Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 815
Pittsburgh police union rejects Gainey’s final contract offer; matter heads to arbitration
The union that represents Pittsburgh police officers has rejected Mayor Ed Gainey’s final contract offer and the case will now head into arbitration ahead of a new contract term that is set to begin next year. The offer included pay raises for officers that Gainey said would make their pay...
Rivers Casino’s The Landing Hotel now taking room reservations
The Rivers Casino’s The Landing Hotel is now taking room reservations in advance of its upcoming opening. The official opening date has yet to be announced, Rivers Casino spokesman Jack Horner said, but the hotel’s website is now accepting reservations beginning Oct. 11. The seven-story, 219-room hotel will connect directly...
Hurricane Fiona roars by Bermuda, on route to Canada
CAGUAS, Puerto Rico — Fiona, a Category 3 hurricane, pounded Bermuda with heavy rains and winds early Friday as it swept by the island on a route forecast to have it approaching northeastern Canada late in the day as a still-powerful storm. Authorities in Bermuda opened shelters and closed schools...
Police: Man who fled from stolen car in Springdale arrested same day trying to steal another one
Police say a man who fled from officers after the stolen car he was driving went over a hillside in Springdale Township was arrested later the same day when he tried to steal another one. Joshua James Short, 20, whose last known address was in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood, was charged...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Sept. 23-25
It’s a great weekend for celebrating local and international arts and culture — and seafood — in Pittsburgh. Downtown art crawl Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will host Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District beginning at 5:30 p.m. Friday at indoor and outdoor venues throughout Downtown. The crawl will feature exhibitions by...
Westmoreland County Food Bank celebrates its 40th anniversary, honors its staff and volunteers
The 40,000-square-foot warehouse of the Westmoreland County Food Bank was transformed into a banquet hall open to the public Thursday night to celebrate the organization’s 40th anniversary. “It is an incredible accomplishment of the community as a whole,” said Lauren Hill, the food bank’s director of development. “These are great...
1 killed, 1 injured in head-on, wrong-way crash on Route 30 in Hempfield
One person was killed and another injured in a two-vehicle crash Thursday night on Route 30 in Hempfield that state police said involved a driver who was going the wrong way. Lauren Prenatt, 55, of Hempfield was pronounced dead at Westmoreland Hospital after the crash, according to the Westmoreland County...
Traffic to shift on Route 28 interchange ramps for PennDOT project
Motorists on Route 28 can expect traffic restrictions at the Cheswick/Springdale (Exit 12) interchange beginning at 6:30 a.m. Friday and lasting all day. Crews from Swank Construction Co. will mill the northbound interchange ramps and then will perform similar work on the southbound ramps. The ramps will remain open, but...
5 people left homeless when fire breaks out at Leechburg duplex
Five people were left homeless Thursday afternoon when fire heavily damaged a duplex on Main Street in Leechburg. Leechburg Fire Chief Tom Foster said the fire was reported around 5:48 p.m. at 135 Main St. Foster said two cats remained unaccounted for. The fire erupted from the second floor of...
Indiana abortion clinics reopening after judge blocks ban
INDIANAPOLIS — After an Indiana judge on Thursday blocked the state’s abortion ban from being enforced, phones starting ringing across Indiana abortion clinics, which are preparing to resume the procedure a week after the ban had gone into effect. “People are getting the word that abortion is now legal again,...
New Kensington residents remember Azuree Charles the day after boy’s parents charged with his death
New Kensington residents from East Ken Manor and beyond gathered in front of 9-year-old Azuree Charles’ home to remember him Thursday, a day after his parents were charged in connection with his death in May. Some, including children, held signs saying “Justice has been served,” “Fly high,” and “I miss...
Donora man guilty of attempted murder and assaults in North Belle Vernon bar fight
A Donora man was convicted Thursday of the attempted murder of one man and injuring two others during a bar fight three years ago in North Belle Vernon. After more than four hours of deliberations, a Westmoreland County jury found Eric Cook, 46, guilty of 10 criminal counts in connection...
Penn State officials hope for 47% increase in state general support funding
Penn State officials plan to aim high in their 202-24 state funding request. On Friday, the Board of Trustees will vote on whether to approve a request for an additional $115 million in general support funding from the state. If approved by legislators, that would bring the university’s general support...
New Pennsylvania driver licenses include a ghost portrait of you that can disappear
Pennsylvania driver’s license and PennDOT-issued identification cards have been redesigned to prevent fraud. They now feature an optically variable ghost portrait of the card owner and variable data that disappears depending on the viewing angle. Among other security enhancements, they have a gold metallic tint visible under direct lighting and...
Thousands of older Pennsylvanians at risk of losing property tax rebates because of legislative inaction
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — It’s a conversation Diana Raph dreads. Every year, Raph, a tax preparer in the Lehigh Valley, applies on behalf...
Hempfield man charged with leaving obscene messages for members of Congress
A Hempfield man who previously served jail time for harassing Black members of a Penn Township church was charged Thursday with leaving 214 obscene and racially-charged voicemails for 35 members of Congress, according to court papers. Mark Eugene Ray, 62, is charged with ethnic intimidation and two counts of harassment...
First Amendment likely prevents Pine-Richland from disciplining student after racist Homecoming sign incident
Pine-Richland School District likely does not have the legal authority to discipline a high school student whose homecoming proposal sign went viral on social media and left members of the community dismayed, according to an attorney with the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. The First Amendment likely prevents the district from...
Richard S. Caliguiri Great Race to result in Pittsburgh road closures
Road closures will impact Pittsburgh’s Downtown, Uptown, Oakland and Squirrel Hill neighborhoods this weekend as about 10,000 people are expected to participate in events for the Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race. The weekend of events includes a variety of races, including the Diaper Dash, Tot Trot, One-Mile...
Experts say covid pandemic continues to hospitalize, kill in Pennsylvania, despite Biden comments
For many, if not most, the masks are off and the covid pandemic is in the rearview mirror. But an average of 10 people are dying from covid in Pennsylvania each day, and about 1,150 residents are hospitalized with the virus, according to state health data. The state Department of...
Martell Smith to serve life in prison for setting Homewood fire that killed 3
Martell Smith stood at the front of an Allegheny County courtroom Thursday with his legs shackled and a leather belt around his waist, securing his hands. He was no longer presumed to be innocent. Less than an hour earlier, a jury of seven men and five women had found Smith...
Some Pittsburgh elected officials caution against ‘blue hydrogen’ hub pitch
Leaders from around the world are in Pittsburgh for the Global Clean Energy Action Forum, and hydrogen figures to be a key topic of discussion. While the gas is quickly gaining cache as the future of American energy, there are disagreements about what Pittsburgh’s role should be concerning hydrogen. And...
Redrawn districts inject uncertainty in Pa. legislative contests
HARRISBURG — Democrats in Pennsylvania who have long blamed their party’s legislative minorities on Republican gerrymandering will find out in November whether friendlier district maps will edge them closer to retaking control of the House and Senate. Nearly 400 state legislative candidates will appear on ballots Nov. 8, hoping voters...
Average long-term mortgage rates climb to 6.29% this week
WASHINGTON — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates jumped by more than a quarter-point this week to their highest level since 2008 as the Federal Reserve intensified its effort to tamp down decades-high inflation and cool the economy. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year rate climbed to 6.29%,...
Sheetz site opens near turnpike interchange along Route 31 in Donegal
A new Sheetz gas station and convenience store opened Thursday in Donegal Township, not far from the interchange on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The new location is along Route 31, near the intersection with Route 711/Main Street. Each new store typically creates about 30 jobs, according to a spokesman. A few...
Powell’s stark message: Inflation fight may cause recession
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve delivered its bluntest reckoning Wednesday of what it will take to finally tame painfully high inflation: Slower growth, higher unemployment and potentially a recession. Speaking at a news conference, Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged what many economists have been saying for months: That the Fed’s goal...
