Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1780
Lawsuit: Johnstown practice, hospital covered for pedophile pediatrician
EBENSBURG — A civil suit says a Pennsylvania pediatric practice knew that one of its physicians was a threat to molest young patients but covered it up. The suit says Laurel Pediatric Associates in Johnstown knew at least two decades ago that Dr. Johnnie Barto’s patients were in “serious danger,”...
Fallen law enforcement remembered on National Peace Officers Memorial Day
Law enforcement officers on Wednesday are gathering in Washington, D.C., to remember their fallen on National Peace Officers Memorial Day. Four Pennsylvania officers are among those being honored during the national memorial service, including New Castle Detective Sgt. Brian S. Cuscino, 44, and state prison guard Sgt. Mark Baserman, 60,...
Norwin to honor graduates killed in 9/11 attacks
Two Norwin graduates who were on a hijacked American Airlines plane that terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City on 9/11 have not been forgotten. On Saturday , Brian Dale and David Kovalcin will be honored when a plaque inscribed with their names is placed on...
Hey, yinz guys: Pittsburgh accent among ‘least sexy’ in America
Yinz better be sittin’ dahn with an Arn City beer for this news n’at. The Pittsburgh accent is not sexy. Not even close, according to a recent survey by Big 7 Travel company. The company asked 1.5 million people through social media to rank the 50 sexiest American accents. Pittsburgh...
Chicago-area police warn of ‘zombie raccoons’ with distemper
RIVERSIDE, Ill. — The warning about “zombie raccoons” may sound like something out of a bad television show, but a suburban Chicago police department says they present serious dangers to family pets. The critters are called zombies because those carrying the distemper virus often stagger on their hind legs and...
Suspect in Carnegie stabbing arrested while letting the dog out
The suspect in Sunday’s double stabbing in Carnegie walked out the backdoor of a Scott home Wednesday morning and into police custody, authorities said. Richard ‘Stretch’ Mickens, 58, is charged with homicide in the stabbing that left a man dead and a woman in critical condition. The stabbing happened at...
Woman pleads guilty to sharing police secrets with gang in Pittsburgh
A North Carolina woman who was found during FBI wiretaps of the Greenway Boys Killas street gang pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, according to U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh. Prosecutors said a 2017 wiretap focused on the West End neighborhood of Pittsburgh found that from November 2017 through...
Pigsburgh Squealers Rescue helps care for, find homes for mini pigs
Blue Martin once owned a bunny named Bacon. Now she’s president of Pigsburgh Squealers Rescue, a nonprofit that educates people about miniature pigs and helps find permanent homes for the animals. Since 2016, it’s placed more than three dozen. Martin, 29, and her fiance Zack Robinson, 32, recently bought a...
No injuries after plane crashes on takeoff at Arnold Palmer airport
No one was injured Tuesday night when a plane crashed during takeoff from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, officials said. A single-seat experimental jet was taking off to fly locally shortly before 8 p.m. on Tuesday night, county emergency officials said. For an unknown reason, the plane crashed, a...
White House in talks over confronting Iran
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering a range of options for using military force against Iran, officials said Tuesday, as lawmakers from both parties complained that the White House has not fully briefed them on the escalating tensions. Top advisers to President Trump met at the White House late...
Alabama ban on nearly all abortions in GOP governor’s hands
MONTGOMERY — Alabama legislators have given final approval to a ban on nearly all abortions, and if the Republican governor signs the measure, the state will have the strictest abortion law in the country. The legislation would make performing an abortion a felony at any stage of pregnancy with almost...
Pennsylvania House tries anew to ban Down syndrome abortions
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is launching another effort to outlaw abortions because of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, passing legislation Tuesday that faces a veto by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, if it even reaches his desk. The vote comes amid a wave of abortion restrictions advancing...
Patients, activists urge Pa. lawmakers to halt UPMC-Highmark divorce
HARRISBURG — East Deer resident Brittany Eckert plans to reluctantly say goodbye to the oncology team she credits with saving her life when she sees them Wednesday morning, her final appointment at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. Soon, her insurance card will not be accepted there unless courts intervene. “It’s a really...
Donald Trump Jr. agrees to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee againVideo
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr. has reached a deal with the Senate Intelligence Committee to appear for a second closed-door interview in June, according to people familiar with the matter, ending a tense standoff between the president’s son and the panel’s Republican chairman. Under the terms of the deal, Trump...
Judge rules Belle Vernon students eligible for prom, graduation after underage drinking citation
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday halted the expulsion of eight Belle Vernon Area High School students cited this month for underage drinking at a charity event. The preliminary injunction granted by Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. means the students will be allowed to return to school next week...
Alleged driver, car owner arrested in connection with Penn Hills hit-and-run death
The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Squad has arrested the man they saw was driving the car in a fatal Penn Hills hit-and-run crash last month. Surron Burch, 21, was charged Wednesday with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and related counts. His arrest at a Penn Hills home is the...
Editorial: Bishops right with priest suspensions, disclosures
Priests are people, too. They do good things and bad things and sometimes very bad things. They make sacrifices and they make mistakes. Priests are no more likely to lie, cheat, steal or hurt someone than a teacher or a banker, a barber or a chef. The statewide — and...
Mayor: Closure of Akers plant in Avonmore devastating for community
The upcoming closure of a rolling mill in Avonmore is heartbreaking in the borough of about 1,000 people, many of whom have ties to the plant, according to Mayor Paula Jones. “A lot of people have worked there from cradle to grave. My dad worked there. Uncles. Cousins. Everyone has...
Antonio Brown back in Pittsburgh for reckless driving hearing
Former Steeler Antonio Brown returned to Pittsburgh on Tuesday to appeal a reckless driving charge from last year when he sped down McKnight Road at more than 100 mph. “To all my fans in Pittsburgh who never got to say goodbye, I’m here today in the Downtown Pittsburgh courthouse,” Brown...
Steel Curtain roller coaster cars arrive at Kennywood
Kennywood Park took delivery of some new cars this weekend — they came in black and gold and with a familiar logo. The amusement park posted to a photo to their Instagram page of the new Steelers-themed cars for their soon-to-open Steel Curtain roller coaster, with the “A special delivery...
Averting crisis, Kennywood restores classic cheese sauce on Potato Patch fries
Some changes are welcomed at Kennywood. Take, for instance, the highly anticipated Steel Curtain roller coaster set to open this summer. Other changes aren’t. Social media began buzzing with chatter that the cheese sauce on Kennywood’s Potato Patch fries is different this year. “Heard the fries and cheese at the...
Peregrine falcon chicks banded at Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning
Two peregrine falcon chicks got a medical checkup and were fitted with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service leg bands Tuesday morning. The chicks are less than a month old. Their parents Hope and Terzo have been nesting on the 40th floor of the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning for...
Comedian Tim Conway dead at age 85
Comedian Tim Conway has died at age 85, after a battle with dementia, People reports. Representative Howard Bragman confirmed to People that the comic died at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday in Los Angeles. Conway was best known for his work on CBS’ “The Carol Burnett Show,” winning four Emmy Awards for...
Police: Latrobe man raped girl, 14, after giving her alcohol
A Latrobe man serving a state prison sentence for sexually assaulting several girls in Westmoreland County was arrested Tuesday on new rape charges. Nicholas Lee Cook, 23, is accused by Greensburg and Latrobe police in connection with the rape of a then-14-year-old girl in January and February 2016. He is...
Penn Township man who restrained mother now accused of assaulting father
A Penn Township man who in 2016 pleaded guilty to restraining his mother was arrested this week on charges of assaulting his father during an argument near his home. Penn Township police charged Neal Hubish, 39, with criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, harassment and simple assault in connection with the incident...
