Pittsburgh news

• AlphaLab Gear Helping Local Inventors Change The World

  03-02-2017 23:45
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pittsburgh has given the world the Ferris wheel, the Big Mac and pull-tabs on cans. No one knows what the next local product to take the world by storm will be. But here’s an idea where it might come from — an old bowling alley in East Liberty.
  Today, that old building is the home of AlphaLab Gear – a “start-up accelerator” that invests in fledgling inventors and innovators and helps develop their product ideas into viable companies.
  In one
  
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• Attempted Breach Of Toys “R” Us Rewards Members’ Accounts

  03-02-2017 23:42
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Someone is trying to rip off Geoffrey’s Friends, also known as Rewards “R” Us Members at Toys “R” Us.
  Rewards “R” Us members earn a point for every dollar spent, which accrue to real dollars saved and used at the cash register.
  But Toys “R” Us sent a statement to its members saying between Nov. and Jan. 17, there were “unauthorized attempts to access Rewards “R” Us loyalty member accounts.&rdqu
  
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• Funeral Home Director Accused Of Using Pre-Paid Funeral Fees To Support Gambling Problem

  03-02-2017 23:17
  
  BURGETTSTOWN (KDKA) — The Taucher Funeral Home is an icon in the Burgettstown community, but its reputation may now have a blemish.
  Owner and funeral director Lynn Sue Taucher faces numerous charges filed by the attorney general’s office, including fraud and theft.
  According to the criminal complaint, Taucher collected pre-paid fees for funerals and co-mingled the money with her own personal account.
  Her civil attorney simply calls it a matter of shoddy book-keeping.
  “I was hir
  
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• Black History Month 2017: Celebrating African-American Heritage

  03-02-2017 23:05
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — February is Black History Month and all month long, KDKA will be celebrating the local African-American heritage and some of the leaders.
  Feb. 3, 2017 — When Sylvia Wilson accepted the position as the chair of Alcosan’s Board of Directors, she didn’t realize she would be making history as the first African-American and the first woman in that job.
  WATCH IT HERE:
  Stay with KDKA-TV during the entire month of February for more on Black History Month.
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• Judge won't permit 'guilty but mentally ill' plea by Hribal

  03-02-2017 22:38 via post-gazette.com
  
  A Westmoreland County judge will not allow Alex Hribal to plead guilty but mentally ill to charges that he slashed and stabbed 20 fellow students and a security guard at Franklin Regional High School in 2014. 
  
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• Hill District man pleads guilty in 2014 homicide during drug deal

  03-02-2017 22:00 via post-gazette.com
  
  A Hill District man pleaded guilty today to a 2014 homicide during a drug deal.
  
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• Judge Denies Franklin Regional Stabbings Suspect Request To Plead Guilty But Mentally Ill

  03-02-2017 21:39
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A judge has shot down a request made by Alex Hribal to plead guilty but mentally ill.Judge Denies Alex Hribal request to change plea from not guilty to guilty but mentally ill. pic.twitter.com/iyVfmIBu8x
  — Ross Guidotti (@RossGuidotti) February 3, 2017
  In November, the teen, accused in the 2014 stabbing attack at Franklin Regional High School, changed his plea from not guilty. He was just 16 years old when police say he stabbed 20 fellow students and a security gu
  
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• Lawmakers reboot help for fire & EMS volunteers

  03-02-2017 21:04
  A commission to study the challenges to Pennsylvania's volunteer fire and ambulance companies is being rebooted after more than a decade. Lawmakers reboot help for fire & EMS volunteers A commission to study the challenges to Pennsylvania's volunteer fire and ambulance companies is being rebooted after more than a decade.
  
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• Pittsburgh Ranks 2nd In Study Of Best Cities For Football Fans

  03-02-2017 20:57
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Only two NFL fan bases have anything left to cheer for ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday.
  Plenty of other fans, especially here in Pittsburgh, are probably rooting against New England. While it’s all in fun, it shows how passionate fans are about football in Pittsburgh.
  A new WalletHub study proved that and ranked Pittsburgh as the second-best football city for fans!
  Pittsburgh was edged out by Green Bay for the top spot.
  WaletHub took 17 metrics into consideratio
  
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• Sorry: Pronger Fines Himself $5 For All-Star Hit On Bieber

  03-02-2017 20:29
  
  PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Justin Bieber’s biggest smash hit may have been the one Chris Pronger gave him during All-Star weekend.
  Is it too late for Pronger to say sorry?
  Well, Pronger, one of the NHL’s greatest defenseman, certainly won’t apologize for the smack down he delivered on Bieber that became a social media sensation because of a photo by the AP’s Mark J. Terrill.#1. Bobby Orr’s flying game winner. #2. Rocket Richard shaking hand of Bruins goalie. #3. THIS
  
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• Woman Dead In Penn Hills Fire

  03-02-2017 20:22
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A woman was killed Friday in a Penn Hills house fire.
  Around 1 p.m., crews were called to the 2000 block of School Street.
  By the time firefighters arrived, resident Jim Ryan had carried his wife Rita out of the home. She had been bedridden.
  “He brought her out of the house and put her in the car to get her away from the fire,” one relative said.
  Unfortunately, Rita Ryan was pronounced dead later.
  Gary Ryan received a phone call about the fire and rushe
  
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• Penn Hills Woman Pronounced Dead At Scene Of House Fire

  03-02-2017 20:22
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A woman was pronounced dead Friday after a fire broke out inside her Penn Hills home.
  Around 1 p.m., crews were called to the 2000 block of School Street.
  By the time firefighters arrived, resident Jim Ryan had carried his wife Rita out of the home. She had been bedridden.
  “He brought her out of the house and put her in the car to get her away from the fire,” one relative said.
  Unfortunately, Rita Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene.
  North Bessemer fi
  
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• One Person Dead In Penn Hills Fire

  03-02-2017 20:22
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — At least one person has been pronounced dead at the scene of a fire in Penn Hills.
  Around 1 p.m., crews were called to the 2000 block of School Street.
  Allegheny County officials confirm the Medical Examiner has been requested to the scene.
  It is not clear if anyone else was injured in the blaze.
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  This is a developing story, stay with KDKA and KDKA.com for more information. 
  
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• Investigators: Penn Hills Woman Died Before House Fire Began

  03-02-2017 20:22
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A woman was pronounced dead Friday after a fire broke out inside her Penn Hills home.
  Around 1 p.m., crews were called to the 2000 block of School Street.
  By the time firefighters arrived, resident Jim Ryan had carried his wife Rita out of the home. She had been bedridden.
  “He brought her out of the house and put her in the car to get her away from the fire,” one relative said.
  Unfortunately, Rita Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene.
  North Bessemer fi
  
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• Penn Hills police chief: Woman dead at site of fire on School Street

  03-02-2017 20:08 via post-gazette.com
  
  One person was reported dead today at the site of a fire at a Penn Hills home, according to the local police chief.
  
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• Authorities investigate death of woman at site of Penn Hills house fire

  03-02-2017 20:08 via post-gazette.com
  
  A woman was found dead today at the site of a Penn Hills house fire, which remained under investigation late this afternoon .
  
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• Lower Burrell Police Dept. To Get A Cut Of Convicted Drug Dealer’s Fortune

  03-02-2017 19:57
  
  LOWER BURRELL (KDKA) — Lower Burrell police will continue to benefit from a drug dealer’s conviction.
  The Tribune-Review reports, Omali Atiba McKay, 29, was convicted for selling cocaine four years ago.
  Money from the sale of McKay’s home, $185,000, is the latest stash to be divided up. Prosecutors say he used drug money to buy the home for $235,000.
  Chief Tim Weitzel told the Tribune-Review that Lower Burrell police will get part of the money, while a percentage goes
  
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• State Says Fewer Than 60,000 Visas Revoked Under Trump Immigration Order

  03-02-2017 19:38
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) – The State Department says fewer than 60,000 foreigners from seven majority-Muslim countries had their visas provisionally canceled after President Donald Trump’s executive order blocked them from traveling to the U.S.
  That figure contradicts a Justice Department lawyer’s claim Friday during a hearing in Virginia about the ban. The lawyer in that case said that about 100,000 visas were revoked.
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• Lawsuit targets rejection of Whole Foods, apartment redevelopment in East Liberty

  03-02-2017 19:27 via post-gazette.com
  
  The developer behind a controversial Whole Foods Market and apartment redevelopment at the former Penn Plaza apartment complex in East Liberty has fired another legal salvo in its bid to overturn the city planning commission’s rejection of its amended plan.
  
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• Police: Giant Anti-Trump Sign Stolen From Front Yard

  03-02-2017 19:15
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Wilkinsburg Police are asking for help tracking down the person who stole a large anti-Donald Trump sign.
  On Jan. 24, around 3:15 a.m., the sign was stolen from the front yard of a home on Biddle Avenue in Wilkinsburg.
  The custom-made 8′ x 7′ sign was painted on particle board and mounted into the ground.
  The sign depicts the Statue of Liberty punching President Donald Trump in the face, with a banner that reads: Keep America Great!
  The victim of this crime,
  
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• Giant Anti-Trump Sign Bound For Museum Stolen From Yard

  03-02-2017 19:15
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Wilkinsburg Police are asking for help tracking down the person who stole a large anti-Donald Trump sign.
  On Jan. 24, around 3:15 a.m., the sign was stolen from the front yard of a home on Biddle Avenue in Wilkinsburg.
  The custom-made 8′ x 7′ sign was painted on particle board and mounted into the ground.
  The sign depicts the Statue of Liberty punching President Donald Trump in the face, with a banner that reads: Keep America Great!
  Photo: Provided
  The victi
  
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• Sen. Toomey ‘Very Confident’ Judge Gorsuch Will Be Confirmed

  03-02-2017 18:41
  
  PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) -Earlier this week, President Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
  “I appreciate all of the help,” Trump told conservative group leaders, “in deciding who to pick for the United States Supreme Court.”
  However, those credentials could cause trouble in the Senate where the judge needs all 52 Republicans and eight Democratic senators to win confirmation.
  Today, Sen. Pat Toomey joined Mike Pintek to discuss the nomination
  
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• Peduto administration plans advisory team to assess PWSA, 'possible restructuring'

  03-02-2017 18:32 via post-gazette.com
  
  Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration is planning a financial and legal advisory team to strengthen services under the beleaguered Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, his office said this morning.
  
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• City to turn to advisory panel to study water, sewer issues

  03-02-2017 18:32 via post-gazette.com
  
  Mayor Bill Peduto wants to empanel a financial and legal advisory team to strengthen the services of the beleaguered Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.
  
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• Peduto Administration Seeks Help Addressing ‘Critical Need’ To Improve PWSA

  03-02-2017 18:27
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Reeling from a flush and boil advisory that affected 100,000 Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority customers, Mayor Bill Peduto’s Administration is seeking an outside advisory team to help with restructuring the PWSA.
  Citing a “critical need,” to improve the PWSA, a request for proposals was issued on Friday.
  “The City of Pittsburgh owns the water and sewer system that was leased to the PWSA decades ago. It’s time to reevaluate this s
  
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• Partner's son charged with stealing $800,000 from Downtown law firm

  03-02-2017 18:25 via post-gazette.com
  
  The son of a partner in a Downtown law firm has been accused of stealing more than $800,000 from the firm by forging checks on its business account and using them for himself.
  
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• Brady Could Become Winningest Super Bowl Quarterback Ever, But Montana Is Still The Best

  03-02-2017 18:18
  
  By Sam McPherson
  Sunday’s Super Bowl LI matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the favored New England Patriots features a subplot that could end up dominating the headlines after the game. If the Patriots emerge victorious at NRG Stadium in Houston against the Falcons, quarterback Tom Brady will break a tie with two Hall of Fame QBs for the most Super Bowl wins. Currently, Brady shares the record of four championship victories with Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw and San Franci
  
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• Keidel: Will Offense Or Defense Win Super Bowl LI?

  03-02-2017 17:56
  
  By Jason Keidel
  Alas, Super Bowl LI is here. So as we wind down the fortnight of football hype, it’s time to shift the focus from how these teams got here to what they’ll do now that they are here.
  This Super Bowl isn’t really framed as a difference in talent or temerity, but rather in class and perception. New England and Atlanta are as far apart in history as they are in geography.
  The Patriots are the blue bloods, the elites, NFL royalty of the highest order. They are, for l
  
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• Nordstrom To Drop Ivanka Trump’s Clothing, Accessories Line

  03-02-2017 17:52
  
  SEATTLE (AP) – Nordstrom says it will stop selling Ivanka Trump clothing and accessories.
  The Seattle Times reports the Seattle-based department store chain said the decision was based on the sales performance of the first daughter’s brand.
  A Nordstrom spokesperson didn’t say whether the decision to stop buying the brand was permanent, only that they make buying decisions each season.
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  The mo
  
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• Nordstrom Drops Ivanka Trump Line, Raising Questions Of Politics

  03-02-2017 17:52
  
  SEATTLE (KDKA) – Remember Ivanka Trump selling her products at Nordstrom?
  “Don’t forget to go to Nordstrom.com to see them all, the whole collection,” she once said in a video.
  No more.
  Later this year Nordstrom is dropping all Trump’s products, saying, “We’ve said all along we make buying decisions based on performance.”
  “Each year we cut about 10% and refresh our assortment with about the same amount. In this case, based on the brand’
  
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• Pa. Lawmaker Wants Bridge Named For Vet Named For Joe Biden

  03-02-2017 17:45
  
  SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) – The City Council in former Vice President Joe Biden’s Pennsylvania hometown is trying to stop a state lawmaker from naming a bridge after Biden.
  Scranton Councilman Pat Rogan says he loves Biden “as much as almost every other Scrantonian,” but he says the bridge being constructed is already named for a veteran.
  The Col. Frank Duffy Memorial Bridge honors the city’s highest-ranking soldier killed in World War I.
  Democratic state Rep. Kevin Hagger
  
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• Pittsburgh police arrest man in Spring Garden killing

  03-02-2017 17:30 via post-gazette.com
  
  An East Allegheny man has been arrested in a Spring Garden killing.
  
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• Pennsylvania Casino Fined For Serving Gambler 27 Drinks In 9 Hours

  03-02-2017 17:30
  
  MOUNT POCONO, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has fined a casino $25,000 for serving a gambler 27 drinks in a nine-hour period.
  A spokesman for Mount Airy Casino Resort didn’t immediately comment on the allegations or the fine. The gaming board says the fine was levied as part of a consent agreement, meaning the casino isn’t contesting the penalty.
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  The board says the custome
  
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• August Wilson Center Seeking To Hire Executive Director

  03-02-2017 17:28
  
  PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Center for African American Culture is seeking an executive director to run the nonprofit as it recovers financially from near foreclosure.
  The director will serve as the “point-person overall” for the center and oversee an operating budget expected to grow to $2.3 million in 2017.
  Along with three foundations, Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald helped rescue the center from a private developer who
  
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• Man Arrested In Connection With Fatal Spring Garden Shooting

  03-02-2017 17:24
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Police have arrested a suspect in connection with last week’s fatal shooting in Spring Garden.
  Using surveillance video and a statement from a witness, police identified 28-year-old Justin Parrotte as a suspect.
  He is accused of killing 40-year-old John Miller, whose body was found at the bottom of a set of city steps in the 1000 block of Vinial Street.
  According to the medical examiner, Miller suffered gunshot wounds to the head, trunk and extremities.
  Police wer
  
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• If You Need To Renew Your Passport, It’s Time To Do It ASAP

  03-02-2017 17:18
  
  CBS Local – The State Department has put out warnings about the passport renewal process, and for those who need to renew it within the next year, it could take longer than normal, via WESH.
  Renewing a passport routinely takes about six weeks. But now, the State Department is warning travelers that it could take even longer than that.  So why all the warnings?
  In 2007, Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative required American citizens to flash their passport when traveling
  
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• High Schools Could Soon Require Student CPR Certification

  03-02-2017 17:18
  
  CBS Local – Every high school student in South Dakota could soon be required to learn CPR, as introduced in a new bill from the American Heart Association, via KSFY in Souix Falls, SD. This could add that approximately an additional 10,000 trained CPR members each year.
  Nearly half a million people suffer from cardiac arrest every year. Having someone around who’s certified in CPR could save an estimated 90% of them.
  “This legislation would train what i
  
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• Police: Teacher Exposed Herself To Choir Class While Performing Cartwheel

  03-02-2017 17:17
  
  PAWHUSKA, Oklahoma (KDKA) — A substitute teacher in Oklahoma has been arrested after she allegedly performed a cartwheel without any undergarments.
  The Pawhuska Police Department reports the teacher was taken into custody on Jan. 31, after her cartwheel caused her to expose herself to the choir class.
  The act was reportedly recorded by a student with a cell phone.
  CBS affiliate KWTV identifies the teacher as Lacey Sponsler.
  She initially denied the incident altogether, but when faced with
  
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• Report Details Cheating, Misconduct At Pennsylvania State Police Academy

  03-02-2017 17:11
  
  HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s state inspector general says his investigators found evidence of cadet cheating, instructor misconduct and training and testing problems at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy.
  Inspector General Bruce Beemer issued a 47-page report Friday on the probe.
  The report says cheating was uncovered after an academy staff member found a folded, handwritten piece of paper in a hallway that was determined to be a cheat sheet containing 20 answers on a tra
  
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• Student Overdoses On Drug-Laced Lollipops At Pa. School

  03-02-2017 16:25
  
  ERIE, Pa. (AP) – Police say they’re having a lab test drug-laced lollipops that were handed out by a student at a Pennsylvania charter school, causing one student to overdose.
  Erie police Chief Donald Dacus says police seized 15 of the lollipops from a 17-year-old girl at Perseus House Charter School of Excellence.Police are concerned because they believe a man gave the girl about 60 of the lollipops, which she distributed to students at Perseus and other schools in the city.
  Police
  
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• AP FACT CHECK: Conway Cites ‘Massacre’ That Didn’t Happen

  03-02-2017 15:53
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) – A top aide to President Donald Trump has cited a 2011 “massacre” in Kentucky that never happened as a reason why the administration’s temporary ban on immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations is necessary.
  During an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews that aired Thursday, Kellyanne Conway defended Trump’s executive order on immigration last week by saying that former President Barack Obama instituted a similar policy for Iraqi refugee
  
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• Rankin man charged with firing several shots at jitney driver in East Pittsburgh

  03-02-2017 15:22 via post-gazette.com
  
  A Rankin man was arrested and charged with firing at a jitney driver in East Pittsburgh early this morning.
  
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• Metal Objects In Some Cans Prompt Skoal Tobacco Recall

  03-02-2017 15:14
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) – Some varieties of Skoal, Copenhagen, Cope and Husky brand smokeless tobacco are being voluntarily recalled amid complaints of metal objects, some of them sharp, being spotted in cans.
  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says all of the recalled products were manufactured at U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company’s facility in Franklin Park, Illinois. The FDA says the company initiated the recall after getting eight consumer complaints about the metal objects in six states
  
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• PTL Links: Feb. 3, 2017

  03-02-2017 14:34
  
  Visit the links below for more on today’s guest & topics:
  Huszar
  AARP Scam SeriesFraud Watch NetworkMo’nique’s Podcast
  Aubrey Worek Fitness
  Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
  Shaw Galleries
  Mullaney’s Harp & Fiddle Irish Pub
  I Made It Market
  
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• Man arrested after shots fired into neighbor's house in Polish Hill

  03-02-2017 14:20 via post-gazette.com
  
  A man was arrested early this morning after a brief standoff with a SWAT team that was called in when an elderly neighbor’s house was shot at in Polish Hill, Pittsburgh police said.
  
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• Pittsburgh’s Rising UFC Star To Feature In National TV Bout

  03-02-2017 13:16
  
  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A blue-collar UFC fighter from Pittsburgh will be taking his talents to Houston this weekend.
  Adam Milstead is a pipeline technician by day, but is a UFC fighter in his spare time. And he says that his day job gives him extra motivation when he gets in the Octagon.
  “Being able to do that and being what I call the driving force behind the economy is the working class American, and still having that and being able to be put on the big stage at the UFC, really helps
  
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• High Lead Levels Still Present In Butler Co. School’s Water

  03-02-2017 12:51
  
  BUTLER (KDKA) – Tests of the water an elementary school in Butler County continue to show high levels of lead.
  The latest Summit Elementary School water test results were released on Thursday. The results showed a sample from the well had a very low lead level and a below detection limit for copper.
  However, the sample from the raw water tap in the school’s boiler room had levels of both lead and copper that were over the action level.
  Meanwhile, classes were canceled for the week af
  
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• Three arrested following carjacking in Hill District

  03-02-2017 12:50 via post-gazette.com
  
  Two men and a juvenile were arrested in connection with a carjacking and brief police chase in the Hill District Thursday night.
  
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• 2 juveniles among three in custody following carjacking in Hill District

  03-02-2017 12:50 via post-gazette.com
  
  Three people, including two juveniles, were taken into custody after a carjacking and brief police chase in the Hill District Thursday night.
  
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• Soldier Shoots Armed Attacker Outside Paris’ Louvre Museum

  03-02-2017 11:35
  
  PARIS, FRANCE (AP) — Paris police say a soldier shot an armed attacker Friday morning outside the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
  Police say the soldiers had told him he couldn’t enter a shopping complex under the museum with his bags. The Paris police chief says the man was armed with a machete and shouting “God is great” in Arabic when he launched himself at soldiers and police officers.
  A police union official says the man tried to stab one of the soldiers. The attacke
  
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