Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1779
Federal authorities in Pittsburgh help take down alleged cybercrime ring
A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has indicted 10 members of an alleged transnational cybercrime ring believed to be responsible for $100 million in malware attacks on banks and businesses across the United States, including in Western Pennsylvania. Victims of the malware attacks include a dozen businesses from Texas to...
George Romero’s archives headed to University of Pittsburgh
“Oh, the horror,” many students cramming for finals at the University of Pittsburgh undoubtedly have uttered under their breaths. Now it’s true. Officials at Pitt on Thursday announced the University Library System has acquired the archives of the late iconic horror filmmaker George A. Romero. Many consider Romero, a Pittsburgh...
Rolling Stones North American tour finally starts in Chicago
NEW YORK — The Rolling Stones are ready to get back on the road after postponing their North American tour because Mick Jagger needed medical treatment. The rockers announced Thursday the No Filter tour will kick off in Chicago with two shows on June 21 and 25. We are delighted...
Police: New Brighton woman forced girl to get birth control implant
A New Brighton woman allegedly forced a girl to get a birth control implant last month at a Turtle Creek clinic, according to court papers. Valerie Marie Fullum, 29, is being sought by police on child endangerment and reckless endangerment charges. Investigators said the mothers of two girls who spent...
Operator of Rivers Casino fined $90K by state board
The operator of Rivers Casino was fined $90,000 Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board in connection with underage gambling, according to an announcement. The fine against Holdings Acquisitions Co. is connected to seven incidents in which someone under age 21 had access to the gaming floor at the North...
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio seeking Democratic nod for president
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says he is running for president. The Democrat announced his bid with a video released by his campaign early Thursday morning. In announcing his candidacy, de Blasio is seeking to claim a role on the national stage that has eluded...
Main break fixed, second water shutoff needed in Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville’s Row House Cinema was able to reopen Thursday for its 7:15 p.m. showing of “Singin’ in the Rain” following a water main break that flooded parts of the theater and closed a section of busy Butler Street for a good part of the week. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer...
Pittsburgh ranks as 16th fittest city in U.S.
Good work … or should we say good workout, Pittsburgh. The Steel City ranked as the 16th fittest major U.S. city, according to the 2019 American Fitness Index released this week by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation. Pittsburgh rose markedly in the rankings from last...
Sandwiches in tow, 4-year-old gives back to Lower Burrell cops
Arianna Wilson was watching Disney Junior before school Monday when she saw a commercial for National Police Week. An admirer of the police, the 4-year-old told her mom she wanted to bring officers with the Lower Burrell Police Department something to eat. “She said ‘Mommy, it’s police week. Let’s bring...
Suspect arrested in fatal Penn Hills hit-and-run; car owner turns herself in
The man authorities say was driving the car in a fatal Penn Hills hit-and-run crash last month was arrested Wednesday night. Surron Burch, 21, no address released, is charged with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and related counts. His arrest at a Penn Hills home by the Allegheny County Sheriff’s...
Officials: Man fatally shot in Duquesne
A man was fatally shot Wednesday evening in Duquesne, according to Allegheny County officials. Duquesne Police responding to 911 reports of shots fired found the unidentified 45-year-old man unconscious with multiple gunshot wounds behind a Karl Avenue home just before 7 p.m. The man was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital...
Pa. Catholic Conference to abuse survivor: ‘Why do you have to troll here?’
HARRISBURG — The lobbying arm of the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania on Wednesday accused a clergy sex abuse survivor of trolling it on social media — then apologized as a result of a swift backlash. The unusual exchange, since deleted, unfolded on the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference’s Facebook page. It began...
Suspect arrested after allegedly striking 4 cars in Penn Hills police chase
A suspect is in custody after a police chase Wednesday evening in Penn Hills and Pittsburgh, according to Penn Hills Police Chief Howard Burton. Penn Hills officers were called to Shenandoah Drive for a report that a stolen car had been parked there. Shortly after they found the car and...
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs abortion ban into law
MONTGOMERY — Alabama’s Republican governor signed the most stringent abortion legislation in the nation Wednesday, making performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases. “To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every...
Trump administration wants to reimburse Taliban’s travel expenses
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration asked Congress earlier this year for funds to reimburse Afghanistan’s Taliban for expenses the insurgent group incurs attending peace talks, according to a spokesman for the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. The money would cover the Taliban’s costs for expenses such as...
Trump signs order to protect networks from foreign espionage, likely targeting ChinaVideo
WASHINGTON — Amid a deepening trade war with China, President Trump on Wednesday declared a “national emergency” to protect U.S. communications networks in a move that gives the federal government broad powers to bar American companies from doing business with certain foreign suppliers — including the Chinese firm Huawei. Trump...
Condor cam goes live with parents tending to one egg at Aviary
The National Aviary’s Andean condor webcam is activated and the watch is on as an egg is expected to hatch within the next month. Andean condors are the world’s largest flying bird with a 10-foot wingspan. They are threatened throughout much of their range and critically endangered in Ecuador. The...
Facial recognition software under fire; PennDOT’s been using it for years
You may not know whether you have a double in Pennsylvania. But if you’re applying for a driver’s license or a state photo identification, PennDOT will let you know. The agency uses facial recognition software, as do dozens of other agencies across the nation. Images of each of the 10.1...
Arab headdress in Penn-Trafford school shooter training video criticized
Several Penn-Trafford School District alumni are up in arms over a perceived racist video of an active shooter drill at the high school. The video, posted on Twitter, shows a man — who some believe was serving as the active shooter — wearing what appears to be a keffiyeh, or...
Woman charged in Penn Hills hit-and-run fatality turns herself in
A woman charged in connection with a Penn Hills hit-and-run death in April turned herself in to authorities, a day after a warrant was issued for her arrest, police said Wednesday. Modesty Hopper, 21, of McKeesport, is charged with hindering apprehension for allegedly refusing to give police the name of...
The Commonwealth strikes back in another trial for Luke Skywalker
Fans of “Star Wars” have another chance to see the hero of the iconic franchise brought to justice. The Allegheny County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division’s annual Fairy Tales Mock Trials series this year put Luke Skywalker on trial. It will wrap up its mock trials at 10 a.m. Saturday...
Township takes step to buy Ligonier Beach for $230k
Ligonier Township supervisors took another step this week toward acquiring the landmark Ligonier Beach property along Route 30. Supervisors unanimously authorized their solicitor to draft a $230,000 sales agreement to buy the private pool and restaurant property from owners Sherry and Steven Kozar. “I want to emphasize that (the sale)...
2 new measles cases in same family confirmed in Allegheny County
Two more members of an Allegheny County family have contracted the measles, county health officials said Wednesday. There are no new risks of public exposure because the family has been quarantined since four other members were diagnosed earlier this month. The first four cases in that family were reported by...
Pittsburgh native Mark Cuban: ‘Nobody’ can beat Trump ‘right now’
Billionaire “Shark” and Mt. Lebanon native Mark Cuban told CNBC that none of the 22 Democratic candidates for president in 2020 has a shot at taking the office from President Donald Trump. When asked by CNBC’s Scott Wapner which of the Democrats have the best shot at beating Trump, Cuban...
$1M scratch-off sold in Coraopolis
A scratch-off lottery ticket worth $1 million was claimed at a Coraopolis convenience store Tuesday, Pennsylvania Lottery officials said. The ticket, a $1,000,000 Money Mania scratch-off that cost $20, was sold at the Speedy Food Mart on Fifth Avenue, according to a news release. The store will receive a $5,000...
