Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 914
Hempfield man jailed after police say he disrupted a funeral, broke window at congressman’s office
A Hempfield man who was the target of a search a month ago for allegedly desecrating and stealing a Pennsylvania state flag was jailed Thursday, accused of setting off a fire alarm at a funeral, damaging a statue and breaking a window at a congressman’s local office. Roger C. Strautmann,...
Satellite photos show possible mass graves near Mariupol
KYIV, Ukraine — Satellite images released Thursday showed what appeared to be mass graves near Mariupol, and local officials accused Russia of burying up to 9,000 Ukrainian civilians there in an effort to conceal the slaughter taking place in the siege of the port city. The images emerged hours after...
Philadelphia to end mask mandate, days after reinstating it
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia is ending its indoor mask mandate, city health officials said Thursday night, abruptly reversing course just days after people in the city had to start wearing masks again amid a sharp increase in infections. The Board of Health voted Thursday to rescind the mandate, according to the...
Live TV debate exposes Democrats’ differences in Senate race
HARRISBURG — The first live-televised prime-time debate between leading candidates for the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat exposed differences between the rivals Thursday, as they seized opportunities to attack each other. John Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor who has led polls and fundraising, took the brunt of...
Attorney: Prescription drugs, marijuana led Vandergrift woman to kill cousin
The lawyer for a Vandergrift woman told a Westmoreland County jury Thursday that marijuana, combined with medications she takes for ongoing mental health issues, left her unable to form an intent to kill her cousin nearly four years ago. “She was suffering from an altered state of consciousnesses,” defense attorney...
Disney self-government in peril after Florida House voteVideo
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday gave final passage to a bill that would dissolve Walt Disney World’s private government, handing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis a victory in his feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to a measure that critics have dubbed the ” Don’t...
Gainey: Ending violence in Pittsburgh will take citywide approach
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey in a radio interview that aired Thursday doubled down on his approach to crime and violence, saying it will take a double-edged public safety and public health approach to save lives. “This violence is picking up all throughout America,” Gainey said in an interview recorded Wednesday...
Fewest Americans collecting jobless aid since 1970
Applications for unemployment benefits inched down last week as the total number of Americans collecting aid fell to its lowest level in more than 50 years. Jobless claims fell by 2,000 to 184,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which levels out week-to-week volatility,...
Funeral services planned for 2 teens killed at Pittsburgh Airbnb party
Arrangements have been finalized for two teens killed on Easter Sunday after a shooting at a party in a rented house on Pittsburgh’s North Side. About 200 people were inside the home, rented as an Airbnb, when the shooting started, witnesses and police said. Jaiden Za’mar Brown, of North Braddock,...
How, when to observe the Lyrid meteor shower in Western Pa.
The annual Lyrid meteor shower will peak on Friday, giving Western Pennsylvanians the opportunity to view the spectacle that could bring more than a dozen meteors per hour into view. NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke told Space.com that this year’s Lyrid shower should produce about 18 visible meteors per hour,...
Biden announces heavy artillery, other weapons for Ukraine
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced an additional $800 million in military aid to help Ukraine fight back in its strong but increasingly difficult battle against the Russian invasion, but he also warned that Congress will need to approve even more assistance if the U.S. is to keep up its...
Want to volunteer on Earth Day? Here are events happening all over Western Pennsylvania
If you’re looking for an Earth Day project, local, state, federal and nonprofit officials have plenty of them happening all across the region. Here are some of the opportunities available for volunteering: Army Corps of Engineers The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host several volunteer days. A lake-shore cleanup...
‘Most wanted’ man in Allegheny County arrested after window tint violation
A man listed on the Allegheny County Sheriff’s “most wanted” list has been arrested after police say they pulled him over for a traffic violation. On April 19, Jefferson Hills Police pulled over Cyon Taylor, 30, on Route 51 for a window tint violation. Taylor allegedly provided a false ID...
Many say Biden not tough enough on Russia: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — Many Americans still question whether President Joe Biden is showing enough strength in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine, even as most approve of steps the U.S. is already taking and few want U.S. troops to get involved in the conflict. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center...
Successful growth of baby mussels in Kiski River indicates continued health of waterways
Several years ago, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy biologists documented the first freshwater mussels — eight species in all — found in the Kiski River in over a century. Then, last summer, the biologists implanted some baby mussels in concrete silos in the Kiski, as well as a dozen other waterways, to...
Police: Man in critical condition after shooting on Pittsburgh’s North Side
A man is in critical condition after he was shot in Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill neighborhood early Thursday morning. Pittsburgh Police and medics responded to the shooting at around 3 a.m. in the 1700 block of Rhine Street. The man, who was shot in the abdomen, was taken to a local...
Simmering public vs. private dispute leads Bishop Canevin contingent to protest at Carlynton track meet
The always-contentious public vs. private debate usually sticks to high school football and basketball, but a track meet became the backdrop for an unprecedented student protest. Athletes from Carlynton and Bishop Canevin compete on the same track team through a co-op, but a number of Canevin boys decided not to...
Final tree planting set at Flight 93 National Memorial
A reforestation project at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County is coming to an end with the final saplings going into the hallowed ground Friday and Saturday. Donna Gibson, executive director of Friends of Flight 93, said the project’s completion is bittersweet. It’s been worthwhile to see the...
Parachute demo at Nats Park causes brief Capitol evacuationVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Capitol was briefly evacuated Wednesday evening when police identified an aircraft that they said posed “a probable threat” — but the plane was actually carrying members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights, who then parachuted into Nationals Park for a pregame demonstration. The alert from the...
Fox Chapel man accused in 2 separate killings said Satan compelled him to kill; offers plea of guilty, but mentally ill
Adam Rosenberg said he was compelled to kill by Satan and had designs of becoming a serial killer. He had already shot two people to death and intended to kill more, he told a forensic psychiatrist. “Why didn’t he become a serial killer?” asked defense attorney Casey White. “I believe...
Justice Department to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday. The notice came minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the Justice Department to appeal...
Greensburg Salem dedicates track complex to late inspirational coach Steve Snider
Coaches Nathan and Matthew Snider were on opposing sides Wednesday, April 20 as their respective teams — the Greensburg Salem Golden Lions and the visiting Hempfield Area Spartans — faced off in a varsity track meet. But before the running and jumping began, the two brothers shared a sense of...
More than 100 gather to pray for peace in wake of Pittsburgh’s Airbnb shooting
More than 100 people gathered Wednesday afternoon at Allegheny Center Alliance Church on Pittsburgh’s North Side to pray for peace and call for an end to gun violence. The gathering came just three days after a deadly shooting at a nearby Airbnb rental property left two 17-year-old boys dead and...
Trial for Vandergrift woman accused in killing of Greensburg cousin to begin Thursday
Testimony in the murder trial of a Vandergrift woman accused in the 2018 shooting death of her cousin is expected to begin Thursday morning. A jury was seated Wednesday in Westmoreland County to hear evidence in the case against Ashley Croft. Prosecutors claim Croft, 38, shot and killed her 31-year-old...
Mentor works to counsel, support teens following Pittsburgh Airbnb shooting
A Monroeville man who said he serves as a mentor for several teens who attended the deadly Airbnb party on Pittsburgh’s North Side over the weekend said overcrowded conditions at the party led to the gunfire that left two dead and nine others wounded. The teens who spoke with Jamal...
