Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1161
Pa. Game Commission: Residents can resume bird feeding
Residents can resume one of the country’s most popular past times: feeding the birds. As bird deaths decrease, the Pennsylvania Game Commission announced Friday that it is lifting its recommendation issued in early July to cease bird feeding in the state because of a mysterious bird illness. Longtime bird-feeding aficionados...
Filming of Dakota Johnson movie underway at Pittsburgh Mills
Production of a movie is underway at the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. Ernest Diaz, the mall’s general manager, said spaces throughout the mall have been leased for use in the production of “Cha Cha Real Smooth.” It stars Dakota Johnson. It’s directed by Cooper Raiff, who is also a...
Utilities work to restore power after another round of strong storms
Storms swept through Southwestern Pennsylvania counties Friday night with heavy wind gusts, rain and lightning, causing power outages in several areas of Western Pennsylvania. Duquesne Light reported just over 750 customers still impacted by outages in Allegheny and Beaver counties, as of 12:45 p.m. Saturday. As of 12:30 p.m. Saturday,...
Covid cases rising at Allegheny County Jail
In the past week, 83 people in the Allegheny County Jail have tested positive for covid-19 — with a number of them believed to be attributable to spread by a staff member, officials said Friday. From Aug. 5-12, the county said it conducted 973 rapid tests to new arrestees and...
‘It came out of nowhere’: Witnesses describe South Side building collapseVideo
Pittsburgh Police vehicles set up a South Side road block between E. 16th and E. 17th streets Friday afternoon to keep motorists off East Carson Street after a building partially collapsed Thursday night. Pittsburgh Public Safety official said no injuries were reported although one firefighter was treated for glass in...
Lower Burrell man helps save friend who went into anaphylactic shock on canoe trip
A two-day canoe trip along the Clarion River in Elk County was supposed to be the last hurrah of the summer for Lower Burrell’s Austin Aikins and his friend, Chris Duca of Oakdale. But it almost turned deadly when Duca, 21, went into an anaphylactic shock in a remote area...
Jeannette-based gun marketplace website sues Facebook, Instagram over removal
The owner of a Jeannette-based weapons marketing internet site contends he and his company were improperly removed from two social media platforms and suggested his conservative, pro-gun politics were the cause, according to a lawsuit filed this week in Westmoreland County. Armslist LLC and owner Jonathan Gibbon of Jeannette said...
‘Down, not out’: Latrobe’s Dainty Pastry Shoppe looks to rebound from fire likely sparked by lightningVideo
Authorities are speculating a fire Thursday night that gutted much of the Dainty Pastry Shoppe in Latrobe may have resulted from a lightning strike. “We won’t know for sure until we get in there. The State Police Fire Marshal is coming back Monday, but it looks as though the fire...
15-year-old charged in Arnold shooting that left 4 injured
A 15-year-old has been charged as an adult in connection with a shooting that police said left four people injured and endangered the lives of several others Sunday in Arnold. Ikquan Hassain Amid Lynn, of Arnold, faces numerous charges including attempted homicide, aggravated assault and simple assault in connection with...
Limited production close for Lordstown, future still hazy
Lordstown Motors expects to begin limited production of its electric pickup truck next month, yet the future of the Ohio start-up remains hazy. In addition to this week’s announcement that the company, based just outside of Youngstown, aims to begin production in September, Executive Chairwoman Angela Strand said Lordstown also...
Greensburg Music Fest plans 20-plus acts on 4 downtown stages
Downtown Greensburg will resound with music of all kinds on Saturday, as more than 20 acts take to four stages during the daylong Greensburg Music Fest. Take it from musician Chris Fafalios, it will be “the best thing to do within hours of Greensburg.” Fafalios and his band, Another Cheetah,...
Biden eyes tougher vaccine rules without provoking backlash
WASHINGTON — When the pace of vaccinations in the U.S. first began to slow, President Joe Biden backed incentives like million-dollar cash lotteries if that’s what it took to get shots in arms. But as new coronavirus infections soar, he’s testing a tougher approach. In just the past two weeks,...
Despite covid pandemic, Pittsburgh’s Allentown remains open for business
Rebecca Romagnoli is passionate about pasta. Romagnoli’s business, Forma Pasta, began as a subscription service in August 2019 but in November 2020 — in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic — opened a retail location in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Allentown. “I chose Allentown because it is still up and...
Isolated storms, heavy wind gusts in Friday’s forecast following stormy night, damage
As recovery continues from a night of pounding rain, power outages and flash flooding, National Weather Service officials are forecasting the potential for more storms in southwestern Pennsylvania into Friday evening. The National Weather Service’s hazardous weather outlook for the region forecasts isolated severe storms, with the main threat coming...
Extra federal unemployment aid will soon end for 500,000 Pennsylvanians
More than a half-million jobless Pennsylvanians receiving temporary aid from three federal unemployment programs will see those checks end as of Sept. 4, the state said. The state Department of Labor and Industry said it is working with organizations and agencies to identify programs and support services for those who...
4 firefighters hurt in possible Stowe arson
Four firefighters were treated for injuries Thursday night when a front porch of a duplex collapsed in Stowe Township, Allegheny County police said. County police said that the firefighters were bring treated at area hospitals for non life-threatening injuries. Detectives from the county police general investigations unit began an investigation...
Extra covid vaccine OK’d for those with weak immune systems
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators on Thursday said transplant recipients and others with weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of the covid-19 vaccine to better protect them as the delta variant continues to surge. The announcement by the Food and Drug Administration applies to millions of Americans who are...
Fire extensively damages Latrobe pastry shop, displaces apartment dweller
A fire extensively damaged Latrobe’s Dainty Pastry Shoppe Thursday night and displaced one occupant from an apartment in the Depot Street building, according to fire officials. Reported at about 9:30 p.m., the blaze was knocked down within an hour, Latrobe Fire Chief John Brasile said, though crews remained on the...
Police: Building partially collapses on East Carson in Pittsburgh’s South Side
Part of a building collapsed on Thursday evening on East Carson Street in Pittsburgh’s South Side, authorities said. The upper floor of a two-story building in the 1600 block fell into the street, according to Public Safety officials. No one was inside when the collapsed occurred, and no patrons on...
Severe storms trigger flash flood warning, knock out power around Western Pa.
A relentless line of strong thunderstorms triggered flood warnings, knocked out power to tens of thousands of residents and may have contributed to a partial building collapse on Pittsburgh’s South Side on Thursday evening, the chaotic ending to one of the hottest days of the summer in Western Pennsylvania. A...
Out-of-state covid hot spots ‘desperate’ to transfer patients to Western Pa. hospitals
Overburdened health care systems from Texas to Florida are pleading with Western Pennsylvania hospitals to take on transfer patients at record-high rates as beds and ventilators reach capacity in covid-19 hot spots across the country. “They’re running out of space, and they’re looking for help in trying to deal with...
Severe thunderstorm warning issued for southern Butler County
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for southern Butler County that’s in effect until 6:45 p.m. Thursday. The warning area covers the entire southern half of the county, from Butler south to the Allegheny County line. The main threats are winds up to 60 mph and...
Man charged with burglary in 3 A-K Valley towns was looking for open doors, police say
A man accused of trying to burglarize homes in Frazer also is facing burglary charges in two other Alle-Kiski Valley towns. Frazer police arrested Eric Allen Shank, 35, of Indiana, Indiana County, on Tuesday. In a criminal complaint, Frazer police said Shank told them he was going to enter homes...
Pa.’s political mapmakers finally have new census data. Now the hard work begins.
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — After months of delays, the Census Bureau on Thursday delivered...
Allegheny, Butler, Washington counties show population growth in 2020 Census
Allegheny County’s population has increased for the first time in a census since 1960. The county’s population grew by 27,223 (2.2%) in the 2020 Census, released Thursday. The county’s population is more than 1.25 million. “For decades, it was resigned that when young people grew up they were going to...
