Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1262
Former Beaver County youth soccer treasurer charged with stealing from league
The former treasurer of a Beaver County youth soccer organization is charged in federal court with stealing from the organization over a three-year period to pay for cruises, airline tickets and other personal expenses. Jenessa Tolejko, who volunteered with the Brighton Township-Beaver Soccer Association, is charged by criminal information in...
Harrison World War II veteran Howard Traenkner dies at 100
Howard Traenkner of Harrison was born at the end of one pandemic and died in the midst of another one. A World War II Navy veteran, he was born as the Spanish flu pandemic was trailing off. He died Saturday, at 100, of natural causes, his family said. “I think...
AP sources: SolarWinds hack got emails of top DHS officials
Suspected Russian hackers gained access to email accounts belonging to the Trump administration’s head of the Department of Homeland Security and members of the department’s cybersecurity staff whose jobs included hunting threats from foreign countries, The Associated Press has learned. The intelligence value of the hacking of then-acting Secretary Chad...
As Allegheny County judge offers remote court access, lawsuit could be dismissed
A court watch program that sued an Allegheny County Common Pleas judge for failing to provide access to remote court proceedings has agreed to “pause” the case for three weeks in hopes of a resolution. The Abolitionist Law Center’s Court Watch program filed suit against Judge Anthony M. Mariani in...
Police: Fight over suboxone led to Millvale shooting
A fight over missing suboxone led to the shooting Sunday in Millvale that left one man in critical condition, according to court records. Jeffrey Mitchell, 36, is charged with aggravated assault in connection with the midday shooting. Millvale police responded about 2:30 p.m. to North Avenue where a man was...
CDC director has feeling of ‘impending doom’ amid new covid spike
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made an impassioned plea to Americans Monday not to let their guard down in the fight against covid-19, warning of a potential fourth wave of the virus and saying she has a recurring feeling “of impending doom.” Speaking during a...
How well are covid vaccines working in Americans who got them? CDC releases new data
New research provides “strong evidence” that the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines are capable of preventing infections — both those that cause symptoms and those that don’t — in real-world conditions, that is, outside the controlled laboratory settings where the initial clinical trials took place. The study, conducted by...
Wall of Faces project to honor Vietnam casualties nears completion; all Pennsylvania photos found
On March 29, 1973, combat and combat support units withdrew from South Vietnam, and the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 permanently designates that date every year as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. It is a time not only to recognize the service of U.S. soldiers in Vietnam, but...
Pittsburgh Public Schools prepare for students’ return to in-person classes
Her kindergarteners used to sit at tables, in groups. But now there are tiny disks spread across Amy Belitz’s classroom at Lincoln PreK-5, each about three feet apart from each other. Last year, Belitz said, her classroom seated 24 kids. Now there are only nine desks, and there will be...
Rising covid cases in Pennsylvania not as steep as late 2020 surge
There’s no doubt coronavirus cases are on the rise in Pennsylvania. But the cases do not appear to be increasing at the rate seen in early November. The state’s current week-over-week numbers indicate cases are rising an average of 20-30%, whereas, in November, the week-over-week rates were averaging in the...
Inside Pennsylvania’s race to expand eligibility for the covid vaccine
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan 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 — For Doris Daigle of Westmoreland County, booking a coronavirus vaccine appointment was a multi-state effort shared by her nine...
Crack’d Egg asks court to allow maskless customers in restaurant
An attorney for the Crack’d Egg on Monday asked a Pennsylvania appellate court to allow the restaurant to disregard a mask mandate and other state-ordered covid-19 mitigation measures pending appeal. Citing testimony that his client will not be able to maintain her Brentwood business if she can’t operate at 100%,...
From a marina to floating patios, plan for reimagining Hazelwood riverfront set to be unveiledVideo
A 1.3-mile stretch along the Monongahela River in Hazelwood could become a destination for people to enjoy activities with a riverfront plaza, floating pool, boat docks, trails, play areas and more. “I’m excited. I’m hoping the community will be receptive to it as well,” said Terri Shields, 59. Shields leads...
Jurors shown video at ex-officer’s trial in George Floyd’s deathVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — The video of George Floyd gasping for breath was essentially Exhibit A as the former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee on the Black man’s neck went on trial Monday on charges of murder and manslaughter. Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell showed the jurors the footage at the earliest...
A $10 minimum wage in Pa.? Two GOP senators are calling for it
Gov. Tom Wolf and Democratic lawmakers have been calling for an increase in the state’s $7.25 an hour minimum wage, and now they are finding support for this initiative in the Senate Republican Caucus. Sens. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie County, and Pat Browne, R-Lehigh County, are proposing to introduce legislation that...
WHO report says animals likely source of covid-19
BEIJING — A joint WHO-China study on the origins of covid-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,” according to a draft copy obtained by the Associated Press. The findings offer...
Canal service provider says container ship in Suez set free
SUEZ, Egypt — Salvage teams on Monday set free a colossal container ship that has halted global trade through the Suez Canal, a canal services firm said, bringing an end to a crisis that for nearly a week clogged one of the world’s most vital maritime arteries. Helped by the...
Class dismissed: Couple transforms Greene County school into luxury home, selling for $2.4MVideo
Rick Smith went back to school and took his family with him. He and his wife, Crystal Smith, purchased the former Perry Elementary School in Mount Morris, Greene County, at an auction in 2015. They paid $340,000. Now they are selling it for $2.4 million. They refurbished the building into...
Police: Dog shot, killed during dispute between neighbors in Sheraden
A pet dog was shot and killed Sunday afternoon during a dispute between two neighbors in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood, officials said. Police arrested the man suspected of fatally shooting his neighbor’s dog, a German Shepherd, Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said. As of 9 p.m., the man still was awaiting...
Man shot in the chest in MillvaleVideo
A man was in critical condition Sunday afternoon after being shot in the chest in Millvale, officials said. Emergency dispatchers received an alert of a shooting near North and Lincoln avenues about 2:30 p.m., Allegheny County Police said. Police arrived at the 300 block of North Avenue to find a...
Record rain causes flash flooding in Tennessee; 4 deadVideo
Torrential rain across Tennessee flooded homes and at least one church and left roads impassable, prompting dozens of people to be rescued in the Nashville area. Authorities said four bodies were found Sunday in the flood’s aftermath. Nashville received more than 7 inches of rain, the second-highest two-day rainfall total...
Amid loss of Iron City contract, City Brewing eyes ownership, management changes, adds jobs in Latrobe
New investors and a restructured management team are expected to take over in April at City Brewing, according to the Wisconsin-based company that operates Latrobe’s brewery. Meanwhile, the company says the pending loss of Iron City Beer production should have little effect at the plant, where new jobs have been...
Coronavirus fight stalls in early hot spots New York, New Jersey
ALBANY, N.Y. — A year after becoming a global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, New York and New Jersey are back atop the list of U.S. states with the highest rates of infection. Even as the vaccination campaign has ramped up, the number of new infections in New Jersey has...
Now vaccinated, older adults emerge from covid hibernation
PORTLAND, Maine — Bill Griffin waited more than a year for this moment: Newly vaccinated, he embraced his 3-year-old granddaughter for the first time since the pandemic began. “She came running right over. I picked her up and gave her a hug. It was amazing,” the 70-year-old said after the...
New York lawmakers agree to legalize recreational marijuana
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York is poised the join the growing number of states that have legalized marijuana after state lawmakers reached a late-night deal to allow sales of the drug for recreational use. Democrats who now wield a veto-proof majority in the state Legislature have made passing it a...
