Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 694
Man stabbed on Pittsburgh’s Observatory Hill
A man was stabbed in the neck and back Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Observatory Hill neighborhood, city police said. The victim was hospitalized in critical condition after being stabbed multiple times in the back shortly after 5 p.m. at a residence in the 300 block of Delaware Street, police said....
As family exits Giant Eagle leadership, question of what’s next remains
It’s increasingly rare for a family-owned business to survive more than 90 years — rarer still when more than one family is involved. But Giant Eagle had done just that. Founded by five families in 1931, the O’Hara-based grocery chain grew into a regional powerhouse whose name has been enshrined...
Catch ’em while you can: State, local nurseries place more than 4 million trout in waters
Seven out of 10 people who buy an annual fishing license in Pennsylvania also spring for a trout permit. But most of those anglers probably wouldn’t be able to catch a trout if not for the state’s long-running, $10 million stocking program, which sees millions of trout put into creeks...
A town derailed: ‘Shell-shocked’ East Palestine residents seek normalcy after train wreck
For many people in and around East Palestine, Ohio, life changed when a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed Feb. 3 near the Pennsylvania border. The controlled burn of toxic chemicals that followed sent a large plume of black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles....
High winds blow house down on Pittburgh’s South Side
South Side resident Desmon Dashawn said it sounded like a lightning strike but felt like an earthquake when the vacant house next door collapsed about 1 p.m. Saturday. The destroyed house fell partly onto South 16th Street, damaging multiple parked cars and pushing up against the structure next door. The...
Concrete base in place at Westmoreland courthouse parking, plaza project
Trucks continuously pulled in front of the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg early Saturday and through the morning to feed thousands of cubic yards concrete that formed the base for a new courtyard plaza. Some 50 laborers were directing the 4-inch hose that spewed the concrete pumped from two giant...
Fire destroys home, vacant business in Harrison
A fire destroyed a home and an empty business along River Avenue in the Natrona section of Harrison on Saturday. The blaze started at 21 River Ave. Homeowner Jeff Martinka said he was cooking home fries and went into his backyard to eat a meal. Then he turned around and...
High winds down trees, wires Saturday; Almost 17,000 still without power Sunday afternoon
The region’s two electric utility companies still have about 16,800 customers without power in Western Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon as a result of storms that blew through Southwestern Pennsylvania on Saturday, with intense winds taking down trees that cut power lines and broke utility poles. West Penn Power in Greensburg...
Tornadoes kill at least 11 across U.S. Midwest and South
WYNNE, Ark. — Tornadoes that tore through parts of the South and Midwest killed at least 11 people, collapsed the roof of a packed theater during a heavy metal concert in Illinois, and left small towns and big cities throughout the region bewildered Saturday by the damage. Possibly dozens of...
Building collapses in Mt. Oliver
A building collapsed along Brownsville Road in Mt. Oliver Friday, the borough’s fire department reported. There were no reports of injuries as a result of the collapse of the building in the 300 block of Brownsville Road. A Mt. Oliver fire department official could not be reached for comment Saturday...
Stored ammo pops as house burns in East HuntingdonVideo
An East Huntingdon house was destroyed by a fire Saturday morning, a fire official said. No one was injured in the fire that destroyed the house in the 200 block of South Quarry Street, East Huntingdon Volunteer Fire Department Chief Brian Kite said. The fire was reported about 8 a.m....
Training seminar teaches police how to handle domestic violence situations
For Harrison police Officer Colton Stebler, responding to domestic violence is an almost daily occurrence. “Sometimes it’s multiple calls a day,” said Stebler, who has spent six years in law enforcement. The Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center sponsored a free training seminar on domestic violence for area law enforcement officials Friday...
Meteorologist: High winds a more frequent headache for Southwestern Pa.
Ill winds have been blowing with increased frequency through Southwestern Pennsylvania this year, felling trees, causing power outages and leaving behind debris and damaged buildings. With a high wind warning in effect for the region from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, on the tail of damaging winds the previous...
Trump facing at least 1 felony charge in NY case
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump is facing multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, in the indictment handed down by a Manhattan grand jury, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday. He will be formally arrested and arraigned...
Worries grow that Trump indictment will eclipse other probes
WASHINGTON — The indictment against former President Donald Trump involving a 2016 hush money payment is raising concerns that it could undermine public confidence in what democracy experts view as far more important investigations. Trump is facing multiple investigations related to his refusal to accept his 2020 loss to Democrat...
Pittsburgh leaders tout efforts to stem violence
Twelve-year-old Ah’Kill Creighton was playing basketball outside one day last year when he witnessed his first murder. He recalled hearing a gunshot and seeing someone fall. “I got scared, because it was the first time I ever saw somebody die,” said Creighton, of Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood, during a news conference...
Trump indictment throws 2024 race into uncharted territory
NEW YORK — The historic indictment of former President Donald Trump thrust the 2024 presidential election into uncharted territory, raising the remarkable prospect that the leading contender for the Republican nomination will seek the White House while also facing trial for criminal charges in New York. In an acknowledgment of...
Swift-moving fire engulfs building in Leechburg
No injuries were reported in a swift-moving fire at a commercial structure in Leechburg on Friday. The blaze at Metco Supply Inc., 81 Kiski Ave., was reported just after 5 p.m. Leechburg Volunteer Fire Co. Chief John Foster said it took longer than he was hoping to attack the fire....
Fiery derailments renew Americans’ focus on railroad safety
OMAHA, Neb. — Americans are renewing their focus on railroad safety after a string of recent derailments, especially two fiery ones involving hazardous chemicals in Ohio and Minnesota that prompted evacuations. Federal regulators and members of Congress are urging railroads to do more to prevent derailments. They want standards for...
Fetterman released from Walter Reed, home in Braddock
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman was released Friday from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after being treated for clinical depression. Dr. David Williamson, Walter Reed’s neuropsychiatry chief and medical director, said Fetterman’s depression is now in remission. Fetterman is back home in Braddock. “I’m excited to be the father and...
County begins demolition at Ligonier Beach
Ligonier area residents are saying goodbye to the remnants of the Ligonier Beach property. With the support of federal funding, Westmoreland County has officially started demolition at the Ligonier Township property in accordance with the countywide movement to fight community blight. The township applied for a blight remediation grant through...
Former Pittsburghers in Israel protesting judicial reform alongside other Israelis
Kally Kislowicz, a former Pittsburgher who now lives in Israel, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is popular in her conservative West Bank settlement of Efrat. But she said that doesn’t make Netanyahu, known as “Bibi” to most Israelis, above reproach. Controversial judicial reforms proposed by Netanyahu have triggered protests across...
Campaign finance, lobbying reform still receiving little attention in Pa. legislature
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. HARRISBURG — As lawmakers gathered in Harrisburg this week for another round of budget hearings, both legislative chambers got the chance to...
Pa. factory explosion survivor, on fire, fell into chocolate vat
A woman pulled alive from the rubble of a Pennsylvania chocolate factory after an explosion that killed seven co-workers says flames had engulfed the building, and her arm, when the floor gave way beneath her. That might have been the end, if she hadn’t fallen into a vat of liquid...
Greensburg reaches $35K settlement with police officer who sued after not getting promoted
A Greensburg police officer who sued the city, claiming he was discriminated against after being passed over for the chief’s job, accepted a $35,000 settlement to end his lawsuit, according to federal court filings. W. Robert Jones on Wednesday formally accepted the settlement offer that was extended by the city...
