December 15, 2024 3:53 am
PITTSBURGH-(WPXI)-When Neil Young said rock and roll can never die, that apparently did not include rock and roll-inspired restaurants. Station Square’s Hard Rock Cafe, a longstanding staple of the South Side development that had been open for over 20 years, will permanently close its doors on Feb. 13, 2025. According to a spokesperson for Hard Rock, the restaurant’s lease is expiring in February, and ownership made the decision to not renew. The closing comes after the chain rolled out a Pittsburgh-inspired burger to all of its over 300 international locations earlier this year.
December 14, 2024 3:57 am
A judge who helped orchestrate a scheme to send children to for-profit jails in exchange for kickbacks was among the 1,500 people whose sentences were commuted by President Joe Biden this week. Biden’s decision to commute the 17-year prison sentence of Michael Conahan angered many in northeastern Pennsylvania, from the governor to the families whose children were victimized by the disgraced former judge. What became known as the “kids for cash” scandal is considered one of the worst judicial scandals in U.S. history. It led the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to throw out some 4,000 juvenile convictions. Conahan was sentenced in 2011 and had already served much of it.
December 13, 2024 5:50 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is pushing toward a vote on legislation that would provide full Social Security benefits to millions of people. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer began the process on Thursday for a final vote on the bill, known as the Social Security Fairness Act. It would eliminate policies that currently limit Social Security payouts for roughly 2.8 million people. The legislation has passed the House. The bill would add more strain on the Social Security Trust funds, which are already estimated to be unable to pay out full benefits beginning in 2035. The measure would add an estimated $195 billion to federal deficits over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
December 13, 2024 9:47 am
A multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 79 Friday morning injured several people and closed the highway in both directions in Amwell Township for several hours, but both lanes were re-opened just after twelve-thirty. The accident happened just after eight o’clock between the Amity/Lone Pine and Laboratory exits. Authorities say a car traveling south crossed the median and went into the northbound lanes, striking another vehicle head-on. A third vehicle was also involved and one person was ejected. Four individuals were taken to area hospitals but there’s been no word on the extent of those injuries. One person was also reportedly treated at the scene and another refused treatment. (Photo: WPXI)
December 13, 2024 10:24 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans may have elected Donald Trump to a second term in November, but that doesn’t mean they have high confidence in his ability to choose well-qualified people for his Cabinet or effectively manage government spending, the military and the White House. That’s according to a new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About half of U.S. adults are “not at all confident” in Trump’s ability to appoint well-qualified people for high-level government positions. Only about 3 in 10 are “extremely” or “very” confident that Trump will pick qualified people to serve in his administration.
December 13, 2024 2:43 am
A Washington man was sentenced on his guilty plea for child pornography charges on Thursday. Trevor Korba, 23 pleaded guilty to two felony charges of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to 6-23 months in the Washington County Jail on one charge. On the second charge he will serve two years’ probation once the first sentence is complete. Korba was arrested after State Police searched his home and found a cell phone with 20 files of child pornography in April of 2023. Immediately after the hearing, a pre-trial services hearing was held on additional charges of child pornography and criminal use of a communications device. The new offenses allegedly occurred in November. Korba’s defense attorney, Sean Logue characterized the situation as complex and is looking to review files to be able to come to a just agreement. Korba will remain in jail on those new charges on $500,000 bond. He will be arraigned on those charges on January 23rd.
December 12, 2024 4:55 am
RESERVE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – There was no bomb threat made onboard a Spirit Airlines plane at Pittsburgh International Airport Thursday. Allegheny County police said they were requested to investigate a “security issue” onboard a Spirit flight that was scheduled to depart PIT for Tampa. The issue was reported to be a bomb threat. County police determined no threat was made and the situation was deemed not criminal in nature. Spokesperson for the Allegheny County Airport Authority Bob Kerlik said no injuries were reported and airport operations are unaffected. The FBI released the following statement: “The FBI and our law enforcement partners responded to a reported bomb threat onboard an aircraft at Pittsburgh International Airport. After a thorough investigation, it was determined to not be a credible threat. The FBI and our partners encourage the public to remain vigilant as they travel this time of year. Please report any suspicious activity to law enforcement by calling 911, reporting to your flight crew, or contacting the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.”
December 13, 2024 5:03 am
CLAIRTON, Pa. — (WPXI) – Hundreds of people gathered at the Clairton plant Thursday to show their support for the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel in Japan. Steelworkers, community members and local elected leaders filled the crowd, chanting and holding signs saying best deal for U.S. Steel. “I think Nippon Steel is going to bring a lot of money to Mon Valley. It desperately needs a lot technology they promise to bring to Mon Valley,” U.S. Steelworker Charles Clark said. The sale might come down to whether or not the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. deems it a national security concern. Both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have expressed the desire to block the sale. So has the United Steelworkers union. Thursday, Lt. Governor Austin Davis shared this message to leaders in Washington D.C. “What i will say is that leaders in Washington, if they’re not for this deal, they need to save what they’re for and what they think the future of steel making in western Pennsylvania and in this country looks like. I think they owe that to the people of western Pennsylvania. This region has often felt forgotten or left behind, it should not feel forgotten because the election is over. Folks have a commitment in Washington to the future of the Mon Valley in the future of steel making,” Davis said. Some steelworkers tell us what they fear most if the sale doesn’t happen. “Layoffs, closure, finding another job, you know,” steelworker Keith Skidmore said.
December 12, 2024 2:46 am
Authorities are investigating a barn fire Thursday afternoon at the Critter Country Animal Farm on Route 981 in Smithton. in Westmoreland County. According to their website, Critter Country has more than 55 different kinds of animals, including monkeys, lemurs, an Asiatic water buffalo, a leopard, a kangaroo and many more. There were no reported human injuries, but officials did not comment on the fate of the animals. (Photo: Critter Country Website)
December 13, 2024 4:57 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Police say the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was not a client of the medical insurer and may have targeted it because of its size and influence. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York in an interview that investigators have uncovered evidence that Luigi Mangione had prior knowledge UnitedHealthcare was holding its annual investor conference in New York City. Mangione did mention the company in a note found in his possession when he was detained by police in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested Monday after being spotted at a McDonald’s. Mangione remains jailed without bail in Pennsylvania. His lawyer there says he hasn’t seen any evidence yet linking him to the crime.
