Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 937
AG: No evidence of crime in Ross sergeant’s alleged sharing of video evidence
No criminal charges will be filed against a Ross police officer accused by fellow officers of mishandling explicit video evidence in a case, the state Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday. The controversy — which led to a union vote of no confidence in Chief Joseph Ley — stemmed from allegations...
Kennywood to open Easter weekend with new touches
The new coats of paint are drying on several roller coasters at Kennywood. Pillars at the entrance are adorned in neon yellow. Food stands are getting new lighting. It’s getting close to opening day — a week earlier than in recent years. Kennywood will open Saturday, April 16, for season...
Route 356 work in Allegheny Township to begin next month
Motorists who use state Route 356 in Allegheny Township should circle April 4 on their calendars. That’s the day an eight-month-long renovation of the key traffic artery will begin. The work will be done in three phases. The first is from Weinels Crossroads to Piper Road; Phase 2 will be...
Endangered Indiana bat mostly gone from southwestern Pa. but longer migration holds hope
The tiny wings of the endangered Indiana bat seem to be taking the creature on longer journeys. The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently documented the longest known, single-season migration of the federally and state-endangered bat from Pennsylvania to Kentucky. As the migration, at least 418 miles, broke the record for longest...
Russia’s onslaught continues amid optimism over talks
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces destroyed a theater in Mariupol where hundreds of people were sheltering Wednesday and rained fire on other cities, Ukrainian authorities said, even as the two sides projected optimism over efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting. The airstrike ripped apart the center of the...
Ex-hedge fund CEO aims to be hometown boy in Senate race in Pennsylvania
LEBANON — As CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund, David McCormick wore suits, lived on Connecticut’s ritzy Gold Coast, talked up bipartisanship and described China as America’s most important “bilateral relationship.” Now, as a Republican running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, McCormick wears jeans and casual dress shirts. He...
Glimmers of hope seen at talks as Russia’s onslaught goes on
KYIV, Ukraine — Both Russia and Ukraine projected optimism ahead of another scheduled round of talks Wednesday, even as Moscow’s forces rained fire on Kyiv and other major cities in a bid to crush the resistance that has frustrated Kremlin hopes for a lightning victory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile,...
Norwin debate continues in regards to systemic racism, critical race theory
The disagreement over whether a Norwin High School lesson on racism in the United States was an example of critical race theory laid bare a split over what to teach about race relations in 21st-century America — including whether systemic racism exists in a country that has laws intended to...
Springdale business big hit with furniture made out of used wine, whiskey barrels
Michael Monahan was looking for an opportunity that would allow him to quit his job as a mechanical engineer. In 2018, a project in the basement of his McCandless home helped Monahan find his true calling, which led to a business in Springdale with plans to expand in New Kensington....
Murrysville PixCams brings live footage of wildlife and more into homes
While PixCams of Murrysville is best known for its live Pittsburgh Hays bald eagle webcam, the small company has been expanding and now has 30 live webcams. They rolled out a new product for the public, businesses and nonprofits to set up their own live webcam system and broadcast it...
Meet Melva Simon, the 105-year-old World War II veteran from Mt. Pleasant
Melva Simon never sat still. The Mt. Pleasant native served as a Navy secretary during World War II, co-ran an orchard, raised a family, co-taught premarital classes at her church and kept up with a myriad of hobbies. “Don’t tell her she can’t do something,” Melvajo Bennett, Simon’s daughter, said....
Quaker Valley School District rehires consultant for more work on proposed high school project
Quaker Valley School District officials are moving forward with plans for a new high school despite a pending denial from the Leet zoning hearing board. School board members unanimously voted March 15 to approve a new contract with Pittsburgh-based firm Thomas & Williamson LLC to provide professional consulting and program...
With driver shortages because of vaccine mandate, Port Authority offers free rides
Port Authority of Allegheny County’s covid-19 vaccine mandate went into effect Wednesday, affecting hundreds of employees and dozens of routes as authority officials offered free rides to soothe the pain of service disruptions for riders. Spokesman Adam Brandolph said in a statement early Tuesday evening that about 480 Port Authority...
Excela kicks off aid campaign with Ukrainian-inspired menu
Krystyna Lewczenko couldn’t be more proud of her nieces. Hailing from Wroclaw in the southwest of Poland, Lewczenko said they recently drove all the way to the Ukrainian border to help take in some of the women and children fleeing the country, as Russia’s invasion continues taking lives and displacing...
Poll: Most in U.S. say they’d go back to wearing masks if covid cases rise again
Now that it’s two years into the pandemic, most living in the United States aren’t as worried about the health risks covid-19 poses compared with the last several months — but they say they’d wear face masks if needed, according to a new poll. In fact, 3 in 4 U.S....
20,000 evacuate besieged port in Ukraine as Kyiv is hit
KYIV, Ukraine — An estimated 20,000 civilians fled Mariupol by way of a humanitarian corridor Tuesday in the biggest evacuation yet from the besieged Ukrainian port city, while Russian forces stepped up their bombardment of Kyiv, smashing apartments, a subway station and other civilian sites. On the diplomatic front, a...
Parking tickets pile up for Westmoreland Sheriff’s Department due to courthouse garage project
It took five days and $300 in parking tickets before Westmoreland County reached an agreement for Greensburg parking enforcement officers to stop citing inmate transport vans for parking in metered spaces outside the downtown courthouse. “They are adding up,” Sheriff James Albert said Tuesday about the tickets being incurred by...
Robber shoots store employee at Edgewood market
A man was shot during an armed robbery Tuesday afternoon at an Edgewood market, according to Allegheny County police. The robbery was reported just before 1:30 p.m. at the Edgewood Avenue Express in the 200 block of Edgewood Avenue. Police said a suspect entered the store, brandished a handgun and...
Senate approves bill to make daylight saving time permanentVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate unanimously approved a measure Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States next year. The bipartisan bill, named the Sunshine Protection Act, would ensure Americans would no longer have to change their clocks twice a year. But the bill still needs approval...
Pa. adopts new rules for using Pittsburgh’s Point State Park for large events
New rules at Pittsburgh’s Point State Park call for large events at the park to be held at least five days apart and limit events to no more than seven days. The rules prompted the Three Rivers Arts Festival, a 10-day event that traditionally has been held at Point State...
PennDOT to spend $317M on infrastructure projects in Pittsburgh region
PennDOT said Tuesday it plans to spend $317 million on more than 90 infrastructure projects in Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties this year, up slightly from last year. PennDOT District 11 Executive Cheryl Moon-Sirianni said funding from the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure package passed last year was critical in allowing...
Russia steps up bombardment of Kyiv, civilians flee Mariupol
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia stepped up its bombardment of Kyiv on Tuesday, smashing apartments and a subway station, while civilians in 2,000 cars fled Mariupol along a humanitarian corridor in what was believed to be the biggest evacuation yet from the desperately besieged seaport. On the diplomatic front, another round...
Motorcyclist involved in March 4 wreck in Harrison dies from injuries
A motorcyclist who collided with the rear of an SUV in Harrison earlier this month has died from his injuries. James P. “Jim Bob” Stivers, 45, of Buffalo Township, died at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh on Saturday, according to family members. Police said Stivers was traveling behind an SUV...
Three Rivers Arts Festival exits the Point for Pittsburgh Cultural District
The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival is exiting Point State Park and moving entirely into Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced that, because of new usage rules and regulations for the park issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the site is no longer...
Workers begin strike at City Brewing Company in Latrobe
Union employees at Latrobe’s City Brewing on Tuesday took to the picket line, stopping work at the plant in what they called a strike over unfair labor practices. Brewery employees have been without a contract since March 3. They staged an informational picket the following day, with no work stoppage....
