Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1432
Gas well impact fees drop in 2019; Westmoreland County gets $1.16 million, Allegheny County $1.8 million
Derry Township is sitting on a gold mine of natural gas trapped in the Marcellus shale, which drillers have tapped to the great benefit of the municipality — to the tune of $2.4 million in gas well impact fees since 2012. The township will get almost $232,000 from the 2019...
Trump signs order on police reform, doesn’t mention racism
WASHINGTON — Following weeks of national protests since the death of George Floyd, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that he said would encourage better police practices. But he made no mention of the roiling national debate over racism spawned by police killings of black men and women....
Watchdogs say Trump administration limiting oversight of coronavirus aidVideo
WASHINGTON — Government watchdogs are warning that a legal determination by the Trump administration could severely limit their ability to oversee more than $1 trillion in spending related to the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to four congressional committees, a panel of inspectors general overseeing a sweeping economic rescue law...
Kennedy Township girl advances on ‘America’s Got Talent’ with musical tribute to dad
A 12-year-old Kennedy Township girl sang a song she wrote for her dad and won the hearts of the audience and judges to advance to the next round of “America’s Got Talent” during an audition episode of the TV show that aired Tuesday evening. Ashley Marina Yankello, who drops her...
Rep. Daryl Metcalfe reveals 5 articles of impeachment against Gov. Tom WolfVideo
A state Representative from Butler County and 24 co-sponsors filed articles of impeachment against Gov. Tom Wolf. Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, introduced House Resolution 915 on Tuesday afternoon, claiming Wolf should be removed from office for his actions during the coronavirus pandemic and referred to the governor as “Dictator Wolf.”...
Pedestrian struck by train in Forward Township
A person was struck by a train in Forward Township on Tuesday night. Allegheny County 911 said the incident occurred shortly before 8:30 p.m. on a CSX rail line near the intersection of Peach Street and Gallatin Tigers Road. The county medical examiner’s office has not been called to the...
County police: 3 young men shot Mt. Oliver, in critical condition
Three young men are listed in critical condition after being shot Tuesday evening in Mt. Oliver. Allegheny County police were dispatched to the 100 block of Stamm Avenue for a man who had been shot around 6:30 p.m. Officers and paramedics discovered a 20-year-old man shot in the head. Authorities...
Valley Dairy closes downtown Latrobe restaurant
After eight decades, Valley Dairy is no longer serving meals in downtown Latrobe. The Latrobe-based restaurant chain on Sunday closed its location at Jefferson and Chestnut streets. A company official said that store hasn’t performed up to expectations. Valley Dairy welcomed customers to return for dine-in meals at the Latrobe...
Editorial: The future of standardized tests
In July 2019, Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale suggested the state’s Keystone exams — the tests taken by high school students to prove proficiency in required subjects and qualify for graduation — were too expensive and redundant. Rather than paying $18 million a year to test high school students with...
Pennsylvania to spread $157 million to help schools clean, get ready for classesVideo
Schools in the state — public and private — will get at least $120,000 to help pay for cleaning and sanitizing classrooms, cafeterias, gyms and offices in time for students to return for the resumption of in-person classes in August for the first time since mid-March. Gov. Tom Wolf announced...
Airlines suspend in-flight alcohol service during pandemic
If you’re expecting to have the chance to grab a cold one while in flight to your next destination, don’t. Airlines around the world, including Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, domestically, are halting alcoholic beverage service in response to the coronavirus. According to CNN, the move is part of...
Steelers cancel Friday Night Lights practice in Latrobe
The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t come to the Latrobe area for training camp, and they also have canceled their annual summer practice in the city. Steelers director of communications Burt Lauten delivered the bad news for local fans in a tweet on Tuesday, confirming the Steelers “will not be hosting their...
Trump administration sues to block release of John Bolton bookVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration sued former national security adviser John Bolton on Tuesday to stop the publication of a book that the White House says contains classified information. The civil lawsuit in Washington’s federal court follows warnings from President Donald Trump that Bolton could face a “criminal problem” if...
Western Pa. police chiefs support some reforms in Trump executive order, question others
Police departments in parts of Southwestern Pennsylvania applauded some elements of President Trump’s executive order on police reform and expressed skepticism toward others, particularly those aimed at bringing social services into some police situations. Trump announced the executive order Tuesday in a Rose Garden press briefing after weeks of protests...
Former Speaker Mike Turzai starts as Peoples’ general counsel
Former Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai’s whirlwind week continued Tuesday, when he started his life in the private sector as general counsel of Peoples, the Pittsburgh-based gas utility. His last day in office as speaker Monday was spent advancing two bills out of committee that would change how police are...
Man sentenced for sending pornographic images to Derry Township girl
A Forest County man will serve time in jail for sending pornographic pictures of himself to a 15-year-old Derry Township girl last year. Shawn M. Negley Jr., 19, pleaded guilty to two felony offenses in connection with pictures police said he sent to the juvenile via social media. According to...
Pittsburgh residents decry grant funding for city police
Pittsburgh is getting separate grants totaling about $1.6 million for a violence prevention program and as reimbursement for police overtime during two past high-profile events, and at least five residents strongly urged officials to spend it on anything other than the police bureau. City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to...
Pittsburgh City Council overwhelmed with calls for police reform
Messages to Pittsburgh City Council calling for a reduced police budget are arriving daily by the hundreds. Council members responded Tuesday by saying they would work to enact police reform, but they aren’t inclined to disband the police department. Councilwoman Deb Gross of Highland Park said she’s received nearly 3,000...
YWCA Greater Pittsburgh’s Downtown building is on the market
YWCA Greater Pittsburgh’s building on Wood Street Downtown is on the market, its leader said Tuesday. The move was in the works before the coronavirus pandemic and is part of the YWCA’s new organizational strategy to focus its resources to supporting race and gender equity, especially for women of color,...
Scott residents ask commissioner to resign for health secretary comments
A group of Scott Township residents have penned a letter asking Commissioner Paul Abel to resign for his recent public comments about the state health secretary’s gender. The letter, from a newly formed group called Building Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, also includes a list of demands the township must enact...
Westmoreland officials planning to dole out $30 million in pandemic relief money
Westmoreland County will allocate $30 million to help local governments, small businesses and nonprofit organizations that suffered financial losses during the coronavirus pandemic. That broad spending plan constitutes a baseline of how county officials said they intend to dole out the $31.5 million grant awarded this month as part of...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter sues newspaper over protest coverage ban
A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter is suing the newspaper, claiming racial discrimination and retaliation after management barred her from covering local protests stemming from the death of George Floyd. The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday is the latest in a series of events that began June 1, the date on which the...
Butler woman accused of fatally stabbing boyfriend
Police said a Butler woman stabbed her boyfriend to death in their apartment on Sunday. Butler City Police on Monday charged Shaina Ann Helen Grush, 31, with criminal homicide in connection to the death of Robert Wagner, 43. The two lived together in an apartment on the city’s West Jefferson...
Scott man accused of hurting 3 Pittsburgh cops during Downtown protest
A 24-year-old Scott man who is accused of hurting three Pittsburgh police officers during the May 30 protests Downtown has schizophrenia and is in jail after an unrelated June 10 incident at his grandparents’ home, according to criminal complaints. Authorities used surveillance camera footage to identify Andrew Augustyniak-Duncan as the...
In touting executive order, Trump says police reform ‘might have prevented’ Antwon Rose’s death
Following weeks of national protests since the death of George Floyd, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on policing Tuesday that would encourage better police practices and establish a database to keep track of officers with a history of excessive use-of-force complaints. In touting the order, Trump said this...
