Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 940
Structural failures elsewhere spur call for emergency repairs at Westmoreland courthouse
It had been a month since the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh’s East End collapsed, and the memory was fresh in the mind of Westmoreland County Public Works Director Greg McCloskey as he gathered his bosses around a conference table to meet with an engineer. It was at that Feb....
Census undercount may lead to funding shortfalls, Western Pa. leaders warn
Some communities and neighborhoods across Western Pennsylvania could be left without their fair share of funding after the 2020 census undercounted millions of people in certain communities nationwide. The once-a-decade survey undercounted Black, Hispanic and Native American residents while overcounting white and Asian American residents, according to a Census Bureau...
Harrison family’s missing dog found after week-long search
When Harrison resident John Latour was involved in a traffic accident last month, he never thought it would lead to a week-long search for a family member. The story started Feb. 26, when Latour and his girlfriend, Hannah Kish, were driving on Freeport Road in Natrona Heights, Harrison, and got...
Woodland Hills hosts Western Pa. school districts for summit to address social issues
When Cassidy Laffey took a sophomore robotics class at Shaler High School, she was the only female. “Everyone, even the teacher, was male,” said Laffey, a senior. “I felt out of place because I didn’t see people like me in that class. I want females to know they can study...
23-year-old shot in Plum upgraded to stable condition
A 23-year-old Plum man who was shot in the chest last week has been upgraded to stable condition, Allegheny County Police said Tuesday. Officers responded to the shooting at about 8 p.m. Friday along the 7800 block of Saltsburg Road. The man, whose name was not released, was taken by...
Hempfield school board shelves any changes to its library book policy and selections for now
The Hempfield Area School Board next month will further discuss the possibility of tweaking a policy related to reevaluating course materials after high school students were allowed access to two books deemed inappropriate by a small group of parents. The board’s policy committee on Friday decided to not move forward...
Westmoreland jury awards $19M to swimming pool injury victim
A jury on Friday awarded $19 million in damages to a Vandergrift man left paralyzed from an accident in a friend’s swimming pool, in what is believed to be the largest verdict ever issued in Westmoreland County. Jurors found that Washington Township homeowners Robert and Laura O’Black were negligent and...
Elizabeth-Forward special education teacher sent explicit photos, messages to student, police say
An Elizabeth-Forward special education teacher is accused of sexually abusing a teenage student and then demanding that he delete her number and all of their messages after she was placed on leave, according to a criminal complaint. Nicole Corson, 41, of Pittsburgh’s Lincoln Place neighborhood, is charged with institutional sexual...
Part of Butler Street in Pittsburgh remains closed after large water main break
Butler Street between the 62nd Street Bridge and 57th Street in Upper Lawrenceville will be closed for at least a week because of damage caused by a 42-inch water main break Thursday afternoon, officials said. The break flooded the street as well as several nearby buildings. Pittsburgh Water & Sewer...
Port Authority leaders warn of ‘significant delays’ with 500 unvaccinated employees facing discipline
Port Authority of Allegheny County officials on Friday warned of “significant delays and a large number of missed trips” as 500 employees face being placed on leave now that a judge has cleared the way for the authority’s vaccine mandate to continue. Port Authority CEO Katharine Kelleman said moving forward...
Carnegie pastor and wife hoping to adopt 3 Ukrainian children
Three foster children huddled in a basement in Ukraine await a Facebook Messenger call from a couple in Carnegie who are hoping to adopt them. The Rev. John Charest and his wife, Laryssa, check social media constantly to see if the kids are online so they can reach out. “Sometimes,...
Police brace for large crowds as Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade returns
For the first time since 2019, Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade will go on as planned in March, and police are expecting its return to be very well-attended. “After two very challenging years, it’s understandable that people will be in the mood to celebrate one of Pittsburgh’s most beloved traditions:...
More Pittsburgh officials urge PennDOT to slow down on Fern Hollow Bridge replacement
Some officials continue to voice concerns with the proposed design for Pittsburgh’s new Fern Hollow Bridge. PennDOT is overseeing the bridge’s design and construction, but the city will take control of the bridge once construction is complete. Because the project would be done under an emergency declaration, with work tentatively...
Troopers seize 59 pounds of marijuana during turnpike traffic stop in Westmoreland County
An Oklahoma man pulled over for drifting between eastbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Mt. Pleasant Township was later arrested by state troopers on drug trafficking charges. Investigators said they found 59 vacuum-sealed packages of marijuana in his minivan. Zhi Yu Lin, 43, of Muskogee, Okla., was ordered held...
Missing girl from Leechburg found near Chicago
A 13-year-old student from the Leechburg Area School District missing since Tuesday night was found safe Thursday in the Chicago area, Leechburg police said. Leechburg Police Chief Jason Schaeffer confirmed Thursday night that Aeryona Dongilli, of Leechburg, would be returning home to her family. Schaeffer said Dongilli went with a...
Pennsylvania payrolls, labor force grew in January
Pennsylvania’s payrolls grew again in January, the unemployment rate crept down and the labor force expanded after more than a year of contraction, according to new figures released Friday. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a percentage point to 5.4% from December’s adjusted rate, according to the state Department...
Allentown neighborhood is on the rise: Guide to Pittsburgh
What used to be considered a cut-through to get to Route 51 has become a growing and thriving community that continues to add restaurants and businesses to its repertoire. Tucked between Mt. Washington and the South Side Slopes sits Allentown — centered around the intersection of two major thoroughfares, Arlington...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: March 11-13
Here are some ways to spend the weekend in Pittsburgh. The parade The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade returns at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Downtown. Expect snow and windy conditions. There will Irish step dancers, marching bands, military members and community organizations participating. The route begins near the Greyhound Bus...
Russian warplanes, artillery widen attack, hit industry hub
LVIV, Ukraine — Russia’s airplanes and artillery widened their assault on Ukraine on Friday, striking airfields in the west and a major industrial hub in the east, as Moscow’s forces tried to regroup from recent losses and their onslaught fast reduced crowded cities to rubble. American intelligence officials offered an...
Winter’s last gasp? Here is the latest snow forecast
The Pittsburgh region will likely see between three and five inches of snow Friday night into Saturday, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service. National Weather Service meteorologist Lee Hendricks said they anticipate the precipitation will begin as rain Friday, then change over to a mixture of rain and...
A trip inside the new ‘Star Wars’-themed immersive hotel at Walt Disney WorldVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — We knew this would be a different kind of Walt Disney World vacation when we bit the bullet and packed an extra suitcase … for costumes. While Universal Orlando once used the tagline “ride the movies,” Walt Disney World’s new Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience (otherwise known...
Former bartender at Harrison Polish club accused of passing counterfeit $100 bills
A former bartender at a private club in Harrison faces a felony forgery charge after police accused her of passing counterfeit $100 bills she had stashed in her bra. Amber Snyder, 35, of the 800 block of Short Street in Tarentum, also faces two misdemeanor forgery charges in connection with...
Mother of man killed in Fox Chapel wants psychiatric report of alleged killer
The mother of a man shot to death in 2019 in Fox Chapel filed a motion this week seeking the psychiatric report completed on the alleged killer. Adam Rosenberg, 23, is charged with two separate counts of criminal homicide in the death of Christian Moore-Rouse, 22, who was killed on...
Police: ATV rider shot at sheriff’s deputies in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill
Two Allegheny County sheriff’s deputies came under fire Thursday night during a confrontation with two ATV riders in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill South, police said. Sheriff Kevin Kraus said the two uniformed deputies were in an unmarked car about 10 p.m. when two men on two all-terrain vehicles sped by. He...
Senate gives final approval to Ukraine aid, huge budget bill
WASHINGTON — A $13.6 billion emergency package of military and humanitarian aid for besieged Ukraine and its European allies easily won final congressional approval Thursday, hitching a ride on a government-wide spending bill that’s five months late but loaded with political prizes for both parties. With Russian President Vladimir Putin’s...
