Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1043
Wilkins baby born with perfect timing — ‘2’ perfect — at Forbes Hospital
A Wilkins couple had their first child at the perfect time. Amanda and Ryan Liscio welcomed their daughter, Freya, at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022 at 2:22 p.m. After battling some complications that morning, Freya was born naturally at 6 lbs. 9 oz. and was 21...
Allegheny County courts and magistrates, Pittsburgh courts closed Friday due to bad weather
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, all magisterial courts in the county and Pittsburgh Municipal Court, will be closed Friday due to inclement weather. President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark signed the order Thursday. Arraignment Court will remain open. National Weather Service in Pittsburgh is predicting a mix of freezing rain...
Listen to the emergency radio calls from the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse
Emergency services scanner traffic indicates a chaotic scene in the first moments after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed Jan. 28 in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park. “Female screaming on the phone, possible vehicle over the bridge, stating the bridge gave out. Unknown injuries,” a dispatcher says at 6:41 a.m. Moments later, another...
Medicare opens up access to free at-home covid-19 tests
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration, seeking to fill a frustrating gap in coverage for covid-19 tests, Thursday announced that people with Medicare will be able to get free over-the-counter tests much more easily in the coming weeks. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Medicare will cover up to...
Man gets life in prison for deadly 2019 shooting in Pittsburgh’s Hill District
A man from Pittsburgh’s Hill District will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing another man on Memorial Day 2019. A jury found Jalaspian Charles, 34, guilty of first-degree murder, reckless endangerment and a firearms charge on Oct. 12. On Thursday, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward...
Decorated veteran from McKean County, 75, gets fine for role in Capitol riot
A decorated sailor in Vietnam, William Blauser Jr. serves as commander of his local American Legion post and spearheaded an effort to get a veterans’ memorial installed in his community, which he continues to maintain. On Thursday, Blauser, 75, of Ludlow, McKean County, was ordered to pay a $500 fine...
Lane closures, detours planned for emergency bridge repair at Route 51/I-70 interchange in Rostraver
Emergency repairs to Route 51 in Rostraver will get underway next week after an over-height vehicle struck a bridge that carries traffic over Interstate 70, according to PennDOT. The project will result in lane closures on Route 51 and Interstate 70, as well as detours for traffic traveling between the...
Pittsburgh EMS chief recounts swift, selfless response to Fern Hollow Bridge collapse
Pittsburgh EMS District Chief Antwain Carter said he found the emergency dispatch hard to believe at first. A dispatcher came over the radio and said a woman had called screaming, reporting that Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge had collapsed at Forbes and South Braddock avenues. Carter looked at the other district...
Southmoreland’s Ron Frederick dies day after learning he would be named head football coach
When Dave Keefer resigned as Southmoreland’s football coach last month, he recommended assistant coach Ron Frederick for the job. Keefer talked to Frederick before Frederick’s interview Tuesday with school officials. Frederick, a 1999 Southmoreland graduate, left the meeting knowing the job — his dream job — was his. Frederick, 40,...
Allegheny County has plans to repair all of its poorly rated bridges
Allegheny County said Thursday that it plans to repair, replace or remove all 27 of its poorly rated bridges within the next few years. In the wake of last week’s collapse of the poorly rated Fern Hollow Bridge, which was owned and maintained by the city of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County...
From rain to sleet to snow, Pittsburgh region endures winter storm
PennDOT has ordered commercial vehicles off the interstates in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Parkways East, West and North and Route 28 as of late Thursday afternoon. That’s because of the storm that coated roads with a wintry mix of freezing rain, ice and sleet, according to the National Weather Service in...
Pittsburgh looks to continue allowing businesses to use outdoor space for dining, displays
Pittsburgh City Council is considering legislation that would allow restaurants and retailers to continue using sidewalks and streets for outdoor seating or shopping, as many have during the pandemic. The legislation, sponsored by Councilman Bobby Wilson, would allow businesses to apply for permits to use sidewalks and roadways to expand...
Family seeks justice for former Springdale High football player shot to death
The family of Jorden “Flashlight” Lee Puskar, who was shot to death Jan. 22 in Avalon, is looking for justice — and the death penalty for the suspect in the killing. Puskar, 21, of Coraopolis was a 2019 graduate of Springdale High School, where he played tight end for the...
A plunge in Facebook’s parent company weighs on tech stocksVideo
A historic plunge in the stock price of Facebook’s parent company helped yank other tech stocks lower on Wall Street Thursday, abruptly ending a four-day winning streak for the market. The 26.4% wipeout in Meta Platforms, as Facebook’s owner is now known, erased more than $230 billion in market value,...
Pittsburgh officials urge residents to stay home with icy, snowy conditions on the way
Pittsburgh officials said crews are prepared to begin clearing roads during the anticipated winter storm, though they urged residents to stay off the roads if possible. Rain that began Wednesday night is expected to transition to ice and snow Thursday and into Friday. Temperatures are expected to be below freezing...
Sheetz vying for best regional fast food in USA Today reader poll
We know how much you love your Sheetz shnacks and shweets. Now is your chance to let the rest of the country know how good they are. The Altoona-based convenience store chain has been selected by USA Today as a finalist for this year’s Best Regional Fast Food Reader’s Choice...
ISIS leader blows up self, family as U.S. attacks Syria hideoutVideo
ATMEH, Syria — The leader of the Islamic State group blew himself up along with members of his family as American forces raided his Syria hideout Thursday, the U.S. said — the second time in three years the United States has taken out a leader of the violent group that...
Police: Brackenridge woman leapt from second-story window in New Kensington to avoid arrest
New Kensington police say a woman leaped out of a second-story window to get away from officers who came to arrest her for trashing a house and swinging a knife at the owner when he told her to leave. Khayla Jean Loughner, 32, of Eighth Avenue, Brackenridge, was charged with...
12 infrastructure fails in the Pittsburgh region, including Fern Hollow Bridge
Last week, catastrophe struck Frick Park as the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed and tumbled to the ravine floor. Fortunately, no one was killed or seriously injured, but the collapse took several vehicles with it, including a Port Authority bus. The collapse made national headlines, and even garnered attention from President...
New Kensington-Arnold students to take snow-covered sidewalk concerns to cities’ officials
Despite temperatures well above freezing, stretches of sidewalks in New Kensington and Arnold still could be found covered in snow Wednesday as the region braced for the next winter storm expected to bring a mix of snow and ice. The last measurable snow fell Jan. 28, according to the National...
Man accused in Wilkinsburg massacre sues Allegheny County over ‘malicious prosecution’
One of two men accused of killing six people and an unborn child in a 2016 massacre in Wilkinsburg on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit against the police officers who investigated the case, alleging misconduct and malicious prosecution. The suit, filed by Robert J. Thomas, 33, names as defendants Allegheny...
Trib CEO Jennifer Bertetto in Senate testimony: Local publishers should be able to bargain with digital giantsVideo
Local news outlets should be able to negotiate for fair compensation from large digital platforms that use their content, Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto testified Wednesday before a U.S. Senate subcommittee. Bertetto spoke in favor of a measure that she said would ensure the survival of news...
Pennsylvania Supreme Court takes control of redrawing state’s congressional map
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 Supreme Court took control of the high-stakes selection...
Westmoreland DA Nicole Ziccarelli seeks removal of 2 elected constables
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli is seeking to remove two elected constables from office, one in Arona and another in New Kensington. Ziccarelli, a first-term Republican who took office in January after ousting Democrat John Peck — who served as the county’s top prosecutor for a quarter century —...
Allegheny health director: ‘Measured cause for optimism’ despite pandemic’s deadly January toll
Allegheny County saw 236 covid-19-related deaths in January, the third deadliest month since the pandemic began and the deadliest since vaccines became widely available, county health officials said. Ninety were among those ages 80 and older, 18 were in their 50s and 13 were under the age of 50, the...
