http://www.post-gazette.com/ Local/regional news and features, Latest news, Education, Transportation, Mining Safety, Weather, Capitol Notes, Casino News, Casino Journal, News Obituaries, Morning File en-us Copyright 2010, post-gazette.com. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:02:35 -0400 15 http://www.post-gazette.com/includes/2007design/images/150x30pg_now_logo.gif http://www.post-gazette.com/ 144 39 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043678-122.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Francis R. Lynch, a Baldwin Borough businessman and volunteer firefighter who was instrumental in starting the borough's emergency medical service, died Sunday of complications from ailments including heart disease and kidney failure. He was 81. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:25:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043443-54.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Bellevue - Bellevue Christian Church, 680 Lincoln Ave., will hold the following programs: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043444-57.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Beaver Falls - Geneva College, 3200 College Ave., will host a performance by singer/songwriter Tyrone Wells at 8 tonight in the John White Chapel in the Old Main building. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043445-58.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Bethel Park - "Prelude to Spring," an exhibit of painting, sculpture and photography, will be held through March 27 at the Historic Schoolhouse, 2600 South Park Road. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043449-54.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Fandom, in the age of Facebook, doesn't necessarily mean you like the public works department, the library collection or the police force. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043462-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml When she was a student at Thomas Jefferson High School a half century ago, Ruth Burkett Daerr was a member of the history club. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043507-54.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Instead of soaking up sunshine at oceanfront resorts, six women and three men, students at the University of Vermont, spent their spring break last week working on the future Millvale Community Library. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043508-57.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Coraopolis: William Kirby, 23, was hired March 10 as a part-time police dispatcher. The vote was 7-0. Shelley Jones was absent. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043513-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A travel expenditure school board approved March 8 has been the subject of criticism from teachers, who have been working without a contract since Aug. 31, as well as community members. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043514-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Ever wonder as an adult what it would be like to be in high school and possess the knowledge and wisdom you now have? Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043515-56.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Environmental organizations are saying the Turtle Creek watershed faces little risk of contamination following a train accident that killed one man and spilled materials onto its banks this week. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043518-59.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Rankin - The Educational Board of Mount Olive Baptist Church, 330 Fourth St., will hold an international holiday from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday. Donation is $10. Call 412-271-0303. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043523-291.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml For the second year in a row, the small university that calls Moon its home has earned a date in The Big Dance. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043524-57.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The penalty that the Imperial Landfill in Findlay received from the state DEP for violations related to malodors imposes a $650,000 fine but does not require the landfill to correct problems. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043531-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Two of the three school superintendents that West Jefferson Hills Superintendent Terry Kinavey is accused of plagiarizing said they have never met her and did not give her permission to use their work. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043684-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A panel of parking experts recommended Wednesday that any plan to turn over Pittsburgh parking garages and meters to the private sector have inducements -- such as free parking for religious services and special supports for retailers -- to win broad community support. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043691-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Plans to close Pittsburgh Rooney 6-8 in Brighton Heights at the end of the school year were presented again to the city board of education Wednesday night before a final vote next Wednesday. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043692-454.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml HARRISBURG -- Deliberations in the Bonusgate public corruption trial are beginning to take their toll on jurors, who completed a fourth day of deliberations Wednesday without reaching a verdict. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043695-56.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml William Page told the jury Wednesday in his death penalty trial that he gave a false confession because he wanted to protect his fiance and mother. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043698-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml James Gambrell delivers mail in Pittsburgh's Polish Hill neighborhood and, nearly every day, he knocks on the window of Lucille Zolkoski's house to check on her. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043700-455.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Suspects in a fake kidnapping and extortion scheme wondered about the small, black box they found inside a canvas bag along with $10,000, a partial payment on the $50,000 ransom they sought. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043701-54.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A New Castle police officer who was accused in 2008 of sexually assaulting two teenage girls pleaded guilty Monday to two counts each of indecent assault and corruption of minors. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043702-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml McGuffey School District teachers have notified the school district they intend to go on strike Monday unless an agreement is reached. A negotiation session is scheduled for Friday night. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043703-56.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The locomotive engineer who was killed Tuesday in the crash of two freight trains in North Versailles died from compression and blunt force trauma, the Allegheny County medical examiner's office determined. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043704-56.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A man walking along state Route 764 was struck and killed by a motorist Tuesday. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043706-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Police charged a Garfield man with animal cruelty Wednesday after they found dead and dying dogs in kennels in his backyard. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043707-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Narcotics detectives found 1,000 stamp bags of heroin and arrested two people after searching a Carrick home on Tuesday. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043708-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A Mount Washington man was sleeping in his apartment early Wednesday when he felt someone get into bed with him. Figuring it was his girlfriend, he called out her name. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043709-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Police Tuesday confiscated 500 stamp bags of suspected heroin from a car driven by a North Side man. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043710-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml All charges were dropped Wednesday against Alonzo Cotton, a Pitcairn man who had been accused in a hit-and-run incident Feb. 21 that severely injured a woman in Homewood. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043712-54.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Alaskan officials shot and killed two wolves that are believed to have attacked and killed a Slippery Rock native in a remote corner of the state last week. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043717-294.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml On Monday, March 1, I decided to venture outside. After a long illness and a case of cabin fever, I decided to get a haircut at a place right up the street from my home. I felt strong enough to stop at S&T Bank in Penn Hills, which is a short distance away, to get a check cashed. Seeing the friendly faces of the bank employees, I thought, would give me a boost. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043720-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A year after facing a $117.8 million shortfall and possible shutdown, the North Shore Connector project is alive and well. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043722-454.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml PHILADELPHIA -- A federal appeals court Wednesday decided not to decide whether photos in a "sexting" controversy are free speech protected by the First Amendment. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043723-147.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Pittsburgh Councilman Doug Shields Wednesday fleshed out his demands for an overhaul of towing practices, saying he wants to fine or ban companies that don't comply with new regulations and tighten requirements for towing illegally parked vehicles from privately owned lots. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043727-56.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml State police arrested a Somerset County man Tuesday and charged him with sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman and a 9-month-old girl. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043729-56.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml An 83-year-old Somerset County woman was killed when she turned into the path of a truck on Route 30 in Somerset County Wednesday morning. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043746-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said Wednesday that Pittsburgh would build on the pioneering legacy of George Westinghouse and Jonas Salk by luring a super-fast Internet system to the city, and he urged residents to help him make the case with Google. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043755-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Just how did farm chickens end up inside campus buildings at Carnegie Mellon University last weekend? And who decided to paint them? Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043757-147.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Port Authority officials have halted installation of new bus fareboxes because of several problems, including currency jamming in the machines. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043759-454.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is holding a special hearing as part of efforts to clarify and possibly expand its role in regulating burgeoning Marcellus shale gas well and gas pipeline development. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043760-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The Department of Justice Wednesday confirmed that its civil rights division has opened an investigation into the Jan. 12 arrest and beating of Pittsburgh high school student Jordan Miles. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043796-56.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml County homicide detectives are investigating what appears to be skeletal human remains that were found Wednesday in Bullock Pens Park in Churchill. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10077/1043801-56.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A Rankin police officer responding to a call was injured after another car hit his police cruiser around 9 p.m. Wednesday on the Rankin Bridge. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043697-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Allegheny County homicide detectives are investigating after bones were found in Bullock Pens Park in Churchill. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:08:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043667-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Several local police departments and the Pennsylvania State Police have surrounded a house in Butler County where a man has refused to come out and has fired at least one shot, a Butler County dispatcher said. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:22:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043641-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Police charged a Garfield man with animal cruelty today after they found dead and dying dogs in kennels in his backyard. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:54:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043447-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml HARRISBURG -- At least three jurors hearing the Bonusgate public corruption trial wept as they ended a fourth day of deliberation today. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:53:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043660-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml McGuffey School District teachers have notified the school district they intend to go on strike Monday unless an agreement is reached. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:42:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043643-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The West Pittsburgh Partnership kicked off a state-funded $150,000 master plan process today to reinvigorate the West End under a new brand, the West End Village. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:45:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043642-147.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh announced today that half of the Mon Wharf parking spaces will be available for parking Thursday Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:42:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043573-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml All charges were dropped today against Alonzo Cotton, a Pitcairn man who had been accused in a hit-and-run that severely injured a woman in Homewood Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:31:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043631-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A structure that was being demolished in Cheswick this afternoon fell into a nearby building, prompting an evacuation. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:20:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043340-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A man whose arrest during Saturday's rowdy St. Patrick's Day revelry was captured on YouTube made his first court appearance on a string of criminal charges Tuesday, his face bruised. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:30:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043527-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A federal grand jury has subpoenaed interview records for seven people, including five city police officers, as part of a look into complaints of police brutality in the beating of a city high school student Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:30:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043520-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The locomotive engineer who was killed Tuesday in the crash of two freight trains in North Versailles died of compression and blunt force trauma, the Allegheny County medical examiner's office determined Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:15:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043471-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl this morning sought the public's help in persuading Google to select Pittsburgh as a test city for a new, superfast Internet network. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:33:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043509-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Tasha2, the female peregrine falcon at the Gulf Tower, Downtown, has laid her first egg of the season Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:24:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043459-113.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Legislation that would define a green roof and establish zoning height allowances for rooftop gardens was considered and postponed until March 30 at a city Planning Commission hearing Tuesday Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:55:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043448-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A man was injured when pieces of metal fell on him at a plant in Westmoreland County. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:47:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043467-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A Mount Washington man was sleeping in his apartment early this morning when he felt someone get into bed with him Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:15:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043470-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml BROOKVILLE, Pa. -- Before finding him dead, at least five Punxsutawney Borough employees -- including police officers and the mayor -- checked on a man who was drunk in the back seat of a police cruiser, an officer's attorney said this morning Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:47:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043468-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The beacon atop the Gulf Tower in Downtown Pittsburgh will be glowing green tonight to mark St. Patrick's Day Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:35:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043465-147.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Port Authority has reduced its estimate of the final cost of the North Shore Connector by $10 million, citing management efficiencies. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:26:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043460-147.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Port Authority has halted the installation of new bus fareboxes because of a problem with currency jamming in the machines. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:07:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043458-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Narcotics detectives found 1,000 stamp bags of heroin and arrested two people after searching a Carrick home on Tuesday Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:57:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043446-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A man walking along state Route 764 was struck and killed by a motorist Tuesday. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:04:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043359-84.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Protesters from both sides of the health reform debate Tuesday thronged outside the office of one of the House's remaining fence-sitters, each trying to pull him in their direction. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:08:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043440-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Several residents from the North Fields neighborhood in Adams asked the Mars Area school board Wednesday night to send school buses into their plan. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:41:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043433-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml ITHACA, N.Y. -- All weekend, Cornell University's residential advisers knocked on dorm rooms to inquire how students were coping. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043434-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Facing intense resistance from teachers' unions, the Obama administration has begun trying to persuade union leaders, teachers and the public that its proposals for overhauling federal education policies are good for teachers and for public schools. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043401-455.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The Federal Railroad Administration is investigating the collision of two freight trains near U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Plant in North Braddock early Tuesday. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:22:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043352-455.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml It seemed to police like a high-stakes kidnapping, complete with a missing son, a distraught father and suspects whose ransom demands grew increasingly desperate. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:15:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043309-55.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Significant gains in student achievement have garnered a national award for Propel McKeesport charter school, along with $100,000 in cash for its staff. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043313-454.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A bill to make "sexting" a second-degree misdemeanor rather than a felony has been approved by the House Judiciary Committee. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043314-147.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Lane markings on the newly repaved Parkway East inbound from the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Churchill were decimated by snow plows over the winter and must be replaced. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043315-58.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The Washington County coroner has scheduled an inquest in the death of a man who was shocked by a Taser during an altercation with police in November. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043316-147.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A Port Authority board committee will hear a proposal today to hire a private contractor to operate and manage the South Hills Village parking garage. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043317-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Pittsburgh City Council will hold a public hearing on the city's response to the Feb. 5 and 6 snowstorm. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043318-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml City and school police were at Pittsburgh Carrick High School Tuesday afternoon as a precaution, officials said, after a student fight Monday triggered text-message rumors of a potential gunfight. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043319-56.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A man ordered to spend the rest of his life in prison for a 1975 slaying lost his appeal to the state Superior Court on Tuesday. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043320-454.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml After about 19 hours of deliberation over three days, jurors did not reach a verdict Tuesday in the government corruption case of former state Rep. Mike Veon and three former aides. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043321-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A Forest Hills man pleaded no contest Tuesday to several charges in connection with his work with the voter registration group ACORN. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043322-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A Stanton Heights woman was arrested Tuesday after she left her two young children in her sport utility vehicle at an East Liberty shopping center for at least a half-hour while she got her nails done, police said. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043336-294.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Each year on March 17, I remember my mother's birthday and think of her at 25, left alone on a houseboat with three small children in the St. Patrick's Day flood of 1936. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043338-114.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml If Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has his way, sales of sugary drinks one day might be refreshing the city treasury. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043349-364.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml As recently as this fall, 73-year-old Paul Garlitz Jr. was throwing flags, calling penalties and running all over Western Pennsylvania's high school football fields with able-bodied teenagers. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043350-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml MILWAUKEE -- Girls have bridged the gap with boys and now perform as well on state math tests, but boys consistently trail girls on state reading tests -- sometimes by dramatic margins, according to a national report released today. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043354-56.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml HARRISBURG -- A state legislator from the State College area has some words of warning for teenagers regarding the people they date. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043361-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Four people, including three firefighters, were injured in a fire early Tuesday in the city's Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043363-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A compromise between Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and City Council keeps a trio of parking-for-pensions plans alive, at least until a June showdown that could decide the price of a space and Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043364-147.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has been hearing it from motorists who erroneously thought last week's opening of the "hole in the wall" marked the end of the West End Circle reconstruction project. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043393-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Pittsburgh City Councilman Ricky Burgess on Tuesday introduced two more bills that he said are designed to improve public safety and boost public confidence in the police department. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043397-54.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml She's been going on shopping trips to Victoria's Secret while she's supposed to be under house arrest. She still has at least two horses registered in her name. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10076/1043404-455.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The state Department of Education has issued waivers for making up some snow days in four school districts: Canon-McMillan, East Allegheny, Penn-Trafford and Philadelphia. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043283-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml His face bruised and bandaged, a man whose arrest during this weekend's rowdy St. Patrick's Day revelry was captured on YouTube made his first court appearance today on a string of charges. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:26:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043259-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl today expressed support for Philadelphia's proposal to enact a tax on sugary drinks Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:17:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043231-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The state Department of Education has issued waivers for making up some snow days in four school districts: Canon-McMillan, East Allegheny, Penn-Trafford and Philadelphia Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:30:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043271-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml City and school police were at Carrick High School this afternoon as a precaution, officials said, after a student fight Monday triggered text-message rumors of a potential gunfight today Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:24:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043261-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml HARRISBURG -- After about 19 hours of deliberation, jurors have not yet reached a verdict in the government corruption case of former state Rep. Mike Veon and three associates Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:05:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043260-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The Washington County coroner has scheduled an inquest in the death of a man who was shocked by a Taser during an altercation with police in November. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:53:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043220-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Two trains operated by a U.S. Steel subsidiary crashed this morning near the Edgar Thomson Plant, killing a railroad employee. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:26:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043258-147.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml PennDOT reminds drivers that East Carson Street (on the South Side will be closed in both directions tonight and Wednesday and Thursday nights Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:15:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043221-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Three people, including two firefighters, were injured in a fire this morning on Shadeland Avenue. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:02:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043244-34.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml NEW YORK - PepsiCo plans to remove sugary drinks from schools worldwide, following the success of programs in the United States aimed at cutting down on childhood obesity. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:37:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043243-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The woman who ran what she called a cat sanctuary, where hundreds of dead animals were found after an undercover investigation, faces having her probation revoked. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:28:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043003-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The University of Pittsburgh has maintained its No. 1 spot on the Top 20 list of wealthiest colleges and universities in the Pittsburgh region, but two other institutions of higher learning on this year's list fell to a lower rank while two others advanced. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:38:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043234-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml HARRISBURG -- A bill to make "sexting" a second-degree misdemeanor rather than a felony was approved by the House Judiciary Committee today. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043090-147.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Sidewalks installed less than two years ago as part of a $7 million renovation of Point State Park are already starting to crumble. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:53:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043233-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml As residents continued to complain about police conduct in the Jordan Miles case, Pittsburgh City Councilman Ricky Burgess this morning introduced legislation that would require the police department to make an annual public report on its activities and problems. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:45:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043230-455.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml U.S. Steel said today it plans to sell $500 million in senior, unsecured notes and will use proceeds from the debt issue for general corporate purposes. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:17:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043222-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The North Hills School Board gave unanimous approval during Monday night's regular legislative meeting to an elementary redistricting plan that will go into effect for the 2010-11 school year. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:09:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043224-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The Mt. Lebanon School District's $113.3 million renovation of its high school has effectively been halted, after the municipality's zoning board denied two variances the school district had requested. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:07:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043226-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml HARRISBURG -- A conservative Republican senator from Blair County is making another attempt to strengthen the state???s existing ban on marriages between persons of the same sex. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:51:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043225-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A new subdivision of estate homes on a 42-acre wooded site in Pine received preliminary approval Monday from the board of supervisors Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:44:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043223-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The fate of the Mayview State Hospital property will be discussed at a meeting in Harrisburg Thursday, but South Fayette officials are pushing for a public meeting at the former hospital so more interested parties can attend Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:37:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043192-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml In the blueprint for overhauling federal education policy that President Obama sent to Congress on Monday, his administration seeks to confront some of the major educational challenges that have developed during the eight years that President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind law has been a powerful influence on the nation's public schools. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043086-122.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml As a dedicated working man, Bernard R. Novak could do just about anything. He laid block and brick, poured concrete, did plumbing, wiring and carpentry work, and even could fix cars. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:01:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043076-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Get ready for Big Six, big rolls and lots of poker and blackjack. The Rivers Casino is revving up its table games operation. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043077-454.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml In this recession, being behind the times has been a good thing as the unemployment rate in the Pittsburgh area continued to be much lower than that in the rest of the nation. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043089-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A trio of legal opinions on Monday boosted Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's argument that leasing parking authority garages to a private entity is the best plan for infusing cash into the troubled city pension fund. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043091-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml When Chris Pollock was trapped alone in a farm field two years ago, his hands caught in a grinding, mechanized corn picker, "I asked God three times to let me die." Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043093-455.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml During a geology field trip in 2004, the professor told his students that a road-cut featuring rock formations near Pittsburgh International Airport was a great place to find plant fossils. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043097-54.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A former project manager for UPMC pleaded guilty on Monday to stealing $250,000 over a seven-year period. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043098-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A maintenance worker found the body of a Squirrel Hill man, bound and shot, on a hillside behind a North Side recreation center on Monday morning, police said. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043099-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Duquesne University plans to brief the city planning commission today on a proposed change to the school's master plan to allow a residence hall to be built with 12 stories instead of eight. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043100-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The University of Pittsburgh trustees' budget committee gave its blessing on Monday to several construction projects, including a $28.2 million upgrade to physics and astronomy department laboratories. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043101-57.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Residents at a low-income housing development in Stowe now have free wireless access to websites designed to help them in job-hunting and education efforts. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043102-454.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A jury on Monday acquitted a man of vehicular homicide while driving drunk in a 2008 crash that killed a state lawmaker. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043103-454.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The former head of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission would serve six months of house arrest and pay $150,000 but would be spared prison time under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors who alleged that he got a no-work contract from a former state senator. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043116-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The state Department of Education announced the team that Wednesday will make a presentation aimed at winning up to $400 million in Race to the Top money to improve education. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043152-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Concerned citizens attend a public hearing held by city council Monday on the proposed strip club along West Carson Street. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043153-57.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Two Catholic elementary schools in McKees Rocks and Coraopolis are on the endangered list because a private foundation is unable to continue donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to each next school year. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043155-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Just after daybreak, Lt. John Sharpe lowered the American flags outside Engine Co. 38 to half-staff, but even as night fell he was still struggling with why. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043156-56.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml In his opening statement to jurors last week, William Page's defense attorney told them they should disregard the recorded statement his client made to police in which he admitted to leaving his nearly 2-year-old daughter in sub-freezing temperatures to die. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043158-114.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Two dozen toga-wearing protesters retold the story of the assassination of Julius Caesar outside UPMC's Downtown headquarters on Monday. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043163-454.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml HARRISBURG -- A Dauphin County jury Monday evening wrapped up its 11th hour deliberating the fate of former state Rep. Mike Veon and three former legislative aides accused in a wide-ranging government corruption scheme. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042969-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The body of a Squirrel Hill man was found bound and shot this morning on a hillside in the 100 block of Hazlett Street on the North Side Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:59:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1043039-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml HARRISBURG -- A new report shows campaign contributors to justices on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court often appear before the court Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:19:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1043033-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The Rivers Casino filed a petition today seeking authorization from the state gaming control board to operate 86 table games at the North Shore venue Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:55:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042933-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml City police are investigating the fatal shooting of a retired firefighter Sunday in Marshall-Shadeland. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:46:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1043017-455.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Paleontologists at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History have described a new species of early terrestrial amphibian whose fossilized skull was found in 2004 near Pittsburgh International Airport and named after the University of Pittsburgh student who found it and the FedEx Corp., which owns the property where it was discovered Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:18:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042856-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml June 13, 1943. Co-pilot Ralph S. Ziegler's tour of duty with the 95th Bomb Group was about to end. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:16:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1043018-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Two dozen toga-wearing protesters retold the story of the assassination of Julius Caesar today, with several of the region's community hospitals given the role of victims Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:05:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042968-147.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The 10th Street Bypass opened in time for the morning rush hour. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:30:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1043004-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The state Department of Education today announced the team that Wednesday will make a presentation aimed at winning up to $400 million in Race to the Top money to improve education Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:25:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1043000-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A University of Pittsburgh astronomer is a key member of an international team that will use the Hubble Space Telescope to peer through time and space to witness galaxy formation that occurred a mere 600 million years after the Big Bang Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042988-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml WARREN, Pa. -- Police say a New York man sent nude and lewd text messages to several teenage girls in northwestern Pennsylvania after accessing their personal information on Internet social networking sites. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:33:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042901-455.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml "Dodged a bullet" was the operative phrase among flood watchers on Sunday, as a predicted deluge produced only isolated puddles of trouble. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:40:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042882-84.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml As Mr. Obama's core initiative of health care reform hangs in the balance and midterm congressional elections loom, the effectiveness of grass-roots energy is being put to tough, real-world tests. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:20:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042902-294.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Like many of you -- yes, I'm talking to you, Henry and Elsie Hillman -- I was disappointed last week to see a non-American at the top of Forbes' list of the world's richest people. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:16:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042970-100.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml The University of Pittsburgh trustees' budget committee gave its blessing today to several construction projects, including a $28.2 million upgrade to physics and astronomy department laboratories Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:34:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042963-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml NEWARK -- At Broadway Elementary School here, there is no more sitting around after lunch. No more goofing off with friends. No more doing nothing. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042964-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml LINDEN, N.J. -- When classes let out at 3 p.m., 85 children in a state-subsidized program at Linden's School No. 1 head down the hall for three more hours of reading, math games, homework help and stepping lessons. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042852-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Nas has produced No. 1 albums, performed in front of cheering crowds and had a doll made in his likeness in Japan, but he never received his high school diploma. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042853-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Councilman Bruce Kraus took to the streets of his district with aide Matt Hogue and a list of complaints about abandoned cars. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042855-454.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Pennsylvania is committed to adopting the uniform set of national standards for math and English unveiled last week as long as the standards meet two conditions. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042868-58.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml A Washington County man has been sentenced in federal court in Pittsburgh to 15 years in jail and five years of supervised release for unlawfully possessing a firearm. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042899-147.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml Public transit ridership fell nearly 4 percent in the U.S. last year after a record-breaking 2008 and advocates' hopes for a rebound this year are clouded. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042925-122.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml June Lilley lived in Washington County for most of her life -- except for one brief period that helped shape the driving forces of her life. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400