Top Stories category, Page 245
Disciplinary board tosses complaint against Allegheny County District Judge Xander Orenstein
The Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board has dismissed a complaint by a state legislator against controversial Allegheny County District Judge Xander Orenstein about how they handled bail for defendants. In a letter dated Feb. 14, Melissa Norton, chief counsel for the board, said its review, requested by state Rep. Valerie S....
Dump truck flies over hill in Parkway East crash that sends 3 to hospital
Three motorists were taken to the hospital Thursday after a three-vehicle crash on the Parkway East in Pittsburgh shot one car into oncoming traffic and flipped a dump truck over a hill, authorities said. The crash occurred when an eastbound dump truck and sedan collided on Interstate 376 about 11:25...
Springdale preps for round 2 of boiler house demolition
What’s hopefully the last attempt at pulling down the boiler house at the former power plant in Springdale is scheduled for Saturday morning. The demolition — which was about 70% successful last weekend — is anticipated to occur between 9 and 11 a.m. Saturday, according to the Allegheny County Police....
Penguins invest $500K in Hill District recreation center, but community frustration lingers
The Pittsburgh Penguins will donate $500,000 to help modernize the Ammon Recreation Center in the Hill District as part of an agreement meant to mitigate decades of neighborhood disinvestment dating back to the development of the Civic Arena. Teddy Werner, the Penguins’ alternate governor, called the 85-year-old recreation center just...
Man struck in January by truck plowing snow in Hempfield dies
A man who was hit by a pickup truck that was clearing snow in Hempfield died Sunday in a Pittsburgh hospital. Paul Tucci, 73, of Southwest Greensburg, died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and torso, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. State police said...
Trump changes course and delays some tariffs on Mexico, Canada
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday postponed 25% tariffs on many imports from Mexico and some imports from Canada for a month amid widespread fears of the economic fallout from a broader trade war. The White House insists its tariffs are about stopping the smuggling of fentanyl, but the...
Allegheny County touts ‘competent and compassionate’ government for job prospects
Allegheny County’s portal to entice federal employees to explore their options with the county launched Thursday. A similar portal was also created by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. The idea is to provide a soft landing for any of the 16,000 federal employees in the Pittsburgh region who may lose their...
7 students, driver injured in Adams Township bus crash
Seven Mars Area Elementary School students and a driver were injured Thursday morning when their bus crashed in Adams Township. Butler County 911 dispatch said a bus carrying 30 to 40 students hit a tree head-on around 8:30 a.m. on the 1600 block of Three Degree Road. A UPMC spokesperson...
2.3M birds culled in Pa. this year as flu spreads in commercial, backyard flocks
Ken Pounds has a coop full of turkeys, and with justifiable concerns about bird flu, that’s all he wants in there. No flies if he can help it. Definitely no people who don’t need to be there. And certainly no other birds. “The biggest thing you can do is have...
How Trump justifies his tariffs — from budget balancing to protecting ‘the soul’ of America
WASHINGTON — To President Donald Trump, “tariff” is more than “the most beautiful word in the dictionary,” something he says often. Tariffs, in Trump’s view, are also a cure for a number of the nation’s ills and the tool to reach new heights. Most economists see taxes paid on imports...
Cracker plant in Beaver County could be sold as Shell looks to offload chemical assets
Shell is considering a sale of its chemical assets in the U.S. and Europe, including the cracker plant in Beaver County. The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the matter, has reported one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies could offload its less-profitable chemicals division as part...
Attempted homicide suspect back in custody after accidental release from Washington County Jail
An attempted homicide suspect is back in custody after being mistakenly released from the Washington County Jail. Samuel Valle, 20, of Monessen, missed a court appearance last week, alerting the district attorney’s office he was no longer behind bars, TribLive news partner WTAE reported. District Attorney Jason Walsh told WTAE...
Murrysville mobile home park residents left without consistent water since January
Betty Pusateri has taken just one shower in her home since Jan. 20. Melanie Leggens has been able to take three. “My sister lives in Delmont, but I’m not driving out there every day to take a shower,” Leggens said. “I have a bucket of water and a bar of...
Pittsburgh Mills potholes — much frustration, few answers
Driving around Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer is like an arcade game with real world consequences. A driver must create a mental map of all the potholes. Winners get home from shopping without significant damage to their cars. It was just like that for Ashlynn Bashline on Wednesday. The Harrison resident...
Refugee resettlement agencies determined to continue work despite halt to federal funding
Local agencies are still determined to help resettle refugees despite an executive order halting federal funding. Four agencies in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are contracted through the Office of Refugee Resettlement as a partner of the national resettlement agency, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, to provide resettlement services. This...
Fetterman calls out Democrats for ‘unhinged petulance’ during Trump address
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, called out members of his own party for their protests during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday night. “A sad cavalcade of self-owns and unhinged petulance. It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained,” Fetterman wrote Wednesday afternoon on the social media...
Trump issues ‘last warning’ to Hamas to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued what he called a “last warning” to Hamas to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza, directing a sharply worded message after the White House confirmed that he had recently dispatched an envoy for unprecedented direct talks with the militant group. Trump,...
Pennsylvania to spend $10 million on new voter registration system
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is spending more than $10 million to replace its electronic voter registration database with an election management system that will also provide election night results and handle campaign finance filings and lobbyist registration. Secretary of State Al Schmidt announced Wednesday the Civix system should be fully in...
Prosecutors refute defense claims, say there’s no doubt Unity woman was murdered
Westmoreland County prosecutors on Wednesday issued a stern rebuke of claims made by the lawyer of a Unity man charged with killing his former girlfriend. Prosecutors said the lawyer for Thomas Stanko in court documents filed last month falsely claimed it was accepted as fact that no evidence supports claims...
Porch pirate steals packages in Greensburg, Fox Chapel, Plum; Indiana County man charged
An Indiana County man is accused by state police of taking packages delivered to porches in Greensburg, Fox Chapel and Plum and then putting the stolen goods up for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Troopers said they found numerous stolen packages at John D. Manning’s home in Armstrong Township, just outside...
Employees cut by feds could get Pa., Allegheny County jobs
People who lose their federal government jobs are being recruited to fill positions with Pennsylvania and Allegheny County government. It remains unclear how many of the more than 16,000 federal employees who live in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area will be affected by the cuts. But, on Wednesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro...
Hotel Saxonburg closes after 193 years in business
Saxonburg’s longest continually operating hotel, restaurant and bar is closed. Ownership for the Hotel Saxonburg broke the news in a social media post on Wednesday. “After much consideration, the decision has been made to cease operations due to health issues, rising costs of food and the growing expenses associated with...
New Kensington-Arnold’s Project SEED packs 100,000th bag of food for children in need
A child in the New Kensington-Arnold School District received a special bag of food for this weekend. Project SEED, which stands for “Something to Eat Every Day,” marked a milestone Friday, distributing its 100,000th bag of food in the school district. The project combats childhood hunger during the school year...
Ex-Pittsburgh police commander claims secret recordings were part of misconduct probe
A former Pittsburgh police commander claims that he hid body-worn cameras inside his officers’ vehicles as part of an official investigation into misconduct, and therefore he is entitled to be represented by city attorneys in an ongoing lawsuit over the issue. Matthew Lackner, 50, of Mt. Lebanon, is suing the...
Discord dominates Pittsburgh politics after Ragland’s abrupt departure
It was a day of finger-pointing in Pittsburgh politics. City leaders blamed each other Wednesday for the abrupt resignation this week of Christopher Ragland, the former assistant police chief and Mayor Ed Gainey’s pick to lead the police force. Gainey accused City Council members of hounding his nominee until he...
