Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1603
Part of Wood Street in Downtown Pittsburgh closed; bus stop location changed
Wood Street between Sixth and Liberty avenues will be closed until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday for film crews working in the area, the Port Authority of Allegheny County announced. The Nos. 39, 40 and 44 buses will bypass the stop at Wood Street and Sixth Avenue. During the closure, the buses...
Man dead in Peters fire; woman escapes home
A man died after suffering injuries in a house fire Monday evening in Peters, officials said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Robert Gries, 84. The fire was reported at about 5:20 p.m. at a home along Clara Lane, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Gries was...
Democratic presidential candidates coming to Pittsburgh for education forum
At least six Democratic presidential hopefuls plan to attend a nationally televised education forum in Downtown Pittsburgh next weekend, the event’s organizers said Monday. Confirmed candidates include Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer. Two more candidates are considering attending the forum, said Suzanne...
Cope named new president of New Kensington-Arnold School board
As he prepares to retire from his nearly 50-year teaching career, the new president of the New Kensington-Arnold School Board said he wants to be involved in the district’s schools as much as he can. “It’s an honor, it’s a duty, it’s a privilege,” John Cope said shortly after taking...
An Arnold staple, Fazio’s Pizza & Italian Food lives onVideo
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact reporter Madasyn Lee at mlee@tribweb.com. Fazio’s Pizza & Italian Food in Arnold is still...
Pittsburgh Mayor’s Office says funding dwindling for URA projects
The Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority is facing a tough financial future with less money coming in from the city and federal government each year for such funding priorities as affordable housing and small business development, city officials said Monday. Under Mayor Bill Peduto’s $608 million proposed budget for 2020, the...
Allegheny Health Network reports 10th straight quarter of positive earnings
Allegheny Health Network is on track to achieve its third consecutive year of positive earnings as the burgeoning nonprofit health system continues to expand across and beyond Western Pennsylvania, newly filed financial records show. “Our balance sheet is in the best financial position historically than it’s ever been,” Chief Financial...
2 taken to hospital after 2-car crash in Springdale Township
Two people were taken to a hospital after a two-car crash Monday in Springdale Township. Allegheny County emergency dispatchers said the crash happened around 5:10 p.m. in the 2800 block of Freeport Road near John & Gerry’s Fruit Market. Two people were cut from vehicles. It was not immediately known...
DEP, City of Jeannette again order closure of hemp facility
The City of Jeannette and the state Department of Environmental Protection have separately ordered a controversial hemp-drying facility in Jeannette to close. The DEP issued its order Monday, telling facility owner Patriot Shield to cease operation within 48 hours. The order prohibits the company from receiving, processing or storing hemp....
Nick J. Petrishen, owner of Nick Chevrolet in Tarentum, dies at 77
The night before he suffered a stroke that would ultimately take his life, Nick Petrishen Jr. went with his only son to see the movie “Ford v Ferrari.” “He really enjoyed it the whole time,” said his son Nick S. Petrishen, 50, of Natrona Heights. “The ironic part is the...
Budget hearing for Pittsburgh schools addresses mental health programs, state oversightVideo
Many residents who came to a public hearing Monday on the 2020 Pittsburgh Public Schools budget didn’t focus on the spending plan that includes a 2.3% rise in property taxes collected by the district, the first tax increase in five years. Instead, the bigger concern was the district’s spending on...
With a little help, 9 wins could get Steelers into postseason
Nine wins weren’t enough to get the Pittsburgh Steelers into the playoffs last year, ending a run of four consecutive trips to the postseason. Nine wins, however, could do the trick this year provided the Steelers get some help from teams playing the Tennessee Titans. By winning for the sixth...
Former Franklin Regional student pleads guilty in 2016 cyber attack case
A former Franklin Regional High School student pleaded guilty Monday to launching a cyber attack on the school’s computer network that disrupted servers at more than a dozen other local school districts and government offices. Police said Michaela G. King, 21, of Murrysville, was a high school senior in November...
Court denies new trial for man convicted of 2014 murder of East Liberty sisters
A state appeals court has denied a Pittsburgh man’s request for a new trial in the 2014 killing of two sisters who lived next door to him in East Liberty. Allen Wade, 48, is serving consecutive life sentences, one for each victim, plus three consecutive terms of 10 to 20...
Rostraver Walmart sells lottery ticket worth more than $1 million
A customer at the Walmart in Rostraver went home with more than just a turkey this Thanksgiving after purchasing a lottery ticket worth over $1 million. The Pennsylvania Lottery reported the win after the person, who was not immediately identified, purchased a Diamond Mine ticket, a $20 game that offers...
Charges dropped against key witness who testified against convicted police killer Rahmael HoltVideo
Prosecutors on Monday dropped criminal charges against a man they said provided key testimony against convicted cop killer Rahmael Sal Holt, just weeks after insisting no deal had been promised for his cooperation. Tavon Harper, 29, had been in custody since his arrest following the November 2017 fatal shooting of...
Carnegie GetGo sells jackpot Cash 5 ticket worth $800,000
A customer at a GetGo in Carnegie won $800,000 on Saturday after purchasing a jackpot-winning lottery ticket. The Pennsylvania Lottery reported that someone purchased a Cash 5 ticket at the gas station that matched all five of the winning numbers 05-07-15-24-26. The odds of matching five out of five numbers...
Hershey hockey fans set world record by tossing over 45,000 stuffed animals on iceVideo
If there’s one thing Hershey, Pa., does right it’s … well, it’s chocolate. But followed closely behind that is tossing stuffed animals onto a hockey rink. If you’ve never experienced the Teddy Bear Toss first-hand or even seen it on video, it’s an incredible sight to behold. The idea is...
Fans ‘bonkers’ for ‘Pittsburgh finished it’ shirts
Pittsburgh Steelers fans asked for it, so Dan Rugh delivered. He whipped up a T-shirt design boasting: “Pittsburgh finished it,” and put it up for sale after the Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. “Who am I to keep them from having the shirt that they wanted?” said Rugh,...
Terrelle Pryor’s girlfriend, charged with attempted homicide, remains in jail without bail
A Munhall woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend, former NFL player and Jeannette football star Terrelle Pryor, during a fight Saturday remains in the Allegheny County Jail without bail, according to court records. Shalaya Briston, 24, is charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault. Pryor, 30, is charged with simple...
Chef Justin Severino opens pop-up ‘Salty Bits’ in Strip District
What began as monthly subscription packages of artisanal salumi handmade in Pittsburgh will expand into a pop-up retail location for chef Justin Severino. He intends to open a brick-and-mortar version of Salty Pork Bits, the digital company selling his charcuterie nationwide. The shop will be open on select days at...
Officer injured while ejecting fan from Heinz Field
An Allegheny County sheriff’s sergeant was injured while trying to eject a McKeesport man from Heinz Field on Sunday during the Pittsburgh Steelers game. Elvis Matejcic, 47, got into an argument with the officer after he was told to leave the Champions Club shortly before 2 p.m., according to a...
Smithfield Street Bridge reopens after barge hits span overnight
The Smithfield Street Bridge was closed for several hours overnight after a barge slammed into the structure, according to authorities. The incident was reported around midnight, according to Allegheny County officials, who said there were no injuries or obvious damage to the structure. The bridge between Downtown and the...
‘Misfits’ are anything but in this New Kensington kitchenVideo
A free class for teens is what’s cookin’ at The United Presbyterian Church of New Kensington. A new program dubbed “Misfits Cooking Class for Teens” launched in June, offering hands-on culinary experiences for teens age 13-17 in the church kitchen. “I believe one can make something good to eat out...
Look-alike Oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl worries officials
Reducing the number of legitimate painkiller pills being sold illegally on the street is having an unintended consequence: Mexican drug cartels are now shipping potentially lethal look-alikes that mimic oxy but contain fentanyl. Oxycodone can come in the form of a blue 30-milligram pill that is among the most popular...
