Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1209
Allegheny County hospitalizations drop to 10th of December’s peak
Covid-19 hospitalizations in Allegheny County dropped to 88 on Friday, just a tenth of the county’s peak total in December. On Dec. 16, 881 patients were hospitalized in the county. Just a month later, the county’s total had fallen by 50%, hitting 425 on Jan. 17. The total stood at...
Frazer seeks over $7.7M in taxes by Pittsburgh Mills real estate owners
Frazer officials are going after six Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills real estate owners for at least $7.7 million in delinquent special tax assessments. On Tuesday, Supervisors William Creevey and Lori Ziencik voted to authorize filing a municipal claim and collection proceedings against the property owners. Supervisors Chairman Matthew Beacom was...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 4-6
Grab your sunscreen. It’s going to be a summer-like weekend with temperatures in the 80s. Here are some ways to spend it. Take pride Pittsburgh Pride Group will be hosting virtual and in-person events this weekend. The “Pittsburgh Pride Revolution March” begins at noon on Saturday in front of the...
TV Talk: George A. Romero transports viewers to ‘The Amusement Park’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. There are no zombies in the usual George A. Romero sense in his recently restored film “The Amusement Park,” streaming Tuesday on Shudder and AMC+. Instead, the emphasis is on discrimination against the elderly. “The...
Lori Falce: Pirates owe taxpayers better baseball
When it comes to sports, I am a product of my environment. My soul has fed on the Steelers’ Super Bowl wins and the Penguins’ names etched on the Stanley Cup. Even when they missed the playoffs or if it was charitably described as a “rebuilding year,” the faith is...
New Pine-Richland football coach predicts ‘smooth transition’ after meeting players
There were some sleepless nights this week for Steve Campos as Pine-Richland was about to make him the school’s new football coach. But after meeting with the players for the first time Thursday afternoon, Campos predicted he’d sleep soundly later that night. “I told my wife when I came home,...
Pickup crashes into Tarentum house, driver suffers minor injuries
A man was taken to a hospital late Thursday after crashing his truck into a house in Tarentum. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said the wreck occurred shortly before 9:30 p.m. in the 300 block of East Eighth Avenue. Tarentum police at the scene of the crash said a man...
No action taken on Vandergrift police officer’s employment following lengthy closed-door meeting
The fate of a Vandergrift police officer who has been the target of an internal investigation for his conduct while on duty during an April incident remains unresolved. Officer William Moore, a 20-year veteran of the department, has been on paid leave since shortly after the April 17 incident. During...
Police investigate deadly daytime shooting in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood
Police are investigating a shooting Thursday evening in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood that left one man dead, officials said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Robert Thomas, 36, of Pittsburgh. Shortly after 5:30 p.m., emergency dispatchers received several 911 calls about someone getting shot near the 300...
U.S. Attorney: Hillandale Farms accountant embezzled $6.8M, spent stolen money on luxury cars, condo, travel jaunts
A former accountant of Greensburg-based Hillandale Farms was arrested Thursday on federal charges of bilking nearly $7 million from the nationwide egg distributor, then funneling the stolen money through businesses across Western Pennsylvania and spending it on lavish personal items such as collectible cars, real estate, high-end dining and travel....
U.S. to swiftly boost global vaccine sharing, Biden announcesVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Thursday the U.S. will swiftly donate a first tranche of 25 million doses of surplus vaccine overseas through the U.N.-backed COVAX program, promising infusions for South and Central America, Asia, Africa and others at a time of glaring shortages abroad and more than ample...
Legal expert: Public apology could quell DA Zappala controversy as some call for resignation
A leading expert in the field of prosecutorial ethics said that if Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. were to apologize for his actions in prohibiting plea deals to a Black lawyer who criticized his office, it is likely that any potential disciplinary action taken against him would...
Passenger numbers soar at Arnold Palmer airport; air show proceeds likely to disappoint
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport closed May 2021 with the highest passenger numbers during that calendar month that it has seen in six years. But the Unity airport also ended the month with an air show that was hampered by poor weather and ticket sales that turned out to be less...
Peduto, Frankel want local communities to be able to enact gun lawsVideo
With gun crimes surging in Pittsburgh, Mayor Bill Peduto and state Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, led a group of community leaders speaking out Thursday against state laws preventing municipalities from enacting their own gun laws. Appearing before media gathered under a tent in Schenley Park, Peduto and Frankel expressed...
Tarentum street-paving list firmed up, late utility fees waived this month due to new billing system
West Tarentum is the focus of Tarentum’s road paving this year. Roads included in the project are the intersections of West Sixth Avenue and Center Street; Center Street at West 12th Avenue; the 200 block of West 12th; Hill Street, from Bakerstown Road to Locust Street; Locust Street, from Hill...
Duquesne to require covid-19 vaccines for students this fall, but Western Pa. colleges’ requirements vary
Duquesne University on Thursday joined a group of Western Pennsylvania colleges that will require covid-19 vaccines for all students returning to campus this fall, but policies remain varied depending on the university. The American College Health Association, which represents health and wellness professionals at 550 U.S. colleges and universities, recommends...
DA Zappala says office halted plea deals with Black attorney to avoid ‘false claims of racism’
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., under fire this week for his May 18 email in which he prohibited his prosecutors from making plea offers to a Black attorney who complained of “systematic racism” in the DA’s office, says he did so “to ensure that this office makes...
GOP fight over 2020 election audit brews in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — A key member of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives is flatly rejecting talk of any sort of audit of the 2020 presidential election, a day after three fellow Republican state lawmakers toured the Arizona Senate GOP’s audit. Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, who chairs the committee that handles election matters,...
FBI investigating Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over campaign donations
WASHINGTON — U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is under investigation by the FBI over campaign contributions made by his employees before he took the federal job last year, his spokesman said. DeJoy, a donor to former President Donald Trump, “has always been scrupulous in his adherence to the campaign contribution...
Pittsburgh penthouse on 9th Street with 4 views of the city on the market for $1.5M
Fireworks from PNC Park seem to be at eye level from the spacious penthouse on Ninth Street in Downtown Pittsburgh. The two-level loft, perched high above the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts school, has four views on different angles of the city. “I can see the fireworks from right here,”...
Allegheny County’s finances weathered pandemic, Controller Wagner says
Allegheny County’s finances came through the covid-19 pandemic “relatively unscathed,” Controller Chelsa Wagner said Thursday as her office released its annual report on the county’s finances. The county spent $54 million less in 2020 than it did in 2019, which compensated for a $38 million decrease in county revenue during...
Is it covid or Lyme Disease? If you’re vaccinated and have a rash, it’s easier to diagnose
It’s tick season, and with it comes an increased risk of contracting Lyme disease or another tick-borne illness. Diagnosing the disease can be trickier this year amid the covid-19 pandemic, as some of the symptoms of the diseases are similar. “There’s a lot of overlap,” Dr. Amesh Adalja said of...
Latrobe’s Mister Rogers Family Days expands to weeklong format
Latrobe again will celebrate the legacy of native son Fred Rogers with activities and entertainment in the town where the iconic television host grew up. Inspired by the classic “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” series and today’s animated “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” show, weeklong activities from Monday through June 12 will include a...
Allegheny County’s covid hospitalizations dip below 100 for 1st time since October
Nearly all covid-19 numbers in Pennsylvania continue to drop to levels not seen since before the fall surge. On Thursday, Pennsylvania added 656 new covid-19 cases to its total, with nearly 20% of them coming from one county: Philadelphia (123). The next highest reporting county was York with just 36...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: June 4-6
‘Quarantine’ album release Neon Swing X-perience will be live from 6-9 p.m. Friday at Bella Terra Vineyards in Hunker. The evening will be a CD release show for the retro horn band’s new album, “Live in Quarantine: A Virtual Evening of Originals.” Recorded at a livestreamed show a few months...
