Regional category, Page 47
St. Louis bakery embroiled in smiley cookies trademark dispute with Eat’n Park
Eat’n Park isn’t smiling over a St. Louis bakery producing a similarly named cookie. McArthur’s Bakery and The Pioneer Cafe in St. Louis, which employs adults with disabilities, has received a cease and desist letter from Pittsburgh-based restaurant chain Eat’n Park alleging trademark infringement over its popular Smiley Cookies. McArthur’s...
Jordan Brown loses civil case against troopers who charged him
Jordan Brown set out to prove he should never have been arrested for the 2009 shooting death of his father’s pregnant fiancee. He failed. A federal jury Thursday said the four state troopers who led the investigation and accused then-11-year-old Brown of killing Kenzie Houk had probable cause to charge...
22-car crash in Pittsburgh sends 5 to hospital amid icy road conditions
A massive crash involving 22 vehicles occurred at 6:30 a.m. on the Boulevard of the Allies/Forbes Avenue off ramp coming off of Interstate 376, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety officials. Five people were transported to hospitals with minor injuries from the crash in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, officials said. A number...
Murrysville Medic One, Mutual Aid to assist in aftermath of Saltsburg-based ambulance service closure
Two Westmoreland County ambulance services are helping to pick up the slack after Saltsburg-based Lifestat EMS abruptly closed its doors this week. Citing financial constraints, the Indiana County ambulance station terminated its services after 36 years Saturday night, according to a statement it released Tuesday. “This difficult decision comes as...
Lawyers give closing arguments to jury in Jordan Brown civil trial
It’s not about whether it was a perfect investigation. It’s not about guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or determining who actually killed Kenzie Houk and her unborn baby on Feb. 20, 2009, inside a Lawrence County farmhouse. Instead, the attorney representing the Pennsylvania State Police said Wednesday morning, all the...
Annual Geminid meteor shower will hit peak soon
This weekend, the annual Geminid meteor shower will once again appear — with shooting stars streaking across the sky. It will peak Friday and Saturday under a nearly full moon, which will reduce visibility, but bright meteors may still be spotted in the days leading up to the peak, according...
UPMC, other health care and insurance giants scrub leadership from web after CEO killing
Health care giant UPMC makes no secret of who its top executives are, but the organization isn’t advertising it, either. At least, not for now. Western Pennsylvania’s largest employer, like some other large corporations, is giving its leadership a lower online profile. CEO Leslie Davis’ photo and biography have been...
Investigator tells jury changing statements and fresh snow led to homicide charge against then 11-year-old Jordan Brown
The state trooper who interviewed Jordan Brown the morning his father’s pregnant fiancee was killed said it never even crossed her mind that the 11-year-old boy could have done it. But as that day — Feb. 20, 2009 — wore on, the most likely suspects were eliminated, now-retired Cpl. Janice...
Butler hospital authority bonds fall to ‘junk’ status
Financial problems continue for the former Butler Health System’s Clarion and Butler hospitals, with a national credit rating agency downgrading its bonds to junk status, indicating it has a negative outlook and would be a risky investment. Fitch Ratings on Dec. 3 lowered the Butler County Hospital Authority’s bonds issued...
Rep. Mike Kelly’s task force releases final report on Trump assassination attempt in Butler County
A task force led by a Republican congressman from Southwestern Pennsylvania on Tuesday capped a monthslong investigation of the attempted assassination of President-elect Donald Trump at a Butler County campaign rally in July by releasing dozens of recommendations to improve the U.S. Secret Service after widespread criticism of the agency....
Morning Roundup: Sinkhole opens up in East Liberty; man charged in stabbing; person flown to hospital following crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Dec. 10: Pittsburgh water officials investigate East Liberty sinkhole A large sinkhole was discovered in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood on Monday. TribLive news partner WTAE reports that a 10 feet wide, 4 feet deep sinkhole opened in front...
Frigid temperatures in Pittsburgh area return following rainstorm later this week
A warm-up throughout the Pittsburgh area will transition into frigid conditions with a chance of snow later this week. Temperatures on Tuesday will reach highs in the upper 50s, warming up conditions across the region, but don’t expect that to last long. Rain showers are reported to start Tuesday afternoon...
Ski season to start Saturday at Hidden Valley Resort
The ski season will begin Saturday at Hidden Valley Resort in Somerset County. Operated by Vail Resorts, Hidden Valley will offer skiing from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. The slopes will be closed on Monday, reopening on Dec. 20 for the season’s...
Altoona thrust into spotlight after suspect in UnitedHealthcare’s CEO’s killing nabbed at McDonald’s
ALTOONA — Karen Townsley praised the McDonald’s employee who reported to police Monday suspicions that a customer was the man being sought by New York City authorities in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. “I was pretty shocked,” she said. “I thought he was probably from New York City.” The...
Jordan Brown, arrested for murder at age 11, testifies for first time
Nearly 16 years after he was accused of killing the woman he thought of as his stepmother, Jordan Brown testified for the first time Monday, describing for a jury the events of Feb. 20, 2009. In appearance, only Brown’s clothes — a gray suit and tan, striped tie — and...
7 planets will align for viewing in early 2025
This January, the seven visible planets will align in the sky in a “planet parade.” The rare celestial event will start just before Jan. 21, with Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus lining up for several weeks, Business Today reported. People will be able to view Venus, Mars, Jupiter...
See the light to combat seasonal blues
The Rev. Levi Hartle swears by red light therapy to boost his spirit. “When I’m feeling tired, I use the machine for 10 or 15 minutes and I’m ready to go,” said Hartle, 39, who recently was transferred to the Mon Valley from his post at Holy Family Parish in...
2 killed in Washington County crash
Two people were killed in a Washington County crash Sunday. The Washington County coroner identified the driver as Brittany Therese Crile, 36, of Waynesburg, TribLive news partner WTAE reported. She was driving the car and was ejected from the vehicle. Also killed was Joseph Crile, 46, of Marianna. According to...
Businesses offer indoor and outdoor decorating services to light the way this festive season
Mary Jo Miller of Point Breeze wanted to brighten her three-story home for the holidays but knew climbing a ladder to reach the top — with a pitched roof — to install Christmas lights wasn’t safe. She found Pittsburgh-based Three Rivers Lights through a Google search. The company installed lights...
Coal, once king in Pennsylvania, leaves behind abandoned mines that pose concerns
Coal mining’s roots in the Pittsburgh area run deeper than the foundations of American democracy. Since the mid-1700s, years before the Declaration of Independence, Pennsylvanians have mined 250,000 acres of land for coal, pulling more than 15 billion tons of the fossil fuel from the earth, according to the state...
First defendant in Jordan Brown civil trial takes the stand
The day Kenzie Houk was killed, her ex-boyfriend, who, her family said, had once thrown her down a set of stairs and repeatedly threatened to kill her, offered to take a polygraph exam. But the state police investigating the shotgun murder didn’t take him up on it. “That determination is...
CNX Resources to acquire Apex, gain 36K acres in Westmoreland County
Natural gas company CNX Resources Corp. will expand into Westmoreland County in a $505 million deal. CNX announced this week it will acquire Pine-based Apex Energy II LLC — a move that will add about 36,000 acres in Westmoreland County to CNX’s scope. It will also earn CNX 8,600 acres...
Allegheny County town hall to address Veterans Affairs health services
The Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System will hold a Veterans Town Hall session Monday, both online and at its campus in O’Hara. Open to the public and geared toward veterans, their families and other stakeholders, the session is meant to provide updates on Veterans Affairs services while accepting feedback on...
Have you seen a red-bellied woodpecker? In Pittsburgh region, it’s a possibility, birder says
When Brian Shema began taking part in the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count more than two decades ago, red-bellied woodpeckers were a very rare sight. The red-headed bird’s historical range was the central and southern states. They’re not suppose to be here, traditionally speaking. But these days, Shema said...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: Dec. 6
The following is a regular feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz:...
