Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1346
Medical examiner: Natrona Heights inmate died of heart disease in the Allegheny County Jail
A Natrona Heights man who was an inmate in the Allegheny County Jail died of heart disease last month, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner said Friday. Daniel Pastorek, 63, of Harrison, was found unresponsive in his cell on Thanksgiving at about 10:20 a.m., Warden Orlando Harper and the medical examiner...
U.S. clears Moderna vaccine for covid-19, 2nd shot in arsenal
WASHINGTON —The U.S. added a second covid-19 vaccine to its arsenal Friday, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day. Much-needed doses are set to arrive Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout...
TV Talk: Peggy Finnegan bids Pittsburgh viewers farewell as she retires from WPXI-TV
Humble to the end, retiring WPXI-TV news anchor Peggy Finnegan twice tried to make Channel 11’s farewell coverage about everyone else. On Friday’s noon newscast, anchor Gordon Loesch tried to celebrate Finnegan but she turned it around and praised his work as an anchor and reporter over his 17 years...
UNC suspends 3 fraternities that feds linked to drug ring
RALEIGH, N.C. — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced Friday that it has suspended three fraternities that have been linked to a drug trafficking ring that federal prosecutors say funneled large amounts of drugs into three college campuses. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Greensboro announced on Thursday...
House passes bill to avert government shutdown; Senate next
WASHINGTON — The House passed a two-day stopgap spending bill Friday night to avert a partial government shutdown, trying to buy time for frustratingly slow endgame negotiations on an almost $1 trillion covid-19 economic relief package. Senate action wasn’t guaranteed but appeared likely before the midnight deadline. The House passed...
Alle-Kiski Valley restaurants continue to defy governor’s order suspending indoor dining
David’s Diner co-owner Lisa Speer said Friday she will not close her restaurant to customers looking to dine in, despite Gov. Tom Wolf’s order to suspend indoor dining and recent visits from health officials looking to enforce the order. Representatives of the Allegheny County Health Department stopped by the Springdale...
Family, friends honor Jafar Brooks with balloon release, memorial
In Arabic, the name Jafar means “rain or water that comes from heaven.” The words came from Khalid Samad, an activist from Cleveland who came to Homewood on Friday to pay his respects during a dedication to the young Jafar Brooks, who died Dec. 15 after being gunned down in...
Port Authority driver who died from covid remembered as mentor to all
A hopeless romantic who loved to burst into song, Marlon Lucas was a mentor to all he met, friends and family eulogized Friday at a funeral service in Penn Hills. The Port Authority driver of bus 1110 died Dec. 6 after contracting covid-19. He was 57. Employees and dispatchers gave...
Allegheny Valley Hospital workers see ‘beacon of hope’ as they get 1st doses of covid vaccine
Kristen Miller didn’t think twice about getting the covid vaccine. The intensive care unit registered nurse at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison on Friday was among the first workers in Allegheny Health Network to get a shot of Pfizer’s vaccine against the virus that has killed more than 300,000 in...
Man acquitted in Wilkinsburg mass shooting to plead guilty to federal gun charge
A man acquitted in the Wilkinsburg mass shooting case earlier this year will plead guilty next week to a felony gun charge in federal court. Cheron Shelton, 33, of Pittsburgh’s Homewood section, is expected to plead to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon via video conference...
Winter is here: 5 facts about the season
Monday is the official first day of winter, though a glance out the window will tell you the season is already here. Here are a few winter facts and stats so you can start the season informed: 9 hours, 16 minutes and 58 seconds That is how much daylight to...
Planned Parenthood of Western Pa. to offer hormone therapy for transgender, nonbinary people
Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania will begin offering hormone therapy to transgender and nonbinary individuals, the organization announced Friday. Patients can now receive testosterone or estrogen/antiandrogen therapy at any family planning center. “Hormone therapy can be an important step for people to feel more comfortable in their bodies, enhance their...
‘You feel hope’: 1st Excela front line workers get coronavirus vaccineVideo
When registered nurse Miranda Donaldson treats covid-19 patients, she wears a surgical gown and mask, gloves, goggles and a respirator that resembles a hood. Now, she has something inside her body to protect her from the coronavirus, too. Donaldson was among the first Excela Health employees to get vaccinated at...
Salvation Army’s Red Kettle fundraisers struggle in pandemic year
The Salvation Army’s famous red kettles are a lot lighter than usual this year, and there are fewer of them to be found around Westmoreland County. “As of right now, we’re not even at half our goal, and we have six kettle days left,” said Lt. Donna Hannan, assistant corps...
Taming the pandemic: Pitt virologists forge ahead with coronavirus vaccineVideo
Millions of doses of the covid-19 vaccine have shipped around the nation, but virologist Sham Nambulli’s work is far from done. He rises daily in his South Fayette home, hops into his Toyota Camry and heads north on I-79 toward the Parkway West. His destination is the University of Pittsburgh’s...
Westmoreland County reports drop in daily covid cases
Westmoreland County on Friday reported 248 new cases of coronavirus, the lowest daily total since posting a record 657 cases a week ago. The drop brings the county’s seven-day average down to 395 from a high of 469 just two days ago. Of the new cases, 229 are confirmed from...
Pennsylvania sees fewer daily covid-19 cases, deaths than in recent days
Pennsylvania on Friday reported a slight drop in new coronavirus cases with 9,320 added, the fewest in three days. Since reporting a record 12,884 new cases two weeks ago, the state has seen just seven days below 10,000 cases. The seven-day average is 9,803 cases, down from a high of...
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey calls for increased funding, jobs creation in economic relief packageVideo
Congressional negotiators are close to a deal on a long-delayed $900 billion covid-19 economic relief bill. But they are not there yet. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Scranton, talked to the Tribune-Review about where things stand and whether a partial government shutdown can be avoided before a midnight...
Daily covid cases dip in Allegheny County; 27 new deaths reported
Allegheny County on Friday reported a small drop in covid-19 numbers with 827 new cases added, the second day in a row below 1,000 new cases. The county Health Department added 850 cases Thursday and the seven-day average is now down to 951 cases from a high of 1,067 just...
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate declines to 6.6% in November
WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was down 0.8 points over the month to 6.6% in November — falling below the U.S. rate of 6.7% in November for the first time since May 2015. The commonwealth’s unemployment rate was 2 points above its November 2019 level while the national rate was...
Vice President Pence, wife Karen, get covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence became the highest profile world leader to be vaccinated for the coronavirus Friday. Pence’s wife Karen and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also received shots on live television. President Donald Trump’s administration helped deliver vaccinations against the coronavirus earlier than even some in his administration...
Holiday symbols represent the meanings for the season
They are the universal symbols of the holiday season. Menorahs and dreidels, wreaths and trees, unity cups and bowls of fruit — all integral parts of Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. While each has its own customs and meanings and ways to celebrate, all three share one thing in common: light....
Leechburg native Msgr. Larry Kulick named new bishop of Diocese of GreensburgVideo
Catholics in the Greensburg Diocese are celebrating an early Christmas gift from Rome: the appointment of one of their own, Msgr. Larry J. Kulick, as bishop-elect. Pope Francis announced the appointment of Kulick, a Leechburg native, as the sixth bishop of the diocese early Friday. The appointment of the 54-year-old...
Police: Man arrested after barricading himself in Mt. Washington home
A man was taken into custody Thursday by Pittsburgh police after barricading himself in a Mt. Washington home for about two hours. Juan Hernandez, 53, who is listed in court documents as homeless, surrendered to authorities shortly after 8 p.m. when a SWAT team gained access to the residence along...
Perfect timing: Boyce Park ski slopes, snow tubing opens Saturday
Just days following a 9-inch snowfall, the Boyce Park ski slopes and snow tubing area will open for the season on 10 a.m. Saturday. Restrictions will be in place to comply with Pennsylvania’s temporary covid-19 protection measures. Only 50 skiers and 50 snow tubers will be permitted during each session....
