Tom Davidson stories, Page 19

Researchers are seeking at least 750 people in Western Pennsylvania to take part in trials for vaccines against the novel coronavirus that causes covid-19, UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh announced Wednesday. The trials are part of what is called Operation Warp Speed, a national push to rapidly develop a...

A 180-year-old Greek revival house in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood is set to be designated a historic landmark, despite opposition from its present owners, Eric and Beth Rupert. Known as the Ewalt House, the property at 186 Home St. was inherited by Eric Rupert when his father died in 2016. Late...

Sixteen City of Pittsburgh employees are off of work because of confirmed cases of covid-19, according to Mayor Bill Peduto’s office. They include:Two environmental services (waste collection) employees.Seven police department employeesFive fire bureau employeesTwo emergency medical services employees. Workers are screened at the beginning of their shifts and the city...

After an East Pittsburgh police officer shot and killed Antwon Rose II two years ago, critics of the officer wondered how he had been hired so easily after facing previous misconduct complaints. Rose would have celebrated his 20th birthday Sunday The officer, Michael Rosfeld, had a checkered past, Pennsylvania Attorney...

An Ohio man won’t face criminal charges after federal authorities found a loaded handgun in a bag at Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday, Allegheny County Police said. Transportation Security Administration officers found the .32-caliber handgun loaded with seven bullets, TSA said in a news release. The bag belonged to an...

A person who fell off a Jet Ski in the Allegheny River near Arch Street in Verona on Sunday, July 12, was transported to an area hospital, an Allegheny County 911 shift commander said. Verona police and fire departments were dispatched at about 7 p.m. They could not be reached...

The surge in covid-19 cases in Southwestern Pennsylvania is infecting a younger, less vulnerable demographic, and thus far the most recent cases appear to be less severe, doctors at UPMC said Thursday. The latest cases are mainly linked to younger people who contracted covid-19 after traveling out-of-state or while socializing,...

A 48-year-old North Versailles woman accused of spending more than $12,000 of federal school lunch subsidies on personal expenses between 2014 and 2016 turned herself in to authorities Thursday, according to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office. Rebecca L. Moore was food service director for St. Benedict the Moor School...

A 34-year-old man died after he was shot Sunday morning in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood, police said. Keith D. Byrd died at 5:58 a.m. Sunday at a local hospital, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. Byrd was found shot in the 100 block of Shetland St. at about 4...

Allegheny County court employees and prosecutors are among recent covid-19 cases in the county, officials confirmed Monday. Six employees have been diagnosed with the disease, according to Allegheny County court administrator Christopher Connors. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.’s office also posted on social media that three of...

Allegheny County Health Department officials reported 218 new covid-19 cases on Monday, one new death and four new hospitalizations. The new death reported Monday brings the toll to 188. This is the second time the daily report has surpassed 200 cases. It ends a trend of declining daily totals since...

Another Port Authority of Allegheny County employee who works out of the authority’s West Mifflin garage has tested positive for covid-19, the authority said Wednesday. It is the 17th case involving a Port Authority employee. The employee has been in a medically directed self-quarantine since March 19, but they tested...

Pittsburgh’s public safety agencies are taking a different approach to monitoring gatherings to mark Independence Day because of the coronavirus pandemic. “We all know that these are uncertain and trying times,” Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said in a statement. “But if we can pull together as a city and...

The sports bar owner who was organizing a protest against Allegheny County’s covid-19 restrictions closed his West Deer business Tuesday night after an employee tested positive for the virus, according to a post on the bar’s Facebook page. Xtra Innings Sports Bar and Grille on Saxonburg Boulevard is owned by...

As covid-19 cases continue to increase in Allegheny County, state officials Tuesday launched a new online dashboard that put the numbers into perspective by comparing them on a week-to-week basis. “This dashboard provides the entire community with early warning to changes in covid-19 infection so that we can take action...

A 25-year-old Pleasant Hills man on Tuesday received a 3- to 6-year prison sentence for a December 2019 crash in Whitehall that killed a passenger. Tyler DeGraffenreid told police he smoked marijuana that day and drank numerous beers and several shots of whiskey before the Dec. 15, 2019, crash on...

Authorities are seeking help in identifying a man who is accused of helping to destroy a police vehicle during May 30 protests in Downtown Pittsburgh. The Damage Assessment and Accountability Task Force, a group made up of local, state and federal authorities including Pittsburgh police, are investigating crimes that happened...

The owner of a West Deer bar is planning a Thursday protest in Downtown Pittsburgh about Allegheny County’s decision to prohibit alcohol sales inside bars and restaurants. “We will protest the shutdown of bars,” John Pavlik of West Deer wrote on his personal Facebook page. The protest is set for...

People who have a complaint about a business that is violating restrictions put into place because of the coronavirus pandemic can report it to the Pennsylvania Department of Health using an online form. The form asks for basic contact information from the person making the complaint, information about the business...

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe’s push to impeach Gov. Tom Wolf for imposing coronavirus-related restrictions that wreaked havoc on Pennsylvania’s economy is historically unprecedented, political experts said Wednesday. It’s also unlikely to get the support needed for a gubernatorial impeachment to move forward, the experts said. “These are outlandish claims, accusations,”...

Allegheny County health officials reported no new covid-19 cases, three new deaths and one new hospitalization on Wednesday. There have been 2,113 confirmed or probable cases of the disease, including 1,979 confirmed cases and 134 probable cases, county health officials said. The Allegheny County death toll from covid-19 is 177....

Former Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai’s whirlwind week continued Tuesday, when he started his life in the private sector as general counsel of Peoples, the Pittsburgh-based gas utility. His last day in office as speaker Monday was spent advancing two bills out of committee that would change how police are...

YWCA Greater Pittsburgh’s building on Wood Street Downtown is on the market, its leader said Tuesday. The move was in the works before the coronavirus pandemic and is part of the YWCA’s new organizational strategy to focus its resources to supporting race and gender equity, especially for women of color,...

A 24-year-old Scott man who is accused of hurting three Pittsburgh police officers during the May 30 protests Downtown has schizophrenia and is in jail after an unrelated June 10 incident at his grandparents’ home, according to criminal complaints. Authorities used surveillance camera footage to identify Andrew Augustyniak-Duncan as the...