Morning Roundup: Top prize lottery ticket sold at UPMC hospital; North Park road to close for race Saturday
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, March 27, 2026: Top prize-winning lottery ticket sold at UPMC hospital A $1.5 million dollar Cash Spectacular scratch-off was sold at UPMC Magee-Women’s Hospital in South Oakland, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery. The hospital will receive a $10,000...
Forecasters extend flood warning for Pittsburgh area; power outages affecting thousands
The National Weather Service has extended a flood warning until 10:30 a.m. Friday in the aftermath of overnight thunderstorms. Between flashes of lightning and wind gusts reaching nearly 50 mph Thursday night, the Pittsburgh area collected between 1.25 and 2.25 inches of rain, said Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist for the NWS’s...
‘Nobody’s coming to save you’: Wife of ex-UPMC doctor facing attempted murder charges testifies 1 year later
Arielle Konig thought her husband, a former UPMC anesthesiologist who used to live in Mt. Lebanon, was joking at first when he threatened her after the troubled couple snapped a selfie while strolling down a Hawaiian hiking trail last year. Then, she testified Tuesday in an Oahu courtroom, Gerhardt Konig...
Pittsburgh in line for damaging winds, isolated flash flooding Thursday night
Pittsburghers looking to soak up sunshine and warm temperatures should do so while there’s light Thursday, as storms forecast for the evening are expected to segue into cooler conditions this weekend. Temperatures are forecast to reach into the low 70s Thursday, said Jared Rackley, meteorologist for the National Weather Service...
McKeesport behavioral intervention specialist on paid leave following incident with daughter, a student
A McKeesport Area behavioral intervention specialist is on paid leave following an incident between the employee and their daughter, who is a high school student in the district, Superintendent Donald MacFann said Wednesday. The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon and school officials were made aware within minutes, MacFann said. The employee,...
No injuries reported in multi-vehicle crash on Route 28 near Highland Park Bridge
Multiple vehicles were involved in a crash Tuesday morning on Route 28 just before the Highland Park Bridge. No injuries were reported, despite several of the cars flipping over on the roadway just before Exit 6, near Aspinwall. The crash scene has been cleared and all northbound lanes of Route...
Police seek man they say robbed Middle Hill store at gunpoint
Pittsburgh police are looking for a man who they say robbed a store while wielding a gun late Monday night in Pittsburgh’s Middle Hill neighborhood, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. Officers were dispatched around 11:45 p.m. to the 2200 block of Centre Avenue for reports of a man who held...
State police report fewest arrests, most DUIs in 5 years during 2026 IUPatty’s weekend
State police made 36 arrests — the lowest number reported from the past five years — around the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus this weekend during the three-day, unsanctioned IUPatty’s celebration. Police made 77 arrests last year, 62 in 2024, 47 in 2023 and 71 in 2022, according to state...
Pittsburgh slated for cool down after record high temperature Sunday
After the Western Pennsylvania region felt a record high temperature Sunday, the area will get cooler conditions this week, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Leonardi. Sunday’s high of 84 degrees made it the hottest March 22 ever — and it tied for the region’s record high for any day...
Hempfield’s ‘Tornado Kid’ Tyler Tubbs reflects on viral video 15 years later
Tyler Tubbs was 15 years old, a freshman baseball player at Hempfield Area High School, when a video he recorded of an EF2 tornado touching down March 23, 2011, in his Fort Allen neighborhood went viral. Now, the 30-year-old project manager lives in Hagerstown, Md., with his wife and two...
Hempfield Area superintendent vows to ‘support kids and our staff’ after PTO treasurer charged with theft
Hempfield Area Superintendent Mark Holtzman said the district will financially support Fort Allen Elementary School’s students and staff after Westmoreland County detectives accused a parent of taking $46,000 from the school’s parent-teacher organization. Darshanna L. Truss, 35, of Hempfield, a treasurer of the PTO, was charged this week with two...
Penn township, borough to gather residents’ feedback on potential merger
Penn Township and Penn Borough residents will have answers next month to questions regarding a merger of the two communities, a move proposed about three years ago. Officials from Penn Borough, a 0.2-square-mile area containing about 435 residents, approached neighboring Penn Township in March 2023 about merging the municipalities. This...
Greensburg Bloodhound Team adds new member
Lou Battistella, commander of the Greensburg Bloodhound Team, had no intention of bringing another dog on board after the death of Darcy, a 10-year-old canine who worked more than a decade with the team. “Sometimes, things happen for a reason,” Battistella said via email. Battistella took in Demi, a 10-week-old...
Jeannette American Legion to host fundraiser in honor of father, 4 children killed in 2024 fire
Two years after five Jeannette residents were killed in a house fire on Guy Street, a fundraiser will be held to support a foundation created in memory of the victims. Tyler J. King, 27, and four of his children — Kyson, 7; Kinzleigh, 6; Keagan, 3; and Korbyn, 1 month...
Westmoreland Sale for Kids approaches 2 decades under Hunker owner
With a 9-month-old and another baby on the way, Gen Mellott was looking for deals to outfit her children when she first attended the Westmoreland Sale for Kids in 2005. At the time, the consignment sale was housed in one building on the Westmoreland Fairgrounds. The sale — next slated...
College of 2nd chances: Professor who has taught at CCAC since it opened reflects on 60-year tenureVideo
Microbiology professor Francis Maxin has taught at Community College of Allegheny County since it opened its doors 60 years ago. He has no plans to retire anytime soon. “How can I retire? The college can’t afford my retirement present,” Maxin joked. “I want a BMW with a heated steering wheel.”...
College of 2nd chances: Professor who has taught at CCAC since it opened reflects on 60-year tenureVideo
Microbiology professor Francis Maxin has taught at Community College of Allegheny County since it opened its doors 60 years ago. He has no plans to retire anytime soon. “How can I retire? The college can’t afford my retirement present,” Maxin joked. “I want a BMW with a heated steering wheel.”...
With SATs optional for many colleges, are the tests still relevant?
Greater Latrobe senior Autumn Blozowich took the SAT three times before and during her junior year, yet when she applied to Pitt, Kent State and Penn State, she didn’t submit her scores once. “I wasn’t really happy with my scores,” she said of the standardized entrance exam. “If you don’t...
Club at Blackthorne requests zoning variance to operate without ties to golf course, Penn Township attorney says
The Club at Blackthorne, a private event and wedding venue located in a Penn Township housing community, is requesting a zoning variance to operate without ties to a nearby golf course. The 36,000-square-foot site — the subject of longstanding community and legal disputes — is located off of Harrison City-Export...
Westmoreland County schools invite public to view screening of documentary on career-based learning
After remaining stagnant for decades, K-12 education is due for a revamp, said Hempfield Area Deputy Superintendent Emily Sanders. “If you think about our schools, they haven’t changed much in the last 100 years, from the way they look to the way that they operate,” she said. That’s a problem...
2 people shot in McKeesport
One of two people shot Thursday evening in McKeesport was taken to a hospital with multiple injuries, according to the Allegheny County Police. They were shot near the intersection of Banker and Indiana streets around 5:45 p.m., police said. One person was shot multiple times and taken to an undisclosed...
‘It would’ve taken up half this block’: Massive gas leak narrowly averted in Mt. Pleasant
A gas leak at a home improvement store in Mt. Pleasant could have resulted in an explosion, destroying half a block of East Main Street, said Mt. Pleasant fire Chief Paul Harenchar. About six fire departments were dispatched to Renovation Nation, an auction house for building materials, about 11:20 a.m....
Westmoreland County detectives investigate finances of Hempfield Area parent-teacher organization
Westmoreland County detectives are investigating the finances of a Hempfield Area School District parent-teacher organization, state police Trooper Steve Limani said Monday. Rumors about Fort Allen Elementary School’s parent-teacher organization circulated on social media late last week, alleging the group’s bank account balance is lower than expected. Attempts to contact...
Police: Mt. Pleasant Township man jailed after bank standoff, ‘poison’ threats
A Mt. Pleasant Township man remains in jail after authorities said he threatened to “blow everyone up” and bring a rifle to a local bank. Harold E. Thomas, 67, is charged with making terroristic threats following a Thursday morning standoff at Key Bank in Mt. Pleasant Borough, according to court...
Free parking ends for Palace Theatre patrons at Greensburg’s Bell Way Garage
Visitors to the Palace Theatre in downtown Greensburg can no longer park for free in the Bell Way Garage on Otterman Street. The Westmoreland Cultural Trust, the nonprofit that owns the theater, declined in January to renew its previous partnership with the city for parking at the garage, according to...
