October 16 – Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, October 16:
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Residents return to apartments after fire in Downtown Pittsburgh
Residents were allowed to return to Midtown Towers in downtown Pittsburgh after a fire Tuesday evening, according to city police.
Firefighters were called to the Liberty Avenue apartment complex operated by the Pittsburgh Housing Authority at 6:45 p.m. and found heavy smoke coming from a unit on the 13th floor, police said. The fire was quickly extinguished and did not spread to other units, although officials said other apartments had water damage.
No injuries were reported, police said. A Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus provided shelter for evacuated residents and the Salvation Army provided blankets, food and hot drinks on site. Tenants whose units were affected by the fire and water damage were offered housing elsewhere in the building.
The fire investigation unit is investigating the cause.
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TSA finds 35th gun of the year at Pittsburgh airport
TSA agents seized a gun at the main security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport on Monday. The loaded .38 caliber firearm was found in the carry-on luggage of a Washington County man, agency officials said Tuesday.
It was the 35th weapon found at airport security checkpoints so far in 2024, according to TSA statistics. That figure represents the second-highest number of weapons found at security checkpoints since 2017; 35 guns were also seized in 2019. The record during that period is 44 firearms in 2024.
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$450K ticket sold in Unity
A winning Pennsylvania Lottery Cash 5 ticket was sold Sunday at the Unity Sheetz supermarket, lottery officials said Tuesday.
The ticket matched all five balls drawn – 5-9-38-39-43 – for a winning of $450,000. The store gets a $500 bonus.
The winner has one year to claim the prize.
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Live military grenade found in Greene County
A live military grenade was dismantled in Greene County after it was found ahead of an estate sale at a home in Morris Township, TribLive news partner WTAE reported.
Greene County Regional Police Chief William DeForte said live ammunition, such as this one from the Vietnam War, can be very dangerous.
“It is not unusual to find this type of ammunition in the homes of people who served in the military in previous generations,” he told the news station. “They would take it home as a war trophy.”
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has worked at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
