Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1394
Pittsburgh mayor calls for moment of silence Tuesday to remember Tree of Life attacks
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is asking Pittsburgh residents to observe a moment of silence and reflection at 9:54 a.m. Tuesday, the moment when the shooting started in 2018 at the Squirrel Hill synagogue that left 11 people dead and wounded two others. “My thoughts continue to be with everyone impacted...
Amy Coney Barrett confirmed as Supreme Court justice in partisan voteVideo
WASHINGTON — Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court late Monday by a deeply divided Senate, Republicans overpowering Democrats to install President Donald Trump’s nominee days before the election and secure a likely conservative court majority for years to come. Trump’s choice to fill the vacancy of the...
Vehicle crashes into creek outside outbound Fort Pitt Tunnel
One person was taken to a hospital after a three-vehicle crash outside the outbound Fort Pitt Tunnel Monday morning, according to state police The crash was reported shortly after 7 a.m. According to state police, Patrick Totten, 44, of Pittsburgh was driving in the right lane behind Loredo Norales Derickson,...
NASA discovers water on moon’s sunlit surfaceVideo
NASA announced Monday that its Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has confirmed water on the sunlit surface of the moon. Officials said the finding indicates that water may be distributed across the lunar surface and not limited to cold, shadowed places. “We had indications that H2O — the familiar...
Editorial: Tree of Life, two years later
The way the news comes in waves that crest and crash can mean that something huge and all-encompassing one minute can seem to become smaller and less important the further away it gets. But that isn’t true. An event that is important because of the pain it causes and the...
Police: Dog tied to Trump sign in Donegal has not been abused
A dog that was tethered to a campaign sign for Donald Trump was not subjected to animal cruelty, the Pennsylvania State Police said on Sunday. Police first visited Donegal Oct. 17, to check on the welfare a dog reported to be tied to a political sign on private property. Photos...
GOP candidates and Allegheny County Elections officials reach settlement in lawsuit
A legal dispute between two Republican congressional candidates and the Allegheny County Board of Elections reached settlement Sunday, with the two sides agreeing on a process for handling nearly 29,000 erroneous mail-in ballots. The agreed-upon process is the same one that the county laid out last week as the lawsuit...
GOP slowly gaining as early vote total surpasses 2016Video
With nine days before Election Day, more people already have cast ballots in this year’s presidential election than voted early or absentee in the 2016 race as the start of in-person early voting in big states led to a surge in turnout in recent days. The opening of early voting...
Once a covid-19 vaccine is here, there will be a new challenge: convincing people it’s safe
There’s a good chance that a coronavirus vaccine could be available by late 2020 or early 2021. Developing an effective vaccine that fast would be a remarkable scientific achievement. It would also provide the first real hope of taming a new, deadly virus that has upended all aspects of American...
Police: Off-duty New Kensington cop accused of assaulting girlfriend after birthday party
An off-duty New Kensington police officer is accused of beating up his girlfriend after drinking at a Pittsburgh bar over the weekend, according to a criminal complaint. The woman told police she had been navigating their route home with a GPS when the incident happened. Joseph Martino II, 32, of...
Trick-or-treat during a pandemic: ‘We don’t have the power to stop Halloween’
It didn’t take long for the first trickle of school-related coronavirus cases this fall to turn into a steady drip that has seen multiple school buildings close. State health officials said earlier this week that the fall surge they had anticipated had arrived. Many communities, however, are going ahead with...
Steelers start fast, hold off Titans rally to remain unbeaten
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For going on the road and beating the only other undefeated team in the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers had few positive emotions to display Sunday after a 27-24 victory against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. The mood was more of exhaustion than elation after the Steelers...
Wild turkey chase around Murrysville tree may look crazy, but it’s normal, expert saysVideo
At first glance, the three wild turkeys chasing one another around a tree in Murrysville look crazy, but what seems like silly play is really a struggle for dominance, according to a state turkey expert. PixCams captured the clip on a webcam trained on a field in Murrysville earlier this...
Inconsistencies in state covid data cause confusion
Throughout the covid-19 pandemic, journalists, health officials and the public have been inundated with data counting infections, deaths, hospitalizations and more. Often the figures come from multiple sources, including databases maintained by state and local agencies — and often, those numbers do not match. “It’s expected that during the middle...
Trump aide says ‘we’re not going to control the pandemic’Video
LONDONDERRY, N.H. — The coronavirus has reached into the heart of the White House once more, less than a week before Election Day, as it scorches the nation and the president’s top aide says “we’re not going to control the pandemic.” Officials on Sunday scoffed at the notion of dialing...
Pence to keep up travel despite contact with infected aides
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence plans to maintain an aggressive campaign schedule this week despite an apparent outbreak of the coronavirus among his senior aides, the White House says. Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, and “a couple of key staff surrounding the vice president” have tested positive for...
Incident involving person with gun near Rochester Area High School in Beaver County ends peacefully
Rochester Township police said Sunday morning that the investigation was ongoing into the shooting incident that caused a nearly two-hour delay to the start of a high school football game Friday night in Beaver County. Kickoff for the start of the Rochester Area High School and Shenango Junior/Senior High School...
Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro seeks second term in race against Republican Heather Heidelbaugh
Attorney General Josh Shapiro calls himself “the people’s lawyer.” Heather Heidelbaugh, his Republican challenger in the Nov. 3 election, refers to herself as “a lawyer’s lawyer.” While Shapiro has garnered national headlines for his impassioned challenges against the Trump administration, Heidelbaugh says the office is one that should focus on...
The Pirates and the psychology of losing on fans
The Pittsburgh Pirates were the first Major League Baseball team eliminated from postseason contention this year. For fans of the team, this wasn’t surprising. For years, the Pirates have been stuck in the cycle of lose-rebuild-lose. But that cycle, and a record filled with few wins, has made it frustrating...
Pirates baseball: Lacking dollars and sense
For years, the Pittsburgh Pirates organization has had a reputation for being cheap: unable or unwilling to spend to make its on-field product better. But as the Tampa Bay Rays, another team accused of skimping on player salaries in the past, competes in the World Series against the Los Angeles...
Salvation Army faces more need, fundraising challenges as Red Kettle season nears
The covid-19 pandemic is presenting a challenge to the Salvation Army and its iconic Red Kettle campaign. “We’re kind of up against needing to raise more money but it’s also harder to raise money with everything that’s going on,” said Lt. Alex Senak with the Allegheny Valley Salvation Army in...
Manor man has spent decades working on ‘collection of collections’
Some people have collections. Larry Bard of Manor might better described as someone with a collection of collections. From milk bottles and coffee tins to Bugs Bunny and ‘ALF’ memorabilia, Bard and his wife, Verdine, have filled their home — and a separate building, and basically just about any available...
Editorial: Restaurant industry deserves real help from the state
Gov. Tom Wolf tried to give a gift to Pennsylvania bars and restaurants that serve alcohol last week. In a Thursday announcement held at LeMont Restaurant on Mt. Washington, the governor proposed giving the businesses — many of which have faced struggles because of the social distancing and restrictions during...
Covid-19 case at Robinson school prompts Pittsburgh diocese to halt in-person kindergarten there
A covid-19 case has prompted the Diocese of Pittsburgh to cancel in-person instruction for kindergartners at Archangel Gabriel Catholic School in Robinson for the next two weeks. “I feel badly that some of our students will temporarily miss out on in-person learning and activities, but doing all we can to...
Biden supporters caravan around the A-K Valley, rally in Harrison
A caravan of about 140 cars, trucks and SUVs adorned with decorations touting support for the Biden-Harris presidential ticket paraded around the Alle-Kiski Valley on Saturday, then parked at Harrison Hills Park for a social distance-friendly political rally. The event marked an opportunity for supporters of Democratic nominee Joe Biden...
