Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1569
Pittsburgh councilman proposes bill that would outlaw ‘hateful activities’
Pittsburgh employees and elected officials would face penalties including censure, suspension, termination and fines if found guilty of “hateful activities” under an amendment to the city’s code of conduct introduced in City Council on Tuesday. Councilman Ricky Burgess of North Point Breeze sponsored the bill, calling it his next step...
Former Penn State football player files hazing lawsuit against James Franklin, other players
A former Penn State football player has filed a civil lawsuit against coach James Franklin, the university and a current player, alleging that he was hazed and harassed while with the team. Isaiah Humphries alleges in the suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania,...
Jason Momoa film sends helicopters over Pittsburgh skyline
No need to look skyward in Pittsburgh any time soon, in hopes of making a Jason Momoa sighting. Helicopters that residents and motorists may have spotted flying or hovering over the city on Sunday night were part of the local filming for the actor’s new Netflix film, “Sweet Girl,” said...
Motorists identified in Route 28 crash near Harrison
Suspected serious injuries resulted from a Monday afternoon collision just south of the Harrison exit on northbound Route 28, state police said. Two Armstrong County people were inside a Chevrolet Camaro that veered into the right lane, hit a guardrail and then was driven back into the left lane at...
Build-A-Bear to add Baby Yoda to its lineup
How much cuter can Build-A-Bear get? Amirite? Here are two words: Baby Yoda. According to a report from Business Insider, the stuffed animal company will begin offering kids (and, we’re guessing, tons of adults) the opportunity to build their very own mini green character from DisneyPlus’ megahit series “The Mandalorian.”...
Penguins’ Sidney Crosby: ‘I’m playing tonight’Video
In an NHL landscape where the only information less-than-forthcoming coaches usually give out is the half of the body on which an injury occurred, it’s sometimes best to go straight to the source for an update. So, Sidney Crosby, how’s that recovery from a core muscle injury coming along? “Yeah,...
Sheriff: Pittsburgh man who slipped constable’s custody arrested after 6-hour manhunt
A Pittsburgh man is in Allegheny County Jail after he escaped Monday from a constable who was taking him to jail on parole violations, according to the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office. Robert Logsdon, 22, was taken into custody early Tuesday morning at his girlfriend’s home in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood, according...
Budget airline Allegiant adds routes from Pittsburgh to Tennessee, Virginia
Budget airline Allegiant plans to add three nonstop destinations out of Pittsburgh International, the airport announced. The Las Vegas-based carrier will add seasonal routes from Pittsburgh to Nashville, Memphis and the Norfolk area beginning in May, according to Bob Kerlik, vice president of media relations for the Allegheny County Airport...
Pittsburgh’s new $1.7 million payroll system stumbles in debut
Pittsburgh’s new $1.7 million employee payroll system was touted as cutting edge for its electronic timekeeping capabilities, but city workers were wishing for the old manual system after the new one went awry during its debut at the beginning of the year. Union leaders said members complained of being shorted,...
Dish Network subscribers could lose WPXI if deal is not reached
WPXI-TV is warning viewers who use Dish Network as a cable provider they may lose the channel when their contract expires this week. The NBC-affiliate in Pittsburgh’s Summer Hill neighborhood warned of the potential changes on its website, stating that “Dish has refused to negotiate a fair deal that recognizes...
Elizabeth man pleads guilty to sabotaging railroad signals in Braddock, McKeesport
An Elizabeth man pleaded guilty to sabotaging railroad signals at multiple locations in Allegheny County, federal prosecutors said Monday. William Curry Brown, 26, admitted to removing and vandalizing equipment along CSX Transportation railroads in November 2017, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said. Brown’s guilty plea acknowledged the acts resulted in...
Report: Greensburg development snarled in red tape
Regulations governing construction and development in Greensburg are riddled with red tape, unnecessary complexity, redundancies and contradictions, according to a new city-commissioned report. The planning department wants to change that as soon as possible, planning director Jeff Raykes said. Greensburg hired planning consultant Denny Puko, who wrote a 25-page report...
Cybersecurity: Russians hacked company key to Ukraine scandalVideo
BOSTON — A U.S. cybersecurity company says Russian military agents successfully hacked the Ukrainian gas company at the center of the scandal that led to President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Russian agents launched a phishing campaign in early November aimed at stealing the login credentials for employees of Burisma Holdings, the...
Kennametal closes Carbidie plant in Hempfield; 60 jobs lost
Kennametal Inc. closed its Carbidie plant in Hempfield a few months earlier than it stated in its initial plant closing announcement last year. The plant along Arona Road closed at the end of last year, said Christina Sutter, a spokeswoman for the company, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh with corporate...
Pennsylvania orders gas well plugged in fight over methane
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration on Monday told Range Resources that it must fix a Marcellus Shale natural gas well “once and for all” that it maintains has leaked methane since 2011 and contaminated groundwater and streams in north-central Pennsylvania. Wolf’s Department of Environmental Protection in 2015 issued —...
Philadelphia man gets 6 to 12 years for raping 2 girls in Harrison
A Philadelphia man accused last year of sexually assaulting two girls in Harrison was sentenced to prison after accepting a plea bargain Monday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Willie James Porter III, 46, was sentenced to six to 12 years for rape of a child and five years of...
Jury selected in trial of Penn Hills man accused in deadly Jeannette shooting
Opening statements are expected to begin Tuesday in the murder trial of a Penn Hills man accused of killing a man in Jeannette. A 12-member jury and two alternates were seated Monday at the Westmoreland County Courthouse to hear evidence in the case against Darrelle Tolbert-McGhee, 30. He is charged...
Bill Cowher’s Hall of Fame nod a winner in his hometown of CraftonVideo
The 1.14 square miles of space that is Crafton felt much bigger Monday. Residents of former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher’s hometown beamed with pride as they discussed Cowher’s ascension into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. From the borough’s public library to Bob’s Barber Shop, they lauded the hometown...
United Methodists talk more about potential split over same-sex marriage, gay clergy
As Methodists in Western Pennsylvania consider the future of their denomination, a group that has proposed an amicable split explained the proposal in more detail Monday. Known as the “Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation,” the proposal allows for the formation of a new “traditionalist” Methodist denomination that would...
Scottdale man given house arrest in fatal crash involving crane truck in Pine
A 72-year-old Scottdale man accused of texting on a cellphone minutes before the 43,500-pound crane truck he was driving crashed into three other vehicles on Route 910 in Pine, killing a Sewickley man, reached a plea deal Monday. Charles Hunter will be on house arrest and probation for causing the...
2nd bankruptcy hearing canceled after no-show by Pittsburgh regatta promoter
The owner of a Ross company blamed for last year’s Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta cancellation and his attorney failed to show for a bankruptcy hearing Monday in federal court, prompting the hearing to be canceled. Rosemary C. Crawford, court-appointed bankruptcy trustee for LionHeart Event Group LLC, said she would file...
Design of AR-15 could derail charges tied to popular rifle
A subtle design feature of the AR-15 rifle has raised a technical legal question that is derailing cases against people who are charged with illegally buying and selling the gun’s parts or building the weapon. At issue is whether a key piece of one of America’s most popular firearms meets...
Men plead guilty in thefts of rare books from Carnegie Library
The two men accused of stealing and reselling more than $500,000 worth of rare books, maps and other artifacts from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh reached a plea deal Monday with prosecutors who agreed to drop most of the charges they faced. Still, the men could be sentenced to more...
Police seek man accused of removing welder, equipment from Unity store
State police in Greensburg are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who entered a farm supply store in Unity and left without paying for several hundred dollars worth of welding equipment. Troopers said the theft occurred Dec. 28 when a white male, wearing a denim shirt and...
10 jurors selected in Wilkinsburg mass shooting case
Attorneys on Monday selected two more jurors — Nos. 9 and 10 — to hear the case against two men charged in the 2016 mass shooting at a backyard cookout in Wilkinsburg. A younger white woman who works in social media marketing and a white man who is a teacher...
