Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 953
Fire at Springdale Manor apartments sends one resident to hospital; damage minimal
Dozens of residents were evacuated and one man was taken to a hospital Tuesday in connection with a fire at Springdale Manor apartments, a senior high-rise along Pittsburgh Street in Springdale. Allegheny Valley Regional Emergency Management Agency coordinator Bruno Moretti said the incident began about 7:20 p.m. at the Allegheny...
A dozen young people become U.S. citizens in special Heinz History Center ceremony
They sat with expressions ranging from nervous anticipation to relief and excitement. A dozen young people from 12 different countries filling the front two rows of a makeshift conference area on the fourth floor of the Senator John Heinz History Center in Downtown Pittsburgh on Tuesday. They were about to...
Crews respond to fire at Wendy’s restaurant on Freeport Road in Harmar
Multiple departments responded Tuesday to a fire at the Wendy’s restaurant near the intersection of Freeport Road and Alpha Drive in Harmar. Allegheny County dispatch said the call came in shortly before 6 p.m. No injuries were reported. Crews from O’Hara, Springdale, Oakmont, Blawnox, Brackenridge and Allegheny Valley responded to...
Civil jury finds Bill Cosby sexually abused teenager in 1975
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Jurors at a civil trial found Tuesday that Bill Cosby sexually abused a 16-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1975. The Los Angeles County jury delivered the verdict in favor of Judy Huth, who is now 64, and awarded her $500,000. Jurors found that Cosby...
Allegheny County Airport Authority, company in legal battle over concessions contract
The operator of concessions at Pittsburgh International Airport has accused Allegheny County Airport Authority of using bullying tactics to try to get out of its lease with the company and then, when that didn’t work, illegally terminating the contract. Fraport Pittsburgh filed a lawsuit against the authority in Allegheny County...
Son describes family chaos in Hyde Park man’s murder trial
Chaos is the word that 24-year-old Jeffrey Dakota Fondrk used to describe his upbringing. He told a Westmoreland County jury Tuesday how he would wear headphones and seclude himself in his bedroom and play video games while his parents abused alcohol and fought and argued nearly every day. “I tried...
Senators reach bipartisan compromise on gun violence bill
WASHINGTON — Senate bargainers reached agreement Tuesday on a bipartisan gun violence bill, potentially teeing up final passage by week’s end on an incremental but landmark package that would stand as Congress’ response to mass shootings in Texas and New York that shook the nation. Lawmakers released the 80-page bill...
Police: Flagger hit by dump truck on Ardmore in Forest Hills
A dump truck struck and critically injured a flagger Tuesday morning in Forest Hills, authorities said. The incident happened just before 10:50 a.m. near the intersection of Lafayette Road and Ardmore Boulevard, according to investigators. Police said the 30-year-old woman was working as a flagger for construction in the area...
Plans for 254 apartments at former GNC headquarters in Pittsburgh move forward
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved transferring development rights for new apartments in Downtown to a New York company that is looking to redevelop the former GNC headquarters in Downtown Pittsburgh. The move clears the way for Victrix LLC to build 254 apartments at the site on Sixth Avenue. Victrix...
Pittsburgh to partner with nonprofit to help recently incarcerated people find work
Pittsburgh is entering into an agreement with a New York-based nonprofit to provide temporary employment to recently incarcerated people. City Council unanimously approved the proposal on Tuesday. Councilman Ricky Burgess, who introduced the measure, said the program will help people who were in jail reacclimate to society and find employment....
Final leg of PA Hero Walk supporting veterans to march through region
Area residents can show their support for local veterans by greeting or joining members of the PA Hero Walk as they complete the final leg of their 14th annual trek across the state this weekend. The half-dozen veterans accompanied by two drivers started their trip at 8 a.m. June 12...
Man stripped to underwear, socks after incident at Greensburg pharmacy, police say
A man is being held without bail in a crime spree Sunday that, police say, ended when he stripped to his underwear and socks and was arrested while pushing a shopping cart full of stolen goods on a main thoroughfare in Greensburg, according to court papers. Alex M. Kerestesy, 31,...
Tom Cruise’s success credited with bump in Westmoreland air show attendance
It isn’t exactly risky business to assume that actor Tom Cruise’s summer blockbuster sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick,” may have played a role in the wildly successful attendance figures reported for this year’s Shop ’n Save Westmoreland Airshow. About 50,000 people attended the air show earlier this month, making it among...
Statewide Pa. police hiring database hindered by loopholes, lack of enforcement
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania database of police personnel records lauded as a national model is riddled with loopholes that raise serious...
Burgettstown man pleads guilty to killing 3-year-old in Coraopolis
A Burgettstown man pleaded guilty Tuesday to third-degree murder for the beating death of a 3-year-old boy last year in Coraopolis. Aiden Lombardi died on Feb. 3, 2021, a day after police said he was beaten by Tyler Scott Mason. Mason, 27, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas...
Pa. GOP lawmakers block assault-style gun ban for those under 21
HARRISBURG — State House Republicans blocked a proposal to prevent those ages 18 to 21 from possessing assault-style rifles on Tuesday by completely changing the bill into a constitutional amendment to allow anyone to carry concealed guns. It was the second week in a row that Republicans in the Judiciary...
Pa. House eyes expanding who can bring sexual misconduct complaints against lawmakers
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania House leaders are quietly negotiating a deal to close a loophole in the chamber’s rules that protects lawmakers...
Raises for West Penn, Allegheny General nurses could help retain workers, union says
Staffing shortages at Pittsburgh-area hospitals have been exacerbated by the pandemic, with many nurses fleeing the health care industry for good. Pennsylvania’s largest union for health care workers said an agreement reached last week with Allegheny Health Network will raise nurses’ wages in an attempt to combat staffing problems. SEIU...
Lower Burrell station to offer gas for $2.38 per gallon for 2 hours
If you’re lucky — and patient — you might be able to score some gasoline at almost half-price tomorrow in Lower Burrell. The BP gas station at Leechburg and Wildlife Lodge roads is partnering with a nonprofit to offer gasoline for $2.38 a gallon on Wednesday for about two hours...
Ligonier home tour gives look inside 5 eclectic area properties
When Carmen Quartararo decided to relocate from California to Western Pennsylvania in 2020, she ended up buying a house in Ligonier, sight unseen. “The house was built in the 1950s by a local family for their two spinster sisters,” Quartararo said. “They were seamstresses. They lived very modestly on the...
1/6 panel: Local ‘heroes’ rebuffed Trump, then faced threats
WASHINGTON — The House 1/6 committee heard chilling, tearful testimony Tuesday that Donald Trump’s relentless pressure to overturn the 2020 presidential election provoked widespread threats to the “backbone of our democracy”— election workers and local officials who fended off the defeated president’s demands despite personal risks. The panel investigating the...
Greater demand, rise in maintenance costs drive Western Pennsylvania rent increases
Average rents in the Pittsburgh region have increased during the pandemic, and reports indicate certain areas are rising faster than others. A report from real estate research firm CoStar Group showed Pittsburgh-area rents increased about 6% from the start of 2020 to March 2022, which was slower than the 11.3%...
8 kids, 3 adults injured in wrong-way crash on Route 28 in Shaler
Eight children and three adults were taken to local hospitals following a crash Monday night on Route 28 in Shaler, emergency officials said. All of the injuries appeared to be minor, police said. The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. near the Millvale exit of Route 28, according to Shaler police...
Greensburg firefighter’s burger tradition helps raise needed funds
Highland Avenue residents bringing their morning cup of coffee onto the porch Friday likely got a whiff of something besides Arabica beans. There was a smell of freshly cut onions in the air. By 7 a.m., members of Greensburg Fire Department Hose Company No. 8 were busy peeling and slicing...
Report: Police at Texas school had rifles earlier than known
UVALDE, Texas — Multiple police officers stood in a hallway at Robb Elementary School armed with rifles and at least one ballistic shield within 19 minutes of a gunman arriving at the campus, according to documents reviewed by the Austin American-Statesman, a devastating new revelation deepening questions about why police...
