Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 872
Pittsburgh police investigate shootings that left 1 dead, 1 critical
One of two men who were wounded in shootings and arrived at a Pittsburgh hospital early Sunday has died, according to city police. Officials identified the victim Sunday afternoon as Joseph Mitchell, 39, of Pittsburgh. Detectives from the Violent Crime Unit are working to determine where the shootings took place....
Covid variants inevitable as long as virus continues to spread, doctors say
The virus that causes covid-19 has mutated again and again, and experts say new variants will continue, in part because of the nature of the virus and also because large swaths of the population choose not to be vaccinated. “Should we expect more variants? The answer is yes,” said Dr....
Phase 4 Learning Center’s graduation honors 2 students killed by gun violence
Two chairs sat empty, each with a purple balloon, red rose wrapped in a black ribbon and photos of the teens on what was supposed to be their graduation day. Matthew Steffy-Ross, 17, of Pitcairn died on April 17, Easter Sunday, on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Marvin D. Matthews, 19, of...
14th PA Hero Walk for veterans in need ends statewide trek in Lower Burrell
Spending two weeks walking across the state for the 14th annual PA Hero Walk gives you plenty of time to think, said Travis Reesman after he and five other military veterans were met by an honor guard at the Lower Burrell VFW on Saturday. But the 28-year-old from Kittanning said...
Taking flight: Competitors from across the U.S., Canada in Pittsburgh for Pogopalooza
They say it’s like flying. “They” are athletes who jump on a pogo stick and spring into the air — reaching heights of eight to 10 feet and sometimes higher. There was some flying happening Friday night at the 21st annual Pogopalooza — the world championships of pogo stick jumping...
Air Quality Action Day alert issued for Southwestern Pa.
The National Weather Service and state Department of Environmental Protection have issued an air quality alert for Saturday in several Southwestern Pennsylvania counties, including Westmoreland and Allegheny. The alert also impacts Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette and Washington counties. The Code Orange Air Quality Action Day alert was prompted by conditions...
Gunfire on Pittsburgh’s South Side sends 3 to hospital
An altercation on Pittsburgh’s South Side early Saturday resulted in gunfire that wounded three female victims, according to city police. Police responded to ShotSpotter alerts for multiple shots fired shortly after 3:30 a.m. on South 12th Street, between East Carson and Sarah streets. Soon after, one of the victims arrived...
Biden signs landmark gun measure, says ‘lives will be saved’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school. “Lives will be saved,” he said at...
Pittsburgh man arrested after 3 wounded, officer shot during gunfire in Knoxville
A Pittsburgh man is under arrest after, police say, he shot a police officer after fleeing another shooting scene. Julian Reese-Krasausky, 21, of Pittsburgh’s Elliot neighborhood was arrested after a foot chase into Mount Oliver, according to police. Reese-Krasausky is accused of shooting a pursuing officer. The bullet struck the...
Hundreds in Pittsburgh protest abortion rulingVideo
Chants of “My body, my choice,” “Stand up, fight back,” “Vote” and “Free, safe and legal” rang out through Downtown Pittsburgh Friday evening as several hundred people took to the streets to protest the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. The court’s 6-3 ruling puts the abortion issue back...
Funerals for Westmoreland County’s unclaimed veterans moved to larger venue
Funeral services next month for 15 veterans whose remains sat unclaimed at the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office will be relocated to Hempfield Park to accommodate a larger-than-expected crowd. Officials said there has been an “overwhelming response” from the community to attend the ceremony. Coroner Tim Carson said Friday he expects...
ABORTION DECISION: The ruling, the reaction, the future
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion. The 6-3 ruling puts the issue back in the hands of states for the first time in nearly 50 years. The court’s conservative majority overturned the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade and 1992’s Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The...
Guardian Angels Parish expected to close 5 of 7 churches
Meager finances and dwindling attendance will force Guardian Angels Parish in Harrison to reduce its seven churches into two campuses later this year. “Decisions to recommend the closing of churches are never easy and never taken lightly,” said the Rev. John Lendvai in a letter to parishioners. “This is a...
Congress sends landmark gun violence compromise to Biden
WASHINGTON — The House sent President Joe Biden the most wide-ranging gun violence bill Congress has passed in decades on Friday, a measured compromise that at once illustrates progress on the long-intractable issue and the deep-seated partisan divide that persists. The Democratic-led chamber approved the election-year legislation on a mostly...
Biden vows abortion fight, assails ‘extreme’ court rulingVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Friday he would try to preserve access to abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and he called on Americans to elect more Democrats who would safeguard rights upended by the court’s decision. “This is not over,” he declared. “Let’s be very...
Pennsylvania average gas price dips below $5
The average price for a gallon of gasoline has dipped back below $5 in Pennsylvania, according to AAA. The state’s average fell from $5 on Thursday to $4.98 on Friday, AAA reported. The average has come down 6 cents per gallon in the past week. The average cost has been...
Summer swelter: Persistent heat wave breaks records, spirits
From the normally chilly Russian Arctic to the traditionally sweltering American South, big swaths of the Northern Hemisphere continued to sizzle with extreme heat as the start of summer more resembled the dog days of August with parts of China and Japan setting all-time heat records Friday. In the United...
Scottdale Pride expands for year 2, aims to launch nonprofit
Until last year, there was no such thing as an LGBTQ Pride event in Scottdale. Now, the Scottdale Pride committee is looking not only to expand the second annual event, but also the group behind it. Stephen Elcock said he and the other committee members seek to launch an official...
Uniontown woman dead following shooting outside bar
A Uniontown woman was shot and killed outside a city bar on Thursday night, according to police. Officers responded to the 200 block of North Gallatin Avenue outside McPatton’s Pub around 10:20 p.m., where they found Samantha Harden, 34, with a single gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead a short...
Turnpike interchange at I-79 and Southern Beltway now fully open
The Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange connecting Interstate 79 and the Southern Beltway will open fully on Friday. The 19-mile Southern Beltway links I-376 near the Pittsburgh International Airport to I-79 at the line between Allegheny and Washington counties. The $800 million project was undertaken with the goal of easing congestion on...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 24-26
It’s the final weekend of June. Here are some ways to spend it. Music festival The WYEP Music Festival is Saturday at Schenley Plaza in Oakland. Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation, the parent organization of 91.3 WYEP, will host a day of live free music from a variety of genres. The...
Senate OKs landmark gun violence bill, House passage is next
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday easily approved a bipartisan gun violence bill that seemed unthinkable just a month ago, clearing the way for final congressional approval of what will be lawmakers’ most far-reaching response in decades to the nation’s run of brutal mass shootings. After years of GOP procedural...
Hyde Park man guilty of third-degree murder in wife’s 2017 death
Jeffrey Mark Fondrk told a jury Thursday that as his wife lay unconscious on the floor of their Hyde Park home, he extracted a gate from under her body and stepped over her to pour a glass of Pepsi and did so again to sit on a sofa and watch...
Pittsburgh argues against release of documents in Fern Hollow Bridge collapse civil case
The City of Pittsburgh is fighting a request by attorneys representing people injured in the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse to turn over inspection reports, maintenance and payment records. Attorneys for Port Authority bus driver Daryl Luciani, who was driving across the bridge when it collapsed Jan. 28, filed a motion...
Jan. 6 panel hears of Trump’s pressure on Justice DepartmentVideo
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump hounded the Justice Department to pursue his false election fraud claims, striving in vain to enlist top law enforcement officials in his desperate bid to stay in power and hosting a dramatic Oval Office showdown in which he weighed replacing the agency’s leader with a more...
