Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1812
Shooter in Latrobe robbery-turned-murder gets life in prisonVideo
More than three years after their son and brother was gunned down trying to break up a robbery in Latrobe, the McNerny family told a Westmoreland County judge they still struggle with grief and anger toward the men involved in the robbery plot that led to the murder. One of...
David Bernhardt confirmed as Interior secretary despite ethics concerns
WASHINGTON — David Bernhardt, President Trump’s pick to the lead the Interior Department, was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday amid persistent ethical concerns and doubts about his independence from the energy and water industry groups he long represented as a lobbyist. Senators voted 56-41 in favor of Bernhardt’s confirmation....
Investigators search 2 Westmoreland spots, 1 apparently for missing woman Cassandra Gross
Investigators convened at two places Thursday in Westmoreland County to search for missing women, including one who has not been seen in more than a year. Neither search turned up a body. Kathe and Harry Gross, the parents of missing Unity woman Cassandra Gross, waited along Beatty Flats Road while...
Father of accused New Ken cop killer headed to court on intimidation charges
The father of a Harrison man accused of killing a New Kensington police officer in 2017 admitted he sent messages to a witness in his son’s case, a Westmoreland County detective testified Thursday. Gregory P. Baucum Jr., 48, of Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood is charged with felony witness intimidation and retaliation...
McCandless apartment fire not deemed suspicious; donations sought
It will take several days to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed the 30-unit Durham Court Apartment building in McCandless on Wednesday, but an initial investigation found it likely ignited accidentally, according to fire officials. “The fire started on the deck of a third-floor apartment in the center...
Woman wrecks car after spotting a spider
A driver in New York was so surprised to discover an arachnid passenger that she lost control of her car. The woman reportedly spotted a spider inside her car and panicked prior to driving off the road toward a stone wall. According to a Facebook post by the Town of...
Firm denies report that Penguins co-owner Burkle could buy National Enquirer
A spokesman for an investment firm founded and headed by Ron Burkle is denying a report by the New York Times that the Penguins co-owner is negotiating a deal to purchase The National Enquirer tabloid. “I can confirm we are not in talks to buy the Enquirer,” Frank J. Quintero,...
90-year-old Powerball winner sues son, says money invested poorly
ORLANDO, Fla. — A 90-year-old Florida woman who took home $278 million from a winning Powerball ticket six years ago is suing her son and his financial advisers, claiming the money was put into low-return investments while she was being charged $2 million in fees. The lawsuit filed by Gloria...
Police: Firefighter went into store nude on dare to buy soda
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. — A firefighter who police say walked naked into a Rhode Island convenience store on a dare has been placed on leave. Police responded to a 7-Eleven in Middletown the afternoon of April 3 for a report of a naked customer. The owner said the man with a...
Motorcyclist accused in 10-mile, high-speed chase finds trooper waiting at his house
A Herminie motorcyclist figured he had eluded state police during a 10-mile, high-speed pursuit through Hempfield only to arrive home and find a trooper waiting for him, according to court documents. Tyler N. Trouerbach, 23, led state police on a chase that began about 7 p.m. Wednesday along Route 30...
OpenTable reveals top ‘Diners’ Choice’ restaurants in Pittsburgh region
Restaurant booking service OpenTable is out with their top performers for the past month. The company says it analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews and sorts them by category. “Diners’ Choice” serves as the best overall division and the top ten have a rating of “exceptional.” OpenTable’s winners this...
Delicious Foods BBQ stand in Strip District shut down
The Delicious Foods BBQ stand in Pittsburgh was ordered to close Thursday by the Allegheny County Department of Health for operating without a valid permit. The stand was located at 23rd street at Penn Avenue in the Strip District. The food stand is a repeat violator, according to a health...
4,693 flags placed in Pittsburgh to raise awareness about child abuse
Members of the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance and local volunteers on Wednesday placed 4,693 blue-ribbon flags along Downtown Pittsburgh’s Grant Street and the Boulevard of the Allies to represent each child hurt by abuse and neglect in 2017. The event was held in conjunction with National Child Abuse Prevention Month....
Woman caught after taunting sheriff’s office on Facebook
The Greene County Sheriff’s Office said a woman who commented on a department Facebook page has been arrested as a result of a lead stemming from that post. On March 27 the sheriff’s office shared its top ten most wanted list with photos of the individuals to its Facebook page....
Chelsa Wagner to stand trial in hotel fracas; prosecutors play body-cam video
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner will stand trial for her role in a confrontation with Detroit police, a judge ruled Thursday. Wagner was in Detroit on Thursday for a preliminary exam on the charges against her. The interaction Wagner and her husband, Khari Mosley, had with Detroit police was described...
‘Burden of Genius’ tells story of transplant pioneer Dr. Thomas Starzl
Six months before Dr. Christiaan Barnard conducted the world’s first highly-publicized heart transplant in December of 1967, Dr. Thomas Starzl performed the world’s first successful liver transplant. Barnard received worldwide publicity and, after hitting the talk show circuit, became a household name. Starzl did not become as well known and,...
Dentist vows to put racy Easter display back up
CLIFTON, N.J. — A New Jersey dentist who created a racy Easter display is vowing to put it back up after a female neighbor used gardening shears to damage it. The display at a dental office in Clifton, New Jersey, featured five mannequins dressed in lingerie, fishnet stockings and colorful...
Police: McKees Rocks man fatally shot Stowe victim during robbery
Police are looking for a McKees Rocks man in connection with a fatal shooting Wednesday evening in Stowe Township. Tomichael Sherrell, 18, is charged with homicide, robbery and weapons violations in the death of Bradley Lucier, 23, of McKees Rocks. Allegheny County detectives said Sherrell fired a gunshot while trying...
Man accused of child abduction after police chase through Pittsburgh
A police chase through several Pittsburgh neighborhoods early Thursday ended with a man being charged with child abduction, WPXI reported. Jake Howard is accused of taking his 4-month-old baby boy from a home along Pritchard Street in Sheraden. Police responded when the baby’s mother reported the incident just after midnight....
Pittsburgh’s own Lu-Seal the Chihuahua stops by ‘Today’
A formerly chubby pooch from Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood was featured this morning on NBC’s “Today” show in celebration of National Pet Day. Lu-Seal the Chihuahua and her “mom” Julia Morley made the announcement yesterday on Instagram. View this post on Instagram Guys!! We have such exciting news I can hardly...
WikiLeaks’ Assange arrested at Ecuador embassy in London
LONDON — Police in London arrested WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorean embassy Thursday for failing to surrender to the court in 2012, shortly after the South American nation revoked his asylum. Ecuador’s president Lenin Moreno said a tweet that his government withdrew Assange’s status for repeated violations of...
2 sent to hospital after fire at Wilkinsburg apartments
Two people were sent to the hospital after a fire early Thursday at a Wilkinsburg apartment building. Pittsburgh Public Safety Information Officer Alicia George said Wood Towers was evacuated at about 5:30 a.m. after fire broke out in an apartent on the seventh floor. The cause of the fire has...
Tim Benz: Plenty to anger Penguins fans in Game 1 loss to Islanders
What does it mean? Big picture. That Game 1 loss of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs for the Penguins against the Islanders. For me, it means a series that I thought would go Pittsburgh’s way in five games will now end in six. That’s all. Otherwise, that 4-3 overtime defeat...
Pitt police beef up patrols after a string of incidents
University of Pittsburgh police have beefed up patrols in Oakland after three suspicious incidents were reported this week, and efforts are underway to adopt a more proactive approach to crime alerts. “We have no reason to believe that these three reported incidents are related, but investigations are still underway at...
Police: Driver in wrong-way Route 28 crash suspected of DUI
A woman driving a SUV the wrong way on Route 28 early Thursday was stopped only when an Etna officer pulled his vehicle into her path, Shaler police said. The driver, Samantha Compliment, 27, went to a hospital with minor injuries and was released, said Shaler police Lt. J. Sean...
