Regional category, Page 297
Giant Eagle, Dollar General scramble to alert customers under 21 they can’t buy cigarettes, chew, vapes
Western Pennsylvania shoppers soon will spot signs popping up inside Giant Eagle grocery stores and GetGo gas stations alerting everyone to a new federal rule: People under 21 are barred from buying any tobacco products or vapes with liquid nicotine. “As a responsible retailer, Giant Eagle, Inc. takes seriously its...
Western Pa. received plenty of rain in 2019, but a record is unlikely
This year may have been one of the wettest in Pennsylvania history, but it’s got a few more inches to go if it wants to top the list. As of Friday , the Pittsburgh area recorded 51.64 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. Normal average annual precipitation...
TribLIVE’s top 25 photos of the year
Captured by the Tribune-Review visuals staff, this collection of our most visually compelling images from 2019 reminds us of the most intriguing news, sports and cultural events of the year....
Kindness comeback: Acting like Fred Rogers in his neighborhood and beyond
At a time of partisanship, polarization and rancor, Christmas comes along to smooth the hard edges of our divisions. Acts of kindness somehow come more naturally this time of year. But by the time February rolls around, everybody’s grouchy again. Does kindness have any staying power? Perhaps because kindness may...
Officials: Flu continues to slam Western Pennsylvania
State health officials are concerned about the growing number of confirmed flu cases in Allegheny County and all of Western Pennsylvania, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. Western Pennsylvania is the hardest hit region of the state so far this season, which began Sept. 29, spokeswoman Brittany Lauffer said. Laboratory-confirmed flu cases...
Here’s how to track Santa on Christmas Eve
Christmas has begun, and Santa Claus has started making his trip around the world. And just like you can track where that jogging outfit you bought on Amazon for Aunt Gladys is, you can track the jolly old elf. The North American Aerospace Defense Command — commonly known by its...
Police: Burglars caught on video taking large safe from Beaver County business
State police said they are searching for two people who stole a large safe from a Beaver County business earlier this month. The suspects were captured on a surveillance camera loading the safe into the bed of a pickup, according to state police. Police said the theft happened at Parsons...
Gas prices expected to end year on downward path, analyst says
The national average price of gasoline has seen its seventh weekly decline, falling to a new low since March, according to price tracking service GasBuddy. While average prices in the Pittsburgh area and nationally are lower than they were a month ago, both are notably higher than a year ago....
State police: FedEx driver dumped packages instead of delivering them
A FedEx driver dumped packages in a ditch instead of delivering them to their rightful owners Saturday afternoon in Mercer County, state police said. State police with the Mercer station say the incident happened just before 2:30 p.m. along Horvath Road in Lackawannock Township. Troopers said a witness saw a...
2 trucks collide head-on, killing Somerset man
A Somerset man was fatally injured Thursday when the truck he was driving collided head-on with another in Somerset County. Walter E. Herring, 72, was pronounced dead at the scene in Jefferson Township, according to state police. Police said the other driver, Mark A. Furman, 60, of Lavale, Md., was...
Week in review: Trump impeachment, diocese mergers, Pryor falloutVideo
It was a historic week in national news as Democrats in the U.S. House voted to impeach President Trump on charges of abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress, prompting protests across the nation and in the Pittsburgh area. Other news included a woman charged with stabbing a...
2019 winter solstice arrives, bringing shortest day, longest night of the year
Shortest day. Longest night. Regardless of how you look at it, Saturday marks the 2019 winter solstice — the official beginning of winter (astronomically, at least) and the day the sun makes its briefest appearance of the year. 4:56 p.m. Official time of sunset in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Varies depending...
Deadlines loom for getting holiday packages, cards in the mail
Neither snow nor rain nor the annual crush of holiday packages and cards slows the U.S. Postal Service from making the rounds. “We’ve had carriers out since 6 a.m. delivering packages just to keep up with the volume, and we’ve been out seven days a week,” said Tad Kelley, the...
Dollar Bank network issues resolved, accounts are current, spokesman says
Dollar Bank has resolved its network issues that caused its online and mobile banking services to go down Thursday night and resulted in direct deposits not posting until Friday afternoon, a bank official said. “We apologize to all our customers for this inconvenience and appreciate their patience,” said Joe Smith,...
Beaver County man gets nearly 5 years behind bars for robbing 4 banks, CoGo’s
A former Beaver County man will spend nearly five years behind bars for robbing four banks and a convenience store of more than $27,000, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Patrick Acierno, 34, who has ties to Freedom, Beaver County, was convicted of the spate of robberies in Allegheny and Beaver counties...
New Castle man accused of selling crack cocaine in Butler faces new charges
A New Castle man has been accused of scheming to sell large amounts crack cocaine to addicts in Western Pennsylvania, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Zaamar Stevenson, 43, who goes by the nickname “Scrap,” faces new charges from a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh related to possessing and selling more than...
Pennsylvania hunters take in record number of bears in 2019
The Pennsylvania Game Commission reported the state’s highest bear harvest ever this year as the agency tries to slow a growing bear population. Locally, hunters took the most bears in Armstrong and Butler counties, with numbers in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties holding steady. Expanded hunting opportunities doubled the number of...
‘Dangerous’ snow squall leaves behind slick roads, minor crashes in Southwestern Pa.
A squall that blanketed Southwestern Pennsylvania on Wednesday afternoon — leaving roads slick and myriad minor car crashes and disabled vehicles in its wake — was akin to a summer thunderstorm, just one full of snow instead of rain, said meteorologist Matthew Kramer of the National Weather Service. “You can...
Allegheny County sees 66% increase in flu cases over past week
The Pittsburgh area continues to lead the state in confirmed flu cases, with a large increase in Allegheny County in the past week. There were more than 6,900 confirmed influenza cases statewide as of the week ending Dec. 14, according to the state Department of Health. That is a 57%...
Police: Butler County couple stole more than $340K from employer
State police say a Clinton Township husband and wife stole more than $340,000 from their former employer over two years. Adam Joshua Lesseski, 35, and Kara Lynn Lesseski, 37, took the money from Concrete Coring in Jefferson Township between January 2017 and last March , police said. Adam Lesseski was...
Police: Erie teens covered cars, house in cheese slices
Pennsylvania State Police say three Erie-area teens are facing charges for throwing cheese slices all over a pair of cars and a house. ErieNewsNow reports state police say the incidents were reported between midnight and 6:30 a.m. Saturday. Investigators say a 18-year-old from Lake City and two 17-year-olds from Lake...
Once upon a time, malls transformed into Christmas wonderlands
When Debi Hall’s daughter, Kelly, saw the Christmas decorations at the former Greengate Mall in Hempfield years ago, she thought she was at the North Pole. Each year, the mall was decorated with a towering Christmas tree set up near the Lazarus department store, curtains of string lights flowing from...
Mon Wharf parking area expected to flood
The Mon Wharf parking area will be closed Wednesday because of flooding, the Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh announced Tuesday. All vehicles will have to be removed from the lot by 7 p.m. Tuesday, the authority said. The wharf will be closed until further notice. A flood advisory for the...
Connellsville man arrested for Vanderbilt bank robbery
A Connellsville man is charged with robbing a Vanderbilt bank on Friday, state police said. Donald Ray Homer Jr., 56, is facing two counts of robbery, two counts of terroristic threats and one count each of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, according to a criminal complaint against...
Proposed bill would honor 3 men who dedicated lives to community, country
Three Western Pennsylvania men who dedicated their lives to ensuring the safety of their communities and country could soon be memorialized for their sacrifices. Former Greene County Sheriff Brian Tennant and Pfc. Joseph Frank Duda and Cpl. Denny Ray Easter, both of Fayette County, could live on through street names...
