Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 946
Alta Via Pizzeria coming to Bakery Square in Pittsburgh
The Alta Via restaurant brand is growing, and the Italian-inspired eatery is opening a new pizzeria this month in Pittsburgh’s Bakery Square. Bill Fuller, big Burrito corporate chef and president, said Alta Via Pizzeria will open for take-out orders on Tuesday. He hopes to open the new restaurant for full...
Ready for Crumbl? Cookie chain set for grand opening in North Huntingdon
Get ready for posts featuring gourmet cookies to flood your social media feed. Crumbl Cookies, a fast-growing bakery sensation, is holding its grand opening today and Saturday in North Huntingdon. Owner Tammy Ornowski isn’t sure what to expect as far as turnout goes but said the news has been quickly...
Gas prices continue climb on local and national level
Barb Constant of Plum didn’t mince words about gas prices Thursday, which skyrocketed 12 cents to $3.82 a gallon, up from $3.70, across the Pittsburgh region. “It sucks, but there’s nothing we can do about it,” Constant said as she fueled her car at the Sheetz station on Pittsburgh Street...
Part of Sarver Road in Buffalo Township closed Thursday, no reopening date given
PennDOT closed a portion of Sarver Road in Buffalo Township on Thursday. The closure is at the intersection Sarver Road and Monroe Road. A detour has been posted using Route 356 (South/North Pike Road). The detour is about 9 miles long. PennDOT officials said there is no estimated time for...
U.S. Steel hit with $859K in fines by Allegheny County Health Department
U.S. Steel on Thursday was hit with more than $800,000 worth of fines by the Allegheny County Health Department for alleged pollution and permit violations at the Clairton Coke Works last year. The health department said the violations happened during the second, third and fourth quarters of the year. U.S....
Police file felony charges against West Deer man involved in standoff, house fire
A West Deer man was charged with felony aggravated assault after police accused him of shooting fireworks at officers before barricading himself inside his home and setting it on fire. William J. Bryar, 54, also faces charges of reckless endangerment and arson in connection with an incident at his home...
4-vehicle crash in Hempfield closed eastbound Rt. 30 lanes for 30 minutes
A four-vehicle crash on the eastbound lanes of Route 30 near the Route 130 bridge in Hempfield closed the eastbound lanes of the highway Thursday afternoon, a Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety supervisor said. Multiple emergency responders were at the scene of the accident, which occurred at 4:20 p.m....
Poll: Voters split over selling off Pennsylvania’s state-run liquor stores
About half of Pennsylvania voters surveyed said they support removing the state from the liquor business, according to a new Franklin & Marshall College poll. But the poll released on Thursday also found that if voters had the opportunity to decide on liquor privatization through a constitutional ballot referendum, they...
State trooper based in Hempfield charged with harassment
A state trooper’s duties have been restricted after he was cited this week in connection with an incident at his Mt. Pleasant Township home. Michael S.J. Predajna, 37, is facing two counts of harassment. Citations filed by state police indicate that he slapped someone at his home at 2:10 a.m....
Kentucky jury clears ex-officer in shooting during Breonna Taylor raid
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky jury on Thursday cleared a former police officer of charges that he endangered neighbors when he fired shots into an apartment during the 2020 drug raid that ended with Breonna Taylor’s death. The panel of eight men and four women delivered its verdict about three...
Future of Pittsburgh hyperloop gets murky with company layoffs
Virgin Hyperloop announced last week that it will lay off more than 100 workers and shift its focus from passenger to freight service, according to The Financial Times. The transportation company has been working to develop technology that would send large pods through vacuum-seal tubes at speeds exceeding 500 mph....
Man dies following mine incident in Somerset County
SOMERSET — A miner is dead after he was injured Wednesday in an underground incident in Hollsopple. According to Cambria County Coroner Jeffrey Lees, the incident was reported just before 11 a.m. and the man, whose name has not been released, was transported to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, where he...
Pittsburgh City Council proposal would require mayor to make sure budget proposals are legal
Pittsburgh City Council is considering legislation that would require the mayor’s office to make sure budget proposals comply with federal, state and local laws and the city’s home rule charter before they are introduced to council. This comes after former Mayor Bill Peduto proposed a major pay raise for council...
Fayette priest gets prison term for sexually abusing altar boy
UNIONTOWN — A western Pennsylvania Roman Catholic priest who sexually assaulted an altar boy for several years has been sentenced to 2 1/2 to five years in state prison. The Rev. Andrew Mark Kawecki of Greensburg will also have to register as a sex offender for 10 years once he’s...
Invisible Man Brewing secures enough Girl Scout cookies to host brew pairing event
Cookies and milk are a classic combination. Kids love them. Santa loves them. Cookies and beer? Not quite as common. Despite supply-chain issues that have affected the delivery of Girl Scout cookies in some parts of the country, the annual treats will be paired with several local beers, courtesy of...
Chance discovery sparks renewed interest in North Park’s pine tree ‘star’ planted in 1938Video
Ken Interval doesn’t think of himself as some sort of sleuth. But the Pine resident has keen observational skills that came into play when he recently spotted what appeared to be a stand of trees in North Park that were planted in the shape of a giant star. “I’m a...
Former trolley trail to be revitalized as walking, biking path in Pittsburgh’s West End
A former trolley trail connecting Crafton with Pittsburgh’s West End neighborhood is going to be transformed into a walking and biking path. Pittsburgh City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith said she’s been working to revamp the trail since before she took office in 2009. The West End Trolley Trail will begin...
Pittsburgh group Black, Young & Educated grows to keep amplifying Black youth’s voices
Created three years ago by high school students, a Pittsburgh group to increase the visibility of Black youth’s voices continues to grow along with its founders. Black, Young & Educated (BYE) is, among other projects, planning to create a documentary called “We Got Power,” highlighting the Black experience in Pittsburgh....
New Kensington police investigating fights at Valley High School
New Kensington police are investigating two fights that broke out at Valley High School on Wednesday, police Chief Bob Deringer said. According to New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck, about 10 girls got into a shouting match that escalated into a fight Wednesday in the hallway outside the cafeteria and near...
Talks at home, school can help children process Ukraine war images, information
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been dubbed the TikTok war by some, as videos of the violence have surfaced across that and other social media platforms favored by many of today’s youths. “It makes it more real for them, not just some distant event,” said Jaime Rininger, who teaches geography...
‘Smashing bots’: High schools battle in regional robotics competition
Riley Davison’s Wednesday was filled with excitement for one reason: “smashing bots.” The Pine-Richland senior was among dozens of high school students who crowded in Robert Morris University’s John Jay Center for the 17th annual BotsIQ, a regional competition in which student-made robots fight each other gladiator-style. In one corner,...
Jan. 6 panel claims Trump engaged in ‘criminal conspiracy’
WASHINGTON — The House Committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection said Wednesday night that its evidence shows former President Donald Trump and his associates engaged in a “criminal conspiracy” to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election, spread false information about it and pressured state officials to...
Homewood North shooting victim identified
A Pittsburgh man died after being shot in the city’s Homewood North neighborhood Wednesday night. Officers responded shortly after 6:30 p.m. to a ShotSpotter alert and 911 calls for multiple rounds of gunfire in the 800 block of Inwood Street. Police said that on arrival they found 34-year-old Durell L....
Allegheny County Jail corrections officers contemplate no-confidence vote against warden
The union representing corrections officers at Allegheny County Jail has authorized a no-confidence vote against Warden Orlando Harper. Brian Englert, the president of the union, said following Wednesday’s Jail Oversight Board meeting that they had already collected 150 signatures. Still, Englert said he’s not sure every officer will vote in...
Former state senator Bob Regola gets probation for DUI
Former state senator Bob Regola was ordered Wednesday to serve one year on probation for a drunken driving arrest last October in Penn Township. Regola, 59, of North Huntingdon, was charged with two counts of driving while under the influence of alcohol and three traffic offenses after a traffic stop...
