Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 962
Yinzer Cards offer unique Pittsburgh-style Valentine’s greetings
The Yinzer Cards Valentine’s Day line eschews the hearts and flowers of the typical Valentine’s card in favor of greetings tailored to a local audience. “They are not exactly your grandmother’s Valentine greeting card or candy,” said Pittsburgh-based comedian Jim Krenn, who started the card line in 2018 with radio...
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey to hold community forums on issues facing new administration
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s transition team is seeking the public’s input on key issues facing the new administration. In the first of several planned virtual community forums, Gainey will seek input on equitable development in a forum starting at 6 p.m. Feb. 21. Subsequent forums will include ones focusing on...
Police: Man, 21, dead after swerving head-on into pickup on Route 66 in Washington Township
A 21-year-old man died on Tuesday morning when his SUV swerved into oncoming traffic along Route 66 in Washington Township and crashed head-on into a pickup truck, according to authorities. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday night identified the driver of the SUV as Michael C. Signore, of Delmont....
Asbestos issues drive up costs for demolition of Franklin Regional elementary
The bulk of Franklin Regional School District’s capital plan for the coming school year is demolishing the former Heritage Elementary School, although the cost has gone up substantially after asbestos was discovered in the building. A little less than half of the $2.25 million capital budget for the 2022-23 school...
‘Power of the Dog’ leads Oscar noms with 12; ‘Dune’ lands 10
NEW YORK — Jane Campion’s gothic western “The Power of the Dog” led nominations to the 94th Academy Awards, where streaming services more than ever before swept over Hollywood’s top honors. In nominations announced Tuesday, Campion’s film landed a leading 12 nominations, including nods for best picture, best director and...
Wolf’s final budget, like his first, features public schools
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf’s eighth and final budget proposal unveiled Tuesday would push state spending past $43 billion for the first time, as the Democrat asks lawmakers for the biggest-ever increase in aid for public schools, plus more money for direct care workers, higher-education institutions and college scholarships. Wolf...
Pa. mine cleanup funding seen as game-changer
Pennsylvania could clean up the vast majority of the state’s abandoned mines and the pollution caused by them with a $245 million federal allocation annually for the next 15 years, a Westmoreland County conservation official said. “This pot of money has the potential to make one of the largest impacts...
Allegheny Health Network moving Express Care clinic to new location in New Kensington
Allegheny Health Network announced Monday it is moving its Express Care clinic to new quarters in New Kensington. The new location in Suite 1C at Kensington Square on Eighth Street is scheduled to open Feb. 21. It is next to the network’s New Kensington Outpatient Center, which opened there in...
Justice Department signals it may allow safe injection sites
NEW YORK — A year after winning a major court battle against the opening of so-called safe injection sites — safe havens for people to use heroin and other narcotics with protections against fatal overdoses — the Justice Department is signaling it might be open to allowing them. In response...
Teen dies after being hit by vehicle in North Versailles
A 17-year-old girl died Monday after being hit by a vehicle in North Versailles, according to Allegheny County Police. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the girl Tuesday as Kayonna Harper. Her hometown was not provided. Police said Allegheny County 911 was notified of the collision in the 1700 block...
Man charged with parole, drug violations after tinted-window traffic stop in New Kensington
New Kensington police say they charged a Lower Burrell with a felony and jailed him on a parole violation after he tried to ditch a bag of cocaine when his car was pulled over for having windows that were tinted too dark, according to his arrest papers. Josh J. Porowski,...
Spirit-Frontier airlines merger embraced at Westmoreland, Pittsburgh airports
News of a pending merger between low-cost airlines Spirit and Frontier is being welcomed at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, where Spirit is the sole commercial carrier. Officials at Pittsburgh International Airport, where both airlines offer flights, also were optimistic. “We think this is a fantastic opportunity for two great companies...
Pittsburgh City Council’s pay raise scaled back because of home-rule charter
Pittsburgh City Council members adjusted the amount of their pay raise approved in a special meeting Saturday because the initial amount conflicted with the city’s home rule charter, City Councilman Anthony Coghill said. Coghill said the original proposal to increase council members’ pay from $72,000 to $83,000 — a more...
Lawsuit: West View man said he was dragged by Port Authority bus in Pittsburgh
A West View man is suing Port Authority of Allegheny County for negligence after he said his arm got caught in the rear door of a bus when the driver closed it early, causing him to be dragged. Lloyd Gaston was a passenger on the 61B and boarded the bus...
Deputies seize cache of ammunition, firearms from Sewickley Township man’s mobile home
Six days before state troopers arrested a 39-year-old Sewickley Township man on rape charges, county sheriff’s deputies seized more than a dozen handguns, rifles and shotguns from his home, according to court documents. Steven K. Stemmler, who resides in the KOA Campground on Waltz Mill Road, was arraigned Thursday on...
See how the final Pa. state House map scores in every key area
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 — A panel has approved a new Pennsylvania House map that...
NTSB report: Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge collapse started on Squirrel Hill side
The collapse of Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge likely started on the west, or Squirrel Hill, side of the span, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board released Monday. The brief report notes only facts surrounding the collapse and the bridge itself. It does not draw any...
Small plane makes emergency landing at Arnold Palmer airport; no injuries reported
No injuries were reported when a small plane made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff Monday morning at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. The chartered plane carrying nine passengers and three crew members experienced smoke in the cockpit about 20 miles into its flight, according to Gabe Monzo, executive director of...
Pittsburgh to receive $30M for public transit in 1st infrastructure bill allocation
The Pittsburgh region is receiving more than $30 million in transit funding from the infrastructure law passed in November, but it remains unknown how the region’s largest transit agency will use the money. The money is coming from the $234 million allocated for Pennsylvania and is earmarked for the first...
Route 31 in Donegal Township closed for hours after chain- reaction crash involving 3 trucks
Jesse Bash had stopped his black four-wheel drive pickup truck on Route 31 in Donegal Township Monday to make a left turn into a furniture outlet store where he works when the driver of a tri-axle truck behind him “began really laying on his air horn.” “I was really starting...
Pittsburgh looks to add more plows to address concerns about snow, ice removal
Pittsburgh is looking to address complaints about snow and ice removal by adding a dozen plows to its fleet. “We’ve come to the conclusion that we just need more vehicles, more safely operating vehicles,” Councilman Anthony Coghill said, explaining that the measure would “help our fleet get up to the...
Man knocked out, 1 person arrested after South Side fight
A man is in the hospital with head injuries after being knocked unconscious Monday during a fight on Pittsburgh’s South Side, police said. Mueller said police responded to the incident at 12:50 a.m. Monday in the 1500 block of E. Carson Street. A suspect was taken into custody and was...
Accused Pa. bootleggers with ‘legendary’ moonshine recipe busted by state police
A couple’s alleged 30-year bootlegging business in Centre County has been busted by Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement officers after a year-long undercover investigation. As WJAC-TV in Johnstown reports, the couple, identified as Glenn and Barbara McCleester of Port Matilda, allegedly told undercover liquor control enforcement investigators...
Pittsburgh ranked as top city for football fans
For those who bleed Black and Gold, the idea that Pittsburgh is the best city for football fans is just about the least shocking notion ever. But WalletHub, a personal financial website, went ahead and just made it official — again. For the fourth year in a row, Pittsburgh stood...
Greensburg police looking for suspect in ‘smash and grab’ theft at Lynch Field
Greensburg police are looking for a man accused of smashing the window of a vehicle parked Sunday at Lynch Field and taking a purse. A woman reported the incident just before 2 p.m. outside The Aerobic Center, according to Capt. Shawn Denning. A center manager told investigators that the suspect’s...
