Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 985
Mayor Gainey launches bridge repair and infrastructure funding program
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Thursday outlined plans to investigate the city’s infrastructure needs and make provisions for the repair and upkeep of bridges. “We’re known as the city of bridges, and for far too long, we’ve let our bridges be underfunded,” Gainey said. In the wake of the Fern...
Man calls himself a ‘disgusting monster’ before being sent to prison for child rape
An Arona man who described himself as a “disgusting monster” was ordered Thursday to serve up to 40 years in prison for raping a child. Michael Andrew Wiser, 35, told a Westmoreland County judge that as a former child victim of sexual assault he should have known better and was...
Former South Hills pharmacist gets 1 year in federal prison for fraud, drug charges
A former South Hills pharmacist who struggled with opioid addiction for decades will serve one year in federal prison after pleading guilty last year to fraud and drug offenses. Timothy W. Forester, 46, of Venetia was sentenced Thursday by Senior U.S. District Judge David S. Cercone on counts including health...
Hollidaysburg man found with loaded handgun at Arnold Palmer Airport checkpoint
Authorities caught a man trying to board a flight with a loaded gun Thursday morning at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. It was the first gun found this year at the security checkpoint of the airport in Unity. Transportation Security Administration officers stopped a man from Hollidaysburg, Blair County, who had...
Westmoreland DA: There is a ‘person of interest’ in the death of New Kensington boy, 9
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said authorities have a person of interest in the death of Azuree Charles, a 9-year-old resident of East Ken Manor in New Kensington. Ziccarelli did not share any details Thursday afternoon as East Ken Manor residents prepared to honor the memory of Azuree, who...
Pa. not short on proposed laws concerning abortion
HARRISBURG — At least 18 bills directly relating to abortion are pending in either the Pennsylvania House or Senate, including two proposed constitutional amendments that could strengthen potential bans. Most remain dormant in committee since being introduced in the 2021-22 legislative session, however, the outcome of the Mississippi abortion case...
Pa. health department transitions to weekly covid updates
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday began providing covid-19 updates on a weekly basis rather than daily. Numbers of new covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths still are being provided on the department’s online dashboard, but it now will update once a week. “The covid-19 pandemic is not over, and...
Wall Street, tech investors back Musk Twitter bid with $7B
Elon Musk has strengthened the equity stake of his $44 billion offer to buy Twitter with commitments of more than $7 billion from a diverse group of investors including Silicon Valley heavy hitters like Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. A regulatory filing Thursday also said that Musk is in talks with...
Small businesses still struggle to find enough workers
NEW YORK — Some small businesses are still struggling to hire qualified workers, even as Americans return to the U.S. job market in droves. Hiring and retaining employees remains the top challenge for small businesses, according to a survey of 1,100 businesses by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Voices out...
Victim of fatal Arnold apartment house fire identified, cause under investigation
A man died in a fire early Thursday at an apartment house on Woodmont Avenue in Arnold. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Frank J. Cable, 54. The early morning blaze in the two-story frame house at 1937 Woodmont Ave. also claimed the life of Cable’s dog,...
Attacks dominate Pennsylvania’s Senate GOP primary debate
HARRISBURG — What could be the final primary debate between Republicans running for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat devolved into a string of attacks over China, abortion and more as the candidates stretched Wednesday night for any perceived advantage in a wide-open and expensive race. In many cases, the five...
Developer looks to expand Baum Boulevard project in Pittsburgh with 198 residential units
The developer behind the Baumhaus apartment complex on Pittsburgh’s Baum Boulevard is aiming to launch a second phase of the project, which will include a new building housing an additional 198 residential units. Pittsburgh-based Laurel Real Estate broke ground on the original 127-unit Baumahus apartment complex in Pittsburgh’s Friendship neighborhood...
Port Authority spokesman: Car rear-ends bus after police chase
A car rear-ended a Port Authority bus Wednesday afternoon after the car’s driver had fled police, according to Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph. At around 4:30 p.m., the car hit the bus on West Carson Street, according to Brandolph. Pittsburgh police had been chasing the car. The suspect fled from...
Greensburg woman dies in Turnpike crash
A Greensburg woman died in a car crash Wednesday morning on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, according to state police. At around 7 a.m., Susan Damiano, 35, was traveling westbound on the turnpike in Penn Township when she hit the concrete middle barrier. Her car was then hit by another vehicle. Damiano...
Legislation aims to eliminate several Pittsburgh business licenses
Legislation before Pittsburgh City Council may eliminate certain business licenses that the city’s Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections recommended nixing. “PLI is proposing the elimination of several business licenses that we find are duplicative,” PLI Director Sarah Kinter said. She said the licenses that would be removed are repetitive...
GOP senatorial candidate Mehmet Oz to tour Central Westmoreland tech center
Republican senatorial candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz on Thursday will take his campaign to the Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center in New Stanton, where educators are expected to discuss the importance of supporting technical education and its role in meeting the region’s need for skilled labor. Oz, along with state...
Unity woman released to house arrest as assault trial awaits
A Unity woman will be released from jail Thursday morning to await trials on charges that she assaulted a hospital nurse and, in a separate case, allegations she intentionally rammed a Latrobe high school student’s vehicle in 2019. Susan Barkley, 43, has been in jail without bond since her arrest...
Rostraver commissioner wants to enter ARD probation program in harassment case
John J. Lorenzo, a Rostraver Township commissioner, waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday on accusations that he used “burner” phones and set up fake Facebook accounts to harass political opponents and rivals. His attorney, Martin A. Dietz of Pittsburgh, said the first-term Republican commissioner will apply to enter...
Norwin student waives hearing on bomb threat
A Norwin student accused of issuing a threat that a bomb would explode at the high school on Feb. 24, waived his rights to a preliminary hearing Wednesday on the charges. Nathan R. Kugler, 18, of North Huntingdon, was to undergo a hearing before North Huntingdon District Judge Wayne Gongaware...
Man pleads guilty to robbery, conspiracy in 2017 fatal attack on Somali cab driver
A Beltzhoover man pleaded guilty Wednesday to his role in the fatal attack on a Z Trip cab driver five years ago. Hosea Moore, 25, who cooperated with prosecutors, pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy, in exchange for a count of criminal homicide being withdrawn. He will be sentenced by...
WHO: Covid continues to decline, except in Americas, Africa
GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Wednesday that the number of newly reported coronavirus cases and deaths globally continued to fall in the last week, continuing a decline that first began in March. In its weekly report on the pandemic, the U.N. health agency said there were about 3.8...
Westmoreland sheriff deputies pull out of helping Secret Service at Friday’s Trump, Oz rally
After initially believing it would assist Secret Service agents during a political rally Friday, the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office did an about-face after receiving late legal advice. According to Sheriff James Albert, the county solicitor on Wednesday afternoon contacted his office and advised that deputies should not participate because of...
Fed raises key rate by a half-point in bid to tame inflationVideo
The Federal Reserve intensified its fight against the worst inflation in 40 years by raising its benchmark short-term interest rate by a half-percentage point Wednesday — its most aggressive move since 2000 — and signaling further large rate hikes to come. The increase in the Fed’s key rate raised it...
Death of 9-year-old boy shakes New Kensington neighborhood
Police are investigating the death of a 9-year-old boy, Azuree Charles, in New Kensington. The Westmoreland County coroner was called to the scene Wednesday afternoon at East Ken Manor, a Westmoreland County Housing Authority complex along Haser Drive. Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli was also at the scene. The...
Ukraine: Russia using ‘missile terrorism’ in wide attacksVideo
LVIV, Ukraine — Complaining that the West is “stuffing Ukraine with weapons,” Russia bombarded railroad stations and other supply-line targets across the country, as the European Union moved to further punish Moscow for the war Wednesday by proposing a ban on oil imports. Heavy fighting also raged at the Azovstal...
