Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 753
Verona man dies after Penn Hills shooting
A Verona man has been identified as the victim in a fatal shooting in Penn Hills early Saturday morning. Kenneth E. Dorsey, 39, died from surgery-related complications at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Oakland, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner and Allegheny County Police said. Dorsey was shot in the abdomen around...
Benedict XVI, reluctant pope who chose to retire, dies at 95
VATICAN CITY — He was the reluctant pope, a shy bookworm who preferred solitary walks in the Alps and Mozart piano concertos to the public glare and majesty of Vatican pageantry. When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI and was thrust into the footsteps of his beloved and charismatic...
Publishers Clearinghouse Prize Patrol makes New Kensington woman $1 million richer
Jo Ann Sutherland said she didn’t hear the knocks or bell rings at her front door Friday afternoon because she was feeling under the weather and decided to nap on the couch. It took repeated telephone calls from the 78-year-old New Kensington woman’s neighbors to get her to answer the...
2 sides in legal battle over fatal Bricelyn Street fire still making their caseVideo
When Greg Brown entered a plea 27 years after a fire on Pittsburgh’s Bricelyn Street killed three city firefighters, the government saw it as a victory. Though the unusual Alford plea made earlier this year allows Brown to continue to proclaim his innocence and carries no additional sentence, he took...
50th anniversary of Roberto Clemente’s death brings ‘mixed emotions’
At some point on New Year’s Eve, Tom Walker and his wife of 48 years, Carolyn, will raise a toast in their Pine Township home to the man who Walker says saved his life a half-century ago: Roberto Clemente. “None of this, none of the blessings I’ve had in life,...
In new year, $250 in unpaid turnpike tolls could mean loss of vehicle registration
If you have outstanding an outstanding balance with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, now is the time to pay up. On Monday, a new state law will go into effect that suspends the registrations of Pennsylvania vehicle owners who owe $250 or more in turnpike tolls. The law bolsters a previous...
Several hundred birders slough through rain to count thousands of birds, some rare
For the 123rd Christmas Bird Count, several hundred people scoured all types of habitats from Pittsburgh’s three rivers to the brushy fields of Hartwood Acres in Indiana Township to the Laurel Highlands for the annual census of birds. There are never enough boots on the ground for the longest-running community...
Barbara Walters, television news trailblazer, dies at 93
NEW YORK — Barbara Walters, the intrepid interviewer, anchor and program host who led the way as the first woman to become a TV news superstar during a network career remarkable for its duration and variety, has died. She was 93. Walters’ death was announced by ABC on air Friday...
Authorities release little information about New Kensington bank robbery
New Kensington police are still looking for a suspect in the robbery Friday of First National Bank in New Kensington. The bank is a freestanding building at the front of the Riverview Plaza property at 90 Tarentum Bridge Road. A male robber threatened bank tellers by saying he was armed,...
Community rallies around Verna Montessori School in Fayette County after burst pipe floods classrooms
The sisters of Verna Montessori School are thankful for the support of their community after they discovered a pipe had burst in the ceiling of the Bullskin, Fayette County, school on Christmas morning. According to its principal, Sister Juliana Tengia, she and five other nuns were checking on the school...
Lawsuit alleges improprieties in cosmetology school
A former employee is suing the Fountain of Youth Academy of Cosmetology and its owner alleging financial improprieties, defamation and retaliation. Jennifer Michael, of Hopewell, filed the complaint against the school and owner Cheri Herold on Tuesday in federal court. It also includes claims under the state whistleblower act. Herold,...
Wait continues for residents of flooded Scottdale apartment complex
A water leak forced 29 residents from the Scottdale Court apartment complex on Christmas Day, and it’s unclear how long it will be until they can return to their homes. Greensburg’s Homes Build Hope, which developed the complex in 2013, expects most of the displaced residents will be able to...
Deer hunters back bill changing opening day of deer season
A coalition of hunters and businesses across the state, including many in Chester County, are supporting legislation aimed at changing the opening day of deer season back to Monday. Pennsylvania has opened its rifle deer season on the Monday after Thanksgiving for over 60 years, that is until 2019. The...
At Southwest Airlines, a day of recovery after week of chaos
Southwest Airlines returned to a relatively normal flight schedule Friday, as the focus shifts to making things right with what could be well more than a million passengers who missed family connections or flights home during the holidays, and many of whom are still missing luggage. The Dallas carrier, which...
Troopers justified in deadly November shooting of motorist, Westmoreland DA says
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli has ruled that state troopers were justified in fatally shooting a Johnstown man during a November high-speed chase that ended in Westmoreland County. Ziccarelli said in a news release Friday that she reviewed numerous videos, reports, witness interviews and evidence in coming to the...
From panties to potatoes, global New Year’s customs predict what’s to come
Watching the ball drop in Times Square, toasting with champagne and shooting off fireworks are familiar ways many in America may choose to ring in the New Year. Around the globe, other countries and cultures have their own unique New Year traditions. Fodor’s lists several unusual examples: Fashion forecast In...
Suspect in deaths of Idaho students arrested in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Authorities in Pennsylvania arrested a suspect in the killings of four University of Idaho students who were found stabbed to death in their beds more than a month ago, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said Friday. The killings initially mystified law enforcement and shook the small town...
Jan. 6 takeaways: Final revelations from investigation
WASHINGTON — Destroyed documents. Suggestions of pardoning violent rioters. Quiet talks among cabinet officials about whether then-President Donald Trump should be removed from office. Interview transcripts released by House investigators in recent days — more than 100 so far — give further insight into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and...
Police: South Greensburg motel fire ruled arson, Washington Township man charged
A state police fire marshal determined a blaze Thursday at the Knights Inn in South Greensburg was arson and a man told authorities he started it in the room where he was staying, according to court papers. A trooper reported to borough police that the 11 a.m. blaze began inside...
Fire marshal investigating fatal West Newton blaze
Firefighters and paramedics were not able to resuscitate a woman who was pulled from her apartment in West Newton on Thursday after a fire in her living room, fire Chief Craig Sanner said. The flames were contained to the home of Joyce Marinos, 76, who lived on the 11th floor...
Drawing nears for $685 million Mega Millions prize
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Mega Millions jackpot increased to $685 million ahead of Friday night’s drawing, giving lottery players a chance to ring in the New Year with an even larger bonus in their bank account. There have been 21 straight drawings without a jackpot winner thanks to stiff...
Trump’s tax returns released after long fight with Congress
Democrats in Congress released six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Friday, the culmination of a yearslong effort to learn more about the finances of a onetime business mogul who broke decades of political precedent when he refused to voluntarily release the information as he sought the...
$25M, 2-year preservation project on New Kensington Bridge to start in spring
A two-year, roughly $25 million project to preserve the nearly century-old New Kensington Bridge is scheduled to start in the spring. While drivers will encounter some traffic restrictions in 2023, the biggest inconvenience won’t come until the summer of 2024, when the bridge is scheduled to be closed for six...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 30-Jan. 1
This weekend begins in 2022 and ends in 2023 and there’s plenty to do in Pittsburgh in between, especially when it comes to ushering in the New Year. Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2023 Produced by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, this year’s First Night festivities get underway at 6 p.m. Saturday...
Ringing in the new year means staying on the clock for many workers
It’s a night of high expectations for people who want their celebrations to be memorable. But, for those providing service, New Year’s Eve can be a nonstop, thankless grind. The host of servers, bartenders, drivers and others behind the scenes generally make the party possible for revelers. Alcohol flows in...
