Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 941
ATI ends joint venture in Russia
Specialty steelmaker ATI is pulling out of its joint venture with a Russian-based metal production and titanium-magnesium operation, no later than the end of the year. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker notified the Securities and Exchange Commission in a filing Wednesday that it is expecting to wind up the joint venture with...
Missing Armstrong man found in Allegheny River
The body of a New Bethlehem man missing for a few months was found Thursday morning at Lock 8 in the Allegheny River, the Armstrong County Coroner said. The victim, Shawn Hilliard, 40, was pronounced dead at the scene in Washington Township, the coroner said. The cause of death is...
Jury to deliberate Friday in paralyzed Vandergrift man’s lawsuit over swimming pool injury
A Westmoreland County jury will begin deliberations Friday to determine if a Washington Township couple is responsible for injuries that left their son’s best friend paralyzed after he broke his neck in 2013 in their backyard swimming pool. Lawyers for Michael Fraser, 29, of Vandergrift contend Robert and Laura O’Black...
PennDOT picks construction group for bridge-tolling project
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has picked a consortium of companies to manage construction on as many as nine major interstate bridges in Pennsylvania — upgrades on the aging spans that are to be paid for by tolls under the administration’s current plan. Wolf’s push for tolling comes as...
Greensburg Salem’s use of traditional school holiday names draws dissent
Tradition trumped inclusiveness this week as the Greensburg Salem School Board selected holiday names for use on the district’s 2022-23 school calendar. The board voted 8-1 to use time-honored names for three holidays when students get to stay home: Christmas Break, Easter Break and Columbus Day. The vote came after...
Pittsburgh estates attorney facing charges in alleged embezzlement scheme
A Pittsburgh attorney already suspended from practicing law for mishandling client funds is facing criminal charges that he stole more than $230,000 from three estates and improperly charged for his services. Gordon D. Fisher, 76, will have a preliminary hearing on April 25 on charges of theft by failure to...
The 4 reasons the Pa. Supreme Court picked the winning congressional map
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — In February, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court announced that it had...
Water main break shuts down section of Pittsburgh’s Butler Street
A water main break shut down a portion of Butler Street in Pittsburgh on Thursday, authorities said. The break happened near the 62nd Street Bridge on the border of Stanton Heights and Upper Lawrenceville, according to city and county officials. Authorities closed Butler Street between 57th and 62nd streets and...
Judge rules against Port Authority union’s vaccine mandate challenge
An Allegheny County judge on Thursday ruled against the union representing Port Authority bus drivers in their challenge of a covid-19 vaccine requirement taking effect next week. In a two-page order, Common Pleas Judge John McVay denied Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have...
URA set to invest $2.5M in affordable housing in Hazelwood, East Hills, East Liberty
Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority is poised to invest more than $2.5 million in new construction and rehabilitation of 144 affordable housing units in the city’s Hazelwood, East Hills and East Liberty neighborhoods. The URA board is scheduled to vote Thursday to authorize using a $620,000 grant to build four new...
U.S. extends mask rule for travel while weighing new approach
WASHINGTON — Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation for one more month — through mid-April — while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule. The mask mandate was scheduled to expire March 18, but the Transportation Security Administration said Thursday that...
Man pleads guilty to fatally shooting stepbrother after 2019 Pittsburgh fireworks
A North Side man who, in 2019, unintentionally shot his stepbrother during a melee between two groups of teens following the July 4 fireworks in Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty Thursday to third-degree murder. Camerin Caldwell, 20, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Susan Evashavik DiLucente on June 23....
How will covid end? Experts look to past epidemics for clues
NEW YORK — Two years into the covid-19 pandemic, most of the world has seen a dramatic improvement in infections, hospitalizations and death rates in recent weeks, signaling the crisis appears to be winding down. But how will it end? Past epidemics may provide clues. The ends of epidemics are...
Winter storm watch issued; expect a snowy St. Patrick’s Day parade in Pittsburgh
It won’t exactly be a repeat of the unforgettable Blizzard of 1993, but the forecast for Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in Pittsburgh includes rather heavy snow accumulation and high winds. “There will be accumulating snow during at least the early part of the parade,” said WPXI-TV’s chief meteorologist Stephen...
‘Scum of the earth’: Drug victims face Purdue Pharma owners
NEW YORK — Angry, defiant and sometimes tearful, more than two dozen Americans whose lives were upended by the opioid crisis finally had their long-awaited chance Thursday to confront in court some members of the family they blame for fueling it. They were unsparing as they unleashed decades of frustration...
Goldman Sachs to shut down its Russia business
NEW YORK — Goldman Sachs says it is closing its operations in Russia entirely, making it the first major Wall Street bank to do so since Russia invaded Ukraine. Goldman’s announcement comes after Citigroup said it would start winding down its Russia operations. But that process will likely take longer...
Teacher strike authorized, but not set, at New Ken-Arnold
Teachers in the New Kensington-Arnold School District authorized a strike if a new contract isn’t reached in the near future. The New Kensington-Arnold Education Association represents 151 teachers and professional staff who have been working without a contract for nearly eight months. Ashley Pujol, union president, did not provide an...
U.S. inflation soared 7.9% in past year, a fresh 40-year high
WASHINGTON — Propelled by surging costs for gas, food and housing, consumer inflation jumped 7.9% over the past year, the sharpest spike since 1982 and likely only a harbinger of even higher prices to come. The increase reported Thursday by the Labor Department reflected the 12 months ending in February...
Russians keep pressure on Mariupol; massive convoy breaks up
MARIUPOL, Ukraine — Civilians trapped inside Mariupol desperately scrounged for food and fuel as Russian forces kept up their bombardment of the port city Thursday, while satellite photos showed that a massive Kremlin convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital split up and fanned out into towns and...
Officials in Freeport, Gilpin to hold talks about feasibility of merging police forces
Freeport officials say they want to explore the feasibility of merging the borough’s police department with Gilpin Township’s force to help increase patrols and, if possible, save money. Borough officials recently floated the idea of a merger as a way to avoid a situation like the one in November in...
2022 maple sugar season nearing its end in Western Pennsylvania
Don’t get too sappy about it: The 2022 maple sugaring season is nearing its end in Western Pennsylvania. Dan Roseum, owner of Roseum Maple Syrup in Murrysville, expects the season to last one or two more weeks at most. The Pennsylvania season, which typically begins in early February and ends...
Leet zoning hearing canceled, denial of proposed Quaker Valley High School application pending
A Leet Zoning Hearing Board meeting to discuss changes to a proposed Quaker Valley High School was canceled after the district failed to provide an amended plan. The zoning board had scheduled a hearing for March 9 following its denial of the district’s special exception application for the school last...
Private plane leaves runway while landing at Allegheny County Airport
No injuries were reported Wednesday morning when a small plane strayed off the runway at the Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin, according to a county airport authority spokesman. Three people were aboard the private HondaJet aircraft when it went off the runway upon landing at the airport at about...
Lights Out Pittsburgh program helping migrating birds continues this spring
A program encouraging owners of businesses and homes to turn off lights during peak migration hours is set to continue. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s BirdSafe Pittsburgh program has announced the Spring 2022 Lights Out Pittsburgh campaign. Its purpose is to reduce bird collisions with windows and the disorientation...
United House OKs $13.6B for Ukraine in huge spending bill
WASHINGTON — The House approved a massive spending bill Wednesday night that would rush $13.6 billion in U.S. aid to battered Ukraine and its European allies, after top Democrats were forced to abruptly drop their plan to include fresh funds to battle covid-19. Passage of the Ukraine aid and the...
