Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1566
Greensburg police ask for help identifying burglary suspect
Greensburg police are asking the public’s help identifying a suspect in a burglary Saturday in the city’s Northmont area. An unknown suspect reportedly burglarized a residence during the morning hours and fled in a Subaru SUV. Police described the burglar as a white male about 5 feet 5 inches tall...
Storm to bring 1 to 5 inches of snow, dangerous travel conditions to Western Pa.
A storm set to strike early Saturday is expected to slather Western Pennsylvania’s roads with a mix of ice and rain and dump 1 to 5 inches of snow, prompting officials to warn of potentially dangerous travel conditions. A winter weather advisory is in effect for much of the region...
Virginia’s highest court upholds weapons ban at gun rally
RICHMOND, Va. —Virginia’s highest court on Friday upheld a ban on firearms at an upcoming pro-gun rally in the state’s capital, an event that authorities feared could erupt in violence at the hands of armed extremists. The Virginia Supreme Court’s decision came a day after gun-rights groups sued to overturn...
Police chief: Arnold, New Kensington homicides not connected
Two killings within about 24 hours of each other in New Kensington and neighboring Arnold do not appear to be connected, according to Arnold police Chief Eric Doutt. New Kensington police are searching for who shot and killed Anthone Williams, 31, of Arnold early Wednesday evening in a vacant part...
Jury selection in Wilkinsburg mass slaying case suffers another setbackVideo
Another juror selected to hear the 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting case was excused Friday, the second to be let go before jury selection has even ended. The man chosen Wednesday as juror No. 10 was excused by Judge Edward J. Borkowski. The man, an architect, was excused because of “work...
2 people injured in Lower Burrell crash
One person was flown and another taken by ambulance to local hospitals after being injured in a crash in Lower Burrell. Westmoreland County dispatchers said a car and a motorcycle collided along the 2700 block of Leechburg Road shortly before 5 p.m. Friday. No other injuries were reported, and the...
Voters could have chance to put term limits on county council members
Allegheny County Council will consider an ordinance that would allow voters to place term limits on members of the legislative body. At present, council members are elected for four-year terms but without term limits. Councilman Nick Futules, D-Oakmont, plans to introduce the ordinance at council’s Tuesday meeting. If passed by...
Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program faces persistent pot shortages
Pennsylvania doesn’t have enough marijuana to go around. Product shortages have plagued medical marijuana dispensaries across the state for months. Dry leaf marijuana has been especially hard to come by. “It’s so sad: I’ll put out two strains in the morning and by 12 o’clock or 1 p.m., they’re gone,”...
3 injured in tanker truck explosion inside garage near New Stanton
Three people were reportedly burned Friday in a tanker truck explosion inside an East Huntingdon garage, Westmoreland County 911 said. The explosion occurred about 4:25 p.m. at 1528 New Stanton-Ruffsdale Road near New Stanton. Evening commuters headed south on Interstate 70 around 5 p.m. could see the smoke plume from...
Police seize 13,000 packets of heroin in Troy Hill house drug bust
Police arrested a North Side man after seizing more than 13,000 small packets of heroin, ecstasy pills and a large amount of cash from a house in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood, officials said Friday. Detectives from the bureau’s drug trafficking squad served a search warrant at about 11 a.m. Thursday...
Artist unveils new Mac Miller mural on Pittsburgh’s North SideVideo
The peeling russet paint in the neck tattoo of the late rapper Mac Miller is the perfect piece of reality in a new mural honoring him at the intersection of James and East Ohio streets on Pittsburgh’s North Side. A flurry of events around the recent release of Miller’s posthumous...
State police seek missing Ruffsdale girl
State police are seeking a 13-year-girl who has been missing since 9 p.m. Thursday. Lainey Ucman was last known to be in the area of Story Frye Road off Route 981 in South Huntingdon, police said. She may be driving a white hatchback-style 2017 Ford Focus. The car has a...
Youngwood tattoo artist arrested after sheriff’s deputies find suspected LSD in shop
When Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies went looking last month for the subject of an arrest warrant, they found suspected LSD instead at a Youngwood tattoo parlor, according to court papers. Deputies on Friday arrested the tattoo artist Ulises F. Osorio, 30, of Hempfield, on drug and related offenses. Investigators said...
Animals adjust to cold weather at Pittsburgh zooVideo
Some of us do better than others in the cold weather. The same holds true for animals, whether in the wild or in captivity. “All our animals at the zoo have temperature parameters for exhibition,” Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium zookeeper Henry Kacprzyk told AccuWeather. “We have a wide variety...
Tree of Life congregation warns of scam email
Tree of Life–Or L’Simcha leaders are warning of a scam email that seems to play on the continued wish to help the congregation scarred by violence. The congregation posted to its Facebook and Twitter pages that a phishing email appearing to come from “Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers” has been circulating....
Jury in Jeannette slaying rejects twin defense, finds Penn Hills man guilty of murderVideo
A Westmoreland County jury wasted little time in rejecting a man’s claim that his identical twin was the shooter in a brazen daylight murder in downtown Jeannette. Jurors deliberated about two hours before finding Darrelle Tolbert-McGhee of Penn Hills guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Michael Wilson, a...
Propane tanks explode during fire at Upper Burrell home
A house along Lincoln Boulevard in Upper Burrell was heavily damaged by fire late Friday morning. The fire at 123 Lincoln Blvd., which runs parallel to Route 366, was reported at 11:21 a.m., according to a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher. Upper Burrell fire Chief Bryan Fitch said flames and smoke...
Police: Pair dumped mother cat, 4 kittens at Hempfield shopping plaza
A Southwest Greensburg man and woman are accused by police of dumping a mother cat and four kittens behind a shopping plaza in Hempfield. Samantha Talley Smith and Corey William Seabol, both 26, are charged with cruelty to animals and neglect of animals. Seabol faces additional citations of driving while...
How Prohibition shook Pittsburgh 100 years ago, and how alcohol still flowedVideo
Luigi Lamendola had one of those colorful gangster nicknames. He was known as “Big Gorilla” because he stood 5-foot-8 and weighed 224 pounds. Few called him that to his face because he was a brute and a bully. On a May evening in 1927, Lamendola came to the doorway of...
Here’s how to purchase Mega Millions, Powerball tickets online
Don’t want to leave your house when you realize you forgot to buy tickets for the big drawing? Now you don’t have to. Pennsylvania Lottery officials on Friday announced that Mega Millions and Powerball tickets can now be purchased online. The purchases can be made through PA Lottery’s iLottery platform....
U.S. Steel hit with $740K in fines over pollution control, other violations
The Allegheny County Health Department has issued $743,625 in fines to U.S. Steel related to air pollution control and permit violations that occurred at the Clairton Coke Works facility last year, according to a statement from the health department Friday. This is the first round of fines that will be...
2020 Country Megaticket announced for 9 shows at S&T Bank Music Park
The 2020 Country Megaticket will offer country music fans one ticket to each of nine summer concerts at S&T Bank Music Park. The Megaticket, presented by the Burgettstown venue and Live Nation, will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Jan. 24 at megaticket.com. The 14th year of...
Police: Youngwood pair left behind 3 cats, turtle, bearded dragon at apartment
Two former Youngwood residents are accused of leaving behind three cats, a bearded dragon and a turtle when they abandoned a borough apartment, according to police. Emily Elizabeth Cisar and Jeffrey Andrew Houston, both 26, are charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and related offenses. Houston faces an additional charge...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Jan. 17-19Video
Depending on your holiday/travel plans, this week may have been the first full work week since sometime last year. It’s not easy getting back into that full-time production mode. Luckily, the weekend looms for most of us. Get out and hear some music, get some culture, maybe even dare your...
New data shows Pittsburgh commuters have it pretty easy
Pittsburgh commuters using public transportation have shorter trips and fewer transfers compared with some of the largest cities in the country, according to a report released this week by trip-planning app Moovit. The average one-way commute on public transportation in and around Pittsburgh is 38 minutes, and more than half...
