Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1579
Westmoreland’s first baby of 2020 arrives week earlier than expectedVideo
Serena Rose Spino came into the world a week earlier than expected — just in time to be Westmoreland County’s first baby born in 2020. She emerged at 6:29 a.m. New Year’s Day at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. Serena Rose, the daughter of James Spino, 31, and his...
Marathon mamas deliver the first babes of 2020 after laboring 24 hours or longerVideo
Born only seven minutes apart, the first two babies of 2020 in Pittsburgh took their sweet time to arrive as their first-time mothers labored for 24 hours or longer. Labor typically lasts an average of 12 to 24 hours for a first birth, according to WebMD.com. Erika Peoples and Kenneth...
David Stern, NBA’s commissioner for 30 years, dies at 77Video
NEW YORK — David Stern, the basketball-loving lawyer who took the NBA around the world during 30 years as its longest-serving commissioner and oversaw its growth into a global powerhouse, died Wednesday. He was 77. Stern suffered a brain hemorrhage Dec. 12 and underwent emergency surgery. The league said he...
Going, going, gone: Bill Mazeroski’s sports memorabilia a big hit at New Year’s Day auctionVideo
“Long ago, it must be,I have a photographPreserve your memories,They’re all that’s left you.”— Simon & Garfunkel, “Bookends” (1968) Hundreds of photographs, trophies, baseball bats, cases of baseballs, gloves, signed cards and jerseys from Bill Mazeroski’s 17-year Hall of Fame career as a Pittsburgh Pirate were sold on New Year’s...
South Side woman dies in Armstrong Tunnel crash
A woman died Wednesday in a single-vehicle crash inside Pittsburgh’s Armstrong Tunnel. Authorities identified the woman as Barbara Ann McMillin, 57, of the South Side, who died after she struck the side of the inbound tunnel at Second Avenue around 9:45 a.m. First responders could not revive her, and she...
7 shot at bar in West Virginia on New Year’s DayVideo
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — Seven people were injured in a shooting at a bar in West Virginia early New Year’s Day, police said. The shooting happened early Wednesday at the Kulture Hookah Bar in Huntington, interim Huntington Police Chief Ray Cornwell said in a news release. The statement said several...
Pittsburgh-area stations removed from cable providers
Some Pittsburgh-area cable subscribers expecting to view local television news won’t see it on WPXI-TV or Pittsburgh Cable News Channel — depending on who their provider is. In a statement released Wednesday, Cox Media Group, which owns WPXI, said that “after weeks of negotiations, Verizon has unexpectedly decided to remove...
Pittsburgh homicides hit lowest in 20 years
Homicides in Pittsburgh dropped by more than a quarter in 2019, the lowest the city has seen in more than two decades, according to data from city police and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Pittsburgh police reported 37 homicides citywide, down 29% from the 52 homicides in 2018. The...
First Night attendees in Pittsburgh enjoy New Year’s Eve eventsVideo
Thousands of people flocked to the streets of Pittsburgh’s 14-block Cultural District Tuesday for Highmark First Night Pittsburgh, an annual New Year’s Eve celebration hosted by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The night consisted of a long list of artistic and cultural events, including various art displays like the Dream Wall...
Cheers, tears, prayers for 2020: A new decade is ushered in
Revelers around the globe are bidding farewell to a decade that will be remembered for the rise of social media, the Arab Spring, the #MeToo movement and, of course, President Donald Trump. A look at how the world is ushering in 2020: ——— PARIS A joyful crowd of Parisians and...
As we enter a new decade, some Western Pa. things never change
MySpace, Nickelback, Vine, the Ravenstahl administration, hanging chads: all things that have come and gone since the Y2K meltdown turned letdown. Some things, however, are traditions — beloved staples (and not-so-loved annoyances) that remain constants in a chaotic world. Pittsburgh is steeped in them. Here are 10 Pittsburgh things that...
Kristin Buccigrossi: NFL, how could you honor Michael Vick?
My blood has been boiling for the past few weeks toward the NFL with its choice to honor Michael Vick as a captain at the Pro Bowl. While some say that time can heal all wounds and that people can learn from their mistakes, I do not believe that Vick...
Man found dead during SWAT situation in McCandless
A man was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head following a SWAT situation in McCandless, news partners WPXI-TV reported. West Ingomar Road in McCandless reopened Tuesday night after being closed for several hours due to incident. County dispatchers said the ordeal began around 3 p.m. and ended...
I-579 long-term ramp closures begin Saturday
Starting early Saturday morning, two Downtown Pittsburgh ramps to southbound I-579 will close for the next 140 days. The Bedford Avenue ramp and 7th Avenue ramp will be closed until May 23, according to PennDOT. The closures are part of the I-579 “Cap” Union Connector project on a mile-and-a-half stretch...
Butler man pleads guilty in child sex assault murder, faces 30 to 60 years
A 22-year-old Butler man pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 4-year-old boy so severely that the child died. In a plea bargain, Keith Jordan Lambing pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, aggravated assault and child endangerment in the 2017 case. The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 30 to 60...
Wilkinsburg man was shot 7 times by police, investigators say
Forty-three seconds elapsed from the start of the Dec. 22 pursuit of a Wilkinsburg man and the exchange of gunshots that led to his death by Wilkinsburg police, authorities said Tuesday. Romir Talley, 24, fired one round at an unidentified police officer, who returned fire, hitting Talley was hit seven...
Former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette building sold to Moon developer
A Moon company is planning to renovate the landmark Post-Gazette Building at the tip of Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle and build an office tower next to it, a company official said Tuesday. Lisa Hurm, the Post-Gazette’s vice president and general manager, confirmed the sale of its former headquarters at 34 Boulevard...
Editorial: 2020 promises wild ride
If 2019 seemed like a roller coaster, hurtling to the peak of one local, state, national or global event after another before veering wildly off in a different direction or plunging down to an unsatisfying resolution, well, buckle your seat belts, keep your hands and arms inside the car at...
2 more Pa. deaths reported as flu cases continue to increase
The past week saw another sharp increase in confirmed influenza cases across Pennsylvania and two additional flu-associated deaths, according to data released Tuesday by the state Health Department. As of the week ending Dec. 28, a total of 17,349 laboratory-confirmed flu cases have been reported this season. That’s up 56%...
Hilltop Alliance approved for grant to renovate 2 Pittsburgh buildings
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development has authorized a $41,000 grant for a Pittsburgh community group to improve two buildings it owns in the city’s Allentown neighborhood. State Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District, said in a statement that the money would go to the Hilltop Alliance, which last...
New Year’s Eve weather could prove tricky in Pittsburgh region
As if being out on New Year’s Eve doesn’t present enough challenges, the weather may make it a bit more difficult for revelers to get around the Pittsburgh area. Temperatures at or below freezing along with snow showers and gusty winds will require folks heading Downtown for First Night Festivities...
Overdose deaths in Westmoreland, Allegheny counties on course to drop againVideo
Drug overdose deaths in Westmoreland County appear to have dropped for the second year in a row. Through Dec. 1, 90 people died from drug overdoses in the county and 14 more cases are being investigated as overdose deaths, according to coroner statistics. Coroner Ken Bacha said he expects eight...
Remains of Korean War soldier from Pittsburgh confirmed
PITTSBURGH — Federal authorities said Monday the remains of an American soldier killed during the Korean War have been accounted for and will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that in August it verified the remains of Army 1st Lt. Robert C. Styslinger, 28,...
Cops: Argument over TV volume results in arrest of Unity man for assaulting father
An argument about the volume of an animated cartoon show on television resulted in the arrest of a Unity Township man this week for allegedly attacking his father. State police charged Johnathan W. Owens, 22, with harassment, reckless endangerment, simple assault and strangulation following the incident that occurred around 7:20...
Protesters attack U.S. Embassy in Baghdad after airstrikesVideo
BAGHDAD — Angered by deadly airstrikes targeting an Iran-backed militia, dozens of Iraqi Shiite militiamen and their supporters broke into the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday, smashing a main door and setting fire to a reception area in one of the worst attacks on the embassy in recent...
