Top Stories category, Page 553
Jury begins deliberating in Western Pa. federal nursing home fraud case
Federal prosecutors said the criminal case against two nursing care facilities and five people who worked there is about lies and greed. “It’s not complicated,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Gal-Or. “It’s very simple. The defendants lied. They lied about patients … just to squeeze as much money as possible...
Against the odds, European Union agrees to open membership negotiations with Ukraine
BRUSSELS — The European Union decided Thursday to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, a momentous moment and stunning reversal for a country at war that had struggled to find the backing for its membership aspirations and long faced obstinate opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. European Council President Charles...
EPA begins formal review of vinyl chloride, toxic chemical that burned in Ohio train derailment
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has initiated a formal evaluation of risks posed by vinyl chloride, the cancer-causing chemical that burned in a towering plume of toxic black smoke following a fiery train derailment earlier this year in eastern Ohio. The Environmental Protection Agency said it will review risks posed...
DA to prosecute crash that killed Serra Catholic student as ‘murder case’
An Irwin man accused of racing another motorist in Dravosburg in September was speeding at 107 mph seconds before he crashed into a Serra Catholic school van, killing a 15-year-old student and hospitalizing four other people, authorities said Thursday. The second driver also was speeding and fled the scene, authorities...
Steelers to build community field, youth recreation complex at Hazelwood Green
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced plans Thursday to build a new community field and youth recreation complex at the Hazelwood Green site in Pittsburgh. The Steelers Charities will operate the complex, which will be branded with the NFL team’s logo. Kids will participate in youth football, clinics with current and former...
Proposed apartment building in Pittsburgh’s Bluff would feature local art on facade
A proposed six-story apartment building in Pittsburgh’s Bluff neighborhood would prominently feature 10 large panels of artwork on the building’s façade. Pittsburgh-based GSX Ventures has proposed the 211-unit apartment building on a 1.4-acre site that occupies nearly an entire city block bounded by Forbes Avenue and Watson, Marion and Van...
UPMC to reinstate medical mask policy
Pittsburgh health care giant UPMC is requiring masks at its facilities as it sees an increase in cases of covid, flu and other illnesses. “UPMC is seeing an increase in cases of respiratory viruses, including covid, influenza and RSV,” according to a statement from UPMC. “To protect the health and...
Springdale planners hold off on renewing demolition permit for power plant site
Springdale planners on Wednesday pressed pause before making a recommendation on renewing a demolition permit at the borough’s former Cheswick Generating Station. Cheswick Plant Environmental Redevelopment Group, a subsidiary of property owner Charah Solutions, and Grant Mackay Co. requested renewal of the demolition permit, which expires Jan. 17. “The next...
Skip the turnpike: Frontier offers flights from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia
Western Pennsylvanians are finally getting some cost relief to travel across the Keystone State. Frontier Airlines announced Thursday it was adding service to four U.S. cities from Pittsburgh International Airport starting in May 2024, including new twice daily service to Philadelphia. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said residents have been...
North Huntingdon man pleads guilty to smuggling Hondurans, cocaine into U.S.
A North Huntingdon businessman’s scheme to smuggle Hondurans and cocaine into the country came undone when the U.S. Coast Guard found his yacht floundering in the Gulf of Mexico, the Justice Department said in court documents. Carl “Car” Allison, 47, pleaded guilty in federal court in New Orleans this month...
Pa. lawmakers free up funding for community colleges, public libraries
Lawmakers in Harrisburg agreed Wednesday night to release almost $262 million for the state’s 15 community colleges that had been held up for almost six months, plus $70 million for public libraries. The breakthrough on the last scheduled day for legislators to meet this calendar year also means K-12 school...
Feds say owner of Pa. snow, ice removal company padded bills; seek forfeiture of his Mt. Washington mansion
The owner of a Pittsburgh-based snow and ice removal company has been indicted on accusations that he padded customer bills for services that weren’t performed, and authorities are seeking the forfeiture of his Mt. Washington mansion. Charles W. Lantzman, 50, owner of Snow and Ice Management Co. of Pennsylvania, is...
Pennsylvania is in its Taylor Swift era, her home state decides
HARRISBURG — She’s Time magazine’s person of the year. She’s the most-played artist globally on Spotify. She’s helmed the first tour to gross more than $1 billion and then the highest-grossing concert film of all time. And now Taylor Swift can add one more accolade: A state House of Representatives...
Morning Roundup: Small fire at Norwin football stadium; state police car damages vehicles in traffic stop
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Dec. 14: Small fire extinguished at Norwin football stadium A small fire was extinguished Thursday morning in the visitor side concession stand at Norwin School District’s football stadium in North Huntingdon, according to Lauren Steiner, district director of...
Holiday displays appear at Westmoreland courthouse despite resolution passed in 1997
A holiday display outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Main Street in Greensburg is something passersby may not have seen in years. A 23-foot Christmas tree and a menorah in a frame were donated and placed last week. Commissioner Sean Kertes said he asked Public Works Director Greg McCloskey to...
Wanna get Pitt volleyball fever? Here are 5 things to know about the fast-paced college sportVideo
Women’s volleyball has become one of the most entertaining sports across the college sports universe. ESPN will televise Thursday’s NCAA Division I semifinals in Tampa, Fla., as Pitt takes on Nebraska at 7 p.m., followed by Texas vs. Wisconsin. The championship match will is set for 3 p.m. Sunday on...
Freeport Area student-produced documentary to air on WQED
An award-winning media course has united aspiring student filmmakers and resulted in benefits that go beyond book learning at Freeport Area High School. Students channeled their inner lights, camera, action for months, filming a behind-the-scenes peek into all aspects of creating a high school musical. Junior and senior students enrolled...
JetBlue mum on post-merger service at Arnold Palmer airport
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport enters the holiday travel season shrouded in turbulence. The airport is forging ahead with expansion plans despite passenger traffic plummeting this year — all while the lone airline serving the Unity facility is poised to merge with another airline that has failed to commit to retaining...
Private schools, child care legislation pass in Pennsylvania as lawmakers move past budget feud
HARRISBURG — Lawmakers moved past a monthslong budget feud Wednesday in Pennsylvania’s Capitol, with the House and Senate advancing legislation to tie up loose ends and send millions more to subsidize private school tuition and child care tax credits for parents. After days of negotiations that typically play out before...
2 arrested in September van crash that killed Serra Catholic student
Allegheny County Police arrested two men in connection with a September school van crash in Dravosburg that left a 15-year-old Serra Catholic student dead. William Soliday II, 43, of North Huntingdon and Andrew Voigt, 37, of Pittsburgh were arrested Wednesday. Soliday is facing charges that include third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter...
Plum residents worried, angry as council approves nearly 40% increase in property tax rate
Plum residents voiced concerns and, at one point, erupted in anger as council approved a nearly 40% increase in borough property taxes Wednesday. Council voted 6-1, with Dave Vento against, to increase the borough’s 2024 property tax rate by 1.85 mills, from 4.78 mills to 6.63 mills. It will support...
Beaver County police officer charged in 2022 death of bystander at shooting scene
A Beaver County police officer accused of assaulting a man who later died is facing an involuntary manslaughter charge, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. A grand jury recommended charging former Center police officer John J. Hawk, 37, with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and perjury....
2 girls hit by vehicle on the North Side; 1 in critical condition
Two 11-year-old girls are hospitalized after being hit by a vehicle Wednesday afternoon in the North Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Allegheny County dispatchers confirmed that two people were hit and taken by medics to the hospital after the incident, which was reported shortly after 4:30 pm. Police said one girl...
House approves impeachment inquiry into President Biden as Republicans rally behind investigation
WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday authorized the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, with every Republican rallying behind the politically charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president. The 221-212 party-line vote put the...
Judge in Trump election case pauses court deadlines as appeal is heard on presidential immunity
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case in Washington will be put on hold while the former president further pursues his claims that he is immune from prosecution, a judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case, agreed in a three-page order to pause...
