Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 777
Fire destroys Harrison pool store; chemical fumes force partial evacuation
Fire crews from all over the Alle-Kiski Valley and beyond battled a four-alarm fire Tuesday at a swimming pool supply store in Harrison that forced the evacuation of some elderly people within a half-mile radius of the scene. Harrison Hills Fire Chief James Bartolovich said there were concerns about chemical...
Protected bike lane bill named for Pittsburgher vetoed over late GOP amendments
Pittsburgh officials have tried for years to make streets safer for cyclists by installing bike lanes protected by parked cars. Those efforts recently hit a snag after Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a road safety bill because of an amendment added to it. After cyclist and University of Pittsburgh staffer Susan...
Slippery Rock University narrows presidential search to 4 finalists
Four finalists have emerged in the search for Slippery Rock University’s next president, with the short list including current and former campus leaders in Colorado, Minnesota, Texas and West Virginia. A panel seeking a successor to President William Behre identified the four finalists Tuesday and said each will be on...
Inflation gives pay raise gift to top Pennsylvania officials
HARRISBURG — Inflation is gift-wrapping another big salary increase for hundreds of Pennsylvania state lawmakers, judges and top executive branch officials in 2023, including boosting rank-and-file lawmakers and district judges into six-figure territory. For many of these positions, it’s the biggest increase since the 1990s, when lawmakers passed legislation to...
Pittsburgh extends ‘smart loading zone’ program for delivery drivers for 3 years
Pittsburgh City Council is extending a pilot program designed to make it easier for delivery drivers to find parking spots for brief periods of time. The pilot, launched in the spring, was scheduled to last one year. Council voted Monday to extend it for another three years. The smart loading...
Gathering again? Tips for a safe and healthy Thanksgiving
For families who settled for smaller gatherings and remote blessings during the height of the pandemic, this Thanksgiving looks like the return of the big bash. More folks are getting together this year, with the American Automobile Association predicting holiday travel will be nearly back to prepandemic levels. If that’s...
Thanksgiving might bring changes in holiday-travel habits
The Thanksgiving travel rush was back on this year, as people caught planes in numbers not seen in years, setting aside inflation concerns to reunite with loved ones and enjoy some normalcy after two holiday seasons marked by COVID-19 restrictions. Changing habits around work and play, however, might spread out...
‘It’s the reflex’: Veteran helped disarm gunman at gay clubVideo
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — When army veteran Rich Fierro realized a gunman was spraying bullets inside the club where he had gathered with friends and family, instincts from his military training immediately kicked in. First he ducked to avoid any potential incoming fire, then moved to try to disarm the...
Greensburg police union files suit to block change in retirement plan provider
Greensburg’s police union has filed suit in Westmoreland County court seeking to block a change to a retirement savings plan it says would violate its contract with the city. Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 56 argues in the civil action filed last week that Greensburg’s planned change of provider for...
$1.65M Pennsylvania Lottery prize still unclaimed by winner in Kiski Township
Time is running out for a person to cash in a $1.65 million-winning Pennsylvania lottery ticket sold last year in Kiski Township. The unclaimed Cash 5 winning ticket was purchased Dec. 16, 2021, at the BP Fueland on River Road. The ticket is on the verge of expiring if unclaimed by...
‘Making great strides’: Jeannette IDs 12 more blighted homes for demolition
Twelve homes in Jeannette were deemed public nuisances and ordered demolished Monday, adding to the city’s list of blight proposed to be removed through Westmoreland County American Rescue Plan funding. Fire Chief Bill Frye said he hopes to push as many as 100 properties through what can be a time-consuming...
Dealers question report tracing guns used in Pennsylvania crimes
Just a fraction of Pennsylvania’s thousands of gun dealers — most of them in the greater Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas — represent the biggest source of firearms linked to crimes in the state, according to one of the nation’s most influential groups combating gun violence. In a report released this...
Vehicle rollover in Ligonier Township sends 1 from Route 30 scene for treatment
One person was transported for treatment following a one-vehicle wreck Monday evening in Ligonier Township, according to responding firefighters. The rollover crash with entrapment was reported at about 7:15 p.m. on Laurel Ridge, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher confirmed. Waterford and Ligonier firefighters were dispatched to the crash near the...
Officials: Verona man fatally shot on porch of Wilkinsburg home
Allegheny County police are investigating a shooting Monday afternoon in Wilkinsburg that killed a Verona man. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as 40-year-old Walter Sloan. First responders who were dispatched shortly after 4:45 p.m. found the man had been shot multiple times on the front porch...
District Judge Mik Pappas says he will not seek reelection in upcoming primary
The Highland Park magisterial district judge who made waves in Allegheny County’s criminal justice system by forgoing cash bail and occasionally refusing to sign warrants submitted by local law enforcement said he will not seek reelection in the spring 2023 primary. Pappas, 41, made the announcement Sunday afternoon on Twitter....
Mechanicsburg woman found guilty for role in Jan. 6 riot
A District of Columbia jury has found a Mechanicsburg woman accused of aiding in the theft of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s laptop guilty on some charges related to the Jan. 6 insurrection. But the jury did not come to a consensus whether or not Riley Williams, 23, aided...
Judges in Pa. can now dismiss charges against people ‘incompetent’ to stand trial, but flaws remain
This story is a collaboration between Spotlight PA and the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, published as part of a Pittsburgh Media Partnership project. Sign up for Spotlight PA’s free newsletters. HARRISBURG — The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has corrected a decades-old flaw in state law that left severely mentally...
Westmoreland County Prison guards injured, inmate from Irwin charged
A man being held at the Westmoreland County Prison was arraigned Monday on aggravated assault and terroristic threats charges after authorities said he injured three guards, according to court papers. Carl A. Jones, 33, of Irwin, is accused in the Oct. 31 incident at the Hempfield jail. Westmoreland County detectives...
Sheetz lowers price for unleaded 88 to $1.99 a gallon for Thanksgiving week
Sheetz convenience stores will sell unleaded 88 gas for $1.99 a gallon during the Thanksgiving 2022 weekend. The deal is available at Sheetz locations that have unleaded 88. The deal is good from Nov. 21 to Nov. 28. According to Sheetz, unleaded 88 fuel is approved by the U.S. Environmental...
Family of victims in East Huntingdon fire located
After more than two days of searching, members of the Westmoreland County coroner’s office have located family members of an elderly East Huntingdon couple killed in a fire Friday. Coroner Tim Carson said Monday that they located a son in Swissvale. Ernest E. Wright Sr., 87, and his wife, Nancy...
Motorcyclist injured in 2-vehicle crash on Route 356 in Allegheny Township
A motorcyclist was injured after colliding with another vehicle along Route 356 in Allegheny Township on Monday morning. The crash was reported at 10:48 a.m. at the intersection of Orr Avenue, according to a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor. The cyclist, whose identity was not released, was transported to a local...
Congressman Conor Lamb to join personal injury law firm after leaving office
U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, said Sunday he plans to join a personal injury law firm after leaving office next year — though the move could be temporary. Lamb, 38, has served in Washington for more than four years but opted not to seek reelection. He said on Twitter...
‘White Friday’ target for skiers to hit slopes at Seven Springs
Frigid temperatures brought scattered snow showers and squalls to the region late last week and provided ideal conditions for crews at Seven Springs Mountain Resort to make some snow of their own. That bodes well for the plan to open the Somerset County resort for skiing Friday, Nov. 25, the...
Mark Madden: Steelers’ $108 million defense responsible for loss to Bengals … and 3-7 record
The diversion continues, and effectively so. The Pittsburgh Steelers offense collapsed in the second half vs. the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. “They do the same plays over and over,” Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt said. The offense got just 52 yards and one first down in the second half till a garbage-time...
Police: Clairton man sold drugs while working at Cricket Wireless in Rostraver
A Clairton man is in the Westmoreland County Prison after police said he was selling drugs during his work hours at a Rostraver store. Melvin T. Payne, 42, was jailed Thursday on $250,000 bail after police reported making two drug purchases through a confidential informant this month. He is facing...
