Top Stories category, Page 386
Coroner: Crooks, Comperatore each hit by 1 bullet
Autopsy reports for firefighter Corey Comperatore and would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks showed both died from a single gunshot wound to the head. Butler County Coroner William F. Young III said Wednesday that the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office completed the reports for both men who died at the July...
Cocaine kingpin busted in Monroeville gets life for East Coast drug trafficking
A drug lord operating in Pittsburgh who initially turned down a proposed plea deal calling for him to serve 15 years in federal prison for cocaine trafficking instead will serve life. Racoco Williams, 43, was sentenced Tuesday at the federal courthouse Downtown. He was found guilty at trial before U.S....
FAFSA forms again delayed for many after last year’s troubled rollout
As fall classes approach, a problem-plagued rollout of the federal government’s revised FAFSA — the form needed to secure financial aid — could pose more trouble and slow some college students’ ability to pay bills. The latest glitch is being felt as the U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday announced...
Eagles’ nest on Pittsburgh hillside destroyed by storms
The bald eagles nesting on a wooded Monongahela River hillside for more than a decade need to rebuild. Thunderstorms Tuesday packing wind gusts more than 35 mph destroyed the eagles’ nest deep in Pittsburgh’s Hays neighborhood. The collapsed nest was at least the fourth one that the eagles had built...
Mt. Lebanon man to spend at least 20 years in prison for sexual abuse of teen
A Mt. Lebanon man will serve at least 20 years in prison for sexual abuse of a minor after he was sentenced in state and federal court this week. Andrew Foxx, 43, pleaded guilty in May to charges in both courts stemming from the same set of facts. According to...
‘Midwestern Dad’ Tim Walz soars on social media as VP pick
He’s apparently never read from a teleprompter. Some Republicans bristled at his characterization of them as “weird.” And his Midwestern dad persona is trending. So, how is the selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as Vice President Kamala Harris‘ newly announced running mate playing on social media? The memes are...
Remnants of Debby could drop heavy rain in Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania may see heavy rain and possible flooding on Friday as remnants of Tropical Storm Debby makes their way north from the Carolinas. According to National Weather Service meteorologist Shannon Hefferan, Debby has stalled in the Carolinas because there’s not a lot of upper-level winds to carry it out...
Ex-Centre County journalist accused of sex crimes to plead guilty, faces decade in prison
A former Centre County journalist accused of soliciting sex with underage girls intends to plead guilty to a federal charge that carries a lengthy prison sentence. Christopher Z. Morelli, 54, of Spring Township, is expected to formally plead guilty to one count of attempted enticement of a minor, according to...
Video of dog abuse also shows tattoo that helps ID South Huntingdon man in case involving shih tzu Snickers
Fourteen graphic videos depicting the abuse of a dog were played by prosecutors Wednesday in district court in support of criminal charges against a man accused in the incidents. District Judge Charles Moore stood behind the attorneys and watched as the clips, most a few seconds long, were played on...
Sen. Casey: Marc Fogel is wrongfully detained; leaving him in Russia is ‘heartbreaking’
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey called the Russian imprisonment of Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel “an outrage” and said he is worried about Fogel’s health, especially since he was left behind after a multinational prisoner exchange. “The only way to describe it is heartbreaking,” Casey, D-Scranton, told TribLive this week. The deal...
Ohio man convicted for string of robberies in Bridgeville, Pittsburgh
A 26-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to 17½ years in prison for armed robberies at pharmacies in the Pittsburgh and Bridgeville areas. Abdulrahman Abdelaziz Jamea, 26, of Columbus, was sentenced July 31 in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A Pittsburgh jury in March...
Tropical Storm Debby churns up the East Coast, and affects weather as far away as the Great Lakes
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Tropical Storm Debby pushed bad weather up the East Coast on Wednesday, colliding with other systems and bringing no respite to residents as far away as the Great Lakes and New Jersey, where heavy rain flooded highways and streets and stranded motorists. Officials in New York told...
PennDOT announces repair plans for hole in Crosstown Boulevard ramp
PennDOT has plans to repair a large hole that appeared Monday on the Crosstown Boulevard ramp to Boulevard of the Allies. The department is warning drivers about detours scheduled for Friday. The hole was reported Monday morning. Bystanders beneath the ramp can see directly through the exposed rebar to the...
Morning Roundup: 2 injured in Glassport crash; Pirates assist with blood drive
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Aug. 7: 2 injured in Glassport crash Two people were injured Wednesday morning in a crash in Glassport, according to Allegheny County 911. Officials said the crash happened just after 12:45 a.m. on the 700 block of Hemlock...
Jeannette footing $30 per day kennel fee for unemployed police dog Diesel
The future of an out-of-work police dog is up in the air. For now, Diesel, a 4-year-old Belgian malinois on Jeannette’s police force, is staying at a kennel until decisions can be made after the department’s police dog program was disbanded last month, according to city officials and handler Sgt....
Pittsburgh police seek help finding a missing teen
Pittsburgh police are trying to locate a missing teen girl. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said Tabitha Clark, 13, was last seen Friday on the North Side. She is described as standing 5 feet 7 inches tall with brown eyes and black hair. Cruz said she may have a different...
Man recovering after being shot in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood
A man is recovering after being shot Tuesday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said city police were dispatched just after 1 p.m. to the 100 block of Charles Street for a shooting. Mount Oliver Police working in the area arrived first and located a man...
Stock market’s wild ride becomes political football in race for White House
It took little time for this week’s wild stock market gyrations to turn political. With share prices tumbling Monday, former President Donald Trump seized on the free fall to bludgeon Vice President Kamala Harris, his rival for the White House, by calling the market woes a “Kamala Crash.” “Stock markets...
Pittsburgh man charged with defacing woman’s Israeli flag could enter probationary program
A man charged with vandalizing an Israeli flag outside a Jewish woman’s Pittsburgh home is hammering out a deal with prosecutors that would clear his record if he completes the terms of a probationary program. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office on Monday offered Mario Ashkar, 36, of Pittsburgh’s North...
Grove City College president to retire
Paul J. McNulty, whose tenure as Grove City College president has seen campus growth on multiple fronts, will retire after the 2024-25 academic year, school officials announced Tuesday. McNulty, a 1980 graduate of the Christian liberal arts and sciences college, returned to his alma mater after a 30-year law career...
Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers rousing speech at Kamala Harris rally after VP snub
PHILADELPHIA — Anticipation grew over the past several weeks that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro would join Vice President Kamala Harris onstage in Philadelphia for Tuesday’s announcement of the new Democratic ticket running this fall for the White House. As expected, Shapiro was onstage, but not in the role many envisioned...
Hail heralds storm front across Western Pa. region, flash flood warnings issuedVideo
The National Weather Service Pittsburgh received a number of hail reports as a line of strong storms moved through the region Tuesday afternoon. The hail the storms produced lasted about 15 to 20 minutes, with hail measuring 1 to 2 inches in some places. Most reports were coming from northern...
Pakistani man with ties to Iran charged in plot to carry out political assassinations on U.S. soil
WASHINGTON — A Pakistani man alleged to have ties to Iran has been charged in a plot to carry out political assassinations on U.S. soil, the Justice Department said Tuesday in disclosing what officials say is the latest murder-for-hire plot to target American public figures. Asif Merchant traveled to New...
Why Walz won the Democrat veepstakes over Shapiro
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s centrist profile might have cost him a spot on the Democratic presidential ticket this November in favor of a more progressive politician, experts said Tuesday. Shapiro, considered a top contender to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate during a compressed vetting process, was passed over...
Tropical Storm Debby impacts vacationers from Western Pa.
Some Western Pennsylvanians hoping for picture-perfect vacation weather this week in the coastal Southeast are experiencing a Debby downer. Debby was downgraded to a tropical storm Tuesday but was a Category 1 hurricane when it slammed onshore Monday in Florida. Candi Stewart of Leechburg had the flight of her life...
