Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1847
Mistrial in sex assault trial of Pittsburgh restaurateur, who is acquitted of stalkingVideo
A jury deadlocked on all sex crimes in the trial of former Istanbul Sofra owner Adnan Pehlivan and acquitted him of stalking and simple assault. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning declared a mistrial after the jury of eight men and four women announced that it could not...
Westmoreland shoppers unflapped by news 400 Family Dollars could close nationwide
Jaded shoppers took the news in stride Wednesday when they heard that about 400 Family Dollar stores are slated to close nationwide. “It seems like that’s all they do anymore is close stores,” said Cindy DeMann, referring to retailers in general. “I wouldn’t be happy about it.” DeMann of Greensburg...
Vandergrift man charged with involuntary manslaughter in death of infant son
A Vandergrift man admitted he fell asleep with his infant son, who suffocated and died, according to police. Owen Labrenn Copney, 26, said he had been warned about falling asleep with his 1-month-old son, Isiah, on his chest. He faces a pair of felonies in connection with his son’s death....
Pittsburgh-based The Incline news website is for sale
Spirited Media officials announced Wednesday the company is selling its three online publications, including Pittsburgh-based The Incline. Chris Krewson, vice president of strategy at Spirited Media, announced on Medium that the company had already sold Denverite to Colorado Public Radio and is looking to sell The Incline and Philadelphia-based Billy...
First cub seen on new Game Commission bear webcam
It didn’t take long for the new Pennsylvania Game Commission webcam to show one bear cub tucked under momma bear Tuesday evening. There are more cubs, but just how many, the game commission isn’t sure. In most of the webcam views, the mother black bear has had her back to...
Pittsburgh ranks 8th-best U.S. city to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
It must be the luck of the Irish. Pittsburgh ranked N0. 8 out of 200 U.S. cities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, according to a recent WalletHub.com report. That’s great news, because we moved up two spots from last year’s No. 10 ranking. The report used 17 key...
PennDOT monitoring large sinkhole along Route 51 in Rostraver
PennDOT crews are monitoring a large sinkhole in a gas station parking lot along Route 51 in Rostraver. The crater is on private property, said PennDOT spokeswoman Valerie Petersen. “We do know that it’s close to the road,” she said. The sinkhole has been growing over the last eight years,...
Hillary Clinton responds to Trump with ‘Mean Girls’ gif
The spat between President Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton continues. After Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump, said she was not going to run again, Trump chimed in on Twitter. And, of course, Clinton responded. Trump posted a tweet Tuesday afternoon, “‘(Crooked) Hillary Clinton confirms she will...
Allegheny County Council to consider banning conversion therapy
A political newcomer’s challenge to a longtime Allegheny County councilman appears to have pushed the council to take up the issue of conversion therapy. Council members Tuesday introduced a ban on the controversial and widely discredited practice used to attempt to remove a person’s feelings of same-sex attraction or to...
Allegheny County launches Adopt-a-Roadway program
Roads owned by Allegheny County are now up for adoption, so to speak. The county has launched a new Adopt-a-Roadway program that will allow people and organizations to pledge to keep sections of roads clean of litter. Litter on the roads is especially visible during this gray time of year....
Furious R. Kelly cries, blasts sex abuse accusers as liarsVideo
CHICAGO — R&B star R. Kelly cried, angrily stood up and ranted about being “assassinated” during his first interview since being charged with sexual abuse, calling his accusers liars and saying people are after him for his money. Kelly, one of the best-selling music artists of all time, told Gayle...
Omar’s Israel remarks expose Democrats’ simmering divisions
WASHINGTON — Back in January, the Democrats welcomed their brash young newcomers to Congress with smiles and hugs. That was before the new colleagues dragged the party’s simmering divisions over Israel out in the open. Provocative comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota have thrust the Democrats into an uncomfortable...
Penn Hills man pleads guilty to conspiracy to sell 14 ounces of fentanyl
A Penn Hills man will spend at least a decade in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Investigators say Veryl Long, 29, conspired to distribute more than 14 ounces of the drug between October 2016 and March 2017, according to prosecutors....
Penguins fans show support for slumping Phil Kessel with ovation
Phil Kessel has been a popular player in Pittsburgh since joining the Penguins in a 2015 trade. On Tuesday night, fans at PPG Paints Arena showed just how much they adore the affable goal-scoring right wing with a remarkable second-period ovation. Kessel is mired in a career-long 16-game goal drought....
Man arrested short time after allegedly robbing bank in McCandless
A Beaver County man who allegedly robbed a bank in McCandless on Tuesday morning was arrested after police spotted him fleeing in a vehicle along Interstate 79. Patrick Acierno, 34, of Freedom is in the Allegheny County Jail after failing to post a $250,000 cash bond, according to court records....
Tensions boil over at City Council meeting over police treatment of Stephon Clark protesters
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At a raucous meeting Tuesday night, the Sacramento City Council heard from residents who were enraged by the police’s reaction to a protest Monday night. Police ended a Stephon Clark march in East Sacramento by arresting protesters on a bridge over Highway 50. Police arrested 84 people...
How Ash Wednesday ashes are made
Editor’s note: This story originally published in 2019, but the process of making ashes remains the same. The ashes smudged on people’s foreheads to mark the Christian holy day Ash Wednesday were made from the blessed palm fronds distributed at last year’s Palm Sunday services, which mark the beginning of...
Men need to step up to thwart violence against women, coalition says
“It’s none of my business.” “But he seems like a nice guy.” “Well, what was she wearing?” Those statements — referencing all-too-common reactions to reports of sexual abuse — are splashed across posters distributed around Western Pennsylvania alongside two words in large, bold lettering: “NO MORE.” Beneath the words appear...
Man’s dying wish fulfilled with call from President Trump
WEST HAVEN, Conn. — A terminally ill Connecticut man who’s a big supporter of President Donald Trump is getting a bucket list wish fulfilled, with help from his Democratic sister. Jay Barrett, of West Haven, who has cystic fibrosis, left the hospital to begin palliative care at his sister’s home...
North Korea rebuilds rocket engine test site, in ominous signal about attitude to talks
North Korea has begun rebuilding work on a rocket launch pad and missile engine test site, in an ominous sign about its attitude toward negotiations on denuclearization. The rebuilding work began some time between Feb. 16 and March 2, according to satellite imagery, meaning it began either just before or...
Southwestern Pa. banks among Forbes’ ‘World’s Best’
Four banks based in Southwestern Pennsylvania are included among the 60 U.S. financial institutions that made Forbes magazine’s 2019 list of the World’s Best Banks. For this inaugural listing, the magazine partnered with research firm Statista, which surveyed more than 40,000 customers in order to rate banks in 23 countries...
14 cats, 2 dogs found crammed into vehicles outside O’Hara hotel; 1 cat dies
At least one cat died and 15 other cats and dogs are being cared for by a Westmoreland County shelter after authorities discovered all 16 animals locked inside two vehicles in an O’Hara Township parking lot, Trib news partner WPXI-TV reports. A hotel employee alerted authorities Monday night after overhearing...
Live Bear cam debuts in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Game Commission flipped the switch Monday on a new live web cam in a bear den under a porch in Monroe County. In the den are a sow and an undetermined number of cubs. The agency can’t confirm how many cubs are in the den as the cam...
Congregations in Tree of Life massacre grateful for ‘outpouring of support’
The three Jewish congregations targeted in the Oct. 27 Tree of Life synagogue massacre were thankful for the more than $6.3 million donated. “The generous outpouring of support through donations by people in Pittsburgh and from around the world demonstrates that love will triumph. We, along with our two partner congregations,...
Prosecution, defense spar over police reports in Michael Rosfeld case
Common Pleas Judge Alexander Bicket chastised prosecutors in the homicide case against Michael Rosfeld on Tuesday for the length of time it took them to hand over certain evidence to defense attorneys. The hearing came one week before jury selection is scheduled to begin in Dauphin County. Rosfeld is charged...
