Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 970
Dr. Mehmet Oz stumps in Westmoreland County in quest for U.S. SenateVideo
Dr. Mehmet Oz enthralled a room full of potential Westmoreland County voters Wednesday as he works to make his mark in a crowded field of candidates vying to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate. The meet-and-greet event, held in a small room at Giannilli’s II in Unity where few attendees...
Brashear student charged in alleged assault that left fellow student hospitalized
An 18-year-old Brashear High School student accused of throwing another student to the ground and stomping on his head during a fight in school last week has been charged with assault. Quincey Garland, 18, faces one count of aggravated assault in connection with the incident that left the other student...
Feds accuse Texas man of selling gun used to take synagogue hostages
DALLAS — A Texas man has been charged with a federal gun crime after authorities say he sold a gun to a man who held four hostages inside a Texas synagogue earlier this month before being fatally shot by the FBI, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Henry “Michael” Williams, 32,...
East Liberty development put on hold amid opposition from Kelly Strayhorn Theater
A six-story, mixed-use development proposed for the 5900 block of Penn Avenue in East Liberty was delayed this week after a unanimous vote by the Pittsburgh Planning Commission. The vote on Tuesday came after representatives from the Kelly Strayhorn Theater and other Pittsburgh residents raised objections to the development, and...
Pittsburgh City Council delays vote on Wilkinsburg annexation
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday delayed a vote on the potential annexation of neighboring Wilkinsburg for one week, with Councilman Anthony Coghill saying he’d like more time to gather information. Council President Theresa Kail-Smith last week introduced legislation to deny the measure, which has generated controversy among residents and local...
Police searching for man suspected in Derry Township hit and run, woman remains hospitalized
State troopers are urging a man to surrender after they charged him Tuesday in connection with a hit-and-run in Derry Township that left a Latrobe woman seriously injured. Trooper Steve Limani said authorities had not been successful Wednesday in locating Bobby Paul Bryer, 30, who might be driving the same...
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to retire, giving Biden his first appointment
WASHINGTON — Justice Stephen G. Breyer, the Supreme Court’s 83-year-old liberal pragmatist, plans to retire this year, clearing the way for President Joe Biden to make his first appointment to the high court. Breyer, a 1994 appointee of President Bill Clinton, is the senior member of the three-justice liberal bloc,...
Pitt basketball player Ithiel Horton resolves criminal case with disorderly conduct plea, rejoins team
A University of Pittsburgh basketball player accused of punching a city police officer last year pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of public intoxication. More serious charges against Ithiel Horton, including aggravated assault and resisting arrest, were withdrawn by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s...
Peter Pan-themed pop-up bar follows the Tipsy Elf in Greenfield
The pop-up bar next to Hough’s Taproom & Brewpub in Greenfield will go from being decorated in sparkling lights to being decorated with pixie dust. The Tipsy Elf, a Christmas-themed pop-up bar that occupied the space during the holiday season, will be transformed into Neverland, a Peter Pan-inspired pop-up bar,...
Momentum builds for East Busway expansion into Mon Valley
Port Authority of Allegheny County has received a federal grant to put toward planning work for a possible extension of the East Busway from Swissvale to the East Pittsburgh area, another sign of momentum building for extending the busway into the Mon Valley. Allegheny County and Port Authority officials acknowledged...
Pittsburgh man charged with mid-December shooting at Waterworks mall
A Pittsburgh man has been charged in a Dec. 14 shooting that caused panic at The Waterworks mall and damaged an occupied car parked outside Walmart. John Hayden, 21, is charged by Pittsburgh police with aggravated assault, propulsion of missiles, criminal mischief, a firearms violation and two counts each of...
Civil rights activist and Pittsburgh resident Alma Speed Fox has died
Longtime civil and human rights activist Alma Speed Fox of Pittsburgh has died. A spokesperson for her church, the Historic Church of the Holy Cross Episcopal in Homewood, said Fox died Monday at age 98. Her daughter, Muriel Fox Alim, confirmed the news Tuesday evening. Alim said Fox died peacefully...
Dog or coyote? Animal rescued in Fairfield Township perplexes volunteers
An animal that has perplexed rescuers is being cared for at a Mt. Pleasant Township wildlife rehabilitation center while waiting on DNA results to determine exactly what it is. The four-legged, 37-pound creature is being treated for mange after a Fairfield woman spotted it last week, said Wildlife Works volunteer...
Former student in Jeannette sues school district over sexual abuse
A former student is suing the Jeannette City School District alleging that administrators there were aware that he was being sexually abused by a teacher. The teacher, Maria Chappell, was charged by the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office in 2016 with having sex with a student. She pleaded guilty on...
PLCB offers shot at 1,208 bottles of rare Old Rip Van Winkle whiskey
Some of the most coveted bottles of bourbon are up for grabs this week as the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board kicks off a lottery that some might consider a whiskey lover’s dream. In all, 1,208 bottles of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery’s bourbons are available to Pennsylvanians through the limited-release...
Witness: Man fired pistol at twins from barstool at Woodpecker’s in Upper Burrell
A bartender testified Tuesday that Daniel Moles sipped bourbon at Woodpeckers Pub and Grub in Upper Burrell for several hours on the evening of Nov. 13 and chatted with customers before aiming a pistol at twin brothers seated across the bar and firing two shots, killing one of them. District...
Israeli man gets 8 years for role in ‘Darknet’ sales totaling hundreds of millions of dollars
An Israeli man will serve eight years in federal prison for his role in facilitating hundreds of millions of dollars in sales of drugs, firearms and stolen financial information on the dark web. Tal Prihar pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy last year before Senior U.S. District Judge...
Accused Pittsburgh synagogue shooter says jury system is flawed, wants charges dismissed
Attorneys for the man accused of killing 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue three years ago believe the jury system in federal court in Pittsburgh is flawed because it underrepresents the minority population. In a 540-page document unsealed Monday, Robert Bowers, who is white, argues that he is entitled...
Brashear High School principal on leave as district reviews fight
The principal of a Pittsburgh high school is on administrative leave while the district reviews a fight last week that left one student hospitalized, according to a statement from the district. Spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said the principal at Brashear High School, Kimberly Safran, is on a “non-disciplinary paid administrative leave”...
Pittsburgh City Council considers measure to explore annexing, merging with other municipalities
Although Pittsburgh City Council appears poised to shoot down a request to annex neighboring Wilkinsburg, it is considering a proposal to take a more thorough look at whether annexations or mergers would be beneficial to the city. Legislation introduced Tuesday by Council President Theresa Kail-Smith would allow City Council to...
Hempfield nixes mask requirement, changes school’s covid-19 tracker
Students in Hempfield Area School District identified as close contacts who do not test positive for covid-19 or show symptoms will be permitted to attend in-person classes rather than quarantine, the school board said. The vote Monday was one of several made in a meeting during which board members nixed...
Police: Hit-run driver drove to liquor store after causing Route 30 crash in North Huntingdon
North Huntingdon police say a man was under the influence of alcohol, hit another driver and left the scene before making a quick stop at a liquor store and circling back past the crash on Route 30. Dennis M. Moog Jr., 58, of Jeannette, was arrested Saturday on multiple misdemeanor...
TV Talk: Showtime cancels filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘American Rust’
Almost three months after its first-season finale, Showtime canceled filmed-in-Pittsburgh “American Rust.” “We can confirm that ‘American Rust’ will not be moving forward with a second season,” read a Showtime statement. “We would like to thank our partners at Boat Rocker, our talented showrunner Dan Futterman and the rest of...
Biden calls Fox News reporter at White House a stupid SOB
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden responded to a question about inflation by calling a Fox News reporter a vulgarity. The president was in the East Room of the White House on Monday for a meeting of his Competition Council, which is focused on changing regulations and enforcing laws to help...
Pfizer opens study of covid shots updated to match omicron
Pfizer has begun a study comparing its original covid-19 vaccine with doses specially tweaked to match the hugely contagious omicron variant. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced the study on Tuesday. Covid-19 vaccine makers have been updating their shots to better match omicron in case global health authorities decide the...
