Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1122
Pittsburgh man charged with touching 2 teen girls on Kennywood ride
A Pittsburgh man was charged with touching two teenage girls’ legs on a ride at Kennywood, following them after they told him “no,” and then running from West Mifflin police when confronted, police said Wednesday. Miguel Corio-Marcos, 22, faces nearly a dozen charges, including corruption of minors, unlawful contact with...
Volunteers assemble 100 bikes for children during event in Mt. Pleasant TownshipVideo
A group of about 60 volunteers assembled bikes for children in need Wednesday at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant Township as part of United Way’s build-a-bike event. The volunteers came from five of United Way’s corporate partners, including Live! Casino Pittsburgh, Kennametal, UPS, Hefren-Tillotson and West Penn Power, according to...
Employee charged in connection with camera found in bathroom of Richland Target
An employee at the Target store in Richland Township has been charged in connection with an April incident in which a camera was found hidden in a public restroom at the store. Northern Regional Police have charged Killian Jamal Redman, 28, of Pittsburgh, with tampering with evidence, which is a...
What is PSERS? A look inside the pension fund being investigated by the FBI
You’d be forgiven if the phrase “pension scandal” makes your eyes glaze over. Try this, instead: $40 billion. That’s roughly — and this number is always a moving target — the amount Pennsylvania taxpayers are on the hook for. This figure, the “unfunded liability,” represents the difference between the amount...
CDC: Nearly 100% of Pennsylvania’s 65+ residents have at least 1 covid shot
Just about every Pennsylvanian 65 and older is now at least partially vaccinated for covid-19, according to the latest covid vaccination data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Wednesday morning, the CDC’s covid vaccine tracker shows 2,393,193 of the state’s 65+ population have at least one...
Residential, retail space to connect 4 Pittsburgh neighborhoods in Brewers Block
Pittsburgh’s Polish Hill, Lawrenceville, Strip District and Bloomfield neighborhoods are converging into a residential/retail development that will be known as Brewers Block. The development is located on Liberty Avenue between 32nd and 33rd streets, just down the street from the former Iron City brewery, as well as the Church Brew...
Judge to mediate dispute over Columbus statue in Schenley Park
Declaring an impasse in the dispute between the city of Pittsburgh and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, an Allegheny County Common Pleas judge will mediate the dispute over the Schenley Park Columbus statue. Judge John McVay issued an order last week telling the parties to identify who from...
New Kensington woman charged with leaving 3 children with convicted sex offender
A New Kensington woman faces child endangerment charges after police say she left three children alone with her husband, a convicted sex offender. Police charged Jaymi Lyn Kenney, 41, on Friday. Police say she left three children, ages 5, 7 and 16, in the care of Earl Eugene Kenney, 40,...
Greensburg’s SummerSounds scheduled to return in August
After being canceled last year due to the covid-19 pandemic, SummerSounds — the popular Greensburg concert series — is set to return in August. Bands will once again take the stage at the Robertshaw Amphitheater in St. Clair Park beginning Aug. 6, according to an updated schedule on the event’s...
‘Pure business’ at Biden-Putin summit: No hugs, no brickbatsVideo
GENEVA — President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their summit on Wednesday with an agreement to return their nations’ ambassadors to their posts in Washington and Moscow and a plan to begin work toward replacing the last remaining treaty between the two countries limiting nuclear weapons. But...
PennDOT plans long-term closure of ramp from Route 28 North to Highland Park Bridge
The ramp from northbound Route 28 to the Highland Park Bridge in Sharpsburg will be closed for nearly three months beginning Monday, the state Department of Transportation announced. The ramp to the bridge and Aspinwall, Exit 6, is scheduled to close about 3 a.m. Monday, weather permitting. It is expected...
2 shot, 1 fatally in fight outside Sheraden bar
Two men were shot, one fatally, outside a bar in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood early Wednesday morning, according to Pittsburgh police. Police said a fight outside Craig’s Bar at 3122 Chartiers Ave. was reported to 911 before 1:50 a.m. As officers were heading there, they were told that shots had been...
5 things to watch for in Biden’s meeting with Vladimir PutinVideo
WASHINGTON — When President Joe Biden has his first head-of-state sit-down with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, it will be a test of mettle and wills, each leader confident in his ability to hold the upper hand over the other. Both have been fixtures in global politics for years, but...
Senate approves bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would make Juneteenth, or June 19th, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. The bill would lead to Juneteenth becoming the 12th federal holiday. It is expected to easily pass the House, which would send it...
Greensburg Scavenger Race returning for another yearVideo
A scavenger hunt that sends participants racing through downtown Greensburg in an attempt to locate a litany of puzzles and riddles is scheduled for this weekend. The event, scheduled for Saturday, will be the fourth time local entertainment venue 60 Minute Missions Escape Room is hosting the Greensburg Scavenger Race...
Israelis march in east Jerusalem in test for new governmentVideo
JERUSALEM — Hundreds of Israeli ultranationalists, some chanting “Death to Arabs,” paraded Tuesday in east Jerusalem in a show of force that threatened to spark renewed violence just weeks after a war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Palestinians in Gaza responded by launching incendiary balloons that caused at...
Duquesne Light still working to restore power to 900 customers, some might not get power until late Wednesday
About 900 Duquesne Light customers were still without power Tuesday night after storms passed through the region early this week, the power company reported. According to Duquesne Light spokeswoman Ashley Macik, the company has identified areas with “more extensive damage that will require longer repairs.” There have also been a...
Crafton man pleads guilty to obstruction stemming from 2020 George Floyd protests in Pittsburgh
A Crafton man who already pleaded guilty in state court to charges stemming from last year’s protests in Downtown Pittsburgh over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota entered a similar plea Tuesday in federal court. Raekwon Blankenship, 25, pleaded guilty to a single count of obstruction of law enforcement...
Commissioners remain silent on suspended Westmoreland election bureau director
Westmoreland County’s public works director continued in his interim role as head of the election bureau on Tuesday as the commissioners remained silent about the status of the department’s suspended top official. The county commissioners also serve as the county’s election board. They met as such late Tuesday to approve...
Pa. physician general, local health leaders tour UPMC outpatient facility to tout treatment, continue vaccine pushVideo
UPMC Mercy’s South Side Outpatient Center sat dormant and quiet for about a year before it became the epicenter of some of the health care system’s covid-19 programs. The focus of the Mary Street site has evolved since the pandemic began, concentrating on testing first with a UPMC-developed test and...
Westmoreland airport authority OKs DeNunzio’s restaurant lease
The Westmoreland County Airport Authority on Tuesday approved a new lease with DeNunzio’s Italian Chophouse for the terminal restaurant space at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, despite a request from county Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher to delay the action. Thrasher questioned how the authority calculated the terms of the lease and...
Wolf urges Senate to keep cocktails-to-go, some Pa. bar owners lukewarm
Gov. Tom Wolf is urging the Senate to pass a bill that would enable the cocktails-to-go law to remain in place. The bill would amend the state’s liquor code to allow bars, restaurants and hotels with liquor licenses to sell mixed drinks for off-premises consumption. Just over a year ago...
Pittsburgh programs among MacKenzie Scott’s $2.7 billion charity donations
MacKenzie Scott, the billionaire philanthropist known for her impromptu multi-billion dollar donations to charities and racial equity causes, announced Tuesday that she has given $2.7 billion to 286 organizations. It is the third round of no-strings-attached, major philanthropic gifts Scott has made, which together rival the charitable contributions made by...
Nearly all Allegheny County seniors at least partially vaccinated against covid, health official says
Almost all senior citizens in Allegheny County are at least partially vaccinated against covid-19, a virus that ravaged the older population, including those in care facilities, both locally and nationwide, officials said. Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen noted the milestone after a tour of UPMC’s vaccine and testing...
Water steps on Pittsburgh’s North Shore still dry
Usually by this time of the year, water is cascading down a set of North Shore steps and children are splashing around. The Water Steps, a popular destination at the North Shore Riverfront Park near PNC Park, have not been filled to flow — yet. According to the Sports &...
