Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1149
Photo gallery: Ida’s remains drench Western Pennsylvania region
The remnants of Hurricane Ida moved across parts of Western Pennsylvania late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning. Despite losing its tropical depression status, Ida’s impact was definitely felt on residents — on their streets and in their homes. Some of the heaviest rainfall dropped early Wednesday, with several areas of...
Pittsburgh region jobless rate drops slightly as end to unemployment supplement looms
The Pittsburgh region’s jobless rate dropped slightly in July, falling to 6.2%, the lowest rate this year and less than half of the jobless rate a year ago, the state reported this week. The unemployment rate for the seven-county region fell 0.1 of a percentage point in July, based on...
2 jailed on interfering with custody, conspiracy charges in Greensburg incident
An Arizona couple is being held without bond after Greensburg police said they took their 1-year-old son from a relative when they were not permitted to have contact with him, according to court papers. Zerion A. Brown, 21, and Malay’ja T. Draw, 20, both of Surprise, Ariz., are charged with...
Pitt experts anticipate major flu surge this season, urge flu shots
This year’s flu season may be severe with up to half a million more flu hospitalizations than usual, according to new studies from University of Pittsburgh researchers. Two studies released Tuesday — both led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health — indicated that waning...
Remnants of Ida move across Western Pa., bringing heavy rainfalls, flooding
Heavy rains thrashed Pennsylvania on Wednesday as the remnants of Hurricane Ida churned across the area, dropping several inches of rain and causing flood damage across parts of the region. By about 9 p.m., 2.3 inches of rain had fallen at the National Weather Service’s Pittsburgh office in Moon, according...
Texas 6-week abortion ban takes effect, with high court mum
A Texas law banning most abortions in the state took effect at midnight, but the Supreme Court has yet to act on an emergency appeal to put the law on hold. If allowed to remain in force, the law would be the most dramatic restriction on abortion rights in the...
Plum’s Oblock Junior High has nearly 100 students quarantined due to exposure to covid-19
Plum School District has nearly 100 Oblock Junior High School students quarantined due to covid exposure less than two weeks into the new school year. The district’s covid-19 count was included on the school district website, which was updated Tuesday. First day of classes was Aug. 19. The district reports...
Texas Legislature sends broad GOP elections bill to governor
AUSTIN — The GOP-controlled Texas Legislature passed a broad overhaul of the state’s election laws Tuesday, tightening already strict voting rules and dealing a bruising defeat to Democrats after a monthslong, bitter fight over voting rights. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said he will sign the bill, the latest in a...
Legal experts say Wolf administration has authority to issue mask mandate
Republican leaders in Pennsylvania said Tuesday that in issuing a school mask mandate, Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration are trying to circumvent the will of the people expressed through the passage in May of a constitutional amendment. Legal experts said that the emergency powers amendment approved by voters in...
President Biden praises airlift, defends departure from ‘forever war’Video
WASHINGTON — Addressing the nation, a defensive President Joe Biden on Tuesday called the U.S. military airlift to extract more than 120,000 Afghans, Americans and other allies to end a 20 year war an “extraordinary success,” though more than 100 Americans and thousands of Afghans looking to leave remain. Twenty-four...
Westmoreland residents in flood-prone areas prepare for remnants from Hurricane IdaVideo
Diane Batten, who has lived along flood-prone Indian Street in Ligonier for more than a decade, recalled peeking out the window of her mobile home June 3, 2016, before heading out to shop at the nearby Giant Eagle. Despite a forecast of rain, she didn’t see any standing water. But...
Plea deal reached in East Huntingdon baby’s 2019 drowning death
A Fayette County man will serve up to 40 years in prison for the death of an 11-month-old girl who drowned in an East Huntingdon home while in his care, prosecutors said. Derrick A. Bass, 31, formerly of Uniontown, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a lesser count of third-degree murder of...
Pittsburgh officials revisit ending pension offset for retirees
After receiving a petition signed by more than 200 city employees Tuesday, Pittsburgh City Council members said they support removing a pension offset that decreases the benefits paid to retirees who are also collecting Social Security. Councilman Anthony Coghill presented the petition to council President Theresa Kail-Smith and said he...
First hunting seasons of 2021-22 open in Pa. on Wednesday
While hunting is open nearly year-round for a few species like groundhogs and coyotes, for most Pennsylvania hunters the first seasons of the July 1-June 30 hunting license year open on Sept. 1. Two common and abundant species — Canada geese and mourning doves — become legal game on Wednesday....
Pennsylvania mandates masks in K-12 schools, day cares
In a move that undoubtedly pleased some parents and infuriated others, the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Tuesday laid out an order mandating masks for students, teachers and staff in K-12 schools that will take effect next week. “I preferred for local school boards to make this decision,” Gov. Tom...
Here are rain total predictions for Western Pa. as Ida approaches
Meteorologists predict rain totals will be higher in regions south of Pittsburgh when the remnants of Hurricane Ida arrive in Western Pennsylvania. After devastating parts of Louisiana, Hurricane Ida became a tropical storm as it began a northward journey Monday. Local officials in Western Pennsylvania began preparing for significant rainfall...
Westmoreland County fire departments gear up for possible flood rescues
Fire departments and water rescue units in Westmoreland County were preparing Tuesday for possible flooding that could be caused by heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida drenching the region. “We want to make sure we got everything in order. Guys are checking the pumps, the life preservers and...
Some Quaker Valley parents protest school district’s mask mandate
A mask mandate to start the 2021-22 school year is not sitting well with some Quaker Valley School District parents. A handful of them let the school board know how they feel about it during a small protest before Monday night’s committee meeting and subsequent legislative session at the middle...
Homicide charges expected against Pittsburgh man accused of hitting neighbor with table leg
A Pittsburgh man is likely to face homicide charges, police said Monday, days after the man he allegedly assaulted with a table leg earlier this month died from his injuries. Man Pradhan, 34, was pronounced dead Friday from injuries he sustained Aug. 17. Walter Jones, 54, faces charges including aggravated...
Ex-lawmaker Rick Saccone to run for lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — A former state lawmaker and two-time congressional candidate from the Pittsburgh area who appeared to support efforts to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory said Monday that he will run for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor next year. Rick Saccone, 63, will make a formal announcement on Sept....
Norwin grad, Afghan war vet, helps interpreters to safety
A Norwin grad who served three tours of duty in Afghanistan over the past 15 years was able to help two Afghan interpreters he worked with at bases in Afghanistan safely escape the chaos of Kabul in the last hours of the massive U.S. airlift of evacuees. Major Jason Smith,...
84 Lumber looks to add 35 regional employees at Hempfield hiring event
Building materials supplier 84 Lumber scheduled a hiring event Wednesday in Hempfield as it looks to fill 35 positions at five locations in the Pittsburgh region. Job seekers can interview for openings from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott, 700 Power Line Drive. Candidates can connect...
Plum mayor not happy that Verizon requested he wear a mask while in his home during service call
Plum Mayor Harry Schlegel said Verizon canceled an appointment to upgrade his service because he refused to comply with the company’s request to wear a mask while in his home with a technician. “I don’t care if your technician comes in a space suit,” Schlegel said. “That’s up to them,...
Pitt student from Plum who died in motorcycle crash described as generous ‘Renaissance man’
Adam Garvin found the greatest pleasures in life from simple things — spending time with family and friends, exploring nature and listening to and playing music. But when it was time to get away from it all, he loved nothing more than the simple joy of riding the open road...
‘You don’t get it’: Judge gives Jeannette BB gun shooter prison term
Just three weeks after a jury found Darnell Dennison not guilty of the most serious offenses he faced in connection with a shooting incident that left a Jeannette teen without an eye, he was charged in another shooting, this time suffering an injury himself. “After the jury trial, I was...
