Western PA News

Regis Bonner was found dead on May 13 at his home along Academy Avenue.

The Allegheny County medical examiner has ruled the death of an 86-year-old man in Mt. Lebanon as a homicide.

Source: Death of 86-year-old Mt. Lebanon man ruled a homicide

A new study says Earth has pushed past seven out of eight scientifically established safety limits and into “the danger zone,” not just for an overheating planet that’s losing its natural areas, but for well-being of people living on it. The study, published Wednesday, looks not just at guardrails for the planetary ecosystem but for the first time it includes measures of “justice,” which is mostly about preventing harm for groups of people. The study looks at climate, air pollution, phosphorus contamination, nitrogen pollution, groundwater supplies, fresh surface water, the unbuilt natural environment and the overall natural and human-built environment.

Source: Earth is ‘really quite sick now’ and in danger zone in nearly all ecological ways, study says

The right-wing outcry over the fast food chain, briefly explained.

Conservatives went after Chick-fil-A, a fast food restaurant they’ve often supported in the past given its Christian roots and its prior donations to anti-LGBTQ groups. Despite Republicans’ longtime backing, the chain’s decision to employ a vice president of DEI has prompted backlash from some who now slam the company for being too “woke” for considering policies that help support people of color and other underrepresented groups in the workplace.

For now, the outrage appears to be confined mostly to social media, where prominent conservative commentators including Turning Point’s Charlie Kirk and Wade Miller, the head of the Citizens for Renewing America, which seeks to combat “woke” proposals, have weighed in. Given how recent the backlash has been, it’s not yet evident whether it has had any impact on the restaurant’s sales.

Source: Conservatives think Chick-fil-A is woke now?

Chloe Stein, 23, waived a preliminary hearing at the district court in Jeannette, Westmoreland County.

State police say the hoax kidnapping happened just days before Stein was supposed to graduate from Penn State University, but they later learned she hadn’t been enrolled in school for over a year and a half.

Source: Jeannette woman charged with faking her kidnapping may owe over $11,000 to cover search costs

Firefighters were battling flames and smoke at a home on Pinecrest Drive in Ross Township.

No injuries have been reported.

Source: Ross Township house fire on Pinecrest Drive

PITTSBURGH — A violent holiday weekend across the city left four people hurt in three separate shootings, including three children under the age of 18.

In a span of 24 hours over the Memorial Day weekend, Pittsburgh Police responded to a double shooting and two other shootings that sent all the victims to the hospital.

A gunfight in the city’s Hill District early Monday morning left a woman caught in the crossfire. Gunfire erupted around 2 a.m. on Bedford Avenue.

Source: Violent Memorial Day weekend in Pittsburgh: 4 hurt in 3 separate shootings, including children

PITTSBURGH — Two houses were damaged after a 3-alarm fire that sparked early Saturday morning.

According to Allegheny County 911, the fire happened on Moore Avenue in Knoxville at around 4 a.m.

The fire chief at the scene confirmed to Channel 11 that both of the houses involved in the blaze were vacant.

Source: 3-alarm fire damages multiple houses in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood

• Missing kayaker found dead in Wisecarver Run Reservoir
• Woman dead after car hits bank and rolls over in Armstrong County
• At least 1 injured in Homewood North incident overnight
• 2 hospitalized after motorcycle crash in Raccoon Township
• Memorial Day 2023: Pittsburgh closures and garbage collection delays

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached an “agreement in principle” late Saturday as they raced to strike a deal to limit federal spending and resolve the looming debt crisis ahead of a June 5 deadline, the House speaker said. A deal would avert a catastrophic U.S. default, but risks angering both Democratic and Republican sides with the concessions made to reach it. The Democratic president and Republican speaker reached the agreement after the two spoke earlier Saturday evening by phone, said McCarthy, speaking Saturday night. The country and the world have been watching and waiting for a resolution to political standoff that threatened the U.S. and global economy.

Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli filed a lawsuit Friday seeking to have the Rialto in downtown Greensburg declared a nuisance bar.

If approved by a county judge, the move would shutter the restaurant and bar — which has been closed since the end of last year — for 12 months.

“That the Rialto Inc. has been operated in a manner that constitutes a public nuisance under the Liquor Code for reasons outlined … the continued operation of Rialto Inc. bar-club will result in irreparable injury to the commonwealth because of the strong likelihood of continuance of … conduct,” the lawsuit states.

Meanwhile, a proposed consent decree between the district attorney’s office and the Rialto’s owner about the bar’s future is under review by a county judge, according to a statement released Friday by the prosecutor’s office.

Source: Westmoreland DA files nuisance bar lawsuit against Rialto in Greensburg

A Pittsburgh woman was arrested on multiple charges after allegedly using pepper spray on court employees in Munhall, Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus announced. Santhiya Mahilkanthan, 32, went into the courthouse of District Judge Patrick Campbell around 3 p.m. Thursday and began arguing with court staff members

She left the office but returned a short time later and continued to yell at the staff members. Mahilkanthan also reached through a glass partition and began discharging pepper spray.

Source: Pittsburgh woman arrested, accused of spraying Munhall court staffers with pepper spray

Incident happened early Friday morning

PITTSBURGH —

A police officer on scene said one person is dead following an incident in Pittsburgh’s North Oakland neighborhood.

The incident happened on the 300 block of North Craig Street a little before 2 a.m. Friday.

Police were converged outside of a business there.

Police had not yet disclosed the nature of the incident.

Allegheny County 911 dispatchers did confirm a second person was taken to the hospital.

Source: At least one person dead following incident in Pittsburgh’s North Oakland neighborhood

PITTSBURGH — Police are looking for a man they say robbed a Pittsburgh restaurant Tuesday afternoon.

Officers were called to the Liberty Avenue Subway restaurant in Bloomfield around 2:30 p.m. for a report of an armed robbery. The man was described as being about 50 years old, approximately 6 feet tall with a black head wrap and missing teeth.

Anyone with information is asked to call 412-323-7161.

Source: Armed robbery suspect sought by Pittsburgh police

The Voice crowned its winner tonight as Blake Shelton also said goodbye to the NBC competition series after 23 seasons.

Gina Miles, from Team Niall won Season 23 with Grace West from Team Blake taking second place.

Throughout the night, Blake Shelton was honored as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) as the coach retires from The Voice. NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson, Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn, country music singer Dolly Parton, Olympic track and field champ Jackie Joyner-Kersee and former NFL star Peyton Manning chimed in to honor Shelton as he retired from the show.

“He has pushed his button nearly 600 times, coached over 300 artists, worn 210 pairs of boots and drunk 100 gallons of whatever is in this cup,” host Carson Daly said about Shelton’s stats on the show.

Daly went on to commemorate Shelton’s time on The Voice retiring his jean jacket which highlighted his 9-season wins.

Source: ‘The Voice’ Crowns Season 23 Winner As Blake Shelton Retires & Says Goodbye

Police responded to the 200 block of Elmore Street around 4:20 p.m. Monday for shots fired. Officers found a 17-year-old male who was shot in the ankle, according to a report from Pittsburgh Public Safety.

Source: 2 teens charged after 17-year-old shot in Pittsburgh

HARRISBURG — Authorities could temporarily seize firearms and background checks would be expanded for gun buyers, under two bills passed Monday in the Pennsylvania House, where Democrats are using their razor-thin majority to push gun-control measures after a yearslong standstill in the politically divided government.

Source: Democrats advance gun-control bills in Pennsylvania House

Max, the new HBO Max, is full of recommendations

Navigating around Max, the new version of HBO Max that launches today (May 23) I was mostly impressed and pleased by how little has changed. But I picked up on a subtle change that should make a world of difference to streamers.

Discovery — as in finding stuff to watch — is the biggest low-stakes problem that most of us face every day. And I’ve found a few ways that Max will improve on this when compared to HBO Max (already the best streaming service).

Unfortunately, there’s also one change that I don’t agree with, though Max head of product Tyler Whitworth told me he believes they’re making the right call. So allow me to explain why Max looks like a good thing — not a bad thing.

Source: Max hands-on: HBO Max reboot makes it easier to find something you like

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met Monday to discuss the debt ceiling.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he will not waive the House’s three-day rule amid ongoing debt ceiling talks Monday, despite negotiations coming closer and closer to a potential date of default.

The three-day rule requires that legislation be posted for at least three days to allow House members to study it before it can be voted on.

“No, I’m not going to waive the three-day rule because you have the three-day rule for a reason,” McCarthy said after his meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House. “You lend your voice to your elected officials. You want to make sure they have their voice.”

McCarthy then proceeded to criticize former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for previously moving legislation so quickly that “nobody could read the bill.”

Source: CNN

Emergency responders were called to the scene of a structure collapse in Pitcairn Sunday.

Dispatchers say the first call came in just after 9:30 a.m.

First responders at the scene told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 the incident could have possibly been due to a gas explosion, but Pitcairn police later said through social media that the collapse was not the result of an explosion.

Source: Pitcairn day care center collapse not result of explosion, police say

Born on Feb. 17, 1936, in St. Simons, Georgia, Brown was one of the greatest players in football history and one of the game’s first superstars.

Source: All-time NFL great running back, social activist Jim Brown dead at 87

Leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies have vowed to tighten punishments on Russia for invading Ukraine. The Group of Seven leaders declared Friday that their support for Ukraine “will not waver.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was expected to join the summit in Japan in person on Sunday, following a virtual appearance on Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats against Ukraine, along with North Korea’s missile tests and China’s expanding nuclear arsenal, have resonated with Japan’s push to make nuclear disarmament a major part of the summit that opened Friday in Hiroshima, Japan.

Source: Zelenskyy to attend G7 summit Sunday as world leaders tighten sanctions against Russia over Ukraine

The girl and her family were detained at a border patrol site in Texas when she fell ill, officials say.

The agency said she was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead on Wednesday.

It said it would investigate the incident and that the Department of Homeland Security had been notified.

The Honduran consul in the border town of McAllen, Texas, José Leonardo Navas, identified the girl as Panama-born Anadith Tanay Reyes Alvarez.

Mr Navas told the Associated Press that she was travelling to the US with her Honduran parents and her two older siblings, and had been born with heart problems. Her father reportedly told the consul that she had been operated on in Panama three years ago.

Her death appears to be the first in US Border Patrol custody for several years.

But it is the second death of a child from Latin America in US government custody in as many weeks.

Last week a 17-year-old Honduran boy who arrived unaccompanied in the US died at a government shelter facility in Florida.

Source: Girl, 8, dies in US Border Patrol custody, officials say