Top Stories category, Page 264
Witness intimidation charges related to Rostraver shooting will go to trial
Anthony M. Hairston wasn’t using Facebook to intimidate a witness against him in a Rostraver fatal shooting, his attorney argued Tuesday. Hairston had asked his girlfriend post pictures of the witness’ statement to police on his Facebook page but he was only thinking about strategy as his homicide trial was...
Lawsuit claims Pa. jail retaliated against inmates by confiscating toilet paper and soap, cutting power and heat
A Pennsylvania jail retaliated against inmates suspected of smoking synthetic marijuana by punishing entire cell blocks — confiscating legal paperwork, withholding necessities like toilet paper, soap and warm clothing, and cutting power and heat, inmates allege in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday. Top jail officials waged an escalating, monthlong campaign...
Pittsburgh City Council approves 2025 budget with no tax hike
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved a 2025 budget that holds the line on taxes, avoids layoffs and trims spending, though officials have warned that the plan may not cover the costs of public safety overtime. Council approved a $665.6 million operating budget and a $120.6 million capital budget. Councilwoman...
$3 million winning lottery ticket sold at Waterworks Market District
A $3 million lottery ticket was sold Friday at the Giant Eagle Market District in the Waterworks near Aspinwall. The winner purchased a jackpot-winning Lottery Cash 5 ticket, matching all five balls drawn that evening. The Market District store will get a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. Nearly...
Mystery drone sightings continue in N.J. and across the country
TRENTON, N.J. — A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over New Jersey and across the eastern U.S., sparking speculation and concern over where they came from and why. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Sen. Andy Kim have both gone out on drone hunts, hoping...
Pittsburgh high school locked down after 11 shots fired nearby
A North Side school was locked down briefly Tuesday morning after at least 11 shots were fired outside school grounds, authorities said. Perry Traditional Academy, a high school in the Pittsburgh’s Perry North neighborhood, was in “secure status” at about 10 a.m., two hours after a juvenile boy was targeted...
Health department shuts down Pittsburgh Popcorn Co.’s processing facility
The Allegheny County Health Department said it discovered a variety of violations in an inspection of Pittsburgh Popcorn Co.’s processing facility on the South Side Slopes earlier this month. Among the listed issues: Chocolate nibbled by rodents, broken sinks, grease-caked popcorn machines. Altogether, the initial report noted 13 violations out...
Is that a drone or a plane? Experts help explain the differences
Up in the sky, is that a drone, a plane or a helicopter? Experts who study unmanned aircraft systems — better known as drones — say it can be tough to tell from miles away. But there are clues. A light in the sky at night can easily be misinterpreted,...
Monroeville Mall owner puts shopping complex up for sale
The Monroeville Mall could have a new owner soon. Tennessee-based owner CBL Properties is marketing the two-level shopping complex and surrounding storefronts for sale through real estate company JLL without naming a price. The 187-acre property includes the main building, an adjacent strip mall, the streetscape expansion near the front...
Luke and Mike’s Frontporch in Aspinwall set to close
After 14 years of “blood, sweat and tears,” an Aspinwall-based restaurateur is calling it quits. “It was time,” said Sheri Rice on Monday of Luke and Mike’s Frontporch, the popular bar and restaurant she co-owns with her ex-husband, Billy Rice. “We did try and make this corner beautiful and try...
Police chief says motive for Wisconsin school shooting was a ‘combination of factors’
MADISON, Wis. — The motive for a shooting that killed a teacher and a student and wounded others at a Wisconsin school appears to be a “combination of factors,” a police chief said Tuesday as he appealed to the public to share what they might know about the 15-year-old girl...
American Airlines to add daily nonstop flights between Pittsburgh and L.A.
American Airlines is bringing back a key link between Pittsburgh and the West Coast. Starting April 4, the Fort Worth-based carrier will offer nonstop flights between Pittsburgh International and Los Angeles International airports, the Allegheny County Airport Authority announced Monday. The move revives a route last flown in 2017. Daily...
New Kensington girl among Pittsburgh-area youth boxers building the region’s fighting legacy
Four years ago, Gea Fultz of New Kensington was an 11-year-old girl walking into a gym full of boys training to fight. “It was really scary at first,” said Fultz, 15, now a sophomore at Valley High School. “I felt like I had to prove myself.” The proof? In August,...
West Mifflin High School shifts to remote learning after auditorium fire
West Mifflin Area High School students will have a remote learning day Tuesday to learn remotely after a fire ripped through the auditorium. No injuries were reported in connection with the fire around 5:30 p.m. Monday at 91 Commonwealth Ave. Allegheny County officials are investigating the cause of the blaze,...
Rosendahl’s owner looking for options as Irwin leaders defend eviction to make way for renovations
A week after he was told Irwin chose not to renew its lease of the Main Street building where the borough’s offices are on the second floor, Rosendahl’s Appliance Center owner Gary Proctor said he’s still trying to figure out what he’s going to do. Rosendahl’s is a fixture in...
Biden commutes sentence for ex-McKees Rocks drug rehab founder who ran heroin ring
A Navy veteran who founded a McKees Rocks drug rehabilitation center but was later convicted of running a large-scale heroin ring was among those whose sentences were commuted by President Joe Biden last week. David Francis, who was 69 at the time of his sentencing, was ordered to serve 10...
New Kensington gun-shop thief pleads guilty in smash-and-grab heist
A man accused of burglarizing a New Kensington gun store in January pleaded guilty on Monday in federal court. Steyn Sarduy, 19, of New Kensington will be sentenced on March 17 by U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer on charges of conspiracy and theft of a firearm from a licensed...
‘Lethal threat’: Judge sends Munhall mom to prison in fentanyl death of son, 2
When Paige Hufnagel was a senior in high school, she tore her ACL and meniscus while playing as a varsity starter on the North Allegheny basketball team. Hufnagel was prescribed opioids to cope with pain caused by the career-ending injury. But those same painkillers led to addiction and a downward...
TikTok asks Supreme Court for an emergency order to block U.S. ban unless it’s sold
WASHINGTON — TikTok on Monday asked the Supreme Court to step in on an emergency basis to block the federal law that would ban the popular platform in the United States unless its China-based parent company agreed to sell it. Lawyers for the company and China-based ByteDance urged the justices...
Police charge man with raping North Side woman, 93, after following her home on bus
A man remained in jail Tuesday on charges that he forced his way into a 93-year-old woman’s North Side home over the weekend and raped her. Authorities said Ronny Hough, 39, followed the woman on a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus from Downtown to the city’s Troy Hill neighborhood about 6...
‘Anything you want’: Granddaughter of Elizabeth Pollard, troopers connect again for toy spree
Serenity Pollard had a big smile on her face when she dropped two Barbie dolls into her shopping cart. She beamed when she grabbed toys featuring cartoon character Bluey off a shelf at the Hempfield Walmart Monday. The 5-year-old girl’s grin was contagious as she pedaled a bicycle around the...
Probe continues in Vandergrift bar shooting
It’s not unheard of for commotion to erupt in and around Anthony’s bar in Vandergrift. “There’s typically fights in the parking lot right here,” said Kristen Hawley, who lives across the street from the bar. But gunshots are a first. Two people opened fire early Sunday morning, wounding each other...
Teacher, teenage student killed in a shooting at a private Christian school in WisconsinVideo
MADISON, Wis. — A teenage student opened fire with a handgun Monday at a Christian school in Wisconsin, killing a teacher and another teenager during the final week before Christmas break. The shooter also died, police said. A shooting at a Wisconsin Christian school occurred in a study hall and...
Security guard shoots armed man at Harrisburg courthouse
A man was shot Monday morning after he attacked security guards with a knife at the federal courthouse in Harrisburg, authorities told PennLIve. District Attorney Fran Chardo said a guard shot the man between 8:45 and 9 a.m. at the Sylvia H. Rambo U.S. Courthouse on the 1500 block of...
Morning Roundup: 2 shot in Turtle Creek; firefighter injured in Homewood blaze
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Dec. 16: Firefighter injured in Homewood house fire A Pittsburgh firefighter was injured Sunday night while battling a house fire in the city’s Homewood neighborhood. Crews responded around 7:40 p.m. to a one-alarm fire on the 7300 block...
