot-assisted surgery and care at the local facility. The robot-assisted surgery that has been performed the...
Family doctor guilty of giving patients opioid painkillers, Xanax in exchange for sex
A family doctor who practiced in Westmoreland and Fayette counties has pleaded guilty to illegally prescribing opioid painkillers in exchange for sex, federal prosecutors said. Emilio Ramon Navarro, 60, also pleaded guilty to health care fraud for billing the federal government to pick up the tab for illegal prescriptions, Acting...
Westmoreland leaders set to hear from public about how to spend covid relief money
Westmoreland commissioners will conduct two public sessions Thursday to hear recommendations as to how the county should spend $105 million in federal funds allocated for coronavirus recovery programs. “We just want to hear from residents who have opinions and what thoughts they have,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes. Both sessions will...
Powerful special interests are pouring millions into Pa. Supreme Court race
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 — Labor unions, lawyers, and a political committee with ties to a billionaire advocate for school choice are underwriting the...
Police: Monroeville man taped phone to shoe to take ‘upskirt’ photos at Murrysville Sheetz store
A Monroeville man is accused of taping a smartphone to his shoe to take inappropriate photos and videos under two women’s skirts at a Murrysville Sheetz, police said. Brandon Scott Bass was charged after a monthlong investigation into a Sept. 27 incident at the Route 22 convenience store where a...
Microphone disinfection turns into TikTok gold for Highlands seniorsVideo
Who would think a video of a guy spraying disinfectant on a microphone is hilarious? Millions of TikTok users, that’s who. The simple gesture to keep everyone safe during a school talent show is a viral TikTok sensation for two Highlands High School seniors. When Alli Love saw Noah Kessler...
Josh Shapiro breaks with Gov. Wolf over strategy on climate changeVideo
HARRISBURG — Josh Shapiro, the Democratic candidate for governor, is breaking with Gov. Tom Wolf on the centerpiece of Wolf’s plan to fight climate change amid the strong and sustained pushback it has received from building trades unions that have long backed the party’s candidates for governor. Wolf — a...
October covid deaths exceed 100 in Allegheny County
More than 100 people in Allegheny County have died from covid-19 so far this month, a number that will likely increase, health director Dr. Debra Bogen said Wednesday. “These are mostly preventable deaths,” she said of the 105 deaths since Oct. 1. A breakdown of deaths by age and vaccination...
Merrick Garland defends school board memo amid Republican criticismVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday defended a memo aimed at combating threats against school officials nationwide while Republicans insisted he rescind the directive. He signaled he had no plans to do so despite their criticism. The memo took center stage as Garland appeared before the Senate Judiciary...
Police: Text messages lead to baseball bat attack, shooting in Arnold
One man’s attempt to assault another man with a baseball bat backfired when the other man pulled out a gun and shot him three times, according to Arnold police. Arnold police this week charged both men they say were involved in the incident that happened shortly before midnight on Sept....
Hempfield supervisors approve development that includes 52 duplexes
Several duplexes are coming to Hempfield after supervisors this week granted final conditional approval for second phase development plans at Grandview Estates. Supervisors unanimously approved the project, which would bring 52 duplex lots and one single-family home to the township near Swede Hill Road. Mark Nikoula, co-owner of Cherry Hills...
Woodland Hills officials investigate social media threats, students return to remote learning
Woodland Hills High School administrators said Wednesday that they received notice that a student threatened on a live social media post to bring a gun to school. Later in the day, school officials said that students would return to remote learning Thursday and Friday. Fights inside the school prompted the...
Pittsburgh City Council renews push for rental registration, inspections
Pittsburgh City Council has reintroduced a proposal to create a rental registration and inspection schedule for the city’s rental units, a measure that was stopped by a judge when officials previously tried to implement it. The proposal, advanced unanimously by council, would allow the city to identify all of Pittsburgh’s...
Pittsburgh considers converting all streetlights to LED in proposed $16M project
A proposed $16 million project would upgrade Pittsburgh’s streetlights to more efficient LED lights, though two council members said they’ve already heard pushback from residents. The city has identified The Efficiency Network, an independent energy services company, to handle the proposed citywide project. The company would survey the city’s streetlights...
El Diablo eatery brings wood-fired pizzas, grilled entrees to Greensburg
On opening day at El Diablo Brewing Co. & Wood-Fired Kitchen in Greensburg, Sierra Barner had a build-your-own pizza with white sauce, pineapple and sausage. She proclaimed it “fantastic.” The Greensburg resident had been watching signs of progress at the site for months when she visited the nearby Aerobic Center...
Healing continues for Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life, Dor Hadash and New Light congregations
Each year in late October, as fall starts to turn a bit grayer, the feeling shifts for many people who are connected to Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue. “It’s a day that you know is coming,” said Barb Feige, executive director of the Tree of Life congregation. “It’s not like...
Big Bad Wheels: World’s fastest Monster Truck on display at Harrison dealership
Fans of high-powered, hill-climbing Monster Trucks can get a glimpse of the speed record-setting Raminator in Harrison. The truck is on display to mark the grand opening of the new Cochran dealership along Route 908 for the Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep brands. The new dealership is on the same...
Biden calls Tree of Life attack ‘an assault on our country’
Three years to the day after a lone gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill, President Biden acknowledged the “indelible scars of grief” in a brief statement from the White House Wednesday. Biden referred to the deadliest act of antisemitism in American history as...
