Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1362
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to leave telecom agency in January
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, says he is leaving the telecommunications regulator on Inauguration Day. President-elect Joe Biden will choose a new Democratic head for the agency. A new administration typically picks a new chairman. Pai has presided over a contentious FCC over the last four years....
Westmoreland County adds 302 new coronavirus cases, 7 deaths over 2 days
Officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 302 new covid-19 cases over the past two days in Westmoreland County on Monday. There were 173 new cases Sunday and 129 on Monday. Among the new cases, 152 were confirmed through 385 new PCR tests from Sunday’s batch, while 96 were...
Pennsylvania adds 9,797 new covid cases in 2 days, 107 deaths
Pennsylvania’s covid-19 tally rose by nearly 9,800 more cases over the past two days, according to data Monday from the state’s Department of Health. Officials said 9,797 new cases were reported — 5,529 on Sunday, 4,268 on Monday. The statewide total stands at 361,464 cases. Of those cases, 5,178 were...
Yes, you can get covid twice; don’t be alarmed, scientists say
SAN DIEGO — Data from San Diego County suggests that few residents have gotten covid-19 twice so far, echoing findings from researchers across the globe. The Union-Tribune asked the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency for the number of people who’ve tested positive for the coronavirus twice,...
Westmoreland Ballet films ‘Nutcracker’ at iconic area locations
The Westmoreland Ballet Company takes “The Nutcracker” off the stage and into the community with a new video production of the beloved holiday classic. Filmed at indoor and outdoor locations around the county, the video will debut online at 7 p.m. Friday. It also will stream at 7 p.m. Saturday...
Port Authority bus crashes into light post in Monroeville Mall parking lot
The driver of a Port Authority of Allegheny County bus was not injured after colliding with a light pole in a Monroeville Mall parking lot the morning of Nov. 30. Adam Brandolph, a Port Authority spokesman, said the situation is under investigation by Port Authority police. The bus driver was...
Allegheny County’s new covid case numbers recede slightly
After a week of staggering new daily covid case reports, Allegheny County added 920 additional cases over the past two days, according to the Health Department. On Friday, the county added a record 869 new cases. On Thursday, 773 new cases were announced. The two-day total was 1,642 — a...
Beware of covid-19 scams as vaccine approaches FDA approval
WASHINGTON (AP) — The coronavirus vaccine inching toward approval in the U.S. is desperately anticipated by weary Americans longing for a path back to normal life. But criminals are waiting, too, ready to use that desperation to their advantage, federal investigators say. Homeland Security investigators are working with Pfizer, Moderna...
Congress returns with virus aid, federal funding unresolved
WASHINGTON — After months of shadowboxing amid a tense and toxic campaign, Capitol Hill’s main players are returning for one final, perhaps futile, attempt at deal-making on a challenging menu of year-end business. Covid-19 relief, a $1.4 trillion catchall spending package, and defense policy — and a final burst of...
Moderna asking U.S., European regulators to OK its virus shotsVideo
Moderna Inc. said it would ask U.S. and European regulators Monday to allow emergency use of its covid-19 vaccine as new study results confirm the shots offer strong protection — ramping up the race to begin limited vaccinations as the coronavirus rampage worsens. Multiple vaccine candidates must succeed for the...
Editorial: Hunting changes could feed families
The Monday after Thanksgiving has long been an additional holiday in Pennsylvania. A day off work. A day with special observations and rituals. And one with a lot of prayers said as hunters call upon a higher power for a little divine assistance in bagging the biggest deer possible. But...
2 injured, 1 critically, in Hill District shooting
A woman was in critical condition after a double shooting in the Hill District Sunday night, according to Pittsburgh police. Police said officers responded to an alert of multiple shots fired in the 2000 block of Webster Avenue around 10:15 p.m. The two victims, a woman and man, were found...
Winter weather advisory issued for Pittsburgh region, 2 to 4 inches of snow expected
Between 2 and 4 inches of snow is expected to fall in the Pittsburgh area Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. A winter weather advisory for the region, including areas of eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia, runs from 1 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday. A...
New Kensington man charged in Leechburg shootings
A New Kensington man accused of shooting two people in Leechburg has turned himself in to authorities. Pennsylvania State Police said the shooting happened shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday along the 100 block of Market Street. Chad Robert Goldstrom, 37, was taken into custody without incident around 4 p.m. Monday...
Doctor says Biden fractured foot while playing with his dog
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden fractured his foot while playing with one of his dogs, but doctors found “no obvious fracture” while examining him Sunday, according to his doctor. Biden suffered the injury on Saturday and visited an orthopedist at Delaware Orthopaedic Specialists in Newark, Delaware, for an examination...
Source: Pennsylvania lawmaker gets a positive covid test at Trump meeting
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state senator abruptly left a West Wing meeting with President Donald Trump after being informed he had tested positive for the coronavirus, a person with direct knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press on Sunday. Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano had gone to the White...
Pittsburgh-area hospitals set record for treating covid patients
The latest surge of covid-19 cases has prompted a 500% increase in hospitalizations when compared to the spring stage of the pandemic, officials from the region’s health care systems said Sunday. While some hospitals are close to running out of intensive care beds, officials at Allegheny Health Network and UPMC...
Police: 2 hurt in Leechburg shooting
Two people were shot Sunday afternoon on Market Street in Leechburg, police said. Leechburg police Chief Jason Schaeffer would not provide further details Sunday, and would not comment on the extent of the injuries. Police spent several hours investigating. The shooting was reported shortly after 3 p.m., according to Armstrong...
Biden chooses an all-female senior White House press team
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden will have an all-female senior communications team at his White House, led by campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield. Bedingfield will serve as Biden’s White House communications director, and Jen Psaki, a longtime Democratic spokeswoman, will be his press secretary. Biden also plans to name...
U.K. stocks up on vaccines, hopes to start coronavirus shots in daysVideo
LONDON — Britain said Sunday it has secured 2 million more doses of a promising coronavirus vaccine as it gears up to launch within days the country’s most ambitious inoculation program in decades. The U.K. has had Europe’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak, with more than 58,000 confirmed virus-related deaths. It now...
Trump ‘ashamed’ to have endorsed Republican Georgia Gov. Brian KempVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Sunday he was “ashamed” for endorsing the Republican governor of Georgia after he lost in the state to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has seethed over losing the southern state, which hadn’t voted for a Democrat for president in nearly 30 years. In January, the...
Amid pandemic and court ruling, Western Pa. parishioners want to attend church, but remain safe
Allegheny Township resident Jessica Pulice and her daughters want to attend church in person, but they want to do it safely. That’s what Pulice said Sunday as she walked into Mass at Mount St. Peter Parish in New Kensington. “People are practicing social distancing (at Mount St. Peter). They are...
Mysterious silver monolith disappears from Utah desert
SALT LAKE CITY — A mysterious silver monolith that was placed in the Utah desert has disappeared less than 10 days after it was spotted by wildlife biologists performing a helicopter survey of bighorn sheep, federal officials and witnesses said. “We have received credible reports that the illegally installed structure,...
Police: Woman shot in the foot in Pittsburgh’s South Side
A woman was shot in the foot early Sunday morning in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood, police said. Officers responded to the incident at about 1:30 a.m. in 2600 block of South 18th Street. The victim was conscious and alert with a gunshot wound to her foot, according to Public Safety...
Completed Wisconsin recount confirms Biden’s win over Trump
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin finished a recount of its presidential results on Sunday, confirming Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump in the key battleground state. Trump vowed to challenge the outcome in court even before the recount concluded. Dane County was the second and last county to finish...
