Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 979
New Kensington car wash celebrates opening with free washes, fundraising for Knead Cafe
A new car wash in New Kensington is celebrating its opening with free car washes for 10 days and benefits for Knead Community Cafe. Clean Express Auto Wash began operating off Tarentum Bridge Road in front of Busy Beaver in late December, said Beth Martin, a spokeswoman for parent company...
Former nurse pleads guilty to indecent assault of residents at Lower Burrell care home
A former nurse at a Lower Burrell care nursing home and rehabilitation center was sentenced Wednesday to at least 6 months in jail for indecent assaults against two residents last year. Jacques C. Wagner, 58, of New Kensington pleaded guilty to six offenses in which police said he had sexual...
Tax refunds could be delayed this year because of pandemic and budget issues, treasury officials say
Officials from the Treasury Department announced the Internal Revenue Service would face major challenges, leading to frustrations from both taxpayers and tax preparers. Tax refunds might be delayed as a result of budget cuts to the IRS, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and ongoing stimulus-related workload issues, The Washington Post reports....
Pittsburgh man accused of bringing loaded gun to Allegheny County Courthouse
A Pittsburgh man was arrested Wednesday afternoon for attempting to enter the Allegheny County Courthouse with a loaded gun, police said. Prince Kamoory El Akando, 28, of the city’s North Side neighborhood, surrendered to Allegheny County sheriff’s deputies after officials said he attempted to enter the courthouse via the Ross...
Baldwin-Whitehall schools end week with remote learning due to rise in covid cases, staffing issues
The Baldwin-Whitehall School District will shift to a remote learning plan for Thursday and Friday as a result of rising covid cases, district officials announced Wednesday. There already was no school on Monday due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Superintendent Randal Lutz said the district expects to resume...
Police say argument in Plum led woman to shoot boyfriend, chase him with knife
A woman from Ohio has been charged with attempted homicide after police said she shot her boyfriend multiple times Wednesday night during an argument at his home in Plum and then chased him down the street with a kitchen knife when he tried to flee. Police say Crystal Marie Veasey,...
Prosecutors drop strangulation, assault charges against Arona man
Strangulation and assault charges against an Arona man were dismissed Wednesday by Westmoreland County prosecutors after his accuser said she would not testify against him at trial. Shawn Grbach, 43, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of harassment and disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to serve one year on probation...
Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew tests positive for coronavirus for 2nd time
Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew said Wednesday he again has tested positive for the coronavirus. Chew, a first-term Republican, said he has been at home this week and is experiencing symptoms from the virus. “Today is the worst day of congestion and breathing,” Chew wrote in an email. “It’s expected...
Jan. 6 panel requests interview from GOP leader Kevin McCarthyVideo
WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection requested an interview and records from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday, as it continues to seek first-hand details from members of Congress on former President Donald Trump’s actions on the day hundreds of his supporters brutally beat police,...
Pa. House approves proposed congressional map as court challenges loom
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 — The Pennsylvania House has advanced a new congressional map that...
Allegheny County prosecutors drop sex charges against former Regent Square restaurateur
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday withdrew charges against a former Regent Square restaurant owner accused of breaking into a woman’s home on Pittsburgh’s South Side and sexually assaulting her. On the paperwork submitted in the case against Adnan Pehlivan, Assistant District Attorney Emma Schoedel wrote that the...
Norwin school board member wants to bar CNN news show for studentsVideo
At least one Norwin School Board member wants the district to stop showing a CNN-produced news program to middle schoolers during homeroom. During a workshop meeting this week, Alex Detschelt — a self-described conservative Republican — asked fellow board members to consider eliminating CNN 10 along with any other live...
Hempfield woman accused of leaving dog, cat behind in abandoned home
A Hempfield woman is accused of leaving a dog and cat in an abandoned home, according to court papers. Michele Ann Kelly, 36, was charged this week with two counts of animal cruelty. Troopers said they were notified Nov. 12 by a home health nurse working in a neighborhood off...
Biden is sending more covid tests to schools to keep them open
The Biden administration is increasing federal support for covid-19 testing for schools in a bid to keep them open amid the omicron surge. The White House announced Wednesday that a dedicated stream of 5 million rapid tests and 5 million lab-based PCR tests will be made available to schools starting...
Inflation at 40-year high pressures consumers, Fed and BidenVideo
WASHINGTON — Inflation jumped at its fastest pace in nearly 40 years last month, a 7% spike from a year earlier that is increasing household expenses, eating into wage gains and heaping pressure on President Joe Biden and the Federal Reserve to address what has become the biggest threat to...
Police, EMS respond to head-on collision near Plum High School
Police and medics responded to a head-on collision between two vehicles near Plum High School on Wednesday morning. The crash was reported shortly after 7 a.m. near the intersection of Leechburg and Elicker roads, according to an Allegheny County 911 supervisor. Medics evaluated the occupants of the vehicles for injuries...
Medicare limits coverage of $28,000-a-year Alzheimer’s drug
WASHINGTON — Medicare said Tuesday it will limit coverage of a $28,000-a-year Alzheimer’s drug whose benefits have been widely questioned, a major development in the nation’s tug-of-war over the fair value of new medicines that offer tantalizing possibilities but come with prohibitive prices. The initial determination from the Centers for...
Allegheny County Jail now says 87 inmates segregated last month, not 294
Allegheny County officials said that they are refining the way the jail tracks people in segregated housing after they were criticized last week for not following last year’s referendum banning solitary confinement. On Jan. 5, Warden Orlando Harper submitted a report in which he listed 294 people in segregation. On...
Former Greensburg-based dentist accused of killing wife to collect millions in life insuranceVideo
A former Greensburg dentist and big-game hunter is facing federal charges after authorities said he killed his wife during a safari in Zambia five years ago and collected more than $4 million in life insurance. An arrest warrant was issued Dec. 22 for Lawrence Rudolph, 67, who was living in...
Man from Pittsburgh’s Greenfield charged in infant’s 2020 death said he was sleepwalking
A man from Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood who police said told investigators that he dropped his infant son down the stairs while sleepwalking is facing homicide charges two years after the child’s death, according to police. Cory Neidert, 31, also is charged with reckless endangerment and child endangerment in connection with...
Omicron may be headed for a rapid drop in U.S. and BritainVideo
Scientists are seeing signals that covid-19′s alarming omicron wave may have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the United States, at which point cases may start dropping off dramatically. The reason: The variant has proved so wildly contagious that it may already be running out...
Freeport Area High School goes remote after surging covid counts
Freeport Area High School students will switch to remote learning through Friday because of elevated covid cases and ongoing in-school transmission, district officials announced. The shutdown impacts the high school only. A covid dashboard on the district website confirms 31 active cases at the high school, 29 of them in...
Student in custody after gun found at Pittsburgh’s Carrick High School
A student was taken into custody Tuesday at Carrick High School after a gun was found in the school, according to Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman Ebony Pugh. The Parkfield Street school went into lockdown after a social media post circulated indicating there was a gun in the school. City and...
Baldwin man gets 22 to 54 years in prison for stalking ex, arranging killing of her boyfriend
Matthew Lambert spent months stalking the mother of his child, using a GPS tracker to follow her movements and sending vile text messages that instilled her with fear. Then he paid three people $5,000 and 25 bricks of heroin to kill the man she was dating as they left Rumerz...
University of Pittsburgh ‘disenrolls’ unvaccinated students
No vaccine, no classes. That’s the policy the University of Pittsburgh is now enforcing, saying it has “disenrolled” students who have not complied with the school’s covid-19 vaccine mandate. Pitt announced Dec. 6 it was putting a requirement in place for all students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated...
