March 17, 2024 7:14 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) – The color green painted the streets, rooftops and sidewalks of Pittsburgh. The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade drew thousands who lined nearly a mile and a half from the Strip District to Downtown. “Something about the bag pipers. They send the chill up and down my spine, there’s about seven in the parade,” said Ron Connor. Connor’s family found the perfect spot for what’s become a tradition. “How many people in the family? About 30, 30 people in the family, 30 year tradition,” said Connor. Pittsburgh police and public works beefed up their presence to keep everyone safe with crowd control. The parade is an opportunity for the public to meet local leaders and law enforcement officials. “Our police force, Allegheny County, we have the horses, we have the bicycles. We have everything here today so that people get to interact with their police and know who they are,” said Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato. Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is recognized as one of the largest in the country. The party doesn’t end with the parade. It continues all around the city.
March 17, 2024 7:12 am
ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) – A woman died in a crash on I-70 Saturday morning. Westmoreland County 911 says fire, police and EMS units and the coroner were called to mile marker 44.9 on I-70 in Rostraver Township at around 8:11 a.m. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said Tori L. Demo, 25, was driving a Toyota Camry and was rear-ended by a pick-up truck. She was pronounced dead at the scene. State police said Demo’s car caught fire after it was hit. I-70 in the area of mile 45 was closed for a period of time in both directions because of the crash.
March 17, 2024 7:00 am
TikTok creators across the country are expressing frustration over a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that would lead to a nationwide ban of the app if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake. The proposal is awaiting Senate input. Content creators say a ban would hurt countless people and businesses that rely on the app for a significant portion of their income. TikTok supporters also say the app is unrivaled platform for dialogue and community. The push to remove TikTok from Chinese authority follows concerns about the security of user data, interference in U.S. elections and the suppression of content unfavorable to Beijing, all of which TikTok denies.
March 17, 2024 7:00 am
A man is facing charges after TSA officers found a handgun at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Allegheny County Police say the gun was found in a backpack at the airport’s main security checkpoint at 12:15 p.m. on Friday. Police say the backpack belonged to Robert Stalter, 49, from Bethel Park. Officers say Stalter had an expired concealed carry permit. He faces one misdemeanor charge of carrying a firearm without a license. The FBI was notified of the incident. Passengers who bring guns into the airport can face federal fines up to $10,000.
March 17, 2024 5:11 am
PITTSBURGH — Make sure you have the heavier coat as you get going on Monday. Clouds will increase through the morning hours, isolated snow showers are possible at times, highs will be in the upper 30s near 40 degrees. Scattered snow showers will become more numerous late Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning. A coating is possible in many areas with an inch or two possible in the mountains and north along I-80. Tuesday morning will be another cold start with wind chills in the teens once again. A few isolated snow showers mixing with rain showers are possible Tuesday afternoon, still very chilly highs around 40 degrees. Windy Wednesday and highs will stay in the 40s for the remainder of the work week.
March 16, 2024 10:40 am
ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The Westmoreland County coroner was called to a crash on I-70 Saturday morning. Westmoreland County 911 says fire, police and EMS units were called to the scene on I-70 in Rostraver Township. The Rostraver Central Fire Department on Facebook said I-70 in the area of mile 45 was closed in both directions because of the “serious accident.” Officials are asking to public to use alternate routes. No other details are currently available.
March 16, 2024 5:25 am
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — When Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died suddenly last month in an Arctic prison, his team was left with a monumental challenge: sustaining an opposition movement against President Vladimir Putin without the living example of their defiant and charismatic leader. A significant test will come Sunday, the last of three days that Russian voters can go to the polls in a presidential election that is widely viewed as more of a formality than an exercise in democracy. Navalny’s team is urging Russians to flock to polling stations Sunday at noon local time across the country’s 11 time zones to demonstrate their discontent with Putin’s rule and his war against Ukraine.
March 16, 2024 5:24 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian regional governor says two people have been killed in Ukrainian shelling of the city of Belgorod, close to the border with Ukraine. Three others were wounded. Also on Saturday, a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at an oil refinery belonging to Russian oil giant Rosneft in the Samara region, the regional governor said. He added that an attack on another refinery was thwarted. No casualties were reported. The attacks come a day after a Russian assault on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa killed at least 20 people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised a “just response” to the attack.
March 16, 2024 5:23 am
WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military says a ship has delivered 200 tons of food, water and humanitarian supplies to Gaza, inaugurating a sea route from Cyprus. The sea route is intended to bring more assistance to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the enclave five months into the war between Israel and Hamas. The food on the ship was sent by World Central Kitchen, the charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, and was transported by the Spanish aid group Open Arms. The ship left Cyprus on Tuesday. Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Friday that 149 people were killed over the past 24 hours, bringing to at least 31,490 the number of Palestinians killed in the war.
March 16, 2024 5:20 am
PITTSBURGH — State police have arrested two Rivers Casino employees after what investigators are calling a “complex cheating conspiracy” that took place at a Roulette table. State police said Robin Schnepp, a table games dealer, and supervisor Anthony Laush helped at least two players cheat on several occasions and win thousands of dollars. Investigators were tipped off by an anonymous letter sent to Rivers Casino earlier this year about Interblock Roulette, which requires the dealer to manually spin the ball in the opposite direction of the wheel. When that does not happen, sensors do not identify that the wheel has been spun, allowing players to continue to place bets, even after the ball lands on a number and the outcome has been determined. State police said on more than one occasion, surveillance video shows Schnepp spinning the roulette ball incorrectly, and a man and a woman increasing their bets after the ball landed. Laush then comes over and validates the spin, with both players each walking away with more than $2,000 in fraudulent winnings. Additionally, Laush is accused of loading fraudulent comps onto that same man’s account. It’s unclear if the players will be charged. State police said the casino lost more than $10,000 because of these incidents. Schnepp and Laush are scheduled to appear in court for preliminary hearings on April 2.
