Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1299
Allegheny County reports no new deaths, reassigns 1 to another county
Allegheny County on Thursday reported 270 additional coronavirus cases and no new coronavirus deaths. Though the county did not add any deaths in the new report, one death previously reported was reassigned to a different county, which was not identified, resulting in a reduction in the total number of deaths...
Kraft Heinz sells Planters brand to Hormel Foods
Hormel Foods is going nuts. The Austin, Minnesota-based company, known for its meat brands like Spam and Applegate, said Thursday it is buying the Planters nut business from Kraft Heinz Co. for $3.35 billion. Included in the deal are Planters brands like Nut-rition, Cheez Balls and Corn Nuts. “The acquisition...
Garbage truck smashes into Baden family’s home
No injuries were reported when a garbage truck smashed into a home in Baden Thursday morning. The crash happened at Berry and Wilson streets around 6:20 a.m., Baden police Chief David Christner said. Christner said the truck could not stop as it came down Wilson Street, crossed over Berry and...
Fauci: Virus shot categories to open up by April
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci predicts by April it will be “open season” for vaccinations in the U.S., as supply boosts allow most people to get shots to protect against covid-19. Speaking to NBC’s “Today Show,” Fauci, who serves as science adviser to President joe Biden, says the rate of...
Remembering the implosion of Three Rivers Stadium 20 years agoVideo
On this day 20 years ago, Three Rivers Stadium, the site of a great deal of Pittsburgh’s sports and pop culture history, met its premature demise — blown to bits after PNC Park and Heinz Field were built for the Pirates and Steelers. Three Rivers Stadium stood for only 30...
Pittsburgh region gets 1-2 inches snow overnight
Only very light snow is expected Thursday morning on top of what fell Wednesday night, National Weather Service meteorologist Jared Rackley said. Between 1 and 2 inches fell around the Pittsburgh area between 6 p.m. Wednesday and midnight, Rackley said. The weather service measured 1.1 inches at its office in...
Route 28 wrong-way driver hits multiple vehicles before crashing
At least one person was taken to the hospital after a wrong-way crash on Route 28 late Wednesday night, according to Allegheny County 911. The crash on northbound Route 28 at the Highland Park Bridge happened shortly before 11 p.m. According to state police, a pickup was traveling south in...
In first call with Xi, Biden looks to reset U.S.-China relationshipVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday night for the first time since taking office, beginning the process of reshaping America’s approach in dealing with its most intense economic competitor and Pacific Rim strategic rival. Biden “shared his greetings and well wishes with the...
Penn Hills man accused of driving through protesters last summer pleads guilty
A Penn Hills man accused of plowing through a group of protesters with his car last summer pleaded guilty Wednesday in Allegheny County Court to assault and related offenses. As part of a plea deal, David Fiori Jr., 63, admitted to three counts of simple assault, two counts of recklessly...
Pittsburgh food bank’s Green Grocer now offers produce delivery service
Green Grocer, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s mobile farmers market, has launched a delivery service. Normally, the mobile farmers market makes 17 stops in 17 neighborhoods throughout the month. During the winter, however, these markets are often canceled because of cold and snowy weather. So, from now through March,...
Irwin Council: Masks are optional at future meetings
Irwin Council decided Wednesday to no longer require anyone attending their meetings to wear a mask in spite of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation to do so in order the slow the spread of covid-19. Meeting online through Irwin’s Facebook page, council decided 6-1 to return to...
Plane drives off taxiway at Pittsburgh International Airport, everyone off plane safely
A Boeing 717 with 77 people on board went off a taxiway before takeoff at Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday evening, according to a statement from airport officials. No injuries were reported. The Delta Air Lines flight 2231 was about to depart for Atlanta when the incident happened near runway...
White House looks at domestic travel restrictions as virus variant surges in Florida
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is considering whether to impose domestic travel restrictions, including on Florida, fearful that coronavirus mutations are threatening to reverse hard-fought progress on the pandemic. Outbreaks of the new variants — including a highly contagious one first identified in the United Kingdom, as well as others...
Want to hike 35 miles on longest day of the year? Rachel Carson Challenge is on
While the pandemic caused a flurry of event cancellations last year, some outdoor outings are a “go” this summer, including the 24th Rachel Carson Trail Challenge. The 35-mile trek though rugged, hilly terrain only adds to the challenge of the event, which will start in Harrison Hills Park in Harrison...
U.K. covid variant detected in Allegheny County, officials sayVideo
Allegheny County officials announced Wednesday the covid-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom has been detected in the county. Dr. Debra Bogen, the county’s health director, said the case is the first and only U.K. variant reported in the county thus far. The health department has completed a case...
Federal attorneys appeal home detention for ‘pink hat lady’ charged in Capitol riot
Federal attorneys say a Mercer County woman known as “pink hat lady” is too dangerous and too much of a flight risk to be allowed to remain at home while she awaits trial for her suspected role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C....
Nicole Ziccarelli announces bid for Westmoreland County district attorney
Fresh off a razor-thin defeat in a bid to upset a two-term incumbent state senator, New Kensington lawyer Nicole Ziccarelli announced Wednesday she is seeking to oust another entrenched Democrat. Ziccarelli, a Republican, said she will run against six-term incumbent John Peck for the Westmoreland County District Attorney office in...
Pa. Attorney General Shapiro files memorandum in Trump impeachment
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro does not have a role in the ongoing impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, but he wanted to ensure U.S. senators sitting as jurors understand Pennsylvania’s role in the Nov. 3 election. Shapiro, a Democrat, who repeatedly defended the state’s election as free and...
Greensburg man arrested in sexual assault, rape of 2 boys
A Greensburg man was arrested Wednesday on state police accusations that he raped a boy and sexually assaulted another in Unity nearly three years ago, according to court papers. Steven Michael Cope Jr., 25, is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $25,000 bail. Troopers said they received a...
CDC study finds 2 masks are better than 1 vs. covid-19
NEW YORK — U.S. government researchers found that two masks are better than one in slowing coronavirus spread, but health officials stopped short of recommending that everyone double up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday reported the results of a lab experiment that spaced two artificial heads...
Pennsylvania adds 3,378 covid cases; Fayette County surpasses 10,000 cases
Fayette County became the 27th county in Pennsylvania to surpass 10,000 coronavirus cases on Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 29 additional cases to bring Fayette’s total to 10,022. In the region, Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland have already surpassed that mark. Overall in the state, 3,378 additional...
Sheetz announces pay increases, plan to give new moms time off with pay
Altoona-based Sheetz today said it will invest $28.5 million in employee wage increases and give new mothers 12 weeks off with full pay. Sheetz said the pay increases will be effective Feb. 12 for “the majority” of its 18,000 employees. Sheetz did not elaborate on how much the wage increases...
Allegheny County hits lowest covid hospitalization number since November, adds 35 deaths
Covid-19 patient hospitalizations in Allegheny County decreased by 27 on Wednesday, bringing the total to 249, the lowest since Nov. 11. According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, there are currently 249 coronavirus patients hospitalized in the county. For perspective, there were 542 patients hospitalized a month ago (Jan. 10) and...
Steel City Clothing evolves from a basement to a buildingVideo
The Pittsburgh brand continues to grow in popularity as does Steel City Clothing, a one-stop shop for all things ‘Burgh, be it socks, hats, hoodies and T-shirts. Steel City Clothing, located Downtown, sells clothing showcasing an array of Pittsburgh staples ranging from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Heinz to pierogis and...
Poll: A third of U.S. adults skeptical of covid shots
NEW YORK — About 1 in 3 Americans say they definitely or probably won’t get the covid-19 vaccine, according to a new poll that some experts say is discouraging news if the U.S. hopes to achieve herd immunity and vanquish the outbreak. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for...
