Top Stories category, Page 362
No more booths: Turnpike set to expand Open Road Tolling in coming years
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission gave more details this week about its timeline for ditching toll booths in favor of Open Road Tolling (ORT). All toll roads east of Reading and on the Northeast Extension will be converted to ORT, a system that electronically charges motorists at highway speeds, in January...
Social media users call for Netflix boycott after co-founder’s donation to Kamala Harris’ campaign
Netflix is facing online backlash following the $7 million donation its co-founder Reed Hastings made toward Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential election campaign, Variety reported. Hastings co-founded Netflix in 1997 and served as CEO for 25 years before stepping down, according to Variety, and this is the largest single campaign...
Chestnut Street home in Sewickley on the market for $1,795,000Video
For Robyn Carson Jones, a house is more than brick and mortar — it’s a place to create family memories. When she and her husband were renovating their current Sewickley residence for their three children, they included an in-law suite for her mother so she could be close by during...
Morning Roundup: 2 arrested in Clairton killing; USDA doing rabies bait drops
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, July 26: 2 arrested in Clairton shooting Two people have been arrested in connection with a fatal July 12 shooting on Madison Avenue in Clairton, county police said. Allegheny County Police arrested Thomas W. Walker V, 27, of...
Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris, giving her expected but crucial support
ATLANTA — Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris in her White House bid, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial backing of the nation’s two most popular Democrats. The endorsement, announced Friday morning in a video showing Harris accepting a...
Trump announces 1st Pennsylvania rally since assassination attempt
Former President Donald Trump has announced his first rally in Pennsylvania since the July 13 assassination attempt at a rally in Butler Township. Trump will return to the state for a July 31 rally at the New Holland Arena in Harrisburg. Trump sustained an injury to his ear after shooter...
Charges against Mercer man accused of killing, dismembering transgender teen held for court
A murder charge filed against a Mercer County man accused of killing a transgender teen and dismembering their body was held for court on Thursday. State police charged Dashawn Watkins, 29, of Mercer with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence in the death of...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: July 26-28
Another summer month is almost over! As we say goodbye to July, the calendar is still packed with events. If you’re in the mood for goats, dinosaurs, tunes or treats, give one of these events a spin this weekend. Goat Fest PGH Adorable goats have become an integral part of...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh’s public access cable channel PCTV to shutter
PCTV, public access cable channel Pittsburgh Community Television, will cease operations by the end of August due to a dearth of funding. “The continuing decline in cable subscribers and the changing media landscape has had a devastating impact on our funding and our viability,” PCTV executive director John Patterson wrote...
Casey: State Dept., Biden silence on Marc Fogel’s Russian imprisonment is intolerable
WASHINGTON — The State Department isn’t doing enough to bring Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel home, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, told TribLive. “I believe the administration’s outreach to and communication with the family has been unacceptable. They simply haven’t done enough of it,” Casey said. Fogel, 62, was sentenced to...
1 man dead, 2 hurt in Versailles Borough incident in which suspect fought with, injured police officer
One man is dead and a second man and a woman were hospitalized Thursday night after an altercation in Versailles Borough that started at one residence and spilled over to the adjacent home. Police said a suspect was arrested only after he fled the scene. He was apprehended in McKeesport...
Trump won’t commit to debate until Harris formally nominated
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s campaign refused to commit to a debate with Kamala Harris after the Democratic candidate challenged the Republican nominee to show up to a previously scheduled face-off. Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said Thursday night that debate plans “cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.”...
‘El Mayo’ Zambada, historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and son of ‘El Chapo’ arrested in U.S.
WASHINGTON — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said. A leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel for decades alongside Joaquín “El...
Economic growth increased last quarter to a healthy 2.8% annual rateVideo
WASHINGTON — The nation’s economy accelerated last quarter at a strong 2.8% annual pace, with consumers and businesses helping drive growth despite the pressure of continually high interest rates. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department said the gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods and services —...
Jeannette shutters K9 program as ‘cost prohibitive’
Jeannette officials on Thursday announced the city has shuttered its police department’s K9 unit. “Critically, any new and unknown costs associated with the program made maintaining the program cost prohibitive in light of the city’s already stretched funding and budgetary constraints,” according to a statement released by city leaders. The...
‘I always need the first day of Steelers training camp off’: Fans flock to Saint Vincent as practices begin
It doesn’t take a trained eye to see that Jaime Lucchetti is a diehard Steelers football fan. Her arms, legs and collarbone are decorated with 30 tattoos of Pittsburgh players’ faces, team logos and iconic phrases such as former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s 2018 huddle call, “dilly dilly.” It took her...
Texas sculptor honors Corey Comperatore with statue at Buffalo Township fire hall
When retired Texas firefighter Nyal Stromberg made his latest sculpture, a process that took a month of molding and melting, he didn’t know Corey Comperatore’s name. Few people did outside of the Alle-Kiski Valley before July 13, when Comperatore was gunned down at a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald...
Latrobe man alleges packing firm wrongly fired him after he reported safety issues
A Latrobe man claimed in a federal lawsuit filed this week he was improperly fired from a packaging manufacturer as retaliation after reporting suspected safety issues. Patrick Mitchell, in a six-count complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, said he became ill while working at Opco Inc., a Latrobe-based...
Hill District residents impatient over ’empty promises’ of neighborhood improvement
Marimba Milliones was among the Hill District residents who on Thursday told local leaders they’re getting impatient after years of waiting for investment in their neighborhood. A major redevelopment is underway in the Lower Hill District at the site of the former Civic Arena. It’s set to include a new...
Woman scores free tickets after blocked view at home Pirates game
A Ross woman, who possibly had the worst view in PNC Park when she took her seat at a Pittsburgh Pirates game, is getting two free tickets courtesy of the ballclub. Danielle Jones had purchased the ticket a few weeks prior to see her daughter, a University of Pittsburgh cheerleader,...
Photo of Kennywood’s Racer depicted nonstructural support, inspectors say as coaster cleared to reopen
The photo of part of the Kennywood Racer roller coaster framework resting on what appears to be a piece of wood set off-center atop two cement blocks that spurred closure of the ride Wednesday depicted a non-structural support, state officials said. The ride will reopen Thursday, Palace Entertainment spokesperson Lynsey...
Stage AE debuts sober space for non-imbibing concertgoers
A new opportunity is available for live music lovers who want to stay sober. Stage AE recently became the first Pittsburgh concert venue to provide a permanent “sober space” at all of its events. The North Shore entertainment site partnered with local sponsors to make the resource available at its...
Greensburg Night Market builds on humble beginning for its 6th season
Jessica Hickey had just completed her first season as manager of the Greensburg Night Market in 2019 when she was struck by devastating news. Her mother had suffered a brain aneurysm that would lead to her death in September of that year. In 2020, less than a year later, her...
City League mourns death of longtime Allderdice football coach Jerry Haslett
Longtime City League coach Jerry Haslett, who hailed from a football family, died Wednesday. He was 59. A hall of fame athlete at Clarion, Haslett was football coach at Allderdice since 2009. He won three City League titles with the Dragons and had them in the finals nine times in...
House votes to form task force to investigate shooting at Trump rally, recommend legislative fixes
WASHINGTON — The House voted Wednesday to form a task force to investigate the security failures surrounding the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump on July 13. The vote underscores the bipartisan outrage over the shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump came within inches of losing...
