Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1660
Cosby ‘doing very well’ on 1-year prison anniversary, determined to continue appeal, spokesman says
Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby, once known as “America’s Dad,” marked his one-year prison anniversary touting his new paternalistic role behind bars, his spokesman said Wednesday. “He’s doing very well regarding this unwanted anniversary,” spokesman Andrew Wyatt told the New York Daily News. “I just ended a visit with him. He...
Gabby Barrett returns to Pittsburgh with Toby Keith tourVideo
Gabby Barrett has Pittsburgh in her heart. The “American Idol” finalist and Munhall native is busy making a name for herself in Nashville and traveling all over the country for concert dates – and she’s still thinking about her hometown. Even in the lyrics of her latest song, “The Good...
New security protocol at Penn Hills School District prohibits visiting except for school business
People without a purpose – such as picking up or dropping off students, or have a scheduled visit – should stay off of Penn Hills School District property during school hours, according to a recent security change. Superintendent Nancy Hines said similar security measures were implemented at the Bill Fralic...
Allegheny County Board of Elections chooses voting system vendor
The Allegheny County Board of Elections voted Wednesday to move forward with contract negotiations with the vendor Elections Systems & Software (ES&S) to purchase new voting equipment for the county. The system will cost about $10.5 million — the cheapest of the four options offered by ES&S. The county is...
2 Indiana area volunteer firefighters charged in arson at Amish furniture store
Two Indiana County volunteer firefighters have been jailed for allegedly setting fire to an Amish furniture store about 15 miles north of Indiana — one of a string of 11 suspicious fires in that region since August 2018, state police said Wednesday. Nicholas Leone, 22, of Creekside, and Dylan Dalessio,...
Sen. Bob Casey labels Trump call ‘a textbook abuse of power’
Calling President Trump’s request that the Ukrainian president investigate former Vice President Joe Biden “a textbook case of abuse of power,” Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, on Wednesday called on his colleagues to hold the president accountable and came out firmly in support of a formal House impeachment inquiry. Speaking to...
Mailman injured when postal truck rolls on its side in Harrison wreckVideo
A mail carrier was inside a Postal Service truck that was shoved onto its side in a crash Wednesday afternoon in Harrison. The mailman, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital for treatment of a head injury. Police said the mailman had just climbed back inside of the...
In first-of-its-kind move, counselors assist patients while Fayette County doctor is arrestedVideo
Alongside local police and federal agents raiding Dr. Emilio Ramon Navarro’s Fayette County office on Monday were drug and alcohol counselors helping patients find alternatives as their doctor was arrested on federal charges. It’s the first time such a rapid-response team has been deployed during the arrest of a medical...
Beto O’Rourke pushes gun control, health care, immigration reform in PittsburghVideo
It’s been more than 20 years since Beto O’Rourke last visited Pittsburgh. But the former Texas congressman seemed right at home Wednesday on the University of Pittsburgh campus in Oakland as he stopped to snap selfies with students who greeted him by name and to answer their questions about his...
Jeannette man charged in deadly stadium shooting ‘acted in self-defense,’ attorney saysVideo
The lawyer for a Jeannette man charged with the shooting death of another man this month outside McKee Stadium in the city said his client acted in self-defense. At a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Jeannette District Judge Joseph DeMarchis ordered Greg Harper, 40, held for court on charges of criminal homicide...
Feds indict alleged supplier in South Side overdose deaths
A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted a California man accused of distributing the fentanyl mixture police say killed three men found in a South Side apartment Sunday. The seven-count indictment against 25-year-old Peter Rene Sanchez Montalvo includes one charge of possession with intent to distribute narcotics and six counts...
L.A. doctor who performed Ben Roethlisberger’s surgery has Western Pa. roots
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger underwent surgery for an elbow injury in Los Angeles on Monday, but his care was still in the hands of a Steelers Country native. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache of the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan Jobe Institute — surgeon to celebrities, professional athletes and a...
DA Zappala holds firm on misdemeanor charges in Pittsburgh gas station fightVideo
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said Wednesday he isn’t bowing to political pressure to file more serious charges against the men caught on video beating two women at a gas station in Pittsburgh’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. “The evidence, based on what I saw, doesn’t support aggravated assault,” Zappala...
2 Harrison girls facing juvenile arson charges stemming from Save-A-Lot fire
Two Harrison girls will be sent to juvenile court for allegedly setting part of a Harrison loading dock on fire Sept. 2. The girls, ages 12 and 13, caused less than $1,000 in damage to a rear loading dock of the former Save-A-Lot in Heights Plaza. Citizens Hose Fire Chief...
Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez held without bail on child sex charges in Westmoreland CountyVideo
Suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez arrived at a Westmoreland County courtroom Wednesday and shook hands with a district judge before being arraigned on child sex allegations. The Venezuela native wore dark frame glasses, a blue jail uniform and had his hands cuffed in front of him. An interpreter translated...
Police investigating after bullet discovered in cafeteria at Pine-Richland High School
Pine-Richland School District activated its safety response team Sept. 25 after a single, nine-millimeter bullet was found in the cafeteria at Pine-Richland High School. The bullet was found by a student and given to a staff member who shared it with the building administration. According to a post on the...
A Few Bad Apples is spoiling Pittsburghers with their delicious hard cider
As a kid, Mike Sturges was urged by his mother to set up a roadside stand and sell apples from his parents’ Gibsonia property. When his first-grade teacher stopped to buy some, Sturges was too embarrassed to sell her any. The fruit didn’t meet stereotypical schoolhouse standards: It was blemished...
Iowa State fan raises $1 million for children’s hospital with beer money sign
Carson King, a 24-year-old Iowa State fan from Altoona, Iowa, became famous last week after he and his hand-written sign made a cameo on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” “Busch Light supply needs replenished,” read his sign, which provided a Venmo account to send money to. He thought he’d gets some laughs...
International priests now make up 25% of those serving in Greensburg diocese
A quarter of the Catholic priests serving in the Diocese of Greensburg now come from outside the United States, mostly from the Philippines. Five new international priests arrived over the summer, bringing the number to 20, according to the diocese. Four are Filipinos awaiting pastoral assignments after completing a time...
Hempfield casino construction expected to start soon
Construction is expected to begin soon on a new mini casino at Westmoreland Mall, with a predicted opening date of mid-to-late summer 2020, according to Doug Harbach, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Slated for the former Bon-Ton store at the Hempfield shopping mall, Live! Casino Pittsburgh will feature...
Police make another arrest in Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller’s death
Police in Arizona arrested a man Tuesday in connection with the death of Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller. The Arizona Republic reported Ryan Reavis, 36, of Lake Havasu City was arrested Tuesday, and police said a search of his home yielded a prescription pad, prescription pills, drug paraphernalia and marijuana. The...
Gas leak that forced evacuation of New Kensington vo-tech school to be investigatedVideo
The state’s Public Utility Commission said it will investigate a gas line break Wednesday in New Kensington that forced the evacuation of a school. Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center was evacuated in the morning and closed for the rest of the day after work crews ruptured a natural gas...
Memo: Trump prodded Ukraine leader to investigate Biden
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump repeatedly prodded Ukraine’s new leader to work with Rudy Giuliani and the U.S. attorney general to investigate Democratic political rival Joe Biden, according to a rough transcript summarizing the call released Wednesday. In the call, Trump raised unsubstantiated allegations that the former vice president sought...
Dinosaur helps sell house in Pittsburgh’s Stanton HeightsVideo
Sometimes, when selling a house, a little help is a good thing. Of course, in the case of a home in Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood, it’s more of a “big” help. Like dinosaur-size. OK, so it’s not a real dinosaur. It’s just someone in an inflatable T-Rex costume. And it’s...
Trump says impeachment drive a plus, but he tweets with fury
NEW YORK — Fifty-eight floors above Manhattan, President Donald Trump watched his legacy change and his political future grow more uncertain. The president, back in his hometown of New York for the U.N. General Assembly, was taking “executive time” at his Trump Tower penthouse late Tuesday afternoon when Speaker Nancy...
