Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 451
‘Momentous’ legal settlement promises better treatment of mentally ill Allegheny County Jail inmates
A lawsuit against the Allegheny County Jail and its leadership over the treatment of mentally ill inmates has settled, resulting in what both sides called “meaningful changes” for those incarcerated there. The parties — the county and the mentally ill inmates who sued — filed a motion in federal court...
Pittsburgh reinstates limited spay and neuter program for feral cats
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved a contract for spay and neuter services for the city’s feral cats, but the troubled program itself remains on hold. The city in February abruptly halted its spay and neuter services. Officials cited concerns that suburban pet owners were faking their address to make...
Duquesne fans send Dukes off for 1st round of March Madness
Cheering fans lined Uptown streets Tuesday to support players from Duquesne men’s basketball team en route to March Madness. “They’re … still dancing,” student Zach Rothrock said. “I mean, what’s not to love?” Rothrock, 19, is a freshman majoring in business at Duquesne. He and his friends joined a crowd...
Will the early spring freeze affect plants? It depends
Spring officially began on Tuesday with freezing temperatures and frosty grounds, even patches of ice and snow. This came after a run of unusually warm weather in early March that had everyone enjoying the outdoors — and had some flowers blossoming and trees starting to bud. This colder turn is...
Man who triggered Pittsburgh gunfight that left toddler dead gets harsher sentence than killer
Marvin Hill didn’t fire the stray bullet that killed Zykier Young. That was Andre Crawford. But it was Hill, the prosecution said, who started the chain of events in August 2020 that ultimately led to the 17-month-old’s death as he lay in bed on Pittsburgh’s North Side. And it is...
PennEnvironment limited study shows compliance with Pittsburgh bag ban, but also gaps
A limited study of 50 Pittsburgh businesses revealed that most are complying with the city’s ban on plastic bags, though restaurants seem to be slower to conform than retailers. The PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center, an environmental advocacy group, randomly visited businesses throughout the city to investigate which retailers and...
BOOM Concepts celebrates 10 years as a hub for artists, community in PittsburghVideo
A chance meeting with Darrell “DS” Kinsel at a Hill District bus stop 10 years ago ended up launching Cue Perry’s art career. Perry said had it not been for the founders of BOOM Concepts, Kinsel and Thomas Agnew, he wouldn’t have realized it was possible to have a career...
Tuesday’s primaries include a key Senate race in Ohio and clues for the Biden-Trump rematch
NEW YORK — Five states will hold presidential primaries on Tuesday as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump continue to lock up support around the country after becoming their parties’ presumptive nominees. Trump is expected to easily win GOP primaries in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio. Biden...
Warm and cold air clash in Pittsburgh as spring arrives
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh posted a warning for icy roads after reporting that a heavy band of snow would be moving through the city throughout the day. All of this comes on the first day of spring. National Weather Service Meteorologist David Shallenberger attributes this to the warring...
Morning Roundup: Man dead after domestic incident in Beaver County; crashes close roadways
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, March 19: Man found dead of self-inflicted wound after 4-hour search in Midland, police say Police in Midland, Beaver County, deemed the borough’s streets safe after several tense hours late Monday and early Tuesday in which authorities declared...
Pittsburgh vies for ’26 NFL Draft after Philly snags MLB, FIFA, NCAA events
Pittsburgh is running an all-out blitz to host a future NFL Draft, and now the effort is getting support from Pennsylvania’s top public official. Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday that he sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last week indicating support for Pittsburgh to host a draft in...
Former Fort Pitt Brewery complex, a headache for years in Jeannette, to be torn down
Demolition of the old Fort Pitt Brewery in West Jeannette could start this summer. Officials are planning a public meeting in May before opening bids for the demolition work. Brian Lawrence, director of the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority and Land Bank, expects the work to take about six months. “Our...
Wear your red underwear: Solar eclipse casts light on folklore of past centuries
If the sun turned black and day became night, would you shout at the top of your lungs, toss your lunch in the garbage, maybe hunt through your dresser for some red undies? People in the past have followed those traditional precautions to avoid or reverse the misfortune they associated...
Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen can testify at Donald Trump’s hush money trial, judge rules
NEW YORK — The infamous “Access Hollywood” video in which Donald Trump bragged about grabbing women sexually without asking permission will not be shown to jurors at the former president’s hush-money criminal trial, a New York judge ruled Monday. Judge Juan M. Merchan said Manhattan prosecutors can still question witnesses...
Greensburg bishop dedicating diocese to St. Joseph through 2-day pilgrimage to parishes
Greensburg Bishop Larry J. Kulick began a two-day pilgrimage to the four St. Joseph parishes in his diocese with a prayer service Monday in New Kensington. Kulick is dedicating the Greensburg Catholic diocese to the protection and guardianship of St. Joseph for the next three years. On Tuesday, St. Joseph’s...
‘I felt like a kid myself’: Duquesne president Gormley revels in Dukes’ tournament appearance
There are moments in an institution’s life so epic that even a university president becomes just another face in the crowd. Not that Ken Gormley of Duquesne University is complaining. In the 36 hours since its men’s basketball team achieved something it hadn’t in 46 previous years, the Catholic university...
Judge won’t toss Allegheny County Council lawsuit over Shuman
A judge has refused to throw out a lawsuit by Allegheny County Council over the new Shuman Juvenile Detention Center. The complaint, filed against the county over the contract it entered into with Adelphoi last year to reopen the facility, alleges that council was required to approve it. Since it...
Mt. Pleasant Township man allowed to embrace his mother before being returned to jail on charges he tried to stab her to death
The criminal case against a Mt. Pleasant Township man charged with the attempted homicide of his mother will continue even though she no longer wants to see her son jailed for the alleged attack, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said. Judge Scott Mears allowed Kort Noel Eckman, 46, and his mother,...
Trump seeks to appeal decision not to disqualify district attorney from Georgia election case
ATLANTA — Former President Donald Trump and other defendants in Georgia’s election interference case filed court papers Monday seeking to appeal a judge’s ruling not to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from their prosecution or dismiss the charges. The resignation of the special prosecutor with whom Willis had...
Pennsylvania House speaker pushes for same-day registration and widely available early voting
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House speaker said Monday that qualified residents should be able to register to vote at polling places on the day of elections, and that early voting centers should be open for two weeks beforehand. Speaker Joanna McClinton had proposed these measures as part of a wider...
EPA bans asbestos, a deadly carcinogen still in use decades after a partial ban was enacted
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced a comprehensive ban on asbestos, a carcinogen that kills tens of thousands of Americans every year but is still used in some chlorine bleach, brake pads and other products. The final rule marks a major expansion of EPA regulation under a...
Highmark posts $533M profit in 2023, reversing dismal performance in 2022
Call it a reversal of fortune. After losing money in 2022, Pittsburgh’s Highmark Health rebounded last year. The health insurance giant posted net income of $533 million even as it grappled with operating losses at its Pittsburgh-area hospitals. That compares with a $346 million loss in 2022, due largely to...
Duquesne finally reaches NCAA Tournament, but there’s plenty of work to do at home, too
For years, Duquesne athletic director Dave Harper expressed to anyone willing to listen how desperately he wanted to see his men’s basketball team in the NCAA Tournament. “I said, ‘I’m not going to rest until our name is on a (bracket) line on Sunday on that selection show,’ ” he...
State trooper charged in connection with domestic violence allegation
Criminal charges were filed Monday against a suspended state trooper in connection with a domestic violence allegation. Troopers from the state police internal affairs division filed a misdemeanor charge of simple assault and a summary count of harassment against Nicholas E. Hood, 31, of Derry Township. Hood had been based...
Judge sends Munhall man to life in prison for murder, then tacks on 43 more years
The judge minced no words as he sentenced the Munhall man before him to life in prison with no chance for parole for first-degree murder. “This case is an outrageous disregard for anyone but yourself,” Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Anthony M. Mariani told the defendant on Monday. “You represent...
