Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1666
Section of Shearer Road in Plum closed when car crashes into pole
Plum police are investigating a single-car crash Wednesday afternoon on Shearer Road. Firefighters said they responded to a call that a car had clipped a pole shortly before 4 p.m. in the 100 block of Shearer Road. No injuries were reported. Firefighters said the vehicle was towed and the road...
Police seek help from public, FBI to find accused East Liberty ‘serial bank robber’
Pittsburgh police are seeking help from the FBI and public to find an East Liberty man whom officials described as “a serial bank robber.” On Wednesday, authorities issued two warrants for the arrest of Shawn Stevens, 49. Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri said Stevens is accused of robbing two banks...
Police: Man still in critical condition after being shot multiple times in Arlington Heights
A man remained in critical condition Wednesday night after getting shot multiple times in Pittsburgh’s Arlington Heights neighborhood, police said. Police officers and medics responded to a report of gunfire in the 3100 block of Cordell Place shortly before 12:30 a.m., Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri said. They found a...
Prosecutors: Westmoreland judge should release juror names in Held case, as Trib asked
In a legal argument filed with the Pennsylvania Superior Court, state prosecutors contend a judge erred when he declined to immediately make public the names of jurors in the December public corruption trial of Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held. The Tribune-Review appealed a ruling from senior Common Pleas Judge Timothy...
Shaler man charged after infant daughter found with multiple fractures
A Shaler man is accused of assaulting his 4-week-old daughter, leaving her with multiple fractures all over her body, police said Wednesday. Jamie Easley, 40, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of endangering the welfare of children. The infant’s family took her to their primary...
Experts say former Three Rivers Regatta promoter unlikely to pay off creditors
Bankruptcy experts say creditors, including Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, are unlikely to receive any reimbursement for services from a former Three Rivers Regatta promoter who has filed to liquidate his company. LionHeart Event Group last week filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, contending it has between $500,000...
KFC tests chicken and doughnut sandwich in Pittsburgh regionVideo
Finger lickin’ good at Kentucky Fried Chicken is taking on a whole new meaning. KFC is testing — for a limited time — the public’s appetite for its fried chicken and glazed doughnut pairing in just two markets: Norfolk, Va., and the Pittsburgh region. On Wednesday, Leo Wozniak tried KFC’s...
Officials identify man killed in Edgewood explosion
Authorities on Wednesday identified a man killed in a house explosion and fire last week in Edgewood. John Evans, 59, was found in the rubble Saturday after fire crews put out the flames at the 318 Garland St. location. Police have said all signs point to suicide. A neighbor saw...
Allegheny County DA: Local prosecution of Antonio Brown unlikely
Local sexual assault allegations made against Antonio Brown, a former Pittsburgh Steeler, likely will not be prosecuted, a spokesman for District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said Wednesday. “Our office, along with the Allegheny County Police Department, made contact with counsel for the plaintiff in the federal lawsuit involving Antonio...
Study: Affordable Care Act dropped uninsured rates in Pa. to 6.5%
A new report shows the number of uninsured people in Pennsylvania declined by more than 5 percentage points under the health care reform of the Affordable Care Act. Conducted by the Urban Institute, the research examined national uninsured rates from 2013 through 2017, using U.S. Census Bureau data. Among the...
Victim advocate seeks statute of limitation input from abuse survivors
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro ignited a firestorm last year when he released his grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse and now lawmakers are learning just how hard it is to clear the smoke with regard to survivors. Pennsylvania Victim Advocate Jennifer Storm announced Wednesday she is seeking testimony...
Former Monongahela cop charged with on-duty sexual assault
A former Monongahela police officer has been charged with having unwanted sexual contact with a woman while he was on duty, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday. Dustin Devault, 47, of Monongahela, was charged with indecent assault, official oppression and obstruction based on the recommendation of a grand jury...
Trump says California can’t set fuel standards
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says his administration is revoking California’s authority to set auto mileage standards stricter than those issued by federal regulators. In a tweet, Trump said his move would result in less expensive and safer cars. He insisted that new cars would be cleaner, even as they...
Court papers detail child sex allegations against Pirates pitcher Felipe VazquezVideo
Felipe Vazquez, the jailed and suspended All-Star relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, had inappropriate sexual contact with a former Scottdale teen and exchanged explicit sexual messages with the girl for two years, state police in Greensburg detailed in court documents. Vazquez drove to the girl’s home in Scottdale in...
New Kensington’s Dattola Theater gets lifeline from business leaders
Three local business leaders on Wednesday announced their plan to buy the former Dattola Theater in downtown New Kensington. Corey Pistininzi, Sean Watson and Dante Cicconi, under the name “NK 50,” have an agreement to buy the Fifth Avenue theater from the city’s Redevelopment Authority. The purchase price is not...
Pennsylvania lawmaker in child porn possession case resigns
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker who is facing child pornography possession charges resigned Wednesday, just hours after his arrest spurred condemnation and calls for him to step down. Sen. Mike Folmer was charged late Tuesday by the state attorney general’s office after agents confronted him, saying they acted on...
Steelers ‘Friday Night Lights’ practice raises $21.5K for Latrobe school, community programsVideo
The annual “Friday Night Lights” Steelers practice held Aug. 2 at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium raised $21,510 for Greater Latrobe School District sports and student activities as well as several community programs. Athletic Director Mark Mears, who coordinates the event, noted the take — from gate receipts, concessions and about 200...
18-year-old charged in shooting death of teen in Duquesne Heights
An 18-year-old Duquesne Heights man is charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Sept. 8 shooting of a 16-year-old. The teen, Alexander Alman, died Sept. 9 at UPMC Mercy Hospital from a single gunshot wound. Michael Anthony Hartwick Jr., 18, was arrested Tuesday on charges of involuntary manslaughter and...
Philadelphia resident may have Pa.’s first 2019 human case of West Nile Virus
The first case of West Nile Virus infection in a person this year has been detected in a Philadelphia resident, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced Tuesday. Samples were being sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation, the department said. State residents are being urged...
Hospital admissions for opioid overdoses decline in Pennsylvania
A significant decrease in hospital admissions for opioid overdoses across Pennsylvania may have more to do with evolving treatment and the widespread availability of a lifesaving antidote than any major drop in drug abuse, experts said following the release of a report on overdose hospitalizations. Researchers at the Pennsylvania Health...
Pennsylvania lawmaker Michael Folmer facing child porn possession charges
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker is facing child pornography possession charges after authorities say a social media website told them the user had uploaded an image using its service. Sen. Michael Folmer, R-Lebanon, was charged after an investigation prompted by Tumblr, an electronic service provider, reported one of its...
Trump, in California, says cities ‘destroy themselves’ with homelessnessVideo
PALO ALTO, Calif. — President Donald Trump arrived in California late Tuesday morning amid growing questions over his administration’s plans to get involved in the state’s homelessness crisis. After a visit to the San Francisco Bay Area, the president landed at Los Angeles International Airport. Trump is in the state...
In 1976, Steelers turned to their backup QB — and he won 6 in a row
Now that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is officially out for the year, a good portion of Steeler nation and most media members believe the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season is over. The best the Steelers can hope for is an 8-8 record, the pundits say. But any student of Steelers history knows better....
No injuries reported in Rostraver mobile home blazeVideo
No injuries were reported Tuesday afternoon when a fire extensively damaged a mobile home in Rostraver. The fire occurred about 12:50 p.m. at the home along Knight Drive in the Port Royal Village, according to dispatchers. “The resident was able to get out of the home without any injury. The...
Report offers stark picture of inequalities by gender, race in PittsburghVideo
Black women in Pittsburgh are more likely to have a baby die during pregnancy than black women in most other cities in the country, according to a report released Tuesday. But that’s only one serious gender and racial inequality that exists among the city’s population. The 95-page “Pittsburgh’s Inequality Across...
