Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1156
Federal vaccine mandate threatens revenue, staffing at Westmoreland Manor
Westmoreland Manor potentially could forfeit tens of millions of dollars this fall under the new federal policy that requires nursing home employees to be vaccinated for coronavirus. County officials said they are assessing the impact of the vaccination mandate announced Aug. 18 that also carried a threat from President Biden...
Demolition of former New Kensington Kmart to clear way for development
Several new buildings are expected to be built at the site of the former Kmart on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington, a representative of the property manager said. Sam Rossi, a portfolio manager for Madison Acquisitions, said he was not yet at liberty to identify the retail tenants, of...
Man wounded in Hill District shooting
A man was shot in the arm Friday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, according to Pittsburgh police. Zone 2 officers responded to the 200 block of Dinwiddie Street in the Hill’s Crawford-Roberts neighborhood around 3:25 p.m. Friday, and applied a tourniquet to a man who’d suffered a gunshot wound to...
What to expect if you want a covid-19 booster shot
Western Pennsylvanians who want a covid-19 vaccine booster likely will have the chance to get one in the coming months. The Biden administration earlier this week recommended the extra protection for all Americans, starting as soon as Sept. 20 for those who were fully vaccinated by late January. In Pennsylvania,...
Gov. Tom Wolf reinstates mask mandate for Pa. state employees
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is reinstating a mask mandate for all state employees and contracted staff working under his jurisdiction regardless of their vaccination status, starting on Monday. State employees were notified on Friday about this change in policy that comes as cases of covid-19 infections are on the rise....
Senators question DOJ funding for AI-powered policing tech
CHICAGO — A Democratic senator said the U.S. Justice Department needs to look into whether the algorithm-powered police technologies it funds contribute to racial bias in law enforcement and lead to wrongful arrests. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, was responding to an investigation by The Associated Press published Thursday...
Oakmont police: 3 in custody for alleged assault, ethnic intimidation of borough resident in July
Three people have been charged with ethnic intimidation and other crimes in connection with an assault of an Oakmont resident. Richard Blake, 25, and Patrick McAndrew, 24, both of Oakmont, and Alexander Tomer, 27, of New Kensington, were charged with simple assault, stalking, ethnic intimidation, criminal conspiracy and three counts...
Police: McKeesport man dies after being shot in Pitcairn; 1 arrested, 3 others sought
A White Oak man was awaiting arraignment Saturday in connection with a fatal shooting in Pitcairn, according to Allegheny County Police. Johnathon Nathan Dawson, 18, is charged with homicide and conspiracy. Police said they are attempting to identify three additional suspects in the shooting death of Kaliq Dade, 20, of...
How many people in Pa. use cannabis for addiction? The Wolf admin won’t say
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — In 2018, the Wolf administration endorsed cannabis as a treatment for opioid use disorder, despite an absence of research...
Riverview School District to require students, staff, visitors to wear masks to start school year
Riverview School District students and staffers will start the new school year Thursday wearing masks. The requirement is part of the district’s updated health and safety plan. Superintendent Neil English said multiple factors were considered when making the mask mandate. Among them are recommendations from the Allegheny County Health Department,...
Latrobe festival kicks off 2-day celebration of city’s banana split legacyVideo
Six-year-old Adler Ulrich giggled with delight Friday when she helped comedic magician Steve Haberman turn a rabbit figurine into a whole family of smaller toy bunnies. The magic show behind Adams Memorial Library was just the beginning of a day out with her brother, Charlie, 3, and their Unity Township...
Shuman Center employee accused of killing cat with airsoft gun in Carrick
A Shuman Center employee is accused of shooting and killing a cat in his neighborhood with an airsoft gun, authorities said. Michael Andrews, 36, has worked in child care at the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center since mid-2019, according to a county spokeswoman. Andrews was charged earlier this week via summons...
New England preps for 1st hurricane in 30 years with Henri
BOSTON — New Englanders bracing for their first direct hit by a hurricane in 30 years began hauling boats out of the water and taking other precautions Friday as Tropical Storm Henri barreled toward the southern New England coast. Henri was expected to intensify into a hurricane by Saturday, the...
Biden pledges to Americans in Kabul: ‘We will get you home’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is pledging to Americans still trapped in Afghanistan: “We will get you home.” Biden also said Friday the United States is committed to evacuating all Afghans who assisted the war effort — a potentially vast expansion of the administration’s commitments on the airlift so far,...
Top Pa. GOP senator orders change in election integrity plan
HARRISBURG — The top Republican in Pennsylvania’s state Senate said Friday that he is putting a different senator in charge of an “election integrity” undertaking and removing a senator who had aimed to carry out an Arizona-style “forensic investigation” of Pennsylvania’s 2020 presidential election. Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman...
North Huntingdon couple found dead; carbon monoxide poisoning suspected
Residents along Altman Street in North Huntingdon were shocked Friday to learn about the deaths of two elderly neighbors, believed to have been victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. Joseph and Freda Polinski, both 88, were found dead inside their home Thursday. “A family member was unable to contact his parents...
Do I need a booster if I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine?
All the talk about covid-19 booster shots have centered on those who received the two-shot Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. But what about those who got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine? The short answer is: Probably at some point, but health officials still are collecting the data needed to decide....
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Aug. 20-22
Go bananas in Latrobe Latrobe is going bananas this weekend. The Downtown Latrobe Banana Split Celebration will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday in the downtown area, with live entertainment, food vendors, arts and crafts, children’s activities and, of course, helpings of the signature dessert said to have...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Aug. 20-22
The weekend has arrived. Here are five ways to spend it in Pittsburgh. All things pickle Picklesburgh is back after being canceled last year because of the pandemic. The three-day outdoor event will be Downtown Friday through Sunday on the Andy Warhol Bridge and Allegheny Overlook along Fort Duquesne Boulevard....
Jerome Bettis’ foundation brings out hundreds for charity event in South FayetteVideo
Several former and current Pittsburgh Steelers greats joined a couple hundred special guests in support of an NFL Hall of Famer’s charity. The Jerome Bettis Bus Stops Here Foundation hosted its second annual ParTee36 Charity event at Topgolf Pittsburgh in South Fayette on Thursday night. At least 230 people, including...
Tree falls on house in Murrysville
Firefighters responded Thursday night to Windgate Drive in Murrysville, where a tree fell on a house. There were no injuries reported, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. Crews responded at about 9:15 p.m. near the intersection of Stonecroft Street. Murrysville Volunteer Fire Co. 1 reported in a social media...
Man shot multiple times in Clairton
Allegheny County police are investigating a shooting Thursday evening in Clairton that sent a man to a local hospital with multiple wounds. The shooting was reported to county 911 dispatchers at about 6:45 p.m. in the 400 block of Halcomb Avenue. First responders found a man had been shot multiple...
Excavation of radiological waste delayed by 1 year at nuclear site in Parks
The Army Corps of Engineers plans to start digging up radiological waste at a nuclear waste site in Parks Township in 2024, one year later than originally planned. Tim Herald, the Army Corps’ project manager, said the extra time is needed so the Corps can be sure it’s removing the...
East Carson Street reopens to traffic following collapsed building demolition
Following the demolition of a partially collapsed building at 1604 E. Carson St. on Pittsburgh’s South Side, the street reopened Thursday afternoon to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The block of East Carson between South 16th and South 17th streets had been closed ever since the partial collapse Aug. 12. Barricades...
Pittsburgh zoo announces pick to succeed longtime leader
The director of a New England zoo will be the next to lead the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, zoo board officials announced Thursday. Dr. Jeremy Goodman, a veterinarian and executive director of Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, R.I., will take over effective Oct. 1, according to the board....
