Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1112
Pennsylvania governor vetoes GOP-led election overhaul, citing voter ID restrictions
This article is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan reporting project covering local election integrity and voting access. This article is available for reprint under the terms of Votebeat’s republishing policy. HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a Republican rewrite of Pennsylvania’s Election Code on Wednesday, making clear his...
Shaler man wins $1 million from Publishers Clearing House sweepstakesVideo
Each time Lou Isabella of Shaler has entered the Publishers Clearing House contest during the past three years, he’s said a silent prayer in hopes of winning. Isabella believes his appeals to the Almighty were answered June 30 when a three-member Prize Patrol team knocked on his door to present...
Westmoreland County, 8 jail staffers added as defendants in lawsuit over inmate beating
A federal civil lawsuit by a former Westmoreland County Prison inmate who was assaulted by a guard last year claims incident reports filed by a dozen other jail staffers contained no mention of the beating. The lawsuit was amended June 15 and asserts that the omission of the assault of...
Bill Cosby released from prison after sex assault conviction overturned by Pa. Supreme Court
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania’s highest court threw out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction and released him from prison Wednesday in a stunning reversal of fortune for the comedian once known as “America’s Dad,” ruling that the prosecutor who brought the case was bound by his predecessor’s agreement not to charge Cosby....
Woman, whose attorney refused representation amid dispute with Allegheny Co. DA, pleads guilty to DUI crash
A Corliss woman whose case became embroiled in the controversy between a Black defense attorney and Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to drunken driving-related charges with a new attorney by her side. Vanessa Williams, 59, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault while driving under the...
Pa. covid hospitalizations drop to levels not seen since early days of pandemic
Pennsylvania’s covid-19 hospitalizations dropped to a level not seen since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, there are 313 covid-19 patients currently hospitalized throughout the state. That’s the lowest total since March 27, 2020, when there were 252 people hospitalized. The state’s...
Youngwood man charged with having boy steal packages from neighborhood porches
A Youngwood man was arrested Tuesday, accused by police of directing an 8-year-old boy to follow delivery trucks around the borough and steal packages dropped off at homes, according to court papers. Alexander Leon Soroka, 39, is charged with theft, receiving stolen property and child endangerment. Troopers were called to...
‘Severe’ blood shortage prompts donation centers to make a call to arms
Clentin Martin was found where he usually is every 56th day or so — giving blood. “I always felt that it was an obligation to do,” Martin, 74, said while donating at the American Red Cross blood drive at St. Bruno Catholic Church in Greensburg. “It’s something that everybody needs.”...
Heat, humidity to give way to rain, cooler temperatures
The Pittsburgh region is expected to get a break Wednesday from the blistering heat and oppressive humidity when storms roll through in the afternoon. The three-day stretch of hot weather began Sunday when the temperature hit 88 degrees followed by highs of 92 on Monday and Tuesday. The average temperature...
Wolf signs $40M budget package, celebrates public school funding
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday signed a roughly $40 billion budget package that passed last week, as he touted the importance of new funding for public schools. The hundreds of pages of budget legislation emerged publicly from closed-door negotiations on Friday and won approval within hours in the...
Point Park University requiring covid vaccine for students attending in-person classes this fall
Point Park University will require students to be vaccinated against covid-19 if they want to attend in-person classes or participate in activities this fall, officials announced. University President Paul Hennigan said the decision to require vaccinations is “based on on the success of the covid-19 vaccinations now widely available, and...
Man critical after being shot near the Allegheny Commons in Pittsburgh
A man was in critical condition early Wednesday after Pittsburgh police say he arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the back. Pittsburgh police officers from Zone 1 responded to reports of gunfire in the area of East Ohio Street at Allegheny Commons around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, according...
Washington County man gets 28 years for child sex abuse convictions
A Washington County man has been sentenced to 28 years behind bars for documenting acts of child sexual exploitation and abuse, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Sean Houston, 48, of Centerville also must pay nearly $29,000 — $13,700 in victim restitution and a $15,000 fine to the court, Acting U.S. Attorney...
Westmoreland County election bureau director ousted
The Westmoreland County commissioners said Tuesday they will hire a new election bureau director. Election Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani was suspended with pay on June 8, and none of the three commissioners has disclosed reasons for that disciplinary action. Sebastiani, 63, was hired last August to run the department. She...
Pennsylvania bill to legalize cocktails to-go stalls, on hold for summer
Cocktails to-go will remain a no-go in Pennsylvania until at least the fall, when state lawmakers are scheduled to return from their summer break. The state Senate decided to shelve a measure regarding to-go drinks because the House removed a provision championed by state Sen. Mike Regan, R-York County, that...
Former Franklin Regional boys basketball coach opens up about opioid abuse
Steve Scorpion admits he almost died. “I stopped breathing three times and coded twice,” the former Franklin Regional boys basketball coach and standout player said. “I thought it was all over for me. When I woke up, I knew God saved me because he had a greater purpose for me....
Dispatch: 4 people flown by medical helicopters after multi-vehicle crash in Washington Township
Four people were flown by medical helicopter to area hospitals following a multi-vehicle crash along Route 66 in Washington Township, according a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Crews responded to Route 66 at Hancock Avenue shortly before 4:30 p.m. Both lanes of Route 66 were shut down for about two hours. The...
Woman accuses Allegheny County judge of victim blaming at sentencing in sexual assault case
A woman who was sexually assaulted lashed out Tuesday at the Allegheny County judge who presided over her offender’s trial, saying his verdict and the language he used with her was victim blaming. “I came to trial hoping for and expecting justice for being assaulted,” she said at the sentencing...
Former Pagans leader ordered to report to state prison July 30
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday ordered the former leader of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club to report to a Somerset County state prison in late July to resume serving an 80-month sentence for a drug conviction based on a 2011 raid of his Hempfield home. Dennis “Rooster” Katona, 54, was...
Condo board boss warned of worsening damage before collapse
Weeks before a Florida condo building collapsed, the president of its board wrote that structural problems identified in a 2018 inspection had “gotten significantly worse” and owners needed to pay a hefty price to get them fixed. The April 9 “Dear Neighbors” letter from Champlain Towers South Condominium President Jean...
Officials: Pool collapse causes propane leak in Fayette County
Several homes were evacuated in Fayette County Tuesday afternoon after an above-ground pool collapsed, pushing a 500 gallon propane tank into a neighbor’s home, causing a propane leak, officials said. Crews responded to Fords Hill Road in Redstone Township around 1:30 p.m., according to Rich Lenk, fire chief for the...
Catholic priest faces charges after being accused of sexually assaulting a child in 1998
A Catholic priest is facing multiple charges stemming from an alleged sexual assault on an 8-year-old boy on two occasions 23 years ago at a parish in Plum. The Rev. Robert Cedolia is charged by Allegheny County Police with aggravated indecent assault, corruption of minors, two counts of indecent assault...
Vandergrift’s historic Casino Theatre to reopen SaturdayVideo
Vandergrift’s historic Casino Theatre soon will welcome theatergoers again. The 121-year-old theater, which describes itself as Southwestern Pennsylvania’s oldest operating theater, was shuttered last year because of the pandemic. The Trib previously reported that the venue lost more than $70,000 in booking and show revenue since the pandemic-related shutdown. “We...
State police seeking witnesses to fatal Route 30 crash in Hempfield
State police in Greensburg are seeking information on a multi-vehicle crash Monday along Route 30 in Hempfield that claimed the life of a Fayette County man. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s office reported the driver of one of the vehicles, Michael J. Yatsko, 69, of South Connellsville, died at Excela Health...
State Sen. Kim Ward recovering from mastectomyVideo
State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, underwent a double mastectomy at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh on Monday, according to a video she posted on her official Twitter account. She posted a thank you message to Twitter on Tuesday morning as well. Ward announced in May she was undergoing treatment for...
