Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1241
Biden spokeswoman: Pandemic ‘exposed what a problem we have on our hands’ in U.S. nursing homes
The pandemic shined a spotlight on problems that plagued low-performing nursing homes scattered across Western Pennsylvania and the rest of the nation long before covid-19 struck the United States, White House press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged Friday. As vaccinations ramp up and covid-19 hospitalizations go down, the Biden administration intends...
Summit shows Biden’s big vision on fighting climate change
WASHINGTON — What did the world learn at Joe Biden’s global summit about his vision of the battle to save the world’s climate? For two days, Biden and his team of climate experts pressed his case that tackling global warming not only can avert an existential threat, but also benefit...
Penn Hills community grieving loss of high school student, counseling available
The Penn Hills School District community is grieving the loss of a high school student. Jason Lott Jr., 17, died in his home on April 18, a little more than two weeks after the birth of his daughter, Amora Rose Lott. “It’s horrible,” his mother, Gina Bigenho, said Friday. “I...
U.S. lifts pause, allowing J&J covid-19 vaccinations to resume
U.S. health officials lifted an 11-day pause on covid-19 vaccinations using Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot on Friday, after scientific advisers decided its benefits outweigh a rare risk of blood clot. The government uncovered 15 vaccine recipients who developed a highly unusual kind of blood clot, out of nearly 8...
Former Delta Foundation president gets probation for impersonating an officer, forgeryVideo
The former head of a now-defunct LGBTQ advocacy organization will serve two years probation and 300 hours of community service for impersonating a first responder and forging official documents. Gary Van Horn, 41, appeared before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski Friday on charges of forgery, tampering with...
Map shows where to get a covid vaccine in Allegheny County
Allegheny County has created a public map of active covid-19 vaccination locations. The Vaccine Provider map is available online at the county’s Covid Vaccine Information page. Users can access it directly at alleghenycounty.us/vaccinemap. “We are trying to make it as easy as possible for as many people as possible to...
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto to introduce city-level hate crime legislation
Legislation that Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto will introduce next week seeks to create local-level hate crime laws that will expand upon state law, which does not consider sexual orientation, gender identity or disability protected classes. “What we’re doing is taking a stand against hate in our city,” said Dan Gilman,...
TV Talk: Natrona Heights woman appears on ‘Let’s Make a Deal’
Sharon Cushey of Natrona Heights appeared on the April 23 edition of CBS’s “Let’s Make a Deal,” winning $800 and a designer purse valued at $1,700, but it was an eight-month journey from when she applied. During the pandemic, “Let’s Make a Deal” has welcomed a mix of an in-studio...
‘My dad would just be ecstatic’: Bruno Sammartino Park dedicated in RossVideo
A Ross Township park was renamed Friday to honor a local legend. Formerly known as Sangree Park, the park now bears the name of Bruno Sammartino, a famed wrestler and the longest reigning champion in World Wrestling Entertainment history. The WWE Hall of Famer was a resident of Ross for...
U.S. Steel will not drill gas wells at Edgar Thomson Plant
An agreement between U.S. Steel Corp. and New Mexico-based Merrion Oil & Gas to drill Marcellus Shale gas wells near U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Works was terminated Friday. “U.S. Steel has decided to exit a lease agreement that would have allowed a natural gas well on the property of our...
Pittsburgh CLO taking shows outside — at Heinz Field
Talk about performances at Heinz Field taking center stage. The Pittsburgh CLO is partnering with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a two-show “Summer Under the Stars” season in July that will feature “The Wizard of Oz” and an original musical revue, “A Broadway Musical Celebration.” “There’s no place like home, or...
Can Chauvin get his convictions tossed on appeal?
MINNEAPOLIS — The unique circumstances surrounding Derek Chauvin’s trial in George Floyd’s death could offer the former Minneapolis police officer some shot at winning a retrial on appeal, thought most legal experts agree it’s a long shot. Chauvin, who is white, kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nearly 9½ minutes last...
What to do with your covid-19 vaccination card
You’ve gotten your covid-19 vaccine dose and accompanying small, white vaccination card. Now what do you do? Take a picture of the card for backup purposes. No selfie required. The card from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention serves as official documentation. The cards contain important information about a...
Teen charged as adult in Jeannette shooting; 2nd shooter acted in defense, DA says
A 16-year-old boy is charged as an adult with attempted homicide for an incident in which, police say, he shot a 17-year-old boy in Jeannette during an argument earlier this month. Desean Ingram of Jeannette also was shot during the April 7 altercation, but District Attorney John Peck said Ingram...
Covid cases taper in Pa., but deaths, hospitalizations remain a concern
Pennsylvania continues to see the coronavirus claim lives and put people in the hospital at a rising rate, even as reported cases of covid-19 trend downward. Cases Pennsylvania on Friday reported 4,188 additional cases of covid-19, the fewest in four days. The seven-day average of cases dropped to 4,050, the...
Steelers cornerback Justin Layne charged with traffic, firearm violations in Ohio
Police in Ohio arrested Steelers cornerback Justin Layne on Friday morning for alleged traffic and firearms violations, court records show. Ohio court records show Layne, 23, was charged Friday by Willoughby police with driving with a suspended license, speeding, and transporting a loaded firearm, which is a fourth-degree felony. Records...
TV Talk: ‘Good Doctor’ star Paige Spara auditioned from her family’s bathroom in Washington, Pa.
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. On ABC’s “The Good Doctor” (10 p.m. Monday, WTAE-TV), Washington, Pa., native Paige Spara stars as Lea, girlfriend of Shaun (Freddie Highmore, “Bates Motel”), the show’s title character. Spara has played Lea since midway through...
Pa.’s spring turkey hunt: Here’s what you need to know
It’s almost turkey-hunting time in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s spring turkey season kicks off Saturday with a one-day youth hunt open to junior license holders and mentored hunters under 16 years old. Then on May 1, the statewide spring gobbler season opens and runs until May 31. It is Pennsylvania’s only springtime...
Stargazers, the Super Pink Moon is coming
Get ready, stargazers, the year’s first supermoon is set to light up the skies on Monday. And not only will it be super, but it also will be pink. Well, in name only. Traditionally, April’s full moon is called the Pink Moon. Not because it will cast a pinkish hue...
Beltzhoover fires damage 4 houses, considered suspicious
Two separate fires in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood early Friday morning are considered suspicious, police said. The first fire in the 400 block of Beltzhoover Avenue was reported just after 1:15 a.m. Police said the fire started in an unoccupied house and spread to another next door, and both were a...
Kennywood, Sandcastle and Idlewild raise pay for employees
Kennywood, Sandcastle Waterpark and Idlewild & SoakZone announced Friday the three parks will be raising the hourly rate for most workers from $9 to $13. Hourly pay rates at Kennywood and Sandcastle for employees at least 18 years old, or graduating high school seniors —will be $13 an hour. For...
Port Authority to shut down Mon Incline next week for inspection
Commuters using the Monongahela Incline to ride up and down Mt. Washington in Pittsburgh will have to take another route next week when the incline shuts down for three days for an inspection, Port Authority Transit said Thursday. An incline shuttle bus will provide service to and from Mt. Washington...
Fire engulfs Monessen house
Firefighters from several Mon Valley departments were battling a blaze that had engulfed a house in Monessen late Thursday night, according to dispatches from Westmoreland County 911. Monessen units that reached the scene of the fire at a three-story wooden-frame house on McKee Avenue said there was heavy smoke coming...
Boy missing from Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights/Marshall Shadeland neighborhoods found safe
A boy missing from Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights/Marshall Shadeland neighborhoods was found and is safe, police said Thursday night. Original report follows: Authorities said Ronnell Miller, 11, was last seen in the Brighton Heights/Marshall Shadeland neighborhoods around 6 p.m. Thursday. He is described as standing 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing...
United Steelworkers reject ATI’s ultimatum, accuse metals company of bullying striking employees
United Steelworkers negotiators on Thursday rejected Allegheny Technologies Inc.’s ultimatum to compel striking employees to accept the metals company’s contract proposal within the next four days or face a costlier alternative. “They are again escalating their bully tactics and ignoring the employees, their most valuable asset,” the United Steelworkers union’s...
