Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1544
Police: Pedestrian killed in crash with tractor-trailer at Crafton Ingram Shopping Center
An 81-year-old woman was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer Thursday morning at the Crafton Ingram Shopping Center, police said. The woman, Florence Hall, of Pittsburgh, was identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Police have not...
Senate acts to restrain Trump’s military powers against Iran
WASHINGTON — The Senate approved a bipartisan measure Thursday limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to launch military operations against Iran. The measure, authored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., says Trump must win approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. Eight Republicans joined with Democrats to pass...
Trump slams former chief of staff John Kelly, who defended key impeachment witness
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday lashed out against former White House chief of staff John Kelly for being disloyal after the ex-adviser came to the defense of a former national security aide who offered key testimony in the impeachment inquiry. The president’s comments targeting Kelly came after Kelly...
Woman accused of selling heroin, cocaine out of New Stanton apartment
Complaints from neighbors about persistent foot traffic to and from a New Stanton apartment resulted in the arrest Wednesday of a 22-year-old woman on drugcharges, state police said. Olivia J. Vandyke of Jeannette was arraigned before East Huntingdon District Judge Charles Moore on charges of manufacturing, delivery and possession of...
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner takes plea deal in Detroit case
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner on Thursday pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace during a confrontation last year with police in a Detroit hotel. In a plea agreement, Wagner had a felony count of obstruction reduced to disturbing the peace. She then pleaded no contest to that lesser charge...
Armstrong County 911 centers back in service
Armstrong County 911 call centers are back online, after being down for about two hours Thursday. The call centers were not available to take any calls from around noon to 2 p.m., a county dispatcher said. A dispatcher wasn’t able to identify the cause of the problem, but said it...
Hope Hicks returning to White House
WASHINGTON — Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s most trusted and longest-serving aides, is returning to the White House as his reelection campaign moves into high gear. Hicks will be serving as counselor to the president, working with presidential son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, according to a person...
Uniontown man claims Penn State discriminated against his colorblindness
A Uniontown man’s lawsuit alleging Penn State University discriminated against him because he is colorblind will be allowed to move forward, a federal judge ruled. Danny David, 48, sued the university late last year, claiming the school unjustly rescinded a job offer with the university police after discovering David is...
Pizza Hut is latest chain restaurant to close in Hempfield
Another chain restaurant has shuttered in Hempfield. Pizza Hut, located along Route 30 near Westmoreland Mall, officially closed Monday, according to a sign posted on the door. “We want to thank all of our loyal customers,” the sign reads, in part. It also encourages people to visit other area Pizza...
2 Western Pa. communities named safest places to live in Pennsylvania
Two Western Pennsylvania communities — one in Westmoreland County and the other in Allegheny — are the safest communities in the state, according to a recent study conducted by a home security trade group. The National Council for Home Security and Safety ranked Penn Township in Westmoreland County as the...
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation Night of Assists sparkles with disco themeVideo
Instead of Saturday Night Fever, it was Wednesday Night Fever at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation hosted its third annual “Night of Assists” on Wednesday. This year’s theme? “The Pens Disco.” Presented by Highmark, the arena was transformed to the 1970s, complete with disco balls and...
Police: Accused heroin dealer scuffles with Pittsburgh cops trying to arrest him
Two plainclothes Pittsburgh police officers said they got into a scuffle with a man during an arrest attempt in Homewood on Wednesday. The officers say they spotted Kelly Parker, 35, of Penn Hills selling drugs at about 3 p.m. in the 7200 block of Frankstown Avenue. They approached him to...
Authorities: Man driving drunk with toddler in car hit Pittsburgh police cruiser, other cars
A 43-year-old Sheraden man appeared drunk and was driving with a child in his SUV when he was stopped by police after a chase Wednesday evening through several East End neighborhoods, according to police. The girl wasn’t secured in a car seat, police said. She was evaluated at UPMC Children’s...
Westmoreland Bar Association to move in Greensburg, starts $900,000 renovationVideo
A new, larger and more functional headquarters for the Westmoreland Bar Association is expected to be operational this summer, officials said. Members and staff gathered Wednesday in downtown Greensburg to celebrate the lawyer organization’s $900,000 construction project to renovate a vacant building at the corner of Maple and Otterman streets...
Pennsylvania Senate President Joe Scarnati will not seek re-election
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati will not seek re-election, he told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. Scarnati, 58, a fifth-term Republican from Jefferson County in northwestern Pennsylvania, said he wrestled with the decision to step down after 14 years in a job steering a Republican...
CDC to send University of Pittsburgh coronavirus samples for vaccine research
A University of Pittsburgh laboratory soon will tackle researching a possible vaccine against COVID-19 — the newly named disease caused by the coronavirus outbreak that surfaced in Wuhan, China, late last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the University of Pittsburgh’s requests to be among U.S. academic...
Disease warriors tasked to fight misinformation about coronavirus
A global storm of online posts about the coronavirus virus prompted public health experts to fight a war on two fronts — one against the respiratory virus that surfaced in Wuhan, China, late last year, and a second one against a sea of misinformation about it. Officials from the World...
AG William Barr agrees to testify as Democrats question his leadershipVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr has agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee next month, appearing for the first time before the panel as questions swirl about whether he intervened in the case of a longtime ally of President Donald Trump. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.,...
Pittsburgh councilmen seek CMU funding, assistance to break down racial barriers
Two Pittsburgh City Council members reached out to Carnegie Mellon University on Wednesday seeking financial and staff contributions for their efforts to combat racism in the city. R. Daniel Lavelle and Ricky Burgess, council’s two black representatives, asked for money along with faculty, staff and student participation in the city’s...
Heinz History Center accumulating properties for future expansion
The Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh’s Strip District continues to accumulate properties on Penn Avenue for a future expansion that could include a history-themed hotel, according to its top official. Andy Masich, the center’s president and CEO, said the organization in December purchased the former Sushi Kim Korean...
UPMC, Paris Cleaners settle with 6 families of fungal infection victims
UPMC and its linen supplier, Paris Cleaners Inc., have finalized a settlement agreement with six plaintiffs in a yearslong lawsuit in connection with a fatal mold crisis in 2014 and 2015 that prompted a federal investigation. Documents filed with the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on Tuesday indicate that...
Defense attorney disputes forgery charges as case proceeds against Gary Van HornVideo
The case involving the former leader of a Pittsburgh LGBTQ advocacy group accused of billing himself as an emergency responder and providing forged documents to authorities will proceed to Allegheny County Common Pleas court, a district judge ruled Wednesday. Gary Van Horn’s attorney said his client didn’t commit a crime...
Missing kayaker identified as former Armstrong County woman
A woman who went missing while kayaking in West Virginia on Sunday was identified by authorities Wednesday, but crews said they have been unable to recover her body because of water conditions. West Virginia Natural Resources Police identified the woman as Jamie Gray, 41, of Hacker Valley, W.Va. Gray’s personal...
In rare move, judge in Wilkinsburg mass shooting trial allows detective’s testimony to be heard again
Jurors in the 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting trial ended a second day of deliberations without reaching a verdict — but not without seeking more details about a police detective’s testimony. The jurors — six men and six women — asked the judge to hear again about inconsistent statements made by...
Building condemned following tractor-trailer, train collision in Blawnox
A classic car warehouse owned by Tower Auto was condemned Feb. 12, a day after piles of rebar spiraled into the building as a result of a train wreck in Blawnox. The driver of a tractor-trailer narrowly escaped injury when the train hit the truck about 11 a.m. at the...
