Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1158
Pitcairn mayoral race pits 20-year-old challenger against 81-year-old incumbent
Margaret “Betsy” Stevick’s phone never seems to stop ringing. And the octogenarian mayor of Pitcairn never seems to stop moving. At 81, she’s running for reelection to another four-year term in the May 18 primary. Her opponent in the Democratic primary is 20-year-old Mika Petrosky, who also grew up in...
Massage parlor owner seeks new trial on human trafficking, prostitution charges
A woman who owned and operated four massage parlors in Murrysville, Delmont and Monroeville will get a hearing on her appeal to withdraw her guilty pleas to promoting prostitution and participating in a human trafficking ring, a Westmoreland County judge decided Wednesday. Judge Scott O. Mears granted the Post-Conviction Relief...
Greensburg man arrested in connection with fatal drug overdose
A Greensburg man was arrested Thursday on charges he sold drugs to a woman who authorities say later provided some to a companion, resulting in a fatal overdose, according to court papers. Jody J. Cicchitello, 51, is charged with drug delivery resulting in death, drug possession and conspiracy. Southwest Greensburg...
Kennywood, Sandcastle, Idlewild set to open for summer of food, rides, slides
Summer cannot be far away. The official opening of Kennywood in West Mifflin is May 8. Sandcastle in West Homestead and Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier aren’t far behind. They are planning for a May 29 debut. After shortened schedules last year because of the pandemic, the parks are focused...
Report: Pittsburgh paid more than $460K to settle police-related lawsuits last year
Pittsburgh paid out more than $400,000 to settle five lawsuits brought against the city and its police bureau in 2020, according to an annual report released this week. In that same time, 15 more lawsuits were filed against 22 officers, including several that stem from protests against police brutality in...
After easing off-street parking requirement, Pittsburgh considers move to limit curb cutsVideo
Pittsburgh officials are working to reduce the number of driveways required for new townhouses in the city. Creating off-street parking requires a curb cut and makes walking on sidewalk potentially dangerous, Councilwoman Deb Gross said Tuesday during a council committee meeting. Under a proposed change in the local zoning law...
Despite decreasing covid transmission rates, Westmoreland schools still apt to shut down with positive cases
Despite school districts in Westmoreland County making strides to restore a sense of normalcy for students, they still feel the pinch of state guidelines when it comes to closing buildings because of coronavirus cases. So far this week, Hempfield, Norwin, Belle Vernon Area and Derry Area districts have been forced...
Pittsburgh man faces federal gun charges after SWAT search
A Homewood South man faces a federal detention hearing Friday after Pittsburgh police said they seized four guns from his home. Dane Brooks, 52, was charged Wednesday on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Pittsburgh police said the arrest came after members of the SWAT...
Biden to the nation, world: ‘America is rising anew’Video
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden declared Wednesday night in his first address to a joint session of Congress that “America is rising anew,” and pointed optimistically to the nation’s emergence from the pandemic as a vital moment to rebuild the U.S. economy and fundamentally transform roles the government plays in...
President Biden name-checks Pittsburgh in speech to CongressVideo
President Joe Biden invoked the Steel City in his speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, asking why wind turbine blades can’t be made in Pittsburgh rather than Beijing, China — essentially challenging U.S. businesses to bring manufacturing jobs back from overseas. President Biden: "There is simply...
Watch live: President Biden’s address before the joint session of CongressVideo
President Joe Biden is laying out his policy agenda and updating the nation Wednesday in his first address to a joint session of Congress....
A Pa. cheerleader’s profane Snapchat rant lands before the Supreme CourtVideo
PHILADELPHIA — When Brandi Levy learned she’d been relegated to Mahanoy Area High School’s junior varsity cheerleading team in 2017 she did what most teens these days do — turned to social media to vent her frustration. But her profane post on Snapchat — in which the then-14-year-old, middle finger...
6 covid cases in 8 days spur closure of Northside Catholic school
Six covid-19 cases linked to Northside Catholic Assumption Academy in the past eight days have prompted administrators to close the campus until May 6, officials said Wednesday. Administrators did not specify whether the newly confirmed coronavirus cases involved students, teachers or other staff or people affiliated to the school. The...
Arnold traffic stop leads to 3 arrests, seizure of fentanyl, heroin
A traffic stop in Arnold resulted in three arrests and a large amount of fentanyl and heroin being found in the vehicle and in rooms at a New Kensington hotel, according to Arnold police. Police filed drug charges against Bryce Keron Lee Jr., 34, of Pittsburgh’s West Wood neighborhood; Didiel...
Feds release videos of Jan. 6 riot showing police assaultVideo
WASHINGTON — Federal authorities released videos Wednesday showing Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died after defending the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, being attacked with a chemical spray as the pro-Trump mob descended on the building. The videos were released after media outlets, including The Associated Press, went to...
Fitzgerald: Entertainment venues should offer vaccinated sections for spectatorsVideo
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is encouraging sports and entertainment venues to create special sections for vaccinated spectators, following a proposal by the Pittsburgh Penguins to create such a section for fans. “I would encourage all of our sports teams, all of our venues, theaters, the opera, the symphony, the...
U.S. indicts 3 on hate crime charges in death of Ahmaud Arbery
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department brought federal hate crimes charges Wednesday in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, charging a father and son who armed themselves, chased and fatally shot the 25-year-old Black man after spotting him running in their Georgia neighborhood. Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory, were charged along...
Penguins petition state for less-distanced ‘vaccinated sections’ at home games
Restaurants once had smoking and non-smoking sections. The Pittsburgh Penguins are working to allow for vaccinated and non-vaccinated sections at PPG Paints Arena. In an email sent to season-ticket holders, the Penguins said they have petitioned Pennsylvania state government and the commonwealth’s Department of Health about the idea, which would...
Police: Camera found in Richland Township Target bathroom
Northern Regional police are investigating after a camera was found inside a unisex bathroom of a Target store in Richland Township. Company spokesman Brian Harper-Tibaldo said an employee discovered the recording device in the restroom of the store along Route 8 on April 26, and immediately turned it over to...
Wolf takes on vaccine hesitancy ahead of Washington County walk-in clinic
Walk-ins will be welcome at a Washington County vaccination clinic on Thursday and Friday, state and local officials have announced, in the latest attempt to entice as many Pennsylvanians as possible to get the covid-19 vaccine and inch society toward herd immunity. “We need to make sure the demand stays...
Astronaut Michael Collins, Apollo 11 pilot, dead of cancer
Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, who piloted the ship from which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left to make their historic first steps on the moon in 1969, died Wednesday of cancer, his family said. He was 90. Collins was part of the three-man Apollo 11 crew that effectively ended...
How Pa. troopers use sweating, stuttering during traffic stops to launch vehicle searches
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 — When Brandon Neely was pulled over in August 2020 for crossing into the area between a highway lane and...
Feds raid Rudy Giuliani’s home, office, escalating criminal probeVideo
NEW YORK — Federal agents raided Rudy Giuliani’s Manhattan home and office Wednesday, seizing computers and cellphones in a major escalation of the Justice Department’s investigation into the business dealings of former President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer. Giuliani, the 76-year-old former New York City mayor once celebrated for his leadership...
Unity man accused of striking roommate with hammer
A Unity man was treated at an area hospital for head injuries after he told police his roommate hit him with a hammer early Tuesday. John A. Olson, 53, also of Unity, was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, harassment, reckless endangerment and simple assault filed by state police after...
Westmoreland County reaches 100,000 fully vaccinated against covid
Westmoreland County surpassed 100,000 residents fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to information released Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Westmoreland is the 10th county in the state to hit that mark. In total, there are 100,080 fully vaccinated in the county and 49,232 partially vaccinated. Overall in the...
