Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1785
Ex-doctor gets jail term on drug distribution conviction
A former Pittsburgh radiologist convicted of unlawfully distributing a prescription painkiller and health care fraud has been sentenced to two years in federal prison and fined $15,000. Omar A. Almusa, 46, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. Judge Arthur Schwab in Pittsburgh. Almusa was a radiologist with the University of Pittsburgh...
Senate GOP leader wants to unload lieutenant governor’s residence
HARRISBURG — A senior Republican in the Pennsylvania Senate said Thursday the state should sell the lieutenant governor’s residence at Fort Indiantown Gap, saying it would save money and the proceeds could help fund housing for military veterans. President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati asked for co-sponsors for legislation he is...
Fired then reinstated, Pittsburgh cop sues city, PedutoVideo
A Pittsburgh police officer fired last year in connection with an alleged road rage incident sued the city on Thursday, claiming malicious prosecution, fabrication of evidence and racial discrimination. Robert Kramer was charged in 2017 with pointing a gun at another motorist while off duty. An Allegheny County jury last...
Goats are back on Pittsburgh’s North Side to clear weeds, invasive species
The goats are going back to work. Thanks to a $9,500 grant from the Allegheny County Conservation District, Allegheny GoatScape’s herd will remove — as in “eat” — invasive species from public wooded land in the Perry Hilltop neighborhood. “We are so excited to receive this gift from ACCD,” said...
Trump to nominate Patrick Shanahan for top Pentagon postVideo
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Thursday said he will nominate Patrick Shanahan to be his second secretary of defense. Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, has been leading the Pentagon as acting secretary since Jan. 1, a highly unusual arrangement for arguably the most sensitive Cabinet position. “Acting Secretary Shanahan has...
Video: Police fire 76 shots during ‘alarming and irresponsible’ car chase in Anaheim
Body camera videos released Wednesday show two police officers shooting at a suspect during a high-speed chase through a residential California neighborhood. The district attorney’s office called the officers’ actions “alarming and irresponsible” in a letter that accompanied the release of the videos, reports the Los Angeles Times. The dramatic,...
Could it happen? Study into Route 28 expressway expansion to I-80 gets funding
The Armstrong County Commissioners and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission have received funding to conduct a feasibility study for making the Route 28 expressway a limited access highway all the way to Interstate 80. Officials have wanted to expand Route 28 from Kittanning in Armstrong to I-80 in Jefferson County for...
Tree of Life synagogue attack inspires new hate crimes bills
HARRISBURG — Democratic lawmakers in Pennsylvania are introducing a package of hate-crimes bills that are inspired by a mass shooting at a Squirrel Hill synagogue that killed 11 worshippers. Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa said Thursday the October attack at the Tree of Life synagogue showed that Pennsylvania law has...
Why this spring’s pollen counts are bad for allergy sufferers
If it feels like a bad spring for allergies, blame it on higher-than-normal pollen counts. Pollen counts throughout the region are reaching the highest levels that can be measured by the National Allergy Bureau, said Dr. Merrit L. Fajt, an allergist with UPMC. “The higher the count, the greater the...
Bill Peduto, Philly mayor: Why we oppose Pa. Senate gun bill
As mayors of the Commonwealth’s two largest cities, representing more than 1.8 million Pennsylvanians, we unequivocally oppose Senate Bill 531 which is being considered in the Pennsylvania Senate. This bill would pre-empt local jurisdictions from enacting sensible laws to protect their residents from deadly firearms. It gives the gun lobby...
Avonmore man accused of killing bulls with crossbow cited for damaging apartment
A man accused of shooting four bulls with a crossbow on a Loyalhanna Township farm during St. Patrick’s Day weekend was cited for causing a disturbance inside an Avonmore apartment house where he lives, state police said. Shaun D. Ross, 60, was cited Thursday for criminal mischief and disorderly conduct...
Coal’s slide to continue in U.S. as renewables fill the gap
BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. demand for coal to generate electricity will continue its slide in coming months despite efforts by the Trump administration to prop up the struggling industry, federal officials said Thursday. Renewable energy sources are expected to fill much of the gap left by coal’s decline, according to...
Trump calls on Congress to end ‘surprise medical bills’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday called for an end to “surprise medical bills,” the astonishingly high charges insured patients can face when a member of a medical team that treats them is not in their insurer’s network. “Not a pleasant surprise,” Trump said of bills that arrive in...
Shaler man pleads guilty to raping 5-year-old boy he was babysitting
A Shaler man has pleaded guilty to raping a 5-year-old boy he was babysitting. Dylan McKinney, 27, will spend between seven and 14 years in jail followed by 10 years supervised probation on the rape charge in exchange for the dismissal of some of the related criminal counts he faced,...
White House misspells Red Sox as ‘Red Socks’ for team’s Trump visit
A misspelling Thursday is irking some baseball fans. The Boston Red Sox were due for a visit with President Donald Trump at 3:45 in the afternoon but the White House misspelled the team’s name as “Red Socks” on the schedule. Ace White House staff work strikes again --> Glenn...
U.S. prosecutors add hate crime charges in California synagogue shooting
SAN DIEGO — Federal officials announced Thursday that they have filed 109 hate crime charges against the 19-year-old man accused of opening fire in a Southern California synagogue. Prosecutors say the gunman, identified as John T. Earnest, killed a woman and wounded an 8-year-old girl, her uncle and Rabbi Yisroel...
Almost 40 businesses raising money for woman injured in Hempfield crash
Local businesses have joined a growing effort to raise money for Cait Tracy, who was injured in a car crash Sunday night that killed two other passengers. What started as a fundraiser at the Hempfield location of Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard has spread to almost 40 restaurants and...
Police: Facebook friend request led to beating of New Stanton woman
A Pittsburgh man who police said befriended a New Stanton woman on Facebook is accused of beating her and stealing her laptop and notebook, according to court papers. Brian Craig Wilkinson, 45, of the city’s Greenfield neighborhood, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the March 25 incident. He was being...
Cops: Man who fought North Huntingdon police had empty stamp bags, suboxone
A Trafford man accused of fighting North Huntingdon police in a convenience store parking lot this week is also charged with possessing 176 empty stamp bags, a package of Suboxone and hypodermic needles, according to court documents. Michael J. Lapaglia, 29, of Trafford was ordered held in the Westmoreland County...
4 Armstrong County drug task force members on leave after money goes missing
Four members of Armstrong County’s Narcotics Enforcement Team (ARMNET) are on administrative leave while the district attorney investigates $300 missing in a drug case. The issue surfaced last week during First Assistant District Attorney Jared Trent’s preparation for the jury trial of a Kittanning man on drug charges. Trent found...
Massive Etna fire likely destroyed rare, exotic cars worth millionsVideo
Moments after he realized the STORExpress building in Etna was ablaze, Ross Godber’s only thought was to try to save the cars. Godber, 42, of Indiana Township was working on a rare Bentley at his business, Victory Garage, which rents space inside the building. He was on the ground beneath...
Hempfield man sentenced to state prison in marijuana operation
A Hempfield man who police said had more than 50 pounds of marijuana at his home was sentenced Thursday to one to three years in a state prison. Nickolas Boyd Hobaugh, 28, pleaded guilty to several drug offenses in two cases. He was ordered to forfeit $16,720 that police confiscated...
North Park bald eagles suffer empty-nest syndrome
The bald eagles at North Park, likely the first pair to nest in an Allegheny County park, didn’t produce any young this season, wildlife officials said. The Pennsylvania Game Commission confirmed recently there are no chicks in the nest. “There have been sightings of both parent birds leaving the nest,”...
‘Archie’ causing some royal name drama
The inspiration for Prince Harry and Meghan’s newborn son’s name seems to be causing as much drama as the wait for his birth. Little Archie — full name Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor — came as a surprise to those betting on his name. In fact, Archie was not even in the...
West Penn Power restores electricity in Allegheny, Westmoreland after outage
A broken switch Thursday at a West Penn Power substation knocked out service to more than 7,000 utility customers in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. More than half of impacted customers had power restored by 11 a.m., according to the FirstEnergy website. Power to all customers was restored by 2:30 p.m....
