Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1162
Census shows U.S. is diversifying, white population shrinking
The United States became more diverse and more urban over the past decade, and the white population dropped for the first time on record, the Census Bureau said Thursday as it released a trove of demographic data that will be used to redraw the nation’s political maps. The new figures...
2 arrested in fatal Downtown Pittsburgh shooting
Two men were arrested Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in Downtown Pittsburgh earlier in the day, according to Pittsburgh police. Taylor Wible, 21, of Pittsburgh was charged by police with criminal homicide and carrying a firearm, while Ela N. Aydin, 18, of Oakdale, was charged...
Pittsburgh police to monitor accidents involving city’s new scooter fleet
Pittsburgh police have started tracking incidents, accidents and citations involving the new electric scooters popping up throughout the city, officials said. The e-scooters are part of the city’s Move PGH pilot program, which aims to bring a variety of accessible transit options to car-free homes, whether they be car-free by...
Man investigated for robbing West Deer Family Dollar charged in Middlesex bank robbery
A man being investigated for robbing a Family Dollar store in West Deer last month is accused of robbing a Butler County bank on Saturday, and police say he used proceeds from the robberies to pay rent. The FBI charged Matthew Milliron, 39, of West Deer in connection with Saturday’s...
Stage AE to require proof of vaccination for shows
Stage AE will require proof of covid-19 vaccination for all concertgoers and event staff starting next week with the Modest Mouse show, according to the venue. “For the show to go on, we have updated our vaccination policy to ensure the safety of fans, artists and live event workers,” a...
Crafton man gets prison time for role in Downtown Pittsburgh riot
Raekwon Blankenship can be seen on video stomping on a police vehicle, wielding a construction sign at a police horse’s throat and then throwing the same sign like a javelin through the windshield of another police car. At his sentencing in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on Thursday, Blankenship apologized...
Pennsylvania’s weekly covid cases at highest point in nearly 3 months
In the past week, Pennsylvania has recorded 11,747 cases of covid-19 — the most in nearly three months. The cases — 8,927 of which were confirmed through a PCR test and 2,820 counted as probable — represent a significant increase since as recently as July 1, when a week’s worth...
Court rules UPMC can proceed with controversial South Hills hospital
A new UPMC hospital planned about a mile from an Allegheny Health Network hospital in Jefferson Hills can be built, a state appeals court has ruled. The 63-bed hospital, called UPMC South, has been in the works since 2018, and is planned off Route 51 along Elliott Road. But more...
State prison guards union warns Wolf of legal action over vaccine mandate
HARRISBURG — The union that represents about 10,000 guards in Pennsylvania’s state prisons told Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday it plans legal action to stop his effort to force them to get covid-19 vaccines over the next month. The president of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association sent a letter...
TV Talk: Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison wrestles in ‘Heels’Video
For Steelers linebacker-turned-actor James Harrison there’s a commonality to playing for the NFL and acting in a TV series. “It’s bonding, it’s team building,” he said of making “Heels,” a Starz eight-episode, first-season drama he co-stars in as a wrestler. “You can’t just go out there and think you’re gonna...
Heat advisory is on for Pittsburgh region
Much of the Pittsburgh region will be under a heat advisory Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. The heat index is expected to reach 103 degrees as the advisory will be in effect from noon to 8 p.m. Heat-related illness, such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke,...
Kiski Township police say they found $3,750 worth of illegal drugs hidden in car
Kiski Township police say they found 50 packets of heroin and an ounce of methamphetamine hidden in a car that they pulled over for a traffic violation. Police on Wednesday charged James D. Higgins, 41, of Apollo and Autumn Rogers, 21, of Leechburg with possession with intent to deliver controlled...
Man ID’d in pedestrian-car crash in Monroeville
A Pitcairn man was identified as the victim of a pedestrian-vehicle accident Wednesday night in Monroeville. Thomas Risko, 32, was pronounced dead at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at an area hospital, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner said. Risko was struck just before 6 p.m. at the intersection of Broadway Boulevard and...
Road sign honoring late Rep. Mike Reese unveiledVideo
Motorists traveling along a section of Route 981 in Mt. Pleasant Township will be reminded they are traveling on a highway named for a beloved state legislator who died in January. Family members of the late Rep. Mike Reese joined state, county and local officials and scores of friends Wednesday...
Export man arrested in connection with Homewood shooting
An Export man was arrested in connection with a fatal shooting Aug. 2 in Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood. Pittsburgh police said Roemon Howard, 21, of Export was charged Wednesday with criminal homicide, carrying a firearm without a license, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, and reckless endangerment. Howard is...
FDA set to clear 3rd covid-19 shot for immunocompromised patientsVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. drug regulators are set to clear a third dose of covid-19 vaccines for people with weak immune systems as a new study showed the benefits of an extra shot in transplant patients. A third dose of Moderna Inc.’s vaccine significantly raised antibody levels against the coronavirus in...
Blairsville man acquitted for threats after wife recants allegations
A Blairsville man was found not guilty of making threats to kill his wife after she told a Westmoreland County jury she lied to police. Police claimed James Leroy Trout Jr., 45, pointed a gun at a Latrobe home on Oct. 15, 2019 where his wife fled to after the...
Ex-Latrobe wrestling coach testifies in alleged hazing case
A former junior high school wrestling coach testified he didn’t originally believe any crimes were committed or students were hurt when he saw one of his team leaders brandish a stick before practice last year. But Cary James Lydic admitted Wednesday that video of the incident suggested wrongdoing. Responding to...
U.S. Amateur Championship brings welcome business to area establishments
Like many area businesses, restaurants and hotels in Oakmont and Harmar have suffered during the pandemic. It’s going to take time to make up the losses they’ve incurred, but weeks such as this one definitely are helping their economic recovery. The 121st U.S. Amateur golf championship is being held this...
Driver killed when tree falls as his vehicle passes by in Washington County
A driver in Washington County was killed when a tree fell on his vehicle during a severe storm Wednesday afternoon, officials said. Floyd Gregory Stephen, 53, of Follansbee, W.Va., was dead at the scene in Canton Township. According to the Washington County Coroner’s Office, the wreck occurred shortly before 2:30...
Child safety advocates launch billboard campaign against Sen. Kim Ward
Child sexual abuse prevention advocates are making good on their promise to keep the heat on state Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward for her refusal to advance a bill giving adult survivors of child sexual abuse their day in court. This week, they took their battle to the Hempfield Republican’s...
Return to classroom still recommended by experts despite uptick in pediatric covid hospitalizations
Despite a slight increase in pediatric covid-19 hospitalizations at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, health experts said they think students can safely return to the classroom for the upcoming school year. Pediatric covid-19 hospitalizations have increased slightly over the past month, although the number of children admitted to UPMC Children’s...
Allegheny County officials implore adults to get vaccinated as cases among children rise
As covid-19 cases among young children climb, Allegheny County officials again implored the public to get vaccinated — if not for themselves, then for the children who don’t have a choice in the matter. “We know the delta variant, combined with the still significant number of unvaccinated people, is driving...
Pittsburgh buys 14 new pickups that will help come winter, councilman says
Amid muggy, stormy weather Wednesday, Pittsburgh officials announced they were buying 13 pickup trucks and a dump truck that will bolster the city’s public works fleet and aid in snow removal come winter. “We’re always thinking about winter,” said Molly Onufer, Mayor Bill Peduto’s spokeswoman. The city received a reimbursement...
Philadelphia requiring masks at businesses indoors and large outdoor gatheringsVideo
The city of Philadelphia announced it will be requiring masks for businesses indoors and for many large outdoor gatherings. The new mask policy goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. In a news release issued Wednesday, the city cites the rise of the delta variant of the coronavirus, as cases...
