May 29, 2025 4:46 am
State Police say they investigated 756 crashes that resulted in 140 injuries and five deaths over the four day Memorial Day holiday weekend. Total crashes were down from 849 in 2024. Intoxicated drivers were a factor in 57 of those crashes, two of which were fatal. Troopers also arrested 519 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. That’s up from 456 last year. More than 27-thousand citations were issued. More than 7-thousand for speeding, 977 for failing to wear a seat belt and 166 for not securing children in safety seats.
May 29, 2025 4:42 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Pennsylvania court officials are warning the public of a text scam. The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts says the scams involve messages that mimic the Pennsylvania Courts and/or Unified Judicial System website. The text tells victims that court records show they have an outstanding traffic ticket that must be paid. The scam also lays out fake actions and penalties if the ticket is not paid, including license and vehicle suspension, prosecution and negative credit score impacts. Court officials say they will never call or text anyone soliciting payment via any means for any reason. You should never give personal information to anyone claiming to be from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts through text or call. If you get one of these scam texts, officials encourage you to contact local police at the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection at (800) 441-2555.
May 29, 2025 1:00 am
In a public hearing that lasted well over two hours, Mt. Pleasant Township residents voiced their opposition to the construction of a tank pad by Range Resources. The proposed site of the tank pad would be on the Yonker well site on Baker Road near the intersection of Fort Cherry Road and Walnut Road. That intersection is governed by a four way stop sign configuration. During the presentation of the project, it was stated that the tanks on the pad would be temporary structures housing fresh and reused water. The total operational time would be 30-60 days twice each year with operations being conducted 24 hours a day. Late summer construction would then lead to first usage in the fall. Residents that spoke during the hearing largely support gas drilling in the township. Most people pre-qualifying their statements with that support. Most of the arguments centered on safety. It was stated that the intersection is deficient for large trucks. People were concerned about the proximity of the site to nearby schools. Paul Salansky, whose farm is adjacent to the would be site, called on supervisors to not just “do the lawful thing, how about we do the right thing.” Supervisors now have 45 days to render their decision.
May 28, 2025 5:19 pm
(WPXI) – A local war hero accused of raping a teenage girl faced a judge on Wednesday. At the hearing, it was determined that Brandon Rumbaugh will stay behind bars, as the judge denied him bond. He wasn’t able to make it to the bond hearing because his defense attorney, David Shrager said there weren’t accommodations for Rumbaugh, who is a double amputee, to get into the magistrate. That issue was one of the arguments Shrager had for letting Rumbaugh out on bond. “We’re dealing with someone who is a double amputee who has special medical needs and medication. Quite frankly, I don’t know if the jail is capable of handling that in an appropriate way. They couldn’t even bring him here safely,” Shrager said. Rumbaugh is a decorated Marine veteran who lost both of his legs after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan. For the last week, he’s been in jail after police say he raped a 13 year old girl multiple times in his Pleasant Hills home. Investigators say Rumbaugh and the girl watched military movies together, then eventually he sexually assaulted her. Shrager says he plans to ask for bond again in a higher court.
May 28, 2025 12:11 pm
(WPXI) PITTSBURGH — The Roberto Clemente Bridge in Downtown Pittsburgh will close on Thursday for the Post Malone concert at PNC Park. The bridge will be closed from 7 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
May 28, 2025 11:31 am
(WPXI) BETHEL PARK, Pa. — When it comes to buying real estate in western Pennsylvania, Walmart isn’t stopping with the Monroeville Mall. After the world’s largest retailer bought the region’s largest shopping mall last year for $34 million in cash as a future redevelopment project, according to real estate records, Walmart has now bought the Bethel Park Shopping Center on Library Road, a retail property, unlike Monroeville Mall, in which it already operates a store as a major anchor. According to real estate records, an affiliate of the big box retailer called Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust paid $39.6 million, which translates to more than $5 million more for a shopping center of a little more than 200,000 square feet, a retail complex around one-sixth the size of the more than 1.2 million-square-foot Monroeville Mall. A spokesman for the Bentonville-based retailer confirmed the company bought the retail property and indicated to expect no changes to the Bethel Park Shopping Center. “Walmart wants to continue to operate in Bethel Park, and purchasing the store provided the best opportunity to continue serving our customers in the long-term,” said Mark Rickel, director of corporate communications for Walmart, in an email, adding, “there are no plans to expand the store.” He further added that “Walmart owns most of its store properties and generally prefers to do so.” But a site plan for Bethel Park Shopping Center detailed on the website of the property’s leasing representative, Echo Retail, show a store that’s smaller that typical Walmart supercenters and larger than its smaller neighborhood market prototype.
May 28, 2025 5:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans’ views of the economy improved in May after five straight months of declines sent consumer confidence to the lowest level since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, largely driven by anxiety over the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose 12.3 points in May to 98, up from April’s 85.7, its lowest reading since May 2020. A measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for their income, business conditions and the job market jumped 17.4 points to 72.8, but remained below 80, which can signal a recession ahead.
May 28, 2025 5:12 am
SpaceX has launched its Starship mega rocket again after back-to-back explosions. It made it through the entire test flight Tuesday evening, but fell short of its main objectives when the spacecraft tumbled out of control. SpaceX had hoped to release a series of mock satellites following liftoff from Texas, but that got nixed because the door failed to open all the way. Then the spacecraft began spinning as it skimmed space toward an entry in the Indian Ocean. The first-stage booster ended up in the Gulf of Mexico in pieces. There were no plans to catch the booster this time.
May 28, 2025 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is asking federal agencies to cancel contracts with Harvard University worth about $100 million. The move intensifies the president’s clash with the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university. The government already has canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants for the Ivy League school, which has pushed back on the administration’s demands for changes to several of its policies. A letter sent Tuesday from the General Services Administration directed agencies to review contracts with the university and seek alternate vendors. President Donald Trump has railed against Harvard, calling it a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism. The school filed a lawsuit over the administration’s calls for changes to the university.
May 28, 2025 5:07 am
BERLIN (AP) — Ukrainian President Zelenskyy will visit Berlin to meet with new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The talks on Wednesday come amid an escalation in Russia’s bombing campaign despite U.S.-led attempts at peace talks. Germany has been the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States. Zelenskyy’s visit on Wednesday comes two days after Merz said his country and other major allies are no longer imposing any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion. Russian forces launched an attack overnight on Ukraine using five Iskander ballistic missiles, one guided air-launched missile and 88 drones.
