Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1321
Editorial: Martin Luther King Jr.’s dreams still ring out
When Martin Luther King Jr. came to the Lincoln Memorial in March 1963, he spoke words that echoed like a bell. They rang true and resonated with both heartbreak and faith as he spoke about a dream of equality, freedom and the future. It was a moment that seems suspended...
No one hurt in Sewickley house fire
No one was injured in a fire early Monday in Sewickley, according to Allegheny County emergency dispatchers. Crews responded to a call just after 5 a.m. in the 800 block of Centennial Avenue. Flames and smoke were billowing from the second floor when crews arrived. Multiple departments responded to put...
Beat the winter blues with wildlife and Westmoreland’s beautiful viewsVideo
The winter of 2021 is shaping up to look much like the spring, summer and fall of 2020 — at least when it comes to most forms of in-person socializing. But one place that has remained safe for activity throughout the pandemic has been the great outdoors, and that certainly...
Irwin tries to tackle $182 problem caused by Dunkin’ traffic snagVideo
Imagine paying $182 for a cup of coffee and a doughnut? Outrageous? But some thirsty motorists have been just doing that. They stop for their morning coffee and a doughnut at the Dunkin’ store along the eastbound lanes of Route 30 in Irwin. But when they exit, they make a...
FBI vetting Guard troops in D.C. amid fears of insider attack
WASHINGTON — U.S. defense officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event. The massive undertaking reflects the extraordinary...
Covid pandemic changes Day of Service
Like so many other activities and events over the past 10 months, the covid pandemic has impacted volunteer opportunities Monday on the National Day of Service, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Colleges and universities in the region that might have volunteer opportunities for students and staff on National...
Report: Flames shoot through roof of Collier home; no injuries reported
No one was injured in a house fire Sunday in Collier Township’s Presto area, according to an Allegheny County emergency dispatcher. The fire broke out shortly after 3 pm. in the 5000 block of Carnoustie Court, a residential neighborhood, according to the dispatcher. Collier’s Presto Volunteer Fire Department was the...
County leaders in Pa. call for mail-in ballot reform
County commissioners throughout Pennsylvania are calling for a series of election reforms they contend will improve the balloting process across the state and clarify procedures that resulted in counting delays and litigation. According to a preliminary report released Thursday by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, officials recommend state lawmakers...
Protests start small at newly fortified U.S. statehousesVideo
Small groups of right-wing protesters — some of them carrying rifles — gathered outside newly fortified statehouses around the country Sunday as National Guard troops and police kept watch to prevent a repeat of the violence that erupted at the U.S. Capitol. There were no immediate reports of any clashes....
‘Little old West Virginia’ sets pace on vaccine rolloutVideo
KENOVA, W.Va. — Griffith & Feil Drug has been in business since 1892, a family-owned, small-town pharmacy. This isn’t their first pandemic. More than a century after helping West Virginians confront the Spanish flu in 1918, the drugstore in Kenova, a community of about 3,000 people, is helping the state...
Records: Trump allies behind rally that ignited Capitol riot
WASHINGTON — Members of President Donald Trump’s failed presidential campaign played key roles in orchestrating the Washington rally that spawned a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol, according to an Associated Press review of records, undercutting claims the event was the brainchild of the president’s grassroots supporters. A pro-Trump nonprofit...
Pa. State Police resume tracking racial data during traffic stops in response to Spotlight PA report
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 — The Pennsylvania State Police announced Tuesday that it had resumed collecting racial data during traffic stops, nine years after...
Redistricting will be definitive political fight of 2021 in Pennsylvania
This article is part of a year-long reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It’s made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members, including TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — With partisanship in the Pennsylvania legislature at peak...
Phil Spector, famed music producer and murderer, dies at 81
LOS ANGELES — Phil Spector, the eccentric and revolutionary music producer who transformed rock music with his “Wall of Sound” method and who later was convicted of murder, has died. He was 81. California state prison officials said he died Saturday of natural causes at a hospital. Spector was convicted...
Pa. state Sen. Dave Arnold dies from brain cancer at age 49
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave Arnold died Sunday at home with his wife and daughter by his side, ending a 15-month battle with brain cancer. Arnold was 49 years old. He took the oath of office last January to represent the 48th senatorial district, which covers all of Lebanon County and parts...
Protests start small, peacefully at fortified U.S. statehouses
Police and National Guard troops stood sentry at newly fortified statehouses Sunday ahead of demonstrations planned for the leadup to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, as authorities worked to deter a repeat of the recent riot that overran the U.S. Capitol. A few protesters were starting to gather in some cities,...
Powerball jackpot grows to $730M; Mega Millions to be $850M
DES MOINES, Iowa — Lottery players have another chance to win big next week since there were no winners of the top prize for both the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots in their most recent drawings. The Powerball jackpot grew to an estimated $730 million after no one matched all...
Monroeville man killed in Penn Hills shooting
A Monroeville man died early Sunday morning after being shot numerous times in Penn Hills, according to Allegheny County police. The man, Jamal D. Pamplin, 32, was pronounced dead at about 12:25 a.m. at Allegheny Health Network Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner said. Police said they...
One man’s mission to overhaul downtown New Kensington opening doors for new business ownersVideo
Amy Johnson’s earliest memories of downtown New Kensington include her grandfather, a doctor whose office was in the Shepherd Building on Fifth Avenue. “I remember walking down from my home in Parnassus to his office,” said Johnson, 47. “My great aunt worked at the Harts building. We’d walk to Harts,...
Jim Brewster looks forward after tight, tense Pa. Senate race: ‘At the end of the day, you’re supposed to shake hands’Video
State Sen. Jim Brewster knew the initial Jan. 5 swearing-in for members of his chamber could get dicey. He had been declared the winner of the 45th District race by the Pennsylvania secretary of State, and a legal ruling from the state Supreme Court concurred. But his Republican opponent, Nicole...
Western Pa. hospitals struggle to minimize waste of covid vaccine doses
As they refine a complicated distribution strategy, health care workers in Western Pennsylvania have been forced to give covid vaccine doses to people who are not in top priority groups to avoid wasting precious leftover shots. After long days of vaccinating front-line health care workers, nurses have described calling friends...
Editorial: Nursing shortage and pay needs more attention
It’s hard to prioritize whose work is more important than someone else’s at any time. Sidney Crosby might be the bright star of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but you can’t play hockey without the guy who drives the Zamboni over the ice, either. The coronavirus pandemic can make those inevitable comparisons...
Pandemic exposes weakness in Pa. counties without health departments, like Westmoreland
When Kim Ward was sworn in as a Westmoreland County commissioner in 2008, one of her first questions was: Who oversees the county’s health department? The former respiratory therapist was stunned to learn there wasn’t one. Westmoreland, like 61 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, leaves the issue of public health to...
Not in my nest: Bald eagle pounces on intruder at Pittsburgh Hays aerieVideo
An immature bald eagle rooting around the Pittsburgh bald eagle’s nest was quickly shoved out by the resident male, which pounced on the intruder and chased the young bird away. A live webcam sponsored by PixCams and the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania caught all the action on Jan. 9....
Biden outlines ‘Day One’ agenda of executive actions
WASHINGTON — In his first hours as president, Joe Biden plans to take executive action to roll back some of the most controversial decisions of his predecessor and to address the raging coronavirus pandemic, his incoming chief of staff said Saturday. The opening salvo would herald a 10-day blitz of...
