Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 734
As pandemic tax credits fade, prepare for shrinking tax refunds
The clock has started ticking for people to file their tax returns but this year, there’s one thing to brace for — smaller refunds. That’s because many of the benefits put in place to help people weather the pandemic — such as boosting the child tax credit and earned income...
Bushy Run draws support after state halts annual reenactment
In Rob Malley’s opinion, Bushy Run is experiencing its third battle. The first battle occurred in August 1763 between the British and Native Americans during Pontiac’s War. The second happened in 2009, when the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission threatened to close the historical Penn Township park that memorializes the...
Suspect in attack on Paul Pelosi calls California TV station from jail
Hours after a San Francisco court released body-camera video of a man attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer, QAnon extremist David DePape, the suspect in the attack, made a surprise call from jail to a Bay Area news station expressing regret that he didn’t go further. “I’m so sorry I...
1 injured in Wilkinsburg shooting
A man was injured in a shooting on Sunday afternoon in Wilkinsburg. Allegheny County police responded to a report of a shooting at the Get-Go on Penn Avenue at 3:43 p.m. First responders found a man there suffering multiple gunshot wounds, officials said. Police said further investigation revealed the shooting...
No injuries reported after shots fired in Downtown Pittsburgh overnight
No one was injured after gunshots were fired in Downtown Pittsburgh early Sunday morning, public safety officials said. Police officers in the area of Sixth Avenue and Smithfield Street reported hearing multiple gunshots just after 1 a.m. that they believe were fired into the air, officials said. The shots damaged...
Elon Musk’s mysterious ways on display in Tesla tweet trial
SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk’s enigmatic personality and unconventional tactics are emerging as key exhibits in a trial revolving around one of his most polarizing pursuits — tweeting. The trial, centered on a pair of tweets announcing Musk had obtained the money to take Tesla private in 2018, reeled the...
Biden, McCarthy to discuss debt limit in talks on Wednesday
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Sunday he is looking forward to discussing with President Joe Biden a “reasonable and responsible way that we can lift the debt ceiling ” when the two meet Wednesday for their first sit-down at the White House since McCarthy was elected to the...
The River Community Church Pastor Dean Ward went from diving for golf balls to growing the church’s mission
Serving an estimated 1,100 visiting police officers for funeral events for fallen Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire was just another facet of The River Community Church in New Kensington and its pastor, Dean Ward. Ward, 56, of New Kensington isn’t your typical pastor. He built a business diving for golf...
‘Don’t be numb to this’: Battling despair over gun deaths
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Increasingly it feels like America is at war with itself. In New Orleans, just days into the new year, a 14-year-old girl was shot to death, along with her father and uncle. A few days after, in a Virginia classroom, a six-year-old boy pulled out a gun...
Tyre Nichols case revives calls for change in police culture
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An unarmed Black man dies after a videotaped beating by police. The officers involved are fired. After a thorough review of the evidence, criminal charges are swiftly filed against the offending officers. Investigation, accountability and charges. This is often the most Black citizens can hope for as...
Should federal grants favor highway repair over expansion?
Arizona officials refer to a notoriously congested stretch of desert highway through tribal land as the Wild Horse Pass Corridor, a label that’s less about horses than the bustling casino by the same name located just north of where the interstate constricts to four lanes. With the Gila River Indian...
Egg prices remain high in first month of 2023
Egg prices have remained high this month, following concerns about increases in grain costs and the impacts of bird flu on agriculture. In December 2022, egg production in Pennsylvania was down 17% from the year before, and the total number of egg-laying birds was down 15%, according to the northeastern...
Stings by Harrison police, state agents lead to arrest of 2 accused heroin dealers
Two accused heroin dealers targeted in separate sting operations by Harrison police and state narcotics agents are scheduled to appear before a district judge this week to face felony drug charges. Last February, an undercover team of Harrison police officers and agents from the state Attorney General’s Office arranged to...
Community in shock as Greensburg police chief’s apparent double life is exposed
It wasn’t a major arrest, but one that can make a small difference in a community. Shawn Denning got a tip Aug. 10 and the next day staked out Spring Avenue in Greensburg, eyes peeled for a blue Chevrolet Colorado. The driver had a few bundles of heroin, according to...
From perfume to light bulbs, Lower Burrell Plaza’s former JCPenney building getting more than a facelift
A couple of mannequins and a drop ceiling were among the last vestiges inside the old JCPenney building in Lower Burrell, now gutted to make way for an open-air, 90,000-square-foot electrical supply warehouse and store. The former department store’s brick shell still stands, but most of the interior is gone....
2 injured after deck collapses at Vandergrift home
Two people were injured after the deck collapsed at their Vandergrift home Saturday morning. Katie Bragg, 34, and Mike Horton, 33, were injured when the deck collapsed around 9:45 a.m., relatives said. The pair used the deck space every day, said Sophie Bragg, their 11-year-old daughter. Half of the deck...
Trump opens 2024 run, says he’s ‘more committed’ than ever
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Former President Donald Trump kicked off his 2024 White House bid with a stop Saturday in New Hampshire before heading to South Carolina, appearances in early-voting states marking the first campaign events since announcing his latest run more than two months ago. “We’re starting. We’re starting right...
Local water systems prepare to deal with stricter regulations for ‘forever chemicals’
New regulations that place stricter limits on the presence of “forever chemicals” in Pennsylvania’s public drinking water are not expected to heavily impact the local water supply, officials said. While the revised standards dramatically reduce the levels of two forms of the toxic chemicals that collectively are known as PFAS,...
Man accused of spitting, throwing hot coffee in AVH nurse’s face charged with felony assault
A South Greensburg man was arrested on charges that he assaulted an emergency room nurse at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison. James Gregory Wilbur, 55, of the 1100 block of Spruce Street faces a felony count of aggravated assault along with simple assault, disorderly conduct and harassment, according to court...
Auction set for Abby Lee Dance Co.’s Penn Hills studio memorabilia
The beginning of the end for the Abby Lee Miller Dance Co. studio in Penn Hills has begun. On Feb. 8, almost everything in the studio will be auctioned off to buyers. The site was the predominant backdrop of the popular Lifetime network reality TV series “Dance Moms.” Murrysville-based Cleanout...
Bushy Run Battlefield reenactment canceled amid new state guidelines
A new state policy may scuttle reenactments of the Battle of Bushy Run. The battle was part of Pontiac’s War, a pan-Native campaign that opposed British settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. The British routed members of the Seneca, Cayuga and Lenape nations on Aug. 5-6, 1763. It has been...
A year after Fern Hollow Bridge collapse, are Western Pa.’s bridges in better shape?
It took less than 11 months to replace Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge after it collapsed in Frick Park. The speed of the bridge replacement project was an achievement — it normally takes three to five years to replace a span of that size, officials said. Emergency declarations from state and...
Police: Jeannette man killed in wrong-way, head-on crash near Homer City
A Jeannette man was killed late Thursday night when an Indiana, Pa. man is accused of driving the wrong way on Route 119 near Homer City and crashing into a car in which the victim was riding, state police from Indiana County said. The victim, Alex A. Booher, 30, was...
3 more people injured in Fern Hollow Bridge collapse sue City of Pittsburgh
Three people who were on the Fern Hollow Bridge when it collapsed a year ago filed lawsuits against the City of Pittsburgh on Friday alleging negligence for its alleged failure to maintain the structure. Velva and Tyrone Perry were in his red Ford F-150 pickup truck about 6:40 a.m. on...
Auction set for Abby Lee Dance Co.’s Penn Hills studio memorabilia
The beginning of the end for the Abby Lee Miller Dance Co. studio in Penn Hills has begun. On Feb. 8, almost everything in the studio will be auctioned off to buyers. The site was the predominant backdrop of the popular Lifetime network reality TV series “Dance Moms.” Murrysville-based Cleanout...
