Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1042
Deadline nears to enroll in Medicare Advantage health insurance for 2022 coverage
The deadline is approaching for seniors and people with disabilities to sign up for a Medicare-eligible health insurance plan for 2022. Enrollment closes Dec. 7 for coverage that begins Jan. 1. Medicare Advantage plans are privately offered alternatives to traditional Medicare and supplemental government-provided plans. They’ve long been popular in...
4 on the floor: Vehicle owners prepare for tire sticker shock
Eric Colamarino knows he’s running out of time to find winter tires for his Ford pickup truck. The 30-year-old Unity resident said he has been searching for tires since July, only to be met by factory back orders and prices that are 20% to 25% higher per tire. Colamarino said...
Cyberattack forces closure of Butler County Community College on Monday and Tuesday
Butler County Community College will be closed Monday and Tuesday in response to a ransomware attack on its computer systems, the college announced Sunday night. The main campus in Butler Township and additional locations in Cranberry, Lawrence, Jefferson and Mercer Counties and remote and online classes will be closed as...
Airing of Grievances: Bengals humiliate Steelers in every possible way
During his Tuesday news conference, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stopped short of calling Sunday’s game in Cincinnati a “must win.” Barely. Good thing. Because if he really felt the Steelers absolutely had to have that game, they failed miserably. The Bengals thrashed the Steelers, 41-10, Sunday afternoon, dropping them to...
Despite stars back on defense, powerless Steelers lose to Bengals, 41-10
CINCINNATI — To paraphrase a line from the late Chuck Noll, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ problems are great, and they are many. Looking like a shell of the team that a few weeks ago was riding a four-game winning streak, the Steelers were blown out Sunday by the Cincinnati Bengals, 41-10,...
KSWA Fan Fest and toy drive for Allegheny County families returns after pandemic hiatus
Four professional wrestling title matches are part of a charity event featuring two pro wrestling hall-of-famers and, perhaps, a partridge in a pear tree. The Keystone State Wrestling Alliance will host its 13th annual Fan Fest and Holiday Toy Drive on Dec. 4 at Three Rivers Harley-Davidson in the Glenshaw...
Twisted Thistle, upscale eatery in Leechburg, reopens after 6-month closure
Twisted Thistle, an upscale eatery along Market Street in Leechburg, has reopened after a nearly six-month closure. “I’m just so excited to be able to open this beautiful restaurant again,” owner Linda Alworth said. “I’ve put too much of my life, sweat and tears into it. It should never have...
Teenage gunshot victim found dead in vacant lot in Washington, Pa.
Officials found a body of a teenager Sunday morning in a vacant lot in Washington, Pa. The Washington County Coroner’s Office identified the victim Sunday evening as Connor Brock, 18, of Washington, Pa. According to the coroner’s report, Brock had an apparent gunshot wound. The coroner and city police are...
‘We have a litter problem’: Gov. Wolf unveils statewide litter action plan
Pennsylvanians pride themselves on the beauty the state offers, by way of millions of acres of forest, rolling hills and, this time of year, gorgeous fall scenery. But anyone who has driven the state’s roads to reach those destinations will have a tough time arguing with Gov. Tom Wolf. “We...
Winter heating costs rising, PUC advises customers to shop for rates
Western Pennsylvanians could be in for sticker shock this winter when they pay their heating bill, state and federal agencies warn. “There is a big swing in electric prices (this winter). The surge in natural gas usage is driving up wholesale natural gas prices” at a time when more natural...
Most hunters welcome Saturday start of Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season
Business was brisk at Westmoreland County deer processing facilities Saturday as hunters rolled up with the fruits of their labor during the first day of Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season. Most of those who spoke with the Tribune-Review were glad this year’s season started on a Saturday and Sunday, instead of...
Small shops in Alle-Kiski Valley go big on Small Business Saturday
Debbi Young has never gone Black Friday shopping. Instead, the Leechburg resident prefers to shop locally on Small Business Saturday. “It’s our tradition — when the boys go hunting, the girls go shopping,” Young said. “I grew up shopping for my clothes and everything in downtown Leechburg and I think...
Britain tightens covid rules as world on alert over omicron
LONDON — The U.K. tightened up rules Saturday on mask-wearing and on testing of international arrivals after finding two cases of the new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus as governments around the world sought to shore up their defenses. Amid fears that the recently identified new variant...
Bushy Run volunteer: 91 and still going strong in Penn Township
Jean Loughry started volunteering at the Bushy Run Battlefield some 30 years ago because she was interested in helping out at the historic site and was able to do it. At age 91, the Penn Township resident is still going strong as a volunteer at the Bushy Run Battlefield along...
Choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms are all ‘about creating memories’
It’s open season for Christmas trees. Most Western Pennsylvania tree farms opened for business last week — the day after Thanksgiving being the unofficial kickoff to tree season. This year, demand is expected to continue to climb, but supply could be an issue. A combination of millennials starting families and...
‘It’s a magical mailbox’: Christmas decoration becomes conduit for letters to Santa in Arnold
Christmas is Joe Lebert’s favorite holiday, but decorating for it isn’t much fun at his rural home in Fawn, where few will see it. His mom’s house on Rankin Street in Arnold, across from H.D. Berkey Elementary School, was a better place. For a while, he put a Christmas tree...
Towering musical theater master Stephen Sondheim dies at 91
NEW YORK — Stephen Sondheim, the songwriter who reshaped the American musical theater in the second half of the 20th century with his intelligent, intricately rhymed lyrics, his use of evocative melodies and his willingness to tackle unusual subjects, has died. He was 91. Sondheim’s death was announced by Rick...
Pickup smashes into Five Below in Cranberry, driver taken to hospital
A pickup truck crashed into a Five Below discount retail store Friday afternoon in Cranberry, smashing through the storefront’s glass facade, flying past the entryway cart corrals and crushing gift boxes and wrapping paper rolls beneath its wheels as it came to a rest against a shopping aisle. An ambulance...
Pittsburgh can now spend money collected through park tax to invest in city parks
The city of Pittsburgh is now able to use the money collected through the park tax, after City Council this week approved a measure that allows the money to be put to use in the city’s parks. The 0.5-mill tax, approved by city voters in 2019, is meant to increase...
Pittsburgh tax preparer gets federal prison time for lying on tax returns
A tax preparer from Pittsburgh’s North Side has been sentenced to 4 months in federal prison for lying on tax returns he prepared for clients, including making up fake gifts to charity and phony business expenses. Jamar White, 49, also was ordered to pay nearly $70,000 in restitution to the...
Pittsburgh man gets 44 months in federal prison for ‘hijacking’ bank, credit accounts
A Pittsburgh man has been sentenced to 3 years and 8 months behind bars for using fraudulently obtained debit and credit cards to buy $250,000 worth of gift cards, clothes, jewelry and other items, U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung said. Sulemon Arowokoko, 32, a Nigerian native who also has ties...
Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor offering free scoops in Pittsburgh’s Strip District
Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor is holding what could be called Free Scoop Saturday. Klavon’s, which opened in Pittsburgh’s Strip District in 1923, is offering a free scoop of ice cream while supplies last from one of its 20 flavors, including seasonal choices such as...
GOP field in Pennsylvania’s Senate race heads for reshuffle
HARRISBURG — The Republican field of candidates aiming to capture Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat in next year’s election is churning anew, with the candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump out and intriguing new candidates possibly in. Out is Sean Parnell — a favorite of Donald Trump Jr. —...
Westmoreland County shop owners have high hopes for Small Business Saturday
Tracy Alaia has seen firsthand the kindness expressed to small businesses during the covid-19 pandemic. As owner of Feathers Artist Market and Gifts in Irwin, Alaia predicts that kindness to continue during this weekend’s Small Business Saturday, when crowds are expected at locally owned shops to kick off holiday shopping....
World races to contain omicron variant — the new covid threat
Nearly two years into the covid-19 pandemic, the world raced Friday to contain a new coronavirus variant potentially more dangerous than the one that has fueled relentless waves of infection on nearly every continent. A World Health Organization panel named the variant “omicron” and classified it as a highly transmissible...
