Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 407
Memory of slain police chief sparks project to line Arnold, New Kensington road with flags
When Raymond Laughlin watched the funeral procession for Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire make its way along Freeport Road in New Kensington more than a year ago, it occurred to him that lining the road with American flags would have been a fitting tribute to McIntire. Thus was born the...
New PennWest University president called right pick at a pivotal time
Jon Anderson, provost and vice president for academic affairs and a professor at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, is Pennsylvania Western University’s new president. The State System of Higher Education board of governors chose Anderson Wednesday during a special meeting held by Zoom to find a permanent leader for...
18-year-old from Woodland Hills district fatally shot in North Braddock
An 18-year-old student in the Woodland Hills school district was shot and killed Tuesday night in North Braddock. Nevaeh Leeha Howard of Rankin was in her senior year at Woodland Hills Online Academy, school superintendent Dan Castagna said. The academy is a cyber-school serving district students in kindergarten through 12th...
Morning Roundup: Severe weather in forecast; Pittsburgh Zoo seeks aid after tornado
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, May 22: Severe weather forecast in Southwestern Pa. Severe weather is possible in Southwestern Pennsylvania this afternoon and evening, according to the National Weather Service. The region, along with parts of northwest West Virginia and eastern Ohio, is...
Gun thefts from cars surge; police urge owners to secure firearms
The rate of guns being stolen from cars has tripled over the past decade, and in many cases the thieves didn’t have to work very hard to get their hands on another person’s weapon, officials say. Often, they’re swiping firearms from unlocked vehicles parked just outside gun owners’ homes. “Such...
Renfrew man charged with bringing gun to airport
Allegheny County Police charged a Renfrew man with firearms violations for allegedly bringing a gun to Pittsburgh International Airport. TSA officers observed a handgun within a passenger’s backpack at the main security checkpoint of the airport around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the police report. Police identified the passenger as...
Excessive force trial opens against state police in 2017 killing of Washington County man
When Pennsylvania State Police were dispatched to a Washington County trailer park on Oct. 1, 2017, they were told a man appeared to be in a mental health crisis. He had a knife and was out of control, according to the frantic 911 call summoning them. But when police arrived...
Fani Willis and judge presiding over Georgia Trump election case defeat challengers
ATLANTA — Two key players in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump have defeated challengers in an election Tuesday. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee both won. Willis is the prosecutor who last year obtained a sprawling racketeering indictment against...
Multiple deaths confirmed from a tornado in Iowa, state patrol saysVideo
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa State Patrol has confirmed multiple deaths from a tornado and at least a dozen injuries in storms Tuesday, but it has not released specific numbers. “We do have confirmed fatalities,” Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla said at a news conference Tuesday night. He...
Ex-Somerset County DA gets probation for no-contest plea to charge of assaulting wife
Former Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas will serve two years of probation after pleading no contest to a charge that he assaulted his wife in 2021. The probation period will run concurrently with the 2½ -to-7-year prison term Thomas is serving for the sexual assault of a Windber woman,...
Trump’s ‘unified reich’ post is ‘sickening,’ White House says
WASHINGTON — The White House denounced Republican Donald Trump after a video was posted to his social media account that referenced a “unified reich” as a potential news headline if he won a second term, calling it “dangerous and offensive.” “It is abhorrent, sickening, and disgraceful for anyone to promote...
Indiana Township rezoning would accommodate fracking off Route 910
Indiana Township resident Michael Quinn is frustrated by thoughts of more fracking in his community. His home along Eisele Road sits not far from a gas well constructed in the past several years. “The noise is constant — a din — and the truck traffic is ridiculous,” Quinn said in...
New Hempfield Area architect approaching high school project from the ground up
Hempfield Area School District’s new architect is beginning at square one as it takes over the district’s proposed multimillion-dollar high school renovation project. “While … being respectful of all the work that’s been done, we are still asking all the questions as if we’re starting from scratch, to make sure...
Greensburg man arrested in connection with infant son’s 2023 death
A Southwest Greensburg man was arrested Tuesday in connection with his son’s July death at a Mt. Pleasant Township home. State police said Jason F. Ludwig, 38, concealed the 8-month-old boy’s death after apparently falling asleep with the child on a couch. The boy was identified in court papers as...
EPA earmarks $2M to convert Pittsburgh slag heaps to solar farm
A former slag heap in Pittsburgh’s East End is one step closer to becoming a solar farm. The sprawling lot near the edge of Frick Park will soon be cleaned up to make way for a 15-acre solar farm and expansion of green space thanks to $2 million in federal...
Pittsburgh region nears record high temperatures
Temperatures are running higher than normal in the Pittsburgh region. “High temperatures since the weekend have been in the 80s,” said WTAE meteorologist Jill Szwed. “Normal high temperatures for the end of May are in the low/mid 70s.” Szwed said currently, the Pittsburgh area is running 10 to 15 degrees...
Heart’s Ann Wilson on reuniting with sister, music business and Led Zeppelin ahead of Pittsburgh concertVideo
After several years of strained relationships, a physical altercation in the family and separate solo tours, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson are back together as Heart. ”Well, there’s no explaining why somebody wants to do music. It’s just, when you want to do it, you want to do it,” Ann...
New Pa. tourism slogan highlights the state as the ‘great American getaway’
Pennsylvania has invited tourists to pursue their happiness in the Keystone State since 2016 but now Gov. Josh Shapiro wants people to see it as more of an escape. On Monday, Shapiro along with Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and other officials unveiled the state’s new tourism slogan: “Pennsylvania. The Great...
Biden releasing 1 million barrels of gasoline from Northeast reserve in bid to lower prices at pump
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Tuesday that it is releasing 1 million barrels of gasoline from a Northeast reserve established after Superstorm Sandy in a bid to lower prices at the pump this summer. The sale, from storage sites in New Jersey and Maine, will be allocated in increments...
Penn State trustees approve $700M renovation of Beaver Stadium
Penn State University trustees approved a $700 million renovation to Beaver Stadium on Tuesday after a sometimes heated debate about the athletic and economic benefits versus financial risks. The 26-2 vote during a special meeting followed a 90-minute presentation and discussion. There were three abstentions. Earlier Tuesday, the project passed...
Phipps Conservatory to buy Irish Centre in Squirrel Hill for $760K
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens said it has a deal to buy the long-vacant Irish Centre site in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. The conservatory said this week that it will use the 4-acre site — tentatively dubbed the Phipps Program Staging Center — to host its Homegrown Edible Garden Program...
Trump hush money trial enters new phase after defense rests without testimony from former president
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s hush money trial moved into a new phase Tuesday, drawing closer to the moment when the jury will begin deciding his fate after testimony concluded without the former president taking the stand in his own defense. “Your honor, the defense rests,” Trump lawyer Todd Blanche...
Trump or Biden? Either way, U.S. seems poised to preserve heavy tariffs on imports
WASHINGTON — As president, Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on foreign steel, which hurt Clips & Clamps Industries, a Michigan auto supplier — raising its materials prices, making it harder to compete with overseas rivals and costing it several contracts. Jeff Aznavorian, the company president, thought he might enjoy...
Record Memorial Day travel numbers projected
Nearly 44 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the Memorial Day travel period, AAA projects. That’s a 4% increase over last year and close to matching the record set in 2005. The Memorial Day holiday travel period is considered the five-day period from Thursday to...
Morning Roundup: 2 teens shot in Stowe; Man shot in Arnold
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, May 21: 2 teens shot in Stowe Two teens were in critical condition after a shooting late Monday night in Stowe, Allegheny County Police said. The shooting in the 800 block of Seventh Street was reported to Allegheny...
