Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 585
Trump refuses to say in TV interview how he watched the Jan. 6 attack unfold at U.S. CapitolVideo
NEW YORK — In an interview aired Sunday, former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined to answer questions about whether he watched the Capitol riot unfold on television, saying he would “tell people later at an appropriate time.” Trump, the current front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, refused to say...
Kayaker videotapes alligator swimming in Kiski River near ApolloVideo
A Vandergrift couple paddling the Kiski River on Saturday had an up-close encounter with a small alligator. Theresa Jeroski was kayaking with her husband, Heath Evans, about 4 p.m. when three kayakers ahead of them alerted the couple to an alligator sighting. “They said, ‘There’s a gator over here,’ ”...
Westmoreland Museum of American Art offers ‘Sweet Life’ with candy-inspired memories
Bubble gum, chocolate bars and jelly beans were just some of the sugary treats that brought back delicious memories for visitors to the Westmoreland Museum of American Art during Sunday’s “Celebrate the Sweet Life” event. The free event in Greensburg invited people of all ages to create candy-themed art, play...
Rockin 4 Rustic Ridge concert fundraiser draws sell-out crowd in Plum
Guitarist John Collins said he didn’t immediately know how to help the families impacted by the Aug. 12 explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood. “I’m a Plum grad, I’ve been here all my life and I wanted to do something,” said Collins, a performer with MoJo-The Band, which specializes in...
Analysis: West Virginia defense knew Pitt QB Phil Jurkovec ‘wasn’t that good at his job’
When random fans complain about Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec or rain boos upon him from high above the playing surface, that’s never good. If Jurkovec continues to struggle next Saturday against North Carolina, you can imagine what Acrisure Stadium will sound like. Yet no matter how hard the fans scream...
Auto workers strike will drive up car prices, but not right away — unless consumers panic
DALLAS — Car shoppers are heading for a new round of sticker shock if the strike by the United Auto Workers doesn’t end soon, particularly for popular vehicles that are already in short supply. The number of vehicles on dealer lots will shrink the longer the walkout goes on. Dealers...
Rural hospitals are closing maternity wards. People are seeking options to give birth closer to home
Alisha Alderson placed her folded clothes and everything she needed for the last month of her pregnancy in various suitcases. She never imagined she would have to leave the comfort of her home in rural eastern Oregon just weeks before her due date. But following the abrupt closure in August...
Westmoreland police dogs lauded in wake of Philly area’s fugitive arrest
It’s dark, and Westmoreland County Park Police Officer Bill Meyers is looking for a suspect. His police dog, Rico, can sense the right spot to find the person and end the search. “The dog knows he’s there, but I don’t,” Meyers said. Or if someone has rigged up a bomb...
Phil Jurkovec struggles in Pitt’s Backyard Brawl loss to West Virginia
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Pitt tried to be the bully Saturday night in the 106th renewal of the Backyard Brawl at Milan Puskar Stadium. Instead, the 17-6 loss to West Virginia ended with questions about Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec from everyone but coach Pat Narduzzi. Whether he’s ready to acknowledge it...
Ligonier Highland Games showcases music, sports with Scottish flair
Palmer Shonk felt right at home Saturday as he joined fellow pipers to play skirling march tunes on the main field of the Ligonier Highland Games. Shonk, of Avalon, led an ad hoc band of 12 bagpipe players and six drummers in competition in the 64th games at Idlewild and...
Land transfers from Urban Redevelopment Authority to Land Bank look to bolster affordable housing, small businesses
For three years, Raynise Kelly and her sister have operated a small business in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood where they produced food for their community. They’ve hosted garden supply giveaways and summer camps since launching Soil Sisters, a seedling business “growing garden vegetable plants that focuses on food production,” Kelly said....
Assault reported near University of Pittsburgh campus
Pittsburgh police are investigating an aggravated assault early Saturday near the University of Pittsburgh campus. Police responded at about 2:10 a.m. to the 100 block of Oakland Avenue for reports of a robbery and assault. The victim was punched in the head, according to an alert issued by Pitt police....
Boil water advisory lifted for Leechburg, neighboring municipalities
A boil water advisory has been lifted for people in Leechburg, West Leechburg, Hyde Park and parts of Allegheny Township. The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County issued an alert early Saturday that relieved a five-day boil advisory for the authority’s nearly 3,890 customers. “We are pleased to report that the...
Saltsburg man killed in Avonmore motorcycle crash
A Saltsburg man was fatally injured when his motorcycle crashed early Saturday in Avonmore. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said Tate Matthew Kaleda, 27, was riding east on Route 56 when he failed to negotiate a right-hand curve in the road at about 2:15 a.m. The motorcycle crossed into the...
Jeannette man charged with fleeing Greensburg traffic stop, narrowly missing state trooper
A Jeannette man is charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment after leading troopers on a high-speed chase Friday night in Greensburg and Hempfield, state police said. During the chase that began shortly before 10 p.m., suspect Paul Raymond Good IV, 41, crashed his Chevy Silverado pickup truck into a...
TV Talk: Royce Jones exits KDKA-TV, Penguins on Channel 19
KDKA-TV reporter/anchor Royce Jones, who anchored the 10 p.m. news on KDKA-TV sister-station WPKD-TV, Channel 19, is no longer employed by the stations. In a two-sentence email sent to staff this week, KDKA/WPKD news director Shawn Hoder wrote, “FYI Royce Jones is no longer employed with CBS News Pittsburgh, KDKA/WPKD....
Fetterman says he supports Gainey’s efforts to address problems in Downtown Pittsburgh
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman said Friday he supports Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s efforts to tackle problems that Downtown has faced since the pandemic. Fetterman, speaking with the Tribune-Review after a service workers’ conference at the DoubleTree Hotel in Downtown, said he backs Gainey’s efforts to address public safety, combat vagrancy...
Westmoreland increases pay in move to reopen juvenile detention center
Westmoreland County’s shuttered juvenile detention center could reopen as early as next month, officials said Thursday. The 16-bed detention program at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield has been closed since early June amid staffing shortages and multiple state investigations. New hires, along with an elevated pay scale approved...
Wife, daughter of Plum explosion victim Kevin Sebunia speak out about losing an ‘amazing man’ and the investigation
The wife and daughter of Kevin Sebunia, one of the victims in the fatal Aug. 12 home explosion in Plum, are sharing their story just over a month since the man they say had a “heart of gold” passed away. Kelly Sebunia, Kevin’s wife, and their daughter, Emily Brizee, sat...
Auto workers strike could hit consumers — if it lasts long enough
It’s hard to say where people will feel the biggest ripples from the United Auto Workers’ strike that started Friday, according to Ray Gibney, a professor of human capital and management at Penn State University-Harrisburg. For one, get ready for some sticker shock. Union leaders say labor accounts for about...
‘Pittsburgh Potty’ project adds public restrooms Downtown
Public restrooms are being added Downtown as part of what officials are calling the Pittsburgh Potty Initiative. Mayor Ed Gainey and the nonprofit Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership on Friday announced the six-month pilot project to provide the temporary public bathrooms. The first public bathroom opened early Friday afternoon at the Gateway...
Puerto Rican students visit Pittsburgh to honor Roberto Clemente through volunteerism
A group of six Puerto Rican students is visiting Pittsburgh this week to celebrate national hero Roberto Clemente and honor the baseball legend and humanitarian’s legacy through volunteerism. The Pittsburgh nonprofit Amizade (named for the Portuguese word for friendship) and Puerto Rican nonprofit Caras con Causa (which translates to ‘faces...
Missing Saltsburg hunter found dead in Indiana County
A missing Saltsburg-area man was found dead in Indiana County by state police Friday evening. Bryan John Bialas, 45, was reported missing by coworkers on Wednesday after he told them Monday that he planned to go hunting with his two dogs and then didn’t show up for work. State police...
Latrobe’s Adelphoi to take over operations of Shuman Center when it reopens in January
Allegheny County’s court system announced Friday that the Latrobe nonprofit Adelphoi will take over providing juvenile detention services at the now-closed Shuman Center as soon as January. The Shuman Juvenile Detention Center was closed in September 2021 after the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services revoked its license over a history...
West Virginia University will make wide-ranging cuts to academic programs and faculty
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia University will make wide-ranging cuts to academic programs and faculty positions as it addresses a $45 million budget shortfall, with the board’s vote Friday culminating an impassioned back-and-forth between the campus community, students and officials. The state’s largest university will drop 28 of its majors,...
