Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1791
Nearly 50 dogs removed from Mercer County home, 10 others died
Nearly 50 dogs were removed from a house in Mercer County, about 60 miles north of Pittsburgh. “It’s probably one of the hardest calls we’ve ever been on,” officials from the Humane Society of Mercer County said in a post on the organization’s Facebook page. According to a report from...
2 Pittsburgh-based companies help refugee moms
This is about moms helping moms. Pittsburgh based Hello Neighbor and Lark Adventurewear, both founded by local mothers making an impact regionally and nationally through their individual work, have teamed to make a difference in the lives of refugee moms, according to a news release. Lark Adventurewear is a company...
Analysis: Pittsburgh crime rate declining
There was a 7% decrease in crimes in Pittsburgh during the first quarter of the year when compared to the first quarter of 2018, according to an internal analysis released Saturday. The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police’s Crime Analysis Unit also found there was a 12% decrease compared to the five-year...
No deaths as plane carrying US military crashes into river
A chartered jet carrying 143 people from the U.S. military base in Cuba tried to land in a thunderstorm in north Florida and ended up in the river next to Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Authorities said everyone on board emerged without critical injuries, climbing onto the wings to be rescued....
Among the last to finish 2018 marathon, Beltzhoover man running again
William Harrison Sr. will crawl across the finish line if he has to. But he won’t quit. Harrison, 69, of Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood, was the among the last people to finish the 2018 Pittsburgh Marathon with the time of 7 hours, 7 minutes — seven minutes after the course officially...
Cause of fire that destroys vacant house in Plum under investigation
An Allegheny County fire marshal is investigating a fire that destroyed a vacant house Friday night in Plum. No injuries were reported. The blaze started shortly before 9 p.m. in the 800 block of Unity-Center Road. Smoke could be seen from blocks away. Unity Volunteer Fire Dept. Fire Chief Glenn...
Murder charges dropped in Swissvale shooting of father, 7-year-old
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office has withdrawn homicide and conspiracy charges against three men who had been accused of killing a father and his young son in a shootout in Swissvale in December 2017. The charges were withdrawn because of the death of a key witness, James Backus, according...
Police dog, GPS trackers help FBI nab trio accused in Harrisburg-Pittsburgh heroin ring
A police dog, cellphone location data and GPS tracking devices covertly planted on vehicles helped authorities apprehend two men and one woman from Western Pennsylvania accused of trafficking large amounts of heroin and cocaine from Harrisburg into Pittsburgh, court records show. Harvey Hicks, 48, of Penn Hills faces drug, conspiracy...
Mineo’s Pizza to open a third location in the North Hills
There is a third slice to this Mineo’s pie. The Squirrel Hill pizza staple for more than six decades, which also has had a location in Mt. Lebanon for 25 years, will celebrate a trifecta — opening on Wildwood Road in Hampton. The expected time frame is by the end...
Former McKeesport nurse charged with taking explicit photos of elderly patients
A former nurse at McKeesport’s Kane Hospital allegedly took photos of elderly patients — and one toddler patient — often when they were naked and in need of medical care, according to Allegheny County police. Ashley Ann Smith, 30, faces nearly three dozen charges, including invasion of privacy, neglect of...
Pittsburgh appeals arbitration ruling that reinstated police officer who was fired
Pittsburgh has appealed an arbitrator’s ruling that reinstated a police officer who was terminated after an alleged road rage incident in 2017. Officer Robert Kramer was charged with pointing a gun at another motorist while off duty on May 3, 2017. An Allegheny County jury last year acquitted him of...
Bridgeville man sentenced to 2 years in federal prison for child porn
A Bridgeville man was sentenced Friday in federal court in Pittsburgh to spend two years in prison for having child pornography. Senior U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on John Edward Desalome, 31. According to prosecutors, in November 2016, Desalome was found to have 43 videos in...
E-ZPass penalty charges irk Pennsylvania Turnpike drivers
Patty Wolfe was browsing Facebook when she saw a friend’s warning: Check your E-ZPass statement for higher-than-usual toll fees for trips on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Wolfe heeded the advice. “The very first statement I looked at showed me getting on at Irwin, for $10, and me getting off in Monroeville,”...
Here’s your chance to shape transportation projects for the next 30 years
The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the regional planning agency for a 10-county area, is soliciting public comment on a draft transportation plan called “SmartMoves for a Changing Region.” The document identifies roadway, transit and multimodal transportation priorities for southwestern Pennsylvania over the next 25-30 years. Accompanying “SmartMoves for a Changing Region”...
Part of Grant Street in Pittsburgh to close for 2 months
Pittsburgh on Monday will close a portion of Grant Street in Downtown for two months while crews repair the bumpy, brick roadway. The Port Authority of Allegheny County announced Friday that it would detour 15 bus routes while work is ongoing. Pittsburgh is closing Grant heading toward the Greyhound Station...
Rare, ancient Bible returned to Pittsburgh is part of nation’s religious heritage
The return of a rare Bible to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is more than a homecoming — it is a reminder that the Geneva Bible has been part of this country’s religious heritage since the beginning. “It is the quintessential American Bible, even though it was produced by and...
Trump, Putin discuss nuclear weapons, Mueller report
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than an hour Friday about nuclear weapons agreements, the conflict in Venezuela, North Korea and also briefly about special counsel Robert Mueller’s just completed report on Moscow’s interference in the 2016 election. “They had a very good...
Man found shot in vehicle in Duquesne
A 30-year-old man was in critical condition Friday after he was shot in the stomach in Duquesne, according to police. The shooting was reported shortly after 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Grant Street and Route 837. City of Duquesne Police officers and paramedics dispatched to the intersection found the...
Police offer $13K reward in Penn Hills fatal hit-and-run
Allegheny County police Friday upped the reward for information in a hit-and-run crash that killed a Pittsburgh man earlier this week. Police are now offering $13,000 for tips leading to a prosecution in the death of Joseph Morris, 51. Officials did not identify any possible suspects. Morris was found dead...
Longtime married Erie couple dies within minutes of each other
ERIE, Pa. — Family members say a Pennsylvania couple that had been married for almost 45 years passed away within minutes of each other. Clair “Cos” Vance had made daily visits to a care center where his 70-year-old wife, Jeanne, lived due to mobility and medical issues. But those visits...
Hempfield’s former Toys R Us to sparkle again – as a fireworks store
A changing retail market and change to Pennsylvania law helped pave the way for a Hempfield building that until recently was filled with plush dolls, binkies and countless nursery must-haves to seeing its shelves stocked with bottle rockets, Roman candles and other popular pyrotechnics. The former Toys R Us on...
Fatal overdoses in Westmoreland continue to plunge in 2019
Overdose deaths in Westmoreland County this year are on pace to fall short of 100 for the first time since 2014, according to Coroner Ken Bacha’s office. Overdose deaths drastically fell in 2018 by 37 percent from a record 193 in 2017 to 122 last year, and the number of...
Monessen man pleads guilty to weapons violation in 2017 shootout
A Monessen man was sentenced to two to four years in a state prison Thursday in connection with a shootout on a city street nearly two years ago. Delaney Dionte Huggins, 31, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm. He originally was charged with attempted homicide and other offenses...
Brentwood officials break ground on new borough building project
Brentwood leaders plan to open the doors to a new municipal building in July 2020. The 10,000 square-foot building will be complete with state-of-the-art technology and heat — something they haven’t always had at their current building. The project is one of many leaders say are leading to a resurgence...
Hear stories behind Pittsburgh’s public art on new podcast
Pittsburgh is telling the story of its large public art collection through a series of podcasts featuring some of the artists that created the works. The Public Art and Civic Design Division of the city Planning Department recorded 16 podcasts giving overviews and the stories behind about 40 percent of...
