Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1563
Republicans reject subpoenas as impeachment debate goes on
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate plunged into President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial on Tuesday with Republicans abruptly abandoning plans to cram opening arguments into two late-night sessions and Democrats arguing for more witnesses to expose Trump’s “trifecta” of offenses. The turn of events was a setback for Republican Senate leader...
Top Picks From the Wine Cellar: PLCB now offers free shipping
Imagine purchasing top-notch wines online and then enjoying prompt, free shipping directly to either your home or business on a routine basis. Impossible, you say? Not if you live in Pennsylvania and spend at least $99 at FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s ecommerce website. Consumers may also directly ship...
McConnell backs off, abruptly eases some Trump trial rules
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate plunged into President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial on Tuesday with Republicans abruptly abandoning plans to cram opening arguments into two late-night sessions and Democrats arguing for more witnesses to expose Trump’s “trifecta” of offenses. The turn of events was a setback for Republican Senate leader...
Driver of Port Authority bus in fatal Oakland crash placed on paid leave
The driver of the Port Authority of Allegheny County bus that struck and killed a University of Pittsburgh student over the weekend was placed on paid leave while the crash is investigated, officials said Tuesday. “The operator involved in this incident will not be driving until the completion of the...
$200 million settlement proposed in Scaife litigation
The son and grandchildren of Richard Mellon Scaife and his estate have agreed to a $200 million settlement of claims against the trustees of a 1935 trust fund. A petition to approve the agreement was filed Tuesday in Allegheny County Orphans’ Court. Scaife was the owner and publisher of the...
Allegheny County Council to revisit civilian police review board proposal
Allegheny County Council once again will review an ordinance to create a county-wide civilian police review board. DeWitt Walton, a Democrat from the Hill District representing District 10, reintroduced the ordinance at Tuesday’s council meeting. “The obligation of council is to provide equity, and justice, for all residents of the...
Pickup truck overturns on Pennsylvania Turnpike near I-376 in Monroeville; no one injured
A pickup truck overturned Tuesday night on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Interstate 376 in Monroeville, spurring a traffic backlog for several miles in each direction. No one was seriously injured, a Turnpike Operations Center spokesman said. The report of the crash came in at about 5:20 p.m. in the westbound...
3-vehicle crash snarls traffic on Route 28 near Highland Park Bridge; 1 injured
One person was injured in a three-vehicle crash that snarled traffic on Route 28 near the Highland Park Bridge exit during Tuesday’s evening commute, officials said. Emergency dispatchers received a report of the crash in the highway’s southbound lanes near Aspinwall at about 5:20 p.m., an Allegheny County 911 shift...
Leechburg wants to honor military veterans with banners
Leechburg is joining other Alle-Kiski Valley communities in honoring their veterans and active military service members with banners. A three-person committee that includes Mayor Wayne Dobos has been working on the “Hometown Hero” banner program since last year. The other community members are Doreen Smeal and Debbie Canzano. The banners...
Police: 14-year-old Avonmore girl was high when she led police on chase
A 14-year-old Avonmore girl is accused of being high on drugs Monday morning when she took her mother’s car and led Gilpin police on a high-speed chase before crashing, according to police. Gilpin police Chief Chris Fabec did not identify the girl but said she faces juvenile charges including reckless...
3 more alternate jurors still needed in Wilkinsburg mass shooting case
Attorneys selected their second alternate juror Tuesday to hear the upcoming death penalty case against two men charged in connection with the 2016 mass shooting in Wilkinsburg. Nineteen jurors were interviewed, and 16 were excused or expressed a bias in the case. The trial against Cheron Shelton, 32, and Robert...
Powerball ticket worth $1M sold in Washington County
A Pennsylvania Powerball Lottery player in Washington County won $1 million in Saturday’s drawing, lottery officials said. The ticket matched all five white balls drawn, 20-24-38-56-68, but not the red Powerball 18, to win $1 million, less applicable withholding. The Sheetz store at 300 Racetrack Road in North Strabane, near...
Pittsburgh council proposes control of funding generated by parks tax
Revenue from Pittsburgh’s controversial parks tax would be split evenly each year among the city’s nine council districts for park improvements under legislation proposed Tuesday by two city council members. The legislation sponsored by Anthony Coghill and Deb Gross received mixed reviews as other council members voiced concerns about an...
Alleged hazing incident in Greater Latrobe Junior High wrestling program under investigation
Greater Latrobe School District and state police are investigating an alleged hazing incident involving the junior high wrestling team. Superintendent Georgia Teppert said Tuesday she couldn’t comment on specifics of the investigation because of student privacy and personnel issues. The district is “taking all appropriate actions necessary,” has met with...
Highlands hires new principal for elementary school
Highlands Elementary School has a new principal. Stan Whiteman was hired at an annual salary of $108,000. His start date is not yet known, school board President Misty Chybrzynski said. Whiteman is coming to Highlands from the Duquesne City School District, where he was director of curriculum, instruction, assessment and...
Mom inspired to help others after son’s death at Pittsburgh youth football practice
The mother of the 13-year-old youth football player from Carrick who collapsed and later died after an August practice is working to start a rapid medical response team to monitor football practices and games so what happened to her son doesn’t happen to others. Jordan Duckett of Carrick died on...
Crane used to pull bus out of sinkhole to cost Pittsburgh $88,000
Pittsburgh officials said it could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for repairs and other costs associated with the giant sinkhole that opened up in October at 10th and Penn avenues in Downtown and swallowed the back end of a Port Authority bus. It is going to cost...
Police: Export man posted Snapchats of nude teen girl
Murrysville police are seeking an Export man accused of posting video of a nude 16-year-old girl to Snapchat. Clement Chitambo Jr., 21, was charged Jan. 14 by police with two counts of sexual abuse of children and one count of criminal use of a communication device. All three are felonies....
Watch live: Sen. Mitch McConnell abruptly eases impeachment limitsVideo
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell abruptly eased his restrictive proposed rules for President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial , backing off the condensed two-day schedule to add a third for opening arguments after protests from senators, including Republicans. The trial quickly burst into a partisan fight at the Capitol...
5 Mt. Pleasant high school students, 1 recent graduate hurt in 2-vehicle crash
The day after five Mt. Pleasant Area High School students and a recent graduate were injured in a two-vehicle, head-on crash, Superintendent Timothy Gabauer on Tuesday said district officials met with four students who remained hospitalized. “They are all in good spirits and extremely concerned about one another,” Gabauer said....
Latrobe man charged with raping unconscious woman at New Year’s Eve party
A Latrobe man was arraigned Tuesday on charges of raping and sexually assaulting an unconscious woman at a New Year’s Eve party in Hempfield, state police said. Hunter J. Hoyle, 20, declined to comment as he was led from District Judge Mark Mansour’s office to be transported to the county...
What to watch for as Trump impeachment trial takes off
WASHINGTON — Senators like to float above messy politics in what’s known by some as the dignified “upper chamber,” home of Congress’ cooler heads and lofty rhetoric. But as a court of President Donald Trump’s impeachment, the Senate beginning Tuesday might seem more like the economy cabin of an oversold...
Mitch McConnell moves to speed up Senate impeachment trialVideo
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed Monday to significantly speed up President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, offering rules that would shoehorn opening arguments into a grueling four-day period of 12-hour days, meaning a major part of the nation’s third-ever presidential impeachment trial could wrap up by the weekend....
WPIAL reveals football conference alignment for 2020, 2021 seasons
The WPIAL has witnessed a decline in football attendance, so it took steps Monday to address those concerns. The board approved an updated conference alignment that keeps the six classification format preferred by 70% of schools, but also attempted to quiet complaints about unwanted travel. To make that happen, the...
Glenn Cannon, champion of public safety in Pittsburgh, dies at 71
Glenn Cannon, who helped found and build much of Pittsburgh’s public safety system — and then went on to serve at the state and national level — died Monday at the age of 71. Cannon, who was Pittsburgh’s public safety director from 1986 to 1992, never forgot the men and...
