Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1378
AP source: Biden to choose Ron Klain as chief of staff
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden has chosen his longtime adviser Ron Klain to reprise his role as his chief of staff, installing an aide with decades of experience across Democratic presidential administrations in the top role in his White House. That’s according to a person familiar with the decision who spoke...
Central Catholic to close Thursday due to third covid-19 case
Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh will be closed Thursday after a third person tested positive for covid-19. The cases appear to be independent of each other and there is no evidence of internal spread of the virus, according to a statement issued by the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. After...
Local coronavirus surge triggers virtual learning for Avonworth students
The Avonworth School District is switching to full-time virtual learning for all students Thursday through at least Tuesday, Nov. 24. Superintendent Thomas W. Ralston indicated that decision was driven by rising coronavirus cases among district students and staff and in communities the district serves. In a letter and video message...
Yes, that really is a peanut-shaped vehicle driving around PittsburghVideo
You’ve got to be a little nutty to take this job. These three recent college graduates must be. They’ve been been hired to drive across the U.S. in a peanut-shaped van. The Planters NUTmobile, owned by KraftHeinz, is spending the week in Pittsburgh. Planters hires what it terms “Peanutters,” all...
Lt. Gov. Fetterman seeks claim of $1M voter fraud reward from Texas lieutenant governorVideo
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is asking for his share of a reward after he offered up a case of voter fraud to Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick via Twitter. Patrick had announced that he is giving out $1 million in rewards for information that leads to voter fraud...
Western Pa. hospitals on alert as covid cases surgeVideo
Hospitalizations are on the rise in Western Pennsylvania, but the region’s health systems are projecting confidence in their ability to maintain capacity as covid-19 cases surge again. “We’ve been planning and preparing for a variety of surge situations over the past many months,” Dr. Rachel Sackrowitz, chief medical officer of...
Pittsburgh-area Pilgrim descendants celebrate 400th anniversary of Mayflower Compact
Four hundred years ago, a group of 102 people, all hoping to start a new life on the other side of the Atlantic, left England and sailed to the New World. Fleeing religious persecution, they left behind everything they knew as they boarded a small boat named the Mayflower. They...
Few legal wins so far as Trump team hunts for proof of fraudVideo
PHILADELPHIA — During a Pennsylvania court hearing this week on one of the scores of election lawsuits brought by President Donald Trump, a judge asked a campaign lawyer whether he had found any signs of fraud found among the 592 ballots challenged. The answer was no. “Accusing people of fraud...
Arnold assistant fire chief and his son face kidnapping charges
An Arnold assistant fire chief and his teenage son are accused of kidnapping the son’s pregnant girlfriend and holding her against her will for over a month, according to court records. Brian James Gouza, who has been suspended from Arnold Citizens Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, said the allegations are...
Neighbor charged in fatal Brighton Heights shooting
A SWAT situation on Wednesday ended with the arrest of a man accused earlier in the week of opening fire on a couple as they walked to get a bite to eat on Pittsburgh’s North Side, authorities said. The shooting happened about 3:30 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Brighton...
Derry Township assault victim hid inside van until troopers arrived
State police responding to a domestic assault in Derry Township early Wednesday said the victim fled her home and hid inside a van until troopers arrived. Jordache R. Larrabee, 31, of Derry Township, was charged by with assaulting, choking and threatening the woman during the 1:23 a.m. incident along Torrance...
Texas tops 1 million cases as covid-19 surge engulfs the U.S.Video
Texas on Wednesday became the first state with more than 1 million confirmed covid-19 cases, and California closed in on that mark as a surge of infections engulfs the country from coast to coast. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said all restaurants, bars and gyms statewide will have to...
Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania people named to Biden’s transition team
President-elect Joe Biden has named several people with Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania ties to the agency review teams that will guide a transition before Jan. 20, when Biden is scheduled to take office. Although they don’t have a say in the matter, political science experts in the region say Biden should...
Allegheny County tallies nearly 15,000 more votes, count continues Thursday
Allegheny County counted another 14,969 ballots Wednesday, bringing the total number of ballots cast in the county to nearly 718,000, officials said. The Return Board counted the last 7,000 ballots that remained to be processed from the batch of 29,000 that had to be set aside because of a printing...
Veterans Day bike tour in Pittsburgh rides on despite the rainVideo
Rainy weather wasn’t going to put the brakes on for these cyclists. The 20-mile ride Wednesday — Veterans Day — went on as planned with a few adjustments. The first Veterans Day Bike Tour was to include stops at the Southwestern Pennsylvania World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial,...
Brentwood School District remains open; 5 TB cases are latent
Brentwood Borough School District will remain open as officials there and at the Allegheny County Health Department continue to investigate the presence of tuberculosis in a student and five employees. Amy Burch, the school district’s superintendent, said an informational meeting with staff Nov. 9 went “extremely well.” The meeting came...
Pennsylvania coronavirus total reaches another high mark with 4,711 new cases
Pennsylvania recorded its highest number of coronavirus cases for the third time in the past five days. The 4,711 new cases reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday eclipsed the records set Tuesday (4,361) and Saturday (4,035). The state’s total now sits at 243,368, with 35,341 reported just...
Allegheny County reports record 366 new coronavirus cases
Allegheny County reported a record 366 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday. The new additions tallied by the Allegheny County Health Department bring the total to 18,339 cases since the pandemic began in March. It’s the third time the county has reported more than 300 cases, with 317 on Tuesday and...
Pittsburgh posts ‘No Hunting’ signs in Frick Park
There are now “No Hunting” signs in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park. The city’s Public Safety Department put up the signs at key points in the more than 600-acre wooded greenspace in the city’s Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze and Regent Square neighborhoods. “There are numerous children, bicyclists, pedestrians and pets within the...
Pitt adds 74 covid-19 cases in 3 days
The University of Pittsburgh reported 73 new infections of covid-19 among students, and one employee case, between Friday and Monday, the school’s Covid-19 Medical Response Office (CMRO) said. In an update, the office attributed the staggering increase in cases to “large-scale exposures at social engagements over Halloween weekend.” “This is...
States cite smooth election, despite Trump’s baseless claims
ATLANTA — The 2020 election unfolded smoothly across the country and without any widespread irregularities, according to state officials and election experts, a stark contrast to the baseless claims of fraud being leveled by President Donald Trump following his defeat. Election experts said the large increase in advance voting —...
Oakmont Councilwoman Carrie DelRosso claims victory in race to unseat Frank Dermody
Oakmont Councilwoman Carrie Lewis DelRosso claimed victory Tuesday night in her race to unseat state House Minority Leader Frank Dermody. DelRosso, a Republican, had collected 51.5% of the votes counted compared with Dermody’s 48.5%, a margin of 923 votes, according to unofficial results from the Pennsylvania Department of State. “I’m...
75 years later, memories of World War II, USS Pennsylvania vivid for Greensburg veteran
More than 75 years later, memories of the USS Pennsylvania are still vivid for Bill Kowinski. The 94-year-old Greensburg man was a sailor aboard the battleship when a Japanese bomber struck it with a torpedo on Aug. 12, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa in the waning days of World...
Erie postal worker admits fabricating Trump-pushed claims of voter fraud, House panel says
A postal worker in Pennsylvania has admitted to making up explosive accusations about mail-in voting irregularities in the 2020 election that were picked up by supporters of President Donald Trump as supposed evidence of fraud, according to congressional investigators. Richard Hopkins, a U.S. Postal Service employee in Erie, first alleged...
Trump loyalists get top Pentagon jobs after Esper firing
WASHINGTON — A day after President Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper, three staunch loyalists to the president were named to top defense jobs. Among them was a former Fox News commentator who failed to get through Senate confirmation because of offensive remarks he made, including about Islam. The...
