Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1702
Martorano’s Prime steakhouse coming to Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino
A juicy steak will soon be a sure bet at Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino. Celebrity chef Steve Martorano plans to bring his high-end steakhouse Martorano’s Prime to the North Shore casino. The restaurant is scheduled to open later this year. “Pittsburgh is absolutely a foodie town, plus it has a strong...
Penn Irwin Motel site slated for development
A North Huntingdon developer wants to put retail shops at the site of the old Penn Irwin Motel along Route 30. Donald Tarosky Jr., a partner in Colony of Irwin, told North Huntingdon officials this week he intends to develop the old motel property in the same way a California...
‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette,’ filmed in New Kensington and Pittsburgh, coming to theatersVideo
After several delays, a movie filmed in New Kensington and other Pittsburgh-area locations two years ago is coming to theaters. ”Where’d You Go, Bernadette” is being released Aug. 16 but will hit area theaters — including Cinemark at the Pittsburgh Mills, AMC at the Waterfront in West Homestead, and Regal...
‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ piano finds harmony at Manchester Craftsmen’s GuildVideo
Many tunes were played on the special piano, and many more will be played in its future home. The 1987 Steinway B piano was the instrument of choice for renowned jazz musician Johnny Costa on the set of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” inside WQED Multimedia studios in Oakland. Unveiled Tuesday, it...
Bipartisan ‘red flag’ gun laws plan has support in Congress
WASHINGTON — Despite frequent mass shootings, Congress has proved to be unable to pass substantial gun violence legislation, largely because of resistance from Republicans. But a bipartisan proposal by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is gaining momentum following weekend mass shootings in Texas and Ohio that left...
Some skeptical as Trump prepares to visit sites of shootings
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is bringing a message aimed at national unity and healing to the sites of the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. But the words he offers for a divided America will be complicated by his own incendiary, anti-immigrant rhetoric that mirrors language linked to...
Tim Benz: Steelers fans will hate centennial list of Top 100 NFL teams
A lot of national outlets have spent a lot of time taking shots at the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. And many are predicting Baltimore or Cleveland will win the AFC North. Therefore, USA Today’s Nate Davis probably made a lot of friends in Western Pennsylvania when he predicted the Steelers...
800 men accuse Boy Scouts of America of sex abuse, lawyers say
About 800 men have come forward this year alleging they were sexually abused as boys by Boy Scouts of America leaders, a group of lawyers said Tuesday. The announcement at a news conference in Washington came a day after two Center City lawyers in the group filed a lawsuit in...
Plans being made for removal of Belvedere Hotel’s charred remains
State Rep. Joe Petrarca confirmed his office is leading efforts to kick off the cleanup of the charred, asbestos- laden remains of the Belvedere Hotel along Route 66 in Oklahoma Borough. A July 24 blaze swiftly destroyed the abandoned, almost 115-year-old hotel. The fire still is under investigation by state police....
Deferred repairs, budget cuts threaten Keystone, other state parks, officials sayVideo
If the Pennsylvania state budget were a dollar, the budget for the entire state park and forest system would be about half a penny. Marci Mowery, president of the Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation, used that example Tuesday to illustrate infrastructure and maintenance needs confronting the state Department of Conservation...
Census takers identifying hard-to-reach populations across Western Pa., country
Disconnected doubters, wary skeptics, eager engagers and head nodders — these are all ways Census Bureau officials describe people living in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Released in late June, the 2020 Census Predictive Models and Audience Segmentation report is helping officials create a plan for the once-a-decade survey that determines the amount...
Penn Hills teacher fatally shot by police in Shaler
A Shaler man was shot and killed by police at his home Tuesday during a domestic dispute call, authorities said. The deceased was identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office as Donald Babbit, 49. Penn Hills School District said Babbit was a high school math teacher in a statement...
Suicide suspected in Interstate 70 crash, bridge jump
A man who jumped off the Smithton Bridge on Monday likely committed suicide, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha. At 2:40 p.m., Brian Hayden, 39, of Monessen crashed a car he was driving westbound into a barrier on the bridge that carries Interstate 70 over the Youghiogheny River between...
Football, ribs, music combine at Heinz Field Rib Fest and Kickoff
Chomping on award-winning ribs and watching some football is not a bad way to spend a late-summer day. The 16th annual Heinz Field Rib Fest and Kickoff is Aug. 29 through Sept. 2 on the North Shore. The event features ribs and brisket vendors from all over the country. The...
Senators promote law to standardize gun denial notifications
Three days after a pair of mass shootings rocked the nation, a bipartisan coalition of U.S. senators is promoting legislation that would standardize procedures for gun license denials across the country. Pennsylvania is among 13 states that operate their own background checks on individuals attempting to purchase firearms using the...
Peduto, Moms Demand Action founder call for passage of gun lawsVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Tuesday called for Congress and the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass gun regulations — including a ban on military-style rifles — within 30 days. Standing with Shannon Watts, founder of the anti-violence group Moms Demand Action, Peduto said such action is long overdue, citing the...
New Stanton robbery suspect accused of spitting in jail guard’s face
A New Stanton man arrested in connection with a robbery spree last month was charged Tuesday for allegedly spitting in a guard’s face at the Westmoreland County Prison. Westmoreland County detectives said Anthony David Gillingham Jr., 31, spit in the male guard’s face when he was denied an extra blanket...
Ross fires officer charged with illegally using police computers
Ross commissioners Monday fired a township police officer charged with illegally using department computers to search internal files. Following a nearly two-hour closed-door session during its Aug. 5 meeting, the board voted 5-4 to terminate Officer Mark Sullivan, 39, an eight-year veteran of the Ross police department. Sullivan was charged...
Woman says Ohio gunman showed her Tree of Life shooting video on 1st date
An ex-girlfriend of the man who killed nine people in Dayton, Ohio, says he showed her a video of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting on their first date. Adelia Johnson said in an email to The Associated Press that she doesn’t know what would have caused him to open fire outside...
Pittsburgh Restaurant Week expands far and wide for summer edition
Turn off the oven, unplug the slow cooker and close the lid on the grill: It’s time to celebrate the Summer 2019 edition of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week. Brian McCollum, director of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week, has cooked up a lot of deals for what he calls the “most delicious time of...
Nobel laureate Toni Morrison dead at 88
NEW YORK — Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, a pioneer and reigning giant of modern literature whose imaginative power in “Beloved,” ”Song of Solomon” and other works transformed American letters by dramatizing the pursuit of freedom within the boundaries of race, has died at age 88. Publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced...
The Apple credit card is here
NEW YORK — The Apple credit card designed primarily for mobile use is here. Some iPhone users who requested a notification about Apple Card will get invites Tuesday to apply through Apple’s Wallet app. The company plans to expand sign-ups more broadly in coming weeks. The card, announced in March...
Trump’s America: Where politics dictate ‘racism’ definition
ERIE — It was the last morning of the workweek, and Scott Bremner, a popular talk-radio host, found himself — again — in the role of accidental referee on the issue of race. And again, the discussion was inspired by racial provocations from President Donald Trump. For one caller, critics...
Hundreds hold vigil at NRA headquarters for shooting victims
FAIRFAX, Va. — Hundreds of people held vigil outside the National Rifle Association’s headquarters in Virginia for the dozens slain in mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Gun control groups including March for Our Lives organized Monday’s “Vigil for Remembrance and Change,” which sought to honor the...
Charles Manson prosecutor: Keep them all locked up forever
LOS ANGELES — Stephen Kay was a fresh-faced prosecutor just 27 years old and three years out of law school when circumstances handed him the Charles Manson “family” murder case. Over the next half-century, it would come to define his career and lead to death threats that to this day...
