Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 742
Plum man faces federal gun, drug charges
A Plum man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on drug and gun charges. Authorities said convicted felon Taiwan Donje Rodgers, 25, of Unity-Trestle Road possessed firearms and ammunition as well as possessed heroin and fentanyl with the intent to distribute them. The charges stem from...
Allegheny County Jail inmate records videos from inside jail, has them posted to YouTube
A man awaiting trial on a rape charge may no longer represent himself in court after he used recording equipment inside Allegheny County Jail to make multiple videos — including a sample opening statement — and posted them on YouTube. James Taric Byrd, 44, has been incarcerated while awaiting trial...
Austin Davis inaugurated as Pa.’s first Black lieutenant governorVideo
Former state Rep. Austin Davis, D-McKeesport, was sworn in as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor Tuesday, becoming the state’s first Black person to hold that position. Davis was inaugurated alongside Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, in Harrisburg. Davis is succeeding John Fetterman, who was recently sworn in as Pennsylvania’s newest U.S. Senator. “Today...
Feds won’t seek death penalty for El Paso Walmart shooter
Federal prosecutors will not seek the death penalty for a man accused of fatally shooting nearly two dozen people in a racist attack at a West Texas Walmart in 2019. The U.S. Department of Justice disclosed the decision not to pursue capital punishment against Patrick Crusius in a one-sentence notice...
Slain Monroeville teen remembered as ‘sweetest person’
Eloisa Creighton has read the flood of online comments and social media posts about her grandson, Aceyn Ausbrook, who was shot and killed last weekend outside a Monroeville birthday party. Now, she said she wants to add her voice to the chorus. “People say it all the time, but he...
South Fayette man pleads to Jan. 6 Capitol riot charges
A South Fayette man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Jorden Mink, 29, will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss on April 11 on two counts including assaulting, resisting or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon and theft of...
State police were trying to arrest Hempfield man prior to daylong standoff
The man who authorities said died by suicide during a police standoff Monday in a Hempfield mobile home park was accused of threatening a woman with a gun two days earlier and firing two shots into the ceiling, according to court papers. Gerald A. Long Jr., 54, was charged Sunday...
Duquesne University professor dead in apparent murder-suicide in Wilkins
A popular Duquesne University professor and his wife died Tuesday morning in Wilkins in what Allegheny County Police described as a murder-suicide. Emergency dispatchers received a third-party call just before 10 a.m. requesting a police check on a couple engaged in a violent domestic incident inside their home on Thorncrest...
$1.3B expansion of Mon-Fayette Expressway to begin soon, Pa. Turnpike Commission says
A $1.3 billion expansion project of the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Mon-Fayette Expressway between Route 51 and Interstate 376 is expected to get underway soon, according to the Turnpike Commission. The 8-mile extension will expand the Mon-Fayette Expressway, which now stretches 54 miles from Jefferson Hills to Morgantown, W.Va. When complete, the...
Gainey opposes plan to step up curfew enforcement in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s office said Tuesday that the mayor does not support a proposal to ramp up enforcement of the city’s curfew for minors. City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith on Monday said she is planning to introduce legislation this week that aims to enforce the city’s curfew for juveniles...
Twitter storm hovers over Allegheny County Council race between Hallam, Doven
That escalated quickly. A race for an at-large seat on Allegheny County Council had barely gotten underway this month when attacks started flying. Many of them came from observers of the race on social media, particularly Twitter, and almost immediately put the race’s two candidates on the defensive. Joanna Doven...
BNY Mellon plans to lay off around 1,500 workers
Bank of New York Mellon is planning to lay off 3% of its workforce, or about 1,500 jobs. The New York-based financial firm that employs thousands in the Pittsburgh region, did not specify where those jobs would be located or what categories would be impacted. “We continue to optimize our...
Derry Area student surprised with full tuition scholarship to Thiel
When Derry Area High School senior Cydney Wierzbowski was called down to the school guidance office early Tuesday morning, for a moment, she thought she might be in trouble. “I was in math class, and I was pulled out to go to guidance for I did not know what,” Wierzbowski...
Madonna’s global ‘Celebration’ tour announces Pittsburgh dateVideo
Madonna will bring 40 years of her greatest hits to Pittsburgh as part of her “Madonna: The Celebration Tour.” The best-selling female solo touring artist of all time comes to PPG Paints Arena on Aug. 7. It will be her third stop in Pittsburgh, having performed at the Civic Arena...
Shapiro takes oath of office to become 48th Pa. governor
HARRISBURG — Democrat Josh Shapiro took the oath of office Tuesday to become the 48th governor of Pennsylvania, placing his hand on a stack of three Jewish Bibles at Tuesday’s inaugural ceremony outside the state Capitol to cap his blowout win in November’s election. Shapiro, 49, takes over in the...
Warmer temps headed to Western Pa. this week, forecasters say
It doesn’t fit the exact description of a January thaw, but it certainly will feel just as good as one. That’s what experts at the National Weather Service office in Moon are predicting for the Pittsburgh area this week: much-warmer-than-usual weather. Temperatures will hover around the 50-degree mark for much...
Time to change antiquated Pa. tax system, municipal league says
In 1965, Lyndon Johnson was president of the United States, the country was involved in a war in Vietnam, and the Fab Four — The Beatles — held what many consider to be the first stadium rock concert in New York City. Without as much fanfare, Pennsylvania leaders that same...
13-year-old charged in homicide of teenager in Clairton
Allegheny County police said they have charged a 13-year-old Clairton male in the shooting death of another teen Monday night in Clairton. The shooting happened about 9:19 p.m. in the 400 block of Wilson Avenue, police said. LaQuan Rich-Cabbagestalk, 13, is charged with homicide in connection with the death of...
Ex-GOP candidate arrested in shootings at New Mexico lawmakers’ homes
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A failed Republican candidate who authorities said was angry over his defeat and made baseless claims the election last November was “rigged” against him was arrested in connection with a series of drive-by shootings targeting the homes of Democratic lawmakers in New Mexico’s largest city. Solomon Pena,...
Pa. lawmakers once again propose moving up presidential primary
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania is a hugely important political battleground, but it hasn’t traditionally mattered much in presidential primaries. That’s because the state votes so late. It holds its presidential primary on the fourth Tuesday in April, long after many states have voted. Despite being one of the biggest swing states...
Greensburg man seriously hurt after being struck by truck on Route 119
A Greensburg man was seriously hurt after he was hit by a pickup truck Monday while walking along Route 119 in Hempfield, state police said. David A. Green, 30, was hit by a Ford F-350 and a trailer it was towing, according to troopers. The pickup was traveling southbound in...
On King’s holiday, daughter calls for bold action over words
ATLANTA — America has honored Martin Luther King Jr. with a federal holiday for nearly four decades yet still hasn’t fully embraced and acted on the lessons from the slain civil rights leader, his youngest daughter said Monday. The Rev. Bernice King, who leads The King Center in Atlanta, said...
Norwin director wants to ban book that uses derogatory term he used on social media
Norwin School Board member Alex Detschelt last week called for the district to ban another book from its curriculum. Detschelt has courted controversy since he was elected to the board in 2021. His latest target is “Al Capone Does My Shirts,” Gennifer Choldenko’s 2005 young adult novel that was a...
Pittsburgh City Council president proposes ramping up curfew enforcement, opening youth centers
Pittsburgh City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith is expected to introduce legislation this week that would ramp up enforcement of the city’s curfew for minors. The legislation also would open 24-hour resource centers for youth who violate curfew or need help. The city already has a curfew in place, but Kail-Smith...
Kitchen fire forces closure of Hidden Valley resort
A minor kitchen fire shut down Hidden Valley Resort in Somerset County on Monday morning, officials said. Anna Weltz, spokeswoman for Vail Resorts, which owns Hidden Valley, said the fire started in the kitchen area of the Clocktower Restaurant and was quickly contained. “Three employees were transported to the local...
