Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1264
Former Pirates pitcher Vazquez to claim teen accuser lied about her age
A judge on Friday rejected a defense request to dismiss three sex-related charges against former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, who claims his female accuser told him she was almost an adult when police say they engaged in sexual activity. Vazquez, 29, is in Westmoreland County Prison without bond as...
Colorado shooting suspect passed check in legal gun purchase
BOULDER, Colo. — The suspect in the Colorado supermarket shootings bought a firearm at a local gun store after passing a background check, and he also had a second weapon with him that he didn’t use in the attack that killed 10 people this week, authorities and the gun store...
Excela Health creates vaccine registry
Excela Health established a registry for anyone who wants to get the coronavirus vaccine. Those who register will receive a notification when an appointment is available to them as health system officials said they were assured they could expect consistent distributions of the vaccine in the coming weeks. Chief Medical...
Carrie Blast Furnaces to again host drive-in movies
The Carrie Carpool Cinema will return at the Carrie Blast Furnaces for a second year. Sponsored by Rivers of Steel, the spot will once again resemble a drive-in theater, as well as host other programs, activities and tours of the site on the Swissvale/Rankin border. The first shows are set...
Former CDC chief suspects covid likely came from lab
Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during much of the Trump administration, said in an interview aired Friday that he believes covid-19 likely originated from a lab in Wuhan, China, but he did not provide evidence to support the theory. Redfield’s personal opinion...
United Steelworkers announces strike date at ATI facilities
The United Steelworkers union announced Friday it will start a strike at Allegheny Technologies Inc. next week. The union said it informed ATI it will strike over what it calls unfair labor practices beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday. “We have provided the notice to ATI to ensure an orderly and...
Allegheny County Jail to begin testing newly incarcerated inmates for covid
All people entering Allegheny County Jail to be incarcerated will be tested for covid-19 beginning April 12, according to court records filed this week. The jail will offer coronavirus tests on at least two occasions to new inmates prior to being transferred out of intake housing. A negative test will...
Tornado outbreak rips across Deep South; at least 5 dead
OHATCHEE, Ala. — Tornadoes and severe storms tore through the Deep South, killing at least five people as strong winds splintered trees, wrecked homes and downed power lines. The tornado outbreak rolled into western Georgia early Friday. One large, dangerous tornado moved through Newnan and surrounding communities in the Atlanta...
‘Hoping for surprise’: Pitt professor’s spectroscopy technique part of search for life on Mars with Perseverance roverVideo
When Sanford Asher interviewed to join the University of Pittsburgh chemistry faculty in 1979, he gave a presentation on a piece of research he planned to conduct if hired. Asher was working on something called ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy, which uses UV light to excite molecules as a way to determine...
Pittsburgh pups nominated for 2021 American Humane Hero Dog Awards
Three Pittsburgh pups are competing for the chance to be named the nation’s Top Hero Dog. More than 400 dogs from across the country are nominated for the 11th annual American Humane Hero Dog Awards, according to an announcement from American Humane. The awards, sponsored by the Lois Pope LIFE...
Some women have lymph node swelling under arm after covid vaccine
Lea Anne Ochs was dismayed when she received a call from UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital about a follow-up ultrasound from a mammogram. “My mammograms had always been normal,” said the 48-year-old from Economy Borough, Beaver County. “It was my routine mammogram. And there was no family history of breast cancer.” The...
Former TV reporter Kelly Brennan Culver pens story of her daughter’s rare disease, treatmentVideo
As Kelly Brennan Culver and Kevin Culver pull into the parking garage, they hear crying. Their daughter Caroline tears up in the back seat. The 3-year-old knows what day it is — treatment Friday. Every four weeks, she and her parents make the trip from their McCandless home to UPMC...
Allegheny, Westmoreland report highest daily covid totals in more than 2 months
Allegheny and Westmoreland counties on Friday saw their highest totals of newly reported covid cases in more than two months. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Allegheny reported 586 additional coronavirus cases, its highest since 670 on Jan. 13. Westmoreland’s total of 166 is its most since 173 on...
GOP 2024 contenders enter Iowa, wary of Trump’s long shadow
DES MOINES, Iowa — Ambitious Republicans are starting to make moves in Iowa, long a proving ground for future presidents. Their first step is finding out whether activists there have gotten over the last one. Former President Donald Trump remains a hulking presence in Iowa, where he won twice by...
Dominion Voting sues Fox for $1.6B over 2020 election claims
WASHINGTON — Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday, arguing the cable news giant, in an effort to boost faltering ratings, falsely claimed that the voting company had rigged the 2020 election. The lawsuit is part of a growing body of legal action...
High winds topple trees, down wires, disrupt Allegheny County 911 serviceVideo
Strong winds toppled trees and power lines across the region Friday, knocking out power, causing detours and disrupting 911 service in Allegheny County. Gusts reached up to 30 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Moon, with sustained speeds in the 20s, said meteorologist Myranda Fullerton. Fullerton said sustained...
‘Dad’s play’: Beyond Big Ben and Santonio Holmes, meet the man who helped make this play part of Steelers Super Bowl lore
I can always tell when the NFL Network is replaying the Steelers’ Super Bowl XLIII victory over the Arizona Cardinals. My text messages start to ding. I get a random bump in Twitter interactions. “Is that you right behind Santonio Holmes in the end zone during the game-winning catch?!” Yup....
Pittsburgh police investigate East Liberty shooting
One man was shot in the leg in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood Thursday night, according to the city Department of Public Safety. The city’s Shotspotter audio gunshot detection system alerted officers of shots fired near 700 N. Highland Ave. just before 11:30 p.m. Officers found the victim near the intersection...
Medical examiner IDs man killed in Homewood shooting
One man was shot to death and a juvenile was hospitalized Thursday night as a result of shooting in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, Pittsburgh police said. Michael Lyons, 30, of Pittsburgh was pronounced dead at the scene in the area of Frankstown and North Braddock avenues, according to the Allegheny County...
Biden to visit Pittsburgh on Wednesday
President Joe Biden plans to travel to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, where he is expected to unveil his vision for a massive infrastructure bill. The proposal is said to be larger than the $1.9 trillion covid relief package that the Congress passed earlier this month. Biden said in his first press...
Sweeping changes to Georgia elections signed into law by Gov. Kemp amid outcryVideo
ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp quickly signed a vast rewrite of Georgia’s election rules into law Thursday, imposing voter ID requirements, limiting drop boxes and allowing state takeovers of local elections after last year’s close presidential race. Kemp finalized the bill just over an hour after it cleared the General...
GQT Movies set to open cinema at Mills mall
The movies are returning to the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. The mall’s theater will reopen under new management Wednesday. GQT Movies is replacing Cinemark, which closed the theater nearly a year ago. Six of the theater’s 18 screens will be up and running on opening day, while another three...
Suicide at Westmoreland jail disclosed months later, results in homicide case being dropped
A woman’s death at Westmoreland County Prison in December was confirmed Thursday, more than three months later. According to Coroner Ken Bacha, Linda Kay Quidetto, 43, of Sharon, Mercer County, was pronounced dead at 3:06 a.m. on Dec. 11 in the emergency room at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg...
Biden leaves door open for Senate changes to advance agendaVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden at his first news conference Thursday left the door open to backing fundamental changes in Senate procedure to muscle key parts of his agenda like immigration and voting rights past Republican opposition “if there’s complete lockdown and chaos.” The 78-year-old president also for the first...
3 candidates receive nominations in special election race to replace state Rep. Jeff Pyle
Three nominees to replace former state Rep. Jeff Pyle have been chosen by their respective parties to run in a special election to represent parts of Armstrong, Indiana and Butler counties. A longtime Republican lawmaker from Ford City, Pyle retired suddenly because of health issues this month. He had just...
