Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 963
Frontier bids $2.9 billion for rival budget airline Spirit
Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines are proposing to combine in a $2.9 billion deal that would create a larger discount airline to compete against the nation’s dominant carriers and, they say, promote lower fares. Both are ultra-low-cost carriers that tempt travelers with rock-bottom prices for no-frills service but often generate...
Pa. bans sales of Ravenna grass and 2 species of buckthorn trees
While spring gardening might not be foremost on residents’ minds during a snowstorm, the state announced Friday it will ban plant sales of certain pampas grasses and two varieties of buckthorn. The state Department of Agriculture added three species to the state list of noxious weeds, which are non-native invasive...
Mexican food truck owner opening restaurant in New Kensington
A Mexican chef known for his tacos, quesadillas and burritos who brought his food truck to New Kensington’s monthly Fridays on Fifth last year will be establishing a restaurant in the city. Jose Tecuanhuehue plans to open Taqueria El Pastorcito in March. It will be at 929 Fourth Ave. in...
Police: Kiski Township man arrested after armed standoff
A Kiski Township man is in custody after an armed standoff with police on Sunday, according to a news release from the Kiski Township Police Department. Joshua Reilly, 36, of Water Street was charged with terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct, flight to avoid apprehension, discharge of a...
Hershey Co. raising candy prices, including Kit Kats, Reese’s
Sorry chocolate lovers, even your favorite candy isn’t immune from inflation. The Hershey Co. announced recently it is planning “list price increases across all segments” as a way to drive sales growth. The company said the hikes will offset rising labor and ingredient costs. “Pricing will be an important lever...
Trucks, plows destroyed in fire at McKeesport public works garage
McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon in the aftermath of a fire that destroyed the city’s public works garage. Officials said the fire was first reported shortly after 6 a.m. at the facility where public works vehicles and other equipment is stored. Four large dump...
Top Biden aide says Ukraine invasion could come ‘any day’
WILMINGTON, Del. — White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day,” launching a conflict that would come at an “enormous human cost.” The senior adviser to President Joe Biden offered another stark warning the day after U.S. officials confirmed that Russia has...
Pittsburgh council members grant themselves 6.3% raise
Pittsburgh City Council members will earn more in 2022 than the year before but less than what was originally proposed by the outgoing mayor. Council unanimously, by a 9-0 vote, approved a resolution during a special meeting Saturday afternoon that set the pay for city workers and ultimately raised the...
Ottawa declares state of emergency over covid-19 protestsVideo
TORONTO — The mayor of Canada’s capital declared a state of emergency Sunday and a former U.S. ambassador to Canada said groups in the United States must stop interfering in the domestic affairs of America’s neighbor as protesters opposed to covid-19 restrictions continued to paralyze Ottawa’s downtown. Mayor Jim Watson...
What to watch for in Gov. Wolf’s budget proposal
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf will pitch his eighth and last budget proposal to lawmakers Tuesday, as the Democrat pushes Republicans to spend more federal pandemic relief aid now and Wolf looks to cement his public school legacy by securing a big boost in state aid. The state’s bank accounts...
Needs vary this time of year at Western Pa. charity thrift stores
At the Goodwill store in the Hollywood Square shopping plaza just off Route 22 in Salem, things have been busy the past few months. “We have way more business here than we did in the Murrysville location,” said assistant manager Jenny Desport. Part of it, she said, is due to...
Bear reports spike during pandemic as harvests also rise in Western Pa.Video
Looking at the statistics, it appears there are more black bears in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. But state officials aren’t sure if that really is the case. For the public, however, it seems black bears are popping up all over urban settings. In late December, a Pennsylvania Game Commission game...
IRS wants cut of internet sales topping $600 or more per yearVideo
Online sellers who hope to cash in on anything from baseball and football card collections to a valuable old toy may now have to pay a portion of the proceeds to Uncle Sam if they use a third-party payment platform to collect the proceeds. “It will be a change for...
Officials: Russia at 70% of Ukraine military buildup
WASHINGTON — Russia has assembled at least 70 percent of the military firepower it likely intends to have in place by mid-month to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.S. officials say. The officials, who discussed internal assessments of the Russian buildup on...
Weather can be second foe for firefighters battling blaze on frigid winter day
Darting in and out of a smoke-filled building in search of occupants and scaling a ladder to the roof as flames roar is dangerous work, even in the best weather conditions. Add frigid temperatures, whipping wind and falling snow, and the dangers multiply dramatically for firefighters trying to save lives...
Hempfield boy, 6, wins top speed at Scouts’ Pinewood Derby Championship
Bradley Walker couldn’t contain his excitement as he clutched his sleek, blue racer in one hand and his trophy in the other as the 6-year-old kindergarten student from Hempfield celebrated his victory Saturday morning. Walker was among the more than 175 kids who raced homemade wooden cars down a 40-foot...
Police: New Kensington man faces felony gun charges after video shows him point pistol at woman
New Kensington police charged a felon with illegal possession of a firearm after seeing a video of him pointing a pistol at a woman during an argument, authorities say. Don Levon Graves, 57, of Main St., New Kensington, was charged with felony counts of possession of a firearm by a...
Martell Covington wins District 24 nominating session, favored to finish out state House term
Martell Covington, a legislative aide to Democratic state Sen. Jay Costa, won the Democratic nomination to appear on an upcoming special election ballot for state House District 24. Covington’s win at the Allegheny County Democratic Committee nominating session held at the Kingsley Center in Larimer on Saturday will likely secure...
Man shot in McKees Rocks, Allegheny County Police investigating
A man was shot Saturday morning in McKees Rocks, according to Allegheny County Police. Police were notified of a shooting at about 10:20 a.m. in the 400 block of Broadway Avenue. Police said they found the victim with multiple gunshot wounds, and he was taken to the hospital. County police...
Final Pa. legislative maps approved by redistricting panel, but legal challenges likely
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 state panel Friday approved Pennsylvania’s new legislative district maps,...
Arnold native, Valley High alum named assistant dean at Harvard Law School
An Arnold native and New Kensington-Arnold School District graduate has been named an assistant dean at Harvard Law School. Monica E. Monroe will start Feb. 22 as assistant dean of the Office of Community Engagement, Equity and Belonging at Harvard Law School. She is going to Harvard from the University...
Couple accused of endangerment for using cameras to monitor kids; keeping food, bathrooms locked up
An Allegheny Township couple was charged with multiple felonies after their three children told police they are under near-constant video surveillance and most of the food in the house is kept locked up. Leann Marie Lawson, 35, and Nevin A. Lawson, 51, of the 100 block of Indian Hill Road,...
Port Authority bridge in Mt. Washington to remain closed for repairs
Port Authority officials said a bridge that carries the South Busway over Saw Mill Run Boulevard in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood will remain closed indefinitely. Engineers on Friday discovered that a portion of the bridge had shifted, according to Port Authority of Allegheny County spokesman Adam Brandolph. Red Line rail...
Storm brings flooding to part of Westmoreland; power outages hit Allegheny, Washington counties
The excessive rain that accompanied the storm Thursday night and Friday morning, coupled with melting snow, flooded several roads in Westmoreland County and the region. Firefighters rescued motorists from vehicles caught in high water on New Stanton-Ruffs Dale Road near the village of Hunker and on Hillis Street in Youngwood...
FBI: Man stole multiple identities, used fake money orders to rip off luxury car dealers
The FBI on Friday charged a West African man with stealing multiple identities to buy or lease at least 10 high-end, luxury vehicles from dealerships across the country, including two in Pittsburgh. Serge Ahmed Zeba, 30, was charged with aggravated identity theft and wire fraud in federal court. The 23-page...
