Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1699
Woodstock: 3 days of peace and music that defined an era turns 50
BETHEL, N.Y. — Some come to remember, others to show reverence. A few find their way to the hallowed ground after decades of regret. All come to honor and pay respect to three days that transcended time and place, that pulled together the counterculture of the 1960s into a defining...
Texas, Ohio shootings worry but don’t scare away area shoppers
Last weekend’s mass shootings at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, and on a street in downtown Dayton, Ohio, haven’t stopped area residents from shopping at local retail centers. But it has made them more wary about what they may encounter in busy spaces where people congregate. “It makes you...
CMU study: Football players can still have brain damage from hits without concussionVideo
Football players can still experience brain damage from repeated hits to the head even if they don’t result in a concussion, according to a study released Wednesday involving researchers from Carnegie Mellon. The news comes as teams across the country prepare to begin their football seasons this month. The study,...
Trump, Clinton caught in fresh round of conspiracy theories after Epstein death
Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide Saturday morning in a federal jail launched new conspiracies online in a saga that has provided fodder for them for years, fueled by Epstein’s ties to princes, politicians and other famous and powerful people. Online theorists Saturday quickly offered unsubstantiated speculation — including some retweeted by...
Man found dead in Delmont after police tried to search house
A Delmont man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Saturday as police were attempting to search his home in connection with a sexual assault investigation, said Police Chief T.J. Klobucar. Investigators intended to look for weapons that 56-year-old Richard Franco was to have used during an alleged rape there on...
Pa. man dies in fall after trying to climb cell tower
State police say a man who tried to climb a 280-foot cellular tower in western Pennsylvania apparently slipped and plunged to his death. Police in Venango County say 55-year-old William Eugene Wall of Centerville was with family and friends at a campfire in Jackson Township early Thursday when he walked...
Incumbent Paul Zavarella of Plum gets Democratic Party nod for November ballot
Incumbent Paul D. Zavarella of Plum received the Allegheny County Democratic Committee’s nod to be on the November ballot for the District 8 county council seat. About 102 out of the district’s near 150 Democratic Party committee members voted in a special election Saturday. Committee Chairwoman Eileen Kelly said Zavarella...
Who, how of wildlife management in Pennsylvania mystery to most
The same problem faces wildlife management agencies across the country. And it’s one of relevance. According to a random, scientifically valid poll, more than half of Pennsylvanians, 52 percent to be exact, say they don’t know which agency is most responsible for managing wildlife in the state. By comparison, just...
Westmoreland County seeks bids for corpse transport contract
Westmoreland County is looking to hire a company to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week and be available to go anywhere in the county for a pickup. On the surface, it appears to be just another job for a transportation company. But it is highly...
Karma catches up with ketchup swiper; now Heinz is helping the thief
A condiment thief was so overcome with guilt that she returned two new bottles to the scene of the crime. Someone tried to shake off some bad luck by buying two fresh bottles of ketchup at Walmart and leaving them outside a Perkins Restaurant & Bakery in Lacey Township, New...
Dayton mass slaying victim Nick Cumer remembered in Washington, Pa. as hero
Elementary school teachers, high school friends, college fraternity brothers, family members and hundreds of others filled every free spot inside a Washington funeral home to say goodbye to a local man killed in a mass shooting last weekend in Dayton. “He just wanted to bring everybody together,” friend Mike Hammond...
Family saved by Jet-Skier after their stalled boat took on water near Tarentum
A family on a stalled boat in the Allegheny River near the Tarentum Bridge was pulled ashore by a Jet Skier when their vessel took on water Saturday afternoon. First responders were dispatched to the marina about 2:20 p.m. One of the passengers, who declined to give a name, said...
Western Pennsylvania Firemens Association convention underway in ArnoldVideo
Arnold firefighter Willie Weber believes his late father, Walter, would have enjoyed the return of a convention he helped organize for years. “My dad and I were chairmen of Tent City,” Weber said. “Technically, I’ve not missed a convention since 1960. When he stepped down, I took over. My dad...
2 injured in Washington Township motorcycle crash
Two people were airlifted to hospitals Saturday after a motorcycle rear-ended a pickup truck in Washington Township, according to police. The pickup truck was headed south on Route 66 at 1:30 p.m. when a helmet fell off a motorcycle traveling in front of him near Crestview Drive, police said. The...
Police: Greensburg sex offender kissed girl, 5, on forehead
A Megan’s Law sex offender is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail after Greensburg police said he kissed a 5-year-old girl on the forehead. Phillip Maxwell Griffin, 39, allegedly was living at an address that had not been verified by state police as required under Megan’s Law,...
Source: Jeffrey Epstein dies by suicide while awaiting trialVideo
NEW YORK — Financier Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in New York, a former law enforcement official said Saturday. He was found dead in his cell at the Manhattan Correctional Center Saturday morning, according to the officials, who was briefed on the matter but...
Greensburg police: Fighting women wield hammer, screwdriver in fight
Two Greensburg women embroiled in a dispute allegedly used a hammer and screwdriver on each other’s head, resulting in a trip to separate hospitals and assault charges for both, Greensburg police said. Frances L. Shaw, 56, and Crystal L. Shunk, 28, both of North Hamilton Avenue, were victim and assailant...
Armed man at Missouri Walmart says he was testing right to bear arms
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Prosecutors on Friday filed a terrorist threat charge against a 20-year-old man who said he walked into a Missouri store wearing body armor and carrying a loaded rifle and handgun to test whether Walmart would honor his constitutional right to bear arms. The incident, just days after...
Police: Gun found under Antwon Rose’s seat was stolen in Rankin
A handgun found in the car from which Antwon Rose II ran before an East Pittsburgh police officer shot and killed him was stolen, according to investigators. The gun was originally reported stolen out of Monroeville, but county police later determined it was stolen in Rankin, Allegheny County police Inspector...
Pittsburgh restoring historic tunnel in Highland ParkVideo
Raquel Staton said her walks along the trails of Pittsburgh’s Highland Park always included a trip through a historic pedestrian tunnel constructed during park’s early years. She always found it a little spooky walking through the stone arch tunnel that runs beneath Reservoir Drive. “I love that tunnel,” said Staton,...
Motorcyclist killed in Squirrel Hill tunnel crash
A motorcyclist was killed in a multi-vehicle crash inside the Squirrel Hill Tunnel on Friday. State police said the incident took place shortly after 10:15 a.m. The male biker struck the rear of a box truck and went underneath a flatbed semi-trailer being pulled by a truck tractor, police said....
Downtown Pittsburgh safety again in question after fatal stabbing
Lashaya Fields’ heart sank when she heard about a fatal stabbing Thursday at a bus stop in Downtown Pittsburgh. Fields, 24, of Wilkinsburg didn’t know the victim, Janice Purdue-Dance of Erie, but she often saw the 61-year-old around the Sixth Avenue bus stop. “She was a nice person, very religious,”...
Mass shootings give rise to bullet-resistant backpacks
NEW YORK — Companies like Guard Dog Security, TuffyPacks and Bullet Blocker are peddling bullet-resistant backpacks for children in time for the back-to-school shopping season. But critics argue they are using tragedy as a marketing opportunity and exploiting parents’ worst fears. Safety is high on the minds of parents, especially...
Pittsburgh mayor Peduto, state lawmakers call for vote on Pa. gun bills
Two Democratic state lawmakers say they are prepared to heed Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s call for a vote on more restrictive firearms regulations and added that leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature won’t allow that to happen. Republicans, however, have pointed to anti-violence laws they have passed and signaled a willingness...
Jeannette family honored after saving 5-year-old from drowning
Nicole Hall pumped the chest of her 5-year-old cousin after his body was pulled from the family’s Jeannette swimming pool this summer. After a minute and a half of compressions, the boy again started to breathe. “He was lifeless,” said family member Patty Hall, 55, who provided oxygen while Nicole...
