Top Stories category, Page 70
Aborted letter to Westmoreland DA, seeking outcome of raid on Ligonier Valley police station, angers officers
A proposed letter from the Ligonier Valley Police Commission to Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli is being called a “slap in the face” to the officers on the force. The police commission this week discussed sending the letter to ask whether local criminal charges are planned stemming from a...
Community Supermarket employees, customers bid farewell to Harrison store
Archie Nyga drove about a half-mile in his electric wheelchair Wednesday to Community Supermarket in Harrison to buy lottery tickets. The 75-year-old, a resident of nearby Sheldon Park, was too late. The grocery store was preparing to close its doors for good at 3 p.m. “It’s OK,” Nyga said. “If...
Gainey loses battle to reform affordable housing as council backs alternate plan
A divided Pittsburgh City Council narrowly voted on Wednesday to rewrite Mayor Ed Gainey’s proposed zoning reform bill, effectively dooming his vision of forcing developers to create more affordable housing. By a 5-4 vote, council members backed an amendment by Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill, to give incentives to developers...
Monroeville man killed in crash on I-79 berm
A driver was killed and his passenger seriously injured in a three-vehicle crash early Wednesday on a berm along Interstate 79, state police said. Travis Brown, 37, of Monroeville was driving a Ford Explorer northbound on I-79 in South Fayette around 3:15 a.m. when his SUV hit a vehicle stopped...
A year after their union vote, Greco Steel workers continue contract struggle
Several dozen workers and supporters were met with locked doors at Greco Steel’s Springdale headquarters on Wednesday as some employees continued their yearlong struggle for a contract with the company. The nine workers won a narrow vote — 9-7 — to join the Iron Workers International Union last October. Still...
Sticker shock: Pennie expects Obamacare premiums to soar even more than first feared
The end of enhanced Obamacare subsidies could be even more costly than initially feared for Pennsylvanians who use the health insurance program. Pennie, the state’s Affordable Care Act health insurance exchange, now estimates the average enrollee will see premiums climb 102% if Congress lets the subsidies expire at the end...
Jury convicts Aliquippa man of shooting Monroeville police sergeant
A Beaver County man accused of shooting a Monroeville police sergeant last year was found guilty Wednesday on all counts. Jamal Brooks, 33, of Aliquippa, faces a mandatory 20 to 40 years in prison for assault of a law enforcement officer. The jury, which deliberated for less than three hours,...
Motorcyclist killed on I-279 in Pittsburgh
A Pittsburgh man was killed when he lost control of his motorcyle late Tuesday and crashed on Interstate 279 in the city, Pennsylvania State Police said. Derrick Johnson, Jr., 23, was driving southbound on the highway in a “careless” manner around 11:55 p.m., police said. Johnson lost control of his...
U.S. Supreme Court conservatives appear willing to blunt key Voting Rights Act provision
WASHINGTON — Conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices signaled their willingness on Wednesday during arguments in a case involving Louisiana electoral districts to undercut a key section of the Voting Rights Act, the landmark 1965 federal law enacted by Congress to prevent racial discrimination in voting. Arguments in the case focused...
Burrell School District enrollment continues to shrink
Burrell School District’s enrollment decreased by 50 students this fall, a decline on par with what the district has seen for the past 10 years, according to Superintendent Shannon Wagner. Total district enrollment this fall stands at 1,624, Wagner told the school board this week. Enrollment was 1,674 last year....
Morning Roundup: 2 injured in Cranberry mobile home fire; coroner identifies Homewood shooting victim
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Oct. 15: 2 injured in Cranberry mobile home fire Two people were taken to the hospital early Wednesday after a mobile home fire in Butler County. Firefighters were called to the home on York Road in Cranberry around...
Pittsburgh airport joins others in nation in not playing Noem video blaming Democrats for shutdown
Airports big and small — including Pittsburgh International Airport — will not play a video with a message from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in which she blames Democrats for the federal government shutdown and its impacts on Transportation Security Administration operations. Airports in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas,...
Financial losses expected as Westmoreland airport braces for flight cuts
Westmoreland County’s Airport Authority is eyeing red ink in the coming months. Reductions to the flight schedule for the airport’s lone commercial carrier and the county’s decision to freeze monthly subsidy payments could substantially limit the authority’s revenue projections during the last quarter of 2025. “We’re prepared for it,” Gabe...
Charleroi food processing plant to close; 252 jobs lost
A financially troubled Charleroi-area food processing company plans to close at the end of the month, eliminating 252 jobs in that mid-Mon Valley area where the economy is reeling from the recent losses of a glass-producing plant and a pasta-making plant. Fourth Street Barbecue Inc. started laying off workers at...
Defendant in Monroeville police shooting testifies that he was wrongly accused
A man accused of shooting a Monroeville police sergeant as he responded to an armed robbery last year took the witness stand on Tuesday and told the jury he didn’t do it. Jamal Brooks said he didn’t rob Crumbl Cookie the night of Jan. 3, 2024, and he didn’t fire...
Friends, family reflect on Gateway’s Terry Smith coaching Penn State: ‘He just cared so much’
A Zoom conference call Tuesday morning brought together many of Terry Smith’s family and friends from his time growing up on Firethorn Drive in Monroeville’s Garden City neighborhood. Harvey Smith, Terry’s older brother by a few years and a coaching colleague at Gateway for nearly a decade, helped lead the...
Sen. McCormick voices support for tax credit program that would further school choice movement
Supporters of a new federal program that would grant tax credits to donors funding private school scholarships say it would expand Pennsylvania’s school choice options and give parents greater control over their children’s education. Detractors say it would favor high-income families, lacks oversight and could hurt people who live in...
Westmoreland furloughs begin as commissioners prep plan to borrow money
Westmoreland County won’t have enough cash on hand to meet payroll and other operating expenses in about a month, officials said Tuesday. Commissioners said plans are being finalized for the county to borrow funds to keep essential public services in operation amid the ongoing state budget impasse that required Westmoreland...
Marjorie Taylor Greene said she hasn’t changed, despite recent breaks from the GOP
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has been making life uncomfortable for some members of her own party in Congress. Greene, a conservative firebrand who has been a staunch supporter of President Trump, has been critical of how Republicans have dealt with several key issues in recent weeks and months....
Community Supermarket in Harrison likely to close Wednesday
Community Supermarket in Harrison will likely close its doors Wednesday, about two weeks ahead of schedule. “I was in there today, and we don’t have much left,” General Manager George Sears said. “We’re not 100% sure it will be Wednesday, but it looks like it.” Shoppers who want to peruse...
Penn State approves new deal to keep WPSU public media open
A month after voting down an earlier proposal, Penn State University’s board of trustees approved a plan to transfer WPSU-TV and public radio to WHYY in Philadelphia. The deal means Penn State won’t have to pay an additional $17 million subsidy over the next five years to keep WPSU operating,...
Pittsburgh Action Against Rape ‘in crisis’ amid state budget impasse
Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, Allegheny County’s only rape crisis center, is facing severe financial strain as Pennsylvania’s months-long budget impasse cuts off a key source of funding. Sadie Restivo, PAAR’s executive director, said the nonprofit relies on the commonwealth for about 20% of its budget. As the stalemate drags on...
Man accused of breaking into North Huntingdon Aldi, smashing police cruiser
A man is behind bars after North Huntingdon officers said he used a hammer to break into an Aldi grocery store and shatter the windshield of a police cruiser, according to court papers. Township police said they were called to the market on Norwin Avenue around 2 a.m. Tuesday for...
Heights Plaza in Harrison on the market for $16M
The Heights Plaza shopping center in Harrison is for sale. The 30-acre property, owned by New York-based Benbrooke Realty Investment Co., is on the market for $16 million, according to a listing on LoopNet.com. Rich Lubkin of Benbrooke did not return TribLive calls or email requests for comment. The sale...
Pittsburgh councilwoman mulls spending freeze amid financial concerns
A Pittsburgh councilwoman on Tuesday said she intends to introduce a bill that would freeze city spending. Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, said she believes the city needs to curb spending as the city is facing financial challenges. Pausing spending could help the city stave off a tax hike, which...
