Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 874
Lawmaker wants Penn State to report location, condition of Joe Paterno statue
Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Butler/Beaver/Lawrence) is attempting to force Penn State University to provide information regarding the location and condition of the Joe Paterno statue by tying it as an amendment to Senate Bill 1283, which would provide the school’s funding for the fiscal year. Bernstine, who is a Penn State...
The Pennsylvania primary election set voter turnout records. Here’s what else the data show
The 2022 Pennsylvania primary election — finally filed away in the history books after a recount — wasn’t just a wild political saga. It also set voter turnout records. More Democrats and Republicans voted than in any midterm election primary in the last 25 years. Who those voters are, where...
Monroeville man who had to cancel wedding over misread covid test result sues UPMC
By late July 2020, Michael Martin and his fiancee, Inger Tyree, had everything set for their Aug. 1 wedding. Because it was the height of the covid-19 pandemic, Martin and Tyree planned to have their 125 guests attend the Boyce Park reception in shifts so they could follow capacity rules...
From ‘carp’ to ‘copi’: unpopular fish getting a makeover
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — You’re in the mood for fish and your server suggests a dish of invasive carp. Ugh, you might say. But how about broiled copi, fresh from the Mississippi River? Here’s the catch: They’re the same thing. Illinois and partner organizations kicked off a market-tested campaign Wednesday...
Bills on poll watchers, earlier presidential primary advance in Pa.
HARRISBURG — Proposals to hold Pennsylvania’s presidential primaries in March rather than April and to permit poll watchers to operate outside the counties where they live were advanced Wednesday by a divided House State Government Committee. Both bills had already passed the state Senate and were approved for consideration by...
Tickets to get $2.38-per-gallon gas in Lower Burrell were gone in 45 minutes
Margie Shutack of Tarentum got to Lower Burrell three hours early to buy gas at a BP station Wednesday for a special event featuring $2.38 a gallon for regular unleaded. “It pays to be first,” said Shutack, who needed to fill up three-quarters of her tank. It pays to be...
Biden calls for 3-month suspension of gas, diesel taxes
President Joe Biden on Wednesday called on Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes for three months — an election-year move meant to ease financial pressures that was greeted with doubts by many lawmakers. The Democratic president also called on states to suspend their own gas taxes or provide...
Kennywood, Sandcastle, Idlewild are going cashless
You can leave your cash at home if you’re heading for Idlewild & SoakZone and its sister parks this summer. The parks will accept credit, debit and prepaid cards or secure mobile payments including MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover only starting next week. Guests can also use Apple Pay...
Brookline man accused of attacking postal worker in Mt. Lebanon now faces federal charges
A Brookline man already facing state charges accusing him of attacking a postal worker with a baseball bat has now been indicted in U.S. District Court for attempted murder of a federal employee. Matthew Harrison, 43, is also charged with assault of an employee with a deadly weapon. The original...
‘Heightened alert’: Abortion providers brace for ruling
In her first week on the job at a Philadelphia abortion clinic, Amanda Kifferly was taught how to search for bombs. About a year later, protesters blocked the entrances and exits of the The Women’s Centers, at one point pulling Kifferly into something resembling a mosh pit, where they surrounded...
State police accuse Vandergrift man of using Snapchat to distribute child porn
A Vandergrift man accused by state police of uploading a child pornography video onto Snapchat has been ordered to stand trial. Ashton Ty Baustert, 24, of the 500 block of Emerson Street was charged by state police with distributing child pornography, possession of child pornography and criminal use of a...
Afghanistan quake kills 1,000 people, deadliest in decades
KABUL, Afghanistan — A powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan early Wednesday, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring 1,500 more in the country’s deadliest quake in two decades, the state-run news agency reported. Officials warned that the already grim toll may still rise. In the...
As Pa. teacher shortage looms, legislators consider bill to smooth out-of-state certification
As local school districts scramble to find teachers and substitute teachers, a bill that would make it easier for out-of-state educators to work in Pennsylvania has received unanimous support from lawmakers thus far. State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Washington, is co-sponsoring the bill, which now awaits House and gubernatorial approval. “This...
Severe thunderstorms heading into region, possible hail
A spate of hot weather will once again be interrupted by rain, as National Weather Service meteorologists call for scattered severe thunderstorms across the area on Wednesday afternoon. A hazardous weather outlook issued early Wednesday morning calls for severe storms this afternoon and early evening with a crossing cold front....
‘Difficult’ 4-alarm South Side fire considered suspicious
Firefighters battled a four-alarm blaze early Wednesday on Pittsburgh’s South Side. Crews were called to the 1900 block of East Carson Street shortly before 4 a.m. for a report of a commercial fire. Pittsburgh Public Fire Chief Darryl Jones told told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI that the building in which...
Fire at Springdale Manor apartments sends one resident to hospital; damage minimal
Dozens of residents were evacuated and one man was taken to a hospital Tuesday in connection with a fire at Springdale Manor apartments, a senior high-rise along Pittsburgh Street in Springdale. Allegheny Valley Regional Emergency Management Agency coordinator Bruno Moretti said the incident began about 7:20 p.m. at the Allegheny...
A dozen young people become U.S. citizens in special Heinz History Center ceremony
They sat with expressions ranging from nervous anticipation to relief and excitement. A dozen young people from 12 different countries filling the front two rows of a makeshift conference area on the fourth floor of the Senator John Heinz History Center in Downtown Pittsburgh on Tuesday. They were about to...
Crews respond to fire at Wendy’s restaurant on Freeport Road in Harmar
Multiple departments responded Tuesday to a fire at the Wendy’s restaurant near the intersection of Freeport Road and Alpha Drive in Harmar. Allegheny County dispatch said the call came in shortly before 6 p.m. No injuries were reported. Crews from O’Hara, Springdale, Oakmont, Blawnox, Brackenridge and Allegheny Valley responded to...
Civil jury finds Bill Cosby sexually abused teenager in 1975
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Jurors at a civil trial found Tuesday that Bill Cosby sexually abused a 16-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1975. The Los Angeles County jury delivered the verdict in favor of Judy Huth, who is now 64, and awarded her $500,000. Jurors found that Cosby...
Allegheny County Airport Authority, company in legal battle over concessions contract
The operator of concessions at Pittsburgh International Airport has accused Allegheny County Airport Authority of using bullying tactics to try to get out of its lease with the company and then, when that didn’t work, illegally terminating the contract. Fraport Pittsburgh filed a lawsuit against the authority in Allegheny County...
Son describes family chaos in Hyde Park man’s murder trial
Chaos is the word that 24-year-old Jeffrey Dakota Fondrk used to describe his upbringing. He told a Westmoreland County jury Tuesday how he would wear headphones and seclude himself in his bedroom and play video games while his parents abused alcohol and fought and argued nearly every day. “I tried...
Senators reach bipartisan compromise on gun violence bill
WASHINGTON — Senate bargainers reached agreement Tuesday on a bipartisan gun violence bill, potentially teeing up final passage by week’s end on an incremental but landmark package that would stand as Congress’ response to mass shootings in Texas and New York that shook the nation. Lawmakers released the 80-page bill...
Police: Flagger hit by dump truck on Ardmore in Forest Hills
A dump truck struck and critically injured a flagger Tuesday morning in Forest Hills, authorities said. The incident happened just before 10:50 a.m. near the intersection of Lafayette Road and Ardmore Boulevard, according to investigators. Police said the 30-year-old woman was working as a flagger for construction in the area...
Plans for 254 apartments at former GNC headquarters in Pittsburgh move forward
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved transferring development rights for new apartments in Downtown to a New York company that is looking to redevelop the former GNC headquarters in Downtown Pittsburgh. The move clears the way for Victrix LLC to build 254 apartments at the site on Sixth Avenue. Victrix...
Pittsburgh to partner with nonprofit to help recently incarcerated people find work
Pittsburgh is entering into an agreement with a New York-based nonprofit to provide temporary employment to recently incarcerated people. City Council unanimously approved the proposal on Tuesday. Councilman Ricky Burgess, who introduced the measure, said the program will help people who were in jail reacclimate to society and find employment....
