Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 951
Pittsburgh region’s Ukrainians, supporters decry Russian attack, condemn ‘evil’ Putin
Dan Czmola of Penn Hills was expecting to have a Zoom call with someone in Ukraine on Thursday but, after a few days of being in touch, could not get a reply from him. He said he believes it’s because of Russia’s bombing of Ukraine’s communications facilities as part of...
Police: Driver taken to hospital after crashing car into Pittsburgh warehouse
One person was taken to the hospital Thursday after a car crashed into a warehouse along Washington Boulevard in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood. Emergency responders found a car had crashed through a wall at the warehouse when they were dispatched to the 1000 block of Washington Boulevard around noon. Police said...
Pittsburgh officers appear before grand jury investigating death of man tased by policeVideo
Three Pittsburgh police officers and a former one appeared Thursday morning before an Allegheny County investigating grand jury hearing evidence related to the death of a homeless man who had been tased multiple times by police in October. The panel, which sits at the Dormont municipal building, is hearing evidence...
Greensburg police arrest 2 in Christmas Eve burglary case after tip from Somerset County
When Windber police this month nabbed two Johnstown men on charges of stealing firearms out of storage units in the small Somerset County borough, little did they know their case would be the gift Greensburg police needed to solve a Christmas Eve pawn shop burglary. City police used a tip...
Biden hits Russia with new sanctions, says Putin ‘chose’ war
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a new round of sanctions targeting Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, charging that Russian leader Vladimir Putin “chose this war” and that his country will bear the consequences of his action. The sanctions target Russian banks, oligarchs and high-tech sectors, Biden...
Police: Verona woman took daughter she didn’t have custody of to Illinois
A Verona faces woman kidnapping and other charges for taking a daughter over whom she did not have custody to Illinois, according to police. Brandi Bailey, 34, is charged with kidnapping, burglary, interfering with the custody of a child, concealing the whereabouts of a child and endangering the welfare of...
Hospital worker survey will help Gainey administration understand industry challenges
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s transition team plans to undertake a massive survey of Pittsburgh hospital workers, hoping the information gleaned will help the city lessen the challenges that are driving health care workers away from the bedside. Jake Pawlak, Gainey’s transition director and head of the city’s Office of Management...
Police: Mother charged for threatening student on Gateway school bus
A Monroeville woman is charged with terroristic threats and other crimes for allegedly threatening a Gateway elementary student on a bus. Jada Northcutt, 34, got on to a bus with Evergreen Elementary School students at the intersection of Garden City and SunnyField drives the morning of Jan. 27, according to...
Officials say Ukraine no longer in control of Chernobyl site
KYIV, Ukraine — A presidential adviser says Ukraine lost control of the Chernobyl nuclear site, where Ukranian forces had waged a fierce battle with Russian troops. Adviser Myhailo Podolyak told The Associated Press that Ukrainian authorities did not know the current condition of the facilities at Chernobyl, the site of...
Penn Hills School Board votes to remove plaques
Penn Hills School Board voted to remove plaques commemorating the school board members who were in office when Penn Hills High School and Penn Hills Elementary School were opened in 2012 and 2014. It was a move described by both board President Erin Vecchio and a resident opposed to the...
Police: Fayette County woman arrested in Arnold for trying to trade AK-47 for 2 bricks of heroin
Police say a Fayette County woman tried to trade an AK-47 rifle for heroin after a source tipped off agents from the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force who were conducting a drug sweep in Arnold. Jessica Sue Thorpe, 41, of Clinton Road, Saltlick, was charged with felony counts of illegal...
Norwin lifts modified lockdown over bomb threat
The Norwin School District Thursday afternoon lifted the modified lockdown that the school district had been under since early morning as a result of a bomb threat, Superintendent Jeff Taylor said in a message. The district did not release any details of the bomb threat, which it announced around 11:45...
4 Pittsburgh chefs named James Beard Awards semifinalists
Four Pittsburgh chefs are semifinalists for this year’s prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards. Bethany Zozula of 40 North at Alphabet City on the North Side, Wei Zhu of Chengdu Gourmet in Squirrel Hill and Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski of Apteka in Bloomfield are semifinalists in the category of Best...
Ice storm warning issued in parts of Westmoreland, Fayette
The National Weather Service has issued multiple winter weather advisories for several counties in Western Pennsylvania. Jenna Lake, a NWS meteorologist in the Moon office, said a “mature and dynamic” weather system moving in from the plains/midwest section of the country will usher in a mixed bag of will rain,...
Police: Westmoreland County jail inmate pretended to be his brother
An inmate from Ohio arrested last summer in Unity on multiple drug counts and illegal possession of a 9 mm handgun also was charged with perjury Wednesday after authorities said he identified himself as his younger brother, who has no arrest record, according to court documents. Timothy J. Boyd, 40,...
Explosions heard in Kyiv as Russia presses Ukraine assaultVideo
KYIV, Ukraine — Explosions were heard early Friday in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as Russian forces pressed on with a full-scale invasion that resulted in the deaths of more than 100 Ukrainians in the first full day of fighting and could eventually rewrite the global post-Cold War security order....
Teen victim identified in fatal Bon Air shooting
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner has identified the 18-year-old who died after being shot Wednesday evening in Pittsburgh’s Bon Air neighborhood. Teron Williams of Pittsburgh died as a result of his injuries, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. Police said he was found with a gunshot wound to...
Pennsylvania truck convoy protest fizzles out to a few vehiclesVideo
The Pennsylvania truck protest convoy largely fizzled out on Wednesday in spite of its organizer promising a spectacular run along the highways to Washington. The convoy organized by Scranton-area business Bob Bolus got off to a rocky start in the morning, when he reportedly had to tend to flat tires...
Westmoreland’s western towns shifted to Pittsburgh-based Congressional district
Some Republican strongholds along the western edge of Westmoreland County will be part of a new Democratic-based Congressional district under a redistricting plan approved Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The county will continue to have two representatives in Congress. Irwin, Jeannette, Murrysville, North Huntingdon, Penn Township, Sewickley and part...
New congressional districts bring change for Pittsburgh-area voters, candidates
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court released its map of the state’s congressional districts on Wednesday, and it spells changes for Pittsburgh-area voters and candidates. Pennsylvania lost a congressional district and will now have 17. Allegheny County’s two remaining districts include ones now known as the 17th Congressional District, which includes Beaver...
Lower Burrell woman gets probation, fine for fiery crash in bridge construction zone
A Lower Burrell woman accused of causing a fiery crash in a work zone while the Tarentum Bridge was closed in June has been sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $1,500 in fines. Allison Plusquellic, 40, was sentenced during a nonjury trial Wednesday, Feb. 23 before...
Pa. touts high covid vaccine rate using questionable data
Pennsylvania officials on Wednesday touted a milestone in covid-19 vaccinations based on federal data, though some experts have for months cast doubt on the veracity of those numbers. Gov. Tom Wolf, using numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, declared on Twitter and in a press release that...
Prosecutors in charge of Trump criminal probe have resignedVideo
NEW YORK — The two prosecutors in charge of the Manhattan district attorney’s criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump and his business dealings suddenly resigned Wednesday, throwing the future of the probe into question just as pressure was building on Trump on several legal fronts. A spokesperson for District...
$2.5M in repairs proposed for Pittsburgh’s 30th Street Bridge
Pittsburgh’s 30th Street Bridge connecting Herr’s Island and River Avenue will likely see $2.5 million worth of repairs next year. Pittsburgh City Council is considering allocating money for the project from two funds designated for bridge improvements. Council also is considering spending $384,400 to pay for a construction inspection. The...
Police searching for 2 men in check theft, ‘washing’ scheme that netted $10K
State police are looking for two men who they believe stole a check from a mailbox belonging to a Ligonier accounting firm and used it to steal about $10,000 from Latrobe Municipal Authority. Michael G. Machay, 35, of Butler and Bryan A. McGraw, 30, of McKees Rocks are charged with...
