Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1824
Trump’s battle with ‘Obamacare’ moves to the courts
WASHINGTON — After losing in Congress, President Donald Trump is counting on the courts to kill off “Obamacare.” But some cases are going against him, and time is not on his side as he tries to score a big win for his re-election campaign. Two federal judges in Washington, D.C.,...
Elected to serve: ‘Peacekeepers’ look for more work and to save the state constable system
There’s never a dull day for Adam Kujawa. Whether it’s talking to people in Pittsburgh neighborhoods or navigating the back roads of Fayette and Westmoreland counties, the Mt. Pleasant constable loves it all. “It’s basically a day-to-day adventure,” he said. He dons his vest with an embroidered patch identifying him...
KISS brings over-the-top farewell tour to PPG Paints Arena
KISS brought its “End of the Road” farewell tour to the PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night in anticipation of hanging up the costumes and platform boots for good. The highly theatrical band, which first came to the Steel City 40 years ago with an appearance at the more intimate...
Motorcyclist dead after crash with vehicle in Elizabeth Township
The Allegheny County medical examiner’s office has identified the man killed after a crash between a motorcycle and a vehicle in Elizabeth Township. Douglas G. Vranish, 61, of Irwin, died of his injuries at UPMC Presbyterian hospital around 8:17 p.m. Saturday. Vranish was the motorcyclist. The crash happened shortly before...
No guarantees around opening day and hunting participation
It won’t be a case of playing a hunch or taking a leap of faith, necessarily. Not entirely. But new information suggests if Pennsylvania Game Commissioners move opening day of the statewide firearms deer season from the Monday after Thanksgiving to the preceding Saturday, they will do so without certainty...
March for Parks in Westmoreland County passes $1 million markVideo
The speakers were blasting “Eye of the Tiger” as hundreds of marchers set off Saturday along the walking path at Twin Lakes Park. They had reason to celebrate. It was the 17th annual March for Parks fundraiser, and this year the total collected since the first march passed $1 million....
Former Green Bay Packer delivers keynote at 1st Greensburg Catholic Diocese conference
Mike McCoy called up a volunteer Saturday from an audience of about 600 Catholic men. The former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle asked the volunteer to shove him in the chest. After a firm shove, McCoy staggered backward a few steps. Then he planted his feet, lowered his center of...
Adventurous volunteers rappel down Mt. Washington in Pittsburgh to clean up iconic vistaVideo
Volunteers took to the hillside below Grandview Avenue on Saturday morning for the 27th Annual Explorers Club of Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington Clean Up, with help from the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group. Fifty volunteers were stationed on Grandview Avenue either rappelling down the hillside picking up garbage...
Body recovered from Allegheny River near Fox Chapel Yacht Club
Officials found a body Saturday in the Allegheny River near the Fox Chapel Yacht Club. The report of the body floating in the water came in about 11:30 a.m., Allegheny County spokeswoman Amie Downs said. The club’s workers found the body wedged beside or under the dock. Blawnox Volunteer Fire...
Rolling Stones postpone tour so Mick Jagger can get medical treatment
The Rolling Stones are postponing their latest tour so Mick Jagger can receive medical treatment. The band announced Saturday that Jagger was told by doctors “he cannot go on tour at this time.” The band added that Jagger “is expected to make a complete recovery so that he can get...
Pittsburgh authorities ID victims of 2 shootings early Saturday
The victims have been identified in two separate fatal shootings early Saturday in Pittsburgh. The first was reported at 12:50 a.m. in the 800 block of Murtland Avenue in Homewood, where a male was found with a gunshot to the upper body. He was transported to UPMC Presbyterian, where he...
Gunman barricaded following shooting of Texas state trooper
FRISCO, Texas — A SWAT team on Saturday arrested a man suspected of shooting and wounding a Texas state trooper after evading an attempted traffic stop and then holing up in a suburban Dallas apartment for a 15-hour standoff, authorities said. Bryan M. Cahill, of Frisco, was taken into custody...
Advocate calls for changing statute of limitations on child sex abuse
A man who said he was abused by a Catholic priest is pushing to change the statute of limitations for sexual offenses in Pennsylvania. Dennis McKeown, who grew up in Ellwood City in Lawrence County, said he met with Bishop David Zubik of the Pittsburgh Diocese Thursday to discuss whether...
Vandergrift VFW hosts ‘Welcome Home’ toast to Vietnam-era veteransVideo
They’re aging now. Mostly retired, graying or bald. When they were young, they were drafted or enlisted into military service during the tumultuous time that was the Vietnam War era. They’ve been home for more than 40 years, but most weren’t given a proper welcome when they returned from serving...
Judge blocks California’s high-capacity ammunition ban
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — High-capacity gun magazines will remain legal in California under a ruling Friday by a federal judge who cited home invasions where a woman used the extra bullets in her weapon to kill an attacker while in two other cases women without additional ammunition ran out of bullets....
‘Evil attracts evil’: Judge gives Pa. mom life in teen murder
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — A woman who plotted the rape, torture and murder of her own teenage daughter pleaded guilty on Friday and was sentenced to life in prison for a crime so barbaric that prosecutors and the judge strained for superlatives to describe it. One day after her co-conspirator boyfriend...
Alleged road rage in Penn Hills sparks police chase, crash, arrest
Penn Hills police arrested a male driver Friday evening following a reported road rage incident and an extended, slow-speed chase that ended in a crash on the Parkway East. No injuries were reported in the traffic incident that lasted about 10 minutes and was over before 8 p.m., according to...
A look at the cast of characters in the Jussie Smollett saga
CHICAGO — Jussie Smollett, a successful but not A-list actor, burst into the world’s consciousness in January after he reported being the victim of a racist and anti-gay attack. In the two months since, a number of figures in Chicago and beyond have gained international attention and emerged as supporting...
Wolf nominates Elliot Howsie to be Common Pleas judge
Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday nominated Allegheny County Public Defender Elliot Howsie to be a judge on the Court of Common Pleas. If approved by the State Senate, Howsie would fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Donna Jo McDaniel in January. He also would be a candidate...
Game Commission hopes plastic bag in nest won’t harm Hays bald eagles
The male Pittsburgh Hays bald eagle brought an unusual, and potentially dangerous, object to the family aerie earlier this week: a black plastic bag. An official with the Pennsylvania Game Commission said Friday she hopes the plastic bag won’t wrap around an adult’s leg or one of the two young...
Monroeville man linked to massage parlor human trafficking, prostitution case gets lower bond
A Monroeville man accused of helping run a human trafficking and prostitution ring out of five massage parlors in Monroeville and Murrysville returned to court Friday asking a judge to lower his $100,000 bond. Chang Yu Chen, 51, of Monroeville, who was described by the state Attorney General’s Office and...
Heinz History Center to digitize old Kennywood photos, videos
Thousands of images, a dozen videos and hundreds of pages documenting the history of Kennywood Park will now be digitized at the Heinz History Center. The photos and videos were once housed on the third floor of a haunted house. The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded the history...
Humane agents: 2 dogs left in 27-degree temperature in Derry Township
Two Avonmore people are accused of animal cruelty in connection with two dogs found in a “deplorable” recreational vehicle parked in Derry Township during below-freezing temperatures, according to court papers. David Gailbreath, 39, and Lori Gailbreath, no age available, are both charged with animal cruelty and neglect. Humane agents from...
Dismissal begins at Norwin Schools after temporary lockdown
Norwin School District began dismissing students about 3:30 p.m. Friday after an hour-long delay due to an ongoing police investigation. Tim Kotch, assistant superintendent of secondary education with the school district, said that North Huntingdon Police requested the delay due to an ongoing, active criminal investigation. However, parents were notified...
Munhall man found dead in Pittsburgh after being sought for kidnapping ex-girlfriend, burning her Irwin house
A Munhall man has been found dead in Pittsburgh of an apparent suicide after police spent Thursday and Friday searching for him in connection with a kidnapping in Butler County and a fire in Westmoreland County, emergency dispatch officials reported. John Thomas O’Leary, 52, was being sought for starting a...
