Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1351
DOJ probe of Pa. Catholic church abuse goes quiet 2 years later
PHILADELPHIA — Two years ago, the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia joined the long line of ambitious prosecutors investigating the Roman Catholic Church’s handling of priest-abuse complaints. The Justice Department had never brought a conspiracy case against the church, despite exhaustive reports that showed its long history of burying abuse complaints...
More U.S. churches are committing to racism-linked reparations
NEW YORK — The Episcopal Diocese of Texas acknowledges that its first bishop in 1859 was a slaveholder. An Episcopal church in New York City erects a plaque noting the building’s creation in 1810 was made possible by wealth resulting from slavery. And the Minnesota Council of Churches cites a...
Covid-19 vaccine shipments begin in historic U.S. effortVideo
PORTAGE, Mich. — The first of many freezer-packed covid-19 vaccine vials made their way to distribution sites across the United States on Sunday, as the nation’s pandemic deaths approached the horrifying new milestone of 300,000. The rollout of the Pfizer vaccine, the first to be approved by the Food and...
Sheraden dog-bite victim arrested after fighting with police
Police and medics responding to a reported dog bite early Sunday morning ended up filing charges against the victim after she fought with and bled on officers, public safety officials said. Police from Zone 6 and EMS responded to a home on the 3000 block of Motor Street in Pittsburgh’s...
Working through a pandemic: Ambulance services getting flooded with covid calls
The onslaught came all at once. One day, the coronavirus patient load was just as low it had been all summer. Then in mid-October, as the leaves began to change, days at work abruptly shifted. “It was all of a sudden,” said Dave Whipkey, paramedic and logistics director at Mutual...
Western Pa. nursing homes scramble for staff to care for covid patients
Kaitlin Smith was getting increasingly worried about covid-19 outbreaks at Quality Life Services, a nursing home chain where she works as a clinical reimbursement specialist. For weeks, she had been on daily calls with all of the facility administrators, hearing about rising infections and staffing struggles. Then one Friday last...
Restaurants along Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell run the gamut of compliance with pandemic restrictions
For business owners like John Clark of Clark’s Diner in Lower Burrell, the new covid mitigation efforts instituted by Gov. Tom Wolf are as much of a threat to his workers’ livelihood as the virus itself. As a result, he’s ignoring them and allowing indoor dining to continue — in...
Editorial: Transit workers are front-line soldiers in covid war
Much of the language surrounding the coronavirus pandemic is comparable to that of warfare. We talk about fighting the disease. Having a battle plan. Deploying assets. And more than anything, we talk about the front lines. As in any war, that is where things get real. With covid-19, the front...
Business owners buckle down for new covid restrictions
For some local business owners, the expanded state health and safety orders that went into effect Saturday were another punch to the gut, during a year in which they’ve already absorbed plenty of body blows. At Jioio’s Restaurant in Greensburg, owner Tony Jioio is buckling down for a tough holiday...
Charley Pride, country music’s first Black superstar, dies at 86
NEW YORK — Charley Pride, country music’s first Black star whose rich baritone on such hits as “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” helped sell millions of records and made him the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, has died. He was 86. Pride died Saturday in...
Police: Duo drives to West Deer nursing home, beats up woman and steals her phone
A Hampton woman is accused of driving a man and two girls to a West Deer nursing home and beating up an employee who was on her break, according to a criminal complaint. West Deer police said the victim called the police station Nov. 17 to report an assault that...
Electoral College vote a big step to move past election
HARRISBURG, Pa. — When the 20 Pennsylvania loyalists selected by President-elect Joe Biden gather to cast their electoral vote ballots on Monday, it will be a big step toward leaving behind the chaos of the election and its aftermath. The ceremony at the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg will be unusual...
As virus cases, deaths mount, Westmoreland hospital officials plead for public’s help
The start of the coronavirus pandemic in March was nothing like the current surge. There was uncertainty back then as the virus quietly crept into the community, said Dr. Heather Walker, assistant director of the emergency department at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. But now, the alarms are sounding...
Trump helicopter buzzes supporters rallying in Washington
WASHINGTON — Thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump returned to Washington on Saturday for rallies to back his desperate efforts to subvert the election that he lost to Joe Biden. They cheered as Trump flew overhead on the Marine One helicopter on his way out of town for the...
Westmoreland County posts 568 covid-19 cases; 9 deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 568 new cases of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County. It is the third-straight day the county reported at least 500 cases. On Thursday, 505 cases were posted, followed by a record daily high of 657 on Friday. Nine additional deaths were reported...
U.S. says covid-19 vaccine to start arriving in states Monday
WASHINGTON — The nation’s first covid-19 vaccine will begin arriving in states Monday morning, U.S. officials said Saturday, after the government gave the final go-ahead to the shots needed to end an outbreak that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans. Trucks will roll out Sunday morning as shipping companies UPS and...
Pennsylvania posts 11,000 new coronavirus cases; 201 new deaths
Pennsylvania on Saturday reported 11,084 new coronavirus cases, as the Keystone State gets closer to accumulating 500,000 cases. The new data bring the total cases to 481,118; a nearly 70,000-case jump from this time last week (411,484). Officials said 40,580 of total cases are considered probable. Health officials define a...
Allegheny County reports nearly 1,200 new coronavirus cases; 2 deaths
Allegheny County on Saturday recorded 1,198 new coronavirus cases as the community continues to rack up covid-19 infections during the holiday season. The report is a 124-case drop from Friday’s record high of 1,322. However, its the fifth day this month that the county has surpassed 1,000 cases. Two new...
No injuries in storage facility fire on South Side
Emergency crews were dispatched to the 100 block of South 26th Street in Pittsburgh’s South Side for a fire at the Stash & Store storage facility Saturday morning. Firefighters were staging equipment at South 26th and Josephine streets shortly before 8:30 a.m., according to an Allegheny County 911 supervisor, who...
Editorial: Food banks filling holiday need
Certain reminders come to us every holiday season. Red kettles and ringing bells at shopping center doors urge us to drop in a few coins to help those in need. A box waits to collect toys for kids who won’t get any otherwise. And perhaps most ubiquitous is the food...
Pittsburgh’s hazmat team responds to ammonia leak in Strip District
Pittsburgh’s hazardous materials team was called to the Strip District on Friday night for what officials determined to be an ammonia leak. Crews responded to Consumer Fresh Produce Inc., located at 1 21st St., for reports of a strong gas odor. After inspecting the building, which is a large cold...
U.S. allows emergency covid-19 vaccine in bid to end pandemic
WASHINGTON — The U.S. gave the final go-ahead Friday to the nation’s first covid-19 vaccine, marking what could be the beginning of the end of an outbreak that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans. Shots for health workers and nursing home residents are expected to begin in the coming days after...
Hundreds turn out for Unity’s drive-thru visit with Santa
The Unity supervisors have hosted a community holiday celebration near the township municipal building, complete with a Christmas tree, since 2009. This year, in keeping with pandemic precautions, those attending stayed in their cars, greeted with a wave from Santa before dropping off letters to the jolly old elf and...
Leechburg man turns yard — and neighbors’ — into synchronized holiday light-and-music showVideo
Leechburg is shining bright thanks to the generosity of a Main Street resident. Clyde Lindsey is the creator of Leechburg Lights, the annual synchronized holiday light-and-music show now open for the 2020-21 season. It’s in its 13th year. Lindsey is a nationally recognized professional lighting programmer. What began as a...
Man shot last week in Homestead dies
A 52-year-old man who was in critical condition after a shooting in Homestead earlier this month died Friday afternoon, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. William P. Wright of Homestead was pronounced dead at an area hospital after he was involved in a Dec. 4 shooting, officials said....
