Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1052
2 drivers hurt when horses fall during race at Meadows track
Two drivers were injured at the Meadows Racetrack in North Strabane Township on Tuesday when a race horse took a bad step during a turn and fell. The incident happened during a qualifying event at the harness racing track shortly before 2 p.m. when a horse entering one of the...
Pittsburgh council OKs seeking $8M in state grants for 3 streetscape projects
Pittsburgh officials are seeking $8 million in state funding for three streetscape projects. Mayor Bill Peduto asked city council to approve applying for the grants Tuesday and council advanced legislation to that effect. The city is seeking the money from the state Department of Community and Economic Developments Multimodal Transportation...
Judge to decide jail or house arrest for New Kensington man convicted of neglect of mother’s corpse
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday said he can’t decide whether to send a New Kensington man to jail for neglecting to report to authorities that his mother died and left her sealed up alone in her home for two months. Robert Hawk, 49, through his defense lawyer asked to...
Police seek gun from FBI Pittsburgh vehicle stolen from Schenley Park
FBI agents and the Pittsburgh police are searching for a gun that was inside a vehicle owned by the FBI that was stolen Tuesday, officials said. An FBI vehicle was stolen from Schenley Park around 1:30 p.m., said FBI Pittsburgh spokeswoman Catherine Policicchio. Inside was a Glock 19M 9mm. Following...
Aviary asks Pittsburgh residents for help in finding Kodiak, the missing Steller’s sea eagleVideo
The National Aviary in Pittsburgh’s North Side is asking the public to help them find Kodiak, the Steller’s sea eagle that escaped from his outdoor enclosure on Saturday. The aviary has been closed since Saturday as groups of staff and volunteers fan out across Pittsburgh’s North Side and nearby communities...
Guilty plea entered in North Huntingdon Valentine’s Day fatal crash that killed 4
Thu Thanh Carole Nguyen knew her mother was a slow driver and didn’t initially worry when she and her three friends were late in returning home after a Valentine’s Day special Mass at a Pittsburgh church. Months after she learned her mother and two friends were killed in a head-on...
Some tickets are under $50 for upcoming Rolling Stones concert at Heinz Field
You most likely won’t stick your tongue out at these prices. With six days left before the Rolling Stones arrive at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, tickets are still available on various websites. And some are at reasonable prices. Time is of the essence as these prices can change quickly, according...
Gov. Wolf pushes state lawmakers to boost vaccination rates in their districts
Americans have seen vaccination rates by state, county and ZIP code. Now, as Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration tackles vaccine hesitancy, there’s yet another metric in Pennsylvania. A new report that breaks down vaccination rates by Pennsylvania legislative district suggests there is a significant rural-urban divide, with the highest vaccination rates...
Former Frazer cop accused of using police-tracking software to monitor woman’s whereabouts
A Harrison man who has worked as a police officer for multiple Alle-Kiski Valley departments is accused of using police-tracking software to monitor the whereabouts of a woman who had broken off a relationship with him, court paperwork shows. Michael A. McSherry, 29, also is accused of secretly placing a...
Bill would give parents front-row seat to what students are being taught in Pa. schools
Parents of public school students would be able to access the contents of a school curriculum, textbook titles and lesson plans with a few clicks on a computer keyboard under legislation that is advancing in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Andrew Lewis, R-Dauphin County, would...
Mt. Lebanon High School steps up police presence in light of violence rumors
Mt. Lebanon Police have stepped up the police presence at the high school in light of rumors circulating regarding possible gun violence, school officials said Tuesday. High school principal Joel Thompson wrote in a letter to families that multiple tips have been received through Safe2Say, an online and app-based system...
Point Park threatens discipline against students who misgender others
Point Park University has issued a policy that threatens disciplinary action for students who misgender other students. In an email dated Sept. 13, university officials warned that misgendering students could result in a violation of the Policy on Discrimination and Harassment for gender-based discrimination. According to the email, “action could...
Pittsburgh council adopts ban on declawing cats
Pittsburgh City Council Tuesday approved legislation that would ban the surgery used to declaw cats from being performed in the city. The measure passed unanimously, without discussion. Mayor Bill Peduto supports the legislation and will sign it, Peduto’s Chief of Staff Dan Gilman said. Veterinarians who perform the surgery, which...
How many parents would get young children vaccinated against covid? What a poll found
A new poll found a slim majority of parents would get their young children vaccinated against covid-19. The Gallup poll released Tuesday found 55% of parents with children under 12 plan to get them a coronavirus vaccine when one is authorized for use in younger kids while 45% said they...
Maryland newspaper gunman gets more than 5 life prison terms
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A man who killed five people at a newspaper in Maryland was sentenced on Tuesday to more than five life sentences without the possibility of parole. Anne Arundel County Judge Michael Wachs ordered the sentence for Jarrod Ramos, whom a jury previously found criminally responsible for killing...
Gen. Milley defends calls to Chinese at end of Trump presidency
WASHINGTON — The top U.S. military officer told Congress on Tuesday that he knew former President Donald Trump wasn’t planning to attack China and that it was his job to reassure the Chinese of that fact in the phone calls that have triggered outrage from some lawmakers. Army Gen. Mark...
Powerball jackpot climbs to $570 million, which would be 8th largest ever
No one won Monday night’s Powerball drawing, with the jackpot growing to what would be the eighth largest ever for the lottery game. The jackpot climbed from $545 million to $570 million — with a cash payout of $410.1 million — for the next drawing on Wednesday night. Monday’s numbers...
Neighbors join hunt for macaw on the lam from Stanton Heights home
The Steller’s sea eagle that escaped from the National Aviary isn’t the only exotic bird in the region on the lam. Before Kodiak slipped out of a breach in its outdoor enclosure at the Aviary on the North Side Saturday morning there was Filo — a 3-month old macaw that...
Burrell middle school students help draft legislation calling for mandatory recess statewide
Students at Burrell’s Huston Middle School have co-authored proposed state legislation that would make recess a protected right for young students like them. What started as a persuasive writing exercise turned into the students crafting the would-be legislation with state Rep. Bob Brooks, R-Murrysville. Brooks is looking for co-sponsors before...
Longtime Hempfield family business goes up in flamesVideo
A Hempfield family business started in 1949 by Greensburg’s longtime fire chief went up in flames early Tuesday. John Hutchinson, whose father and uncle now run Hutchinson & Gunter, said two sections of the building at the corner of Grove and Russell streets appear to be OK, but a third...
FBI: 2020 homicides up nearly 30%, largest 1-year jump ever
WASHINGTON — Homicides in the U.S. in 2020 increased nearly 30% over the previous year, the largest one-year jump since the FBI began keeping records, according to figures released Monday by the agency. Homicides and non-negligent manslaughters climbed an estimated 29.4% to 21,570, an increase of 4,901 over 2019, FBI...
GOP blocks bill to keep government going; new try aheadVideo
WASHINGTON — Republican senators blocked a bill Monday night to keep the government operating and allow federal borrowing, but Democrats aiming to avert a shutdown pledged to try again — at the same time pressing ahead on President Joe Biden’s big plans to reshape government. The efforts are not necessarily...
State trooper charged with assault, resisting arrest in Washington County
A trooper assigned to the state police barracks in Belle Vernon was charged with aggravated assault following a disturbance call Monday morning in Claysville, Washington County. In addition to the second-degree felony assault charge, Trooper Dustin Schumacher, 30, of Claysville, is charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and disorderly...
17-year-old critical after Penn Hills shooting; police release image of suspect
Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a male suspect in the Monday afternoon shooting of a 17-year-old boy in Penn Hills. According to authorities, the boy was shot multiple times near the gas pump of a BP station. Penn Hills Police Chief Howard Burton said the shooting took...
New Kensington police say man evicted from sober home oinked at them, growled at police dog
New Kensington police on Monday arrested a man being thrown out of a recovery home who they said oinked at officers and growled at a police dog. Police charged Ronald Dominic Festa III, 29, with felony counts of taunting a police animal and contraband, and misdemeanor counts of trespass and...
