Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1398
New Stanton man killed in multi-vehicle crash on I-70 in South Huntingdon
A New Stanton man was killed following a multi-vehicle crash along Interstate 70 that sent multiple people to area hospitals Wednesday evening, officials said. Deputy Coroner Joshua Zappone Thursday morning identified Dillon Walton, 27, as the person killed in the crash that occurred near Smithton. The crash, which was reported...
Allegheny County officials encourage ‘vigilance’ as cases riseVideo
Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Allegheny County, with the number of new cases reaching around 120 each day this week. County Health Director Debra Bogen said the health department is prepared with an increased staff of case investigators and contact tracers, greater availability of testing and continued monitoring...
Crazy Mocha files for bankruptcy, cites pandemic
Crazy Mocha, with 23 coffee shop locations around Allegheny and Beaver counties, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week. The filing cites the covid-19 pandemic as the need for a reorganization of the company. In addition to Crazy Mocha, the company also operates Kiva Han Coffee, a roaster and wholesaler....
Feds arrest 15 foreign students for work-status fraud in ‘Operation OPTical Illusion’
Federal immigration authorities have arrested 15 nonimmigrant students for alleged education-related fraud, authorities said Wednesday. The arrests took place in a number of cities, including Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Boston, Houston and more, the federal authorities said. The 15 arrested allegedly claimed they worked for companies that did not exist. “Nonimmigrant” status...
From Pittsburgh’s Manchester to the moon: Astrobotic pioneers new lunar missionsVideo
Ground control for the first commercial trip to the moon will be at a nondescript building on Pittsburgh’s North Side near the Manchester neighborhood. A group of federal, state and local officials on Monday celebrated a private ribbon-cutting for Astrobotic’s headquarters at the 47,000-square-foot complex at 1016 North Lincoln Ave....
Record 9 million people register to vote in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has eclipsed 9 million registered voters for the first time and is expecting record turnout as voters cast ballots by mail or drop box and in person at county elections offices before the election and at the polls on Nov. 3. As of Wednesday, the state had processed 9,050,870...
Pittsburgh police officer positive for covid-19, in-person training canceled
A Pittsburgh Police officer has tested positive for covid-19, causing “a number of other officers and supervisors” to isolate and quarantine, officials said Wednesday. In addition, Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich suspended all in-person training programs and inter-unit rotations for police, fire and EMS until sometime next month. “Protecting Public...
16-year-old charged in Jeannette double shooting
A Jeannette teen accused of shooting and wounding two men Tuesday told investigators he had “a long-standing dispute” with the victims, according to police. Khalil L. Myers, 16, was arraigned Wednesday on two counts of attempted homicide and aggravated assault in connection with the shooting at 4:46 p.m. inside a...
Pa. election officials stress security precautions, warn against voter intimidation
Threatening emails purported to be from a far-right, neo-fascist group that targeted voters in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida and Alaska may have originated in the Baltics. While the email appeared to come from the Proud Boys, an analysis of the metadata suggested it originated in Estonia, the New York Times reported....
Black residents in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County gain protection from hair style discrimination; Juneteenth officially a holiday
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials this week approved measures protecting Black residents from being discriminated against because of their hairstyles. County Council also joined Pittsburgh in recognizing the African American observance Juneteenth as a paid holiday for county employees and approved a motion urging Congress to designate Juneteenth National Freedom...
Pennsylvania adds 1,425 coronavirus cases, 48 hospitalizations
Pennsylvania reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases for the 16th straight day Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health added 1,425 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total to 186,297. For comparison, in the past 16 days, there have been 22,090 new covid-19 cases, while in the 16 days prior to...
Westmoreland County reports 89 new coronavirus cases, 24 new hospitalizations
Westmoreland County added 89 new coronavirus cases and 24 hospitalizations on Wednesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Those new cases bring the county’s total of covid-19 cases to 3,703 with a seven-day average of 93 new cases per day. The 89 cases — 67 confirmed and 22 probable...
Cook man, 73, charged with killing wife, keeping her corpse in home for a week
A 73-year-old Cook man remains in jail without bond after state police accused him of spending a week inside his home with the corpse of his wife, who was shot twice in the back. Troopers discovered the body on Tuesday, when a relative requested a welfare check for Sandra Montjar,...
Allegheny County adds 119 coronavirus cases, 10 deaths
Allegheny County added 119 new coronavirus cases and 10 deaths Wednesday. The new covid-19 cases bring the total to 14,396 cases, according to the Allegheny County Health Department. Of the 119 new cases, 91 are confirmed and 28 probable, with 24 of the probables coming from positive antigen tests. The...
Pope Francis endorses same-sex civil unions in new documentary film
ROME — Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival. The papal thumbs-up came midway through the film that delves into issues Francis cares about most, including the environment, poverty,...
Forest Hills man claims Allegheny County denied him job over medical marijuana
A Forest Hills man claims in a lawsuit that he was rejected for a job as a corrections officer at the Allegheny County Jail because he is prescribed medical marijuana. Andrew Reed filed the complaint against the county under the Americans with Disabilities Act in federal court, alleging that the...
Brighton Rehab sued by 15 families, residents for ‘reckless’ response to covid outbreak
The families of 10 residents who died and five residents still living at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center sued the nursing home’s leaders on Wednesday for what they deem a “reckless” handling of the covid-19 outbreak, which has killed at least 73 residents of the Beaver County facility. “They show...
Barack Obama to hold his first in-person event for Biden in Philadelphia
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama is returning to Philadelphia on Wednesday for his first in-person 2020 campaign event for Joe Biden. In 2016, the man known as one of the Democratic Party’s strongest orators delivered Hillary Clinton’s closing argument in the same place — at a rally for...
Trump tends to his electoral map, Biden prepping for debate
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is hopping from one must-win stop on the electoral map to the next in the leadup to a final presidential debate that may be his last, best chance to alter the trajectory of the 2020 campaign. Democrat Joe Biden has been taking the opposite approach,...
State rejects Westmoreland plan to eliminate Penn Township district court
The state Supreme Court has rejected a Westmoreland County plan to shutter a district magistrate office in Penn Township, officials said. County court leaders this summer pitched a redistricting plan to the state’s high court that called for elimination of two magistrates, one that temporarily closed this spring in Mt....
Police: 3 people in stable condition following shooting in Brighton Heights
Three people were taken to the hospital in stable condition after a shooting in Brighton Heights Tuesday night, Pittsburgh Police said. Officers responded to the area of Fleming Avenue and Kalorama Way around 10:50 p.m. after receiving multiple Shotspotter alerts, according to police spokesman Maurice Matthews. While investigating the scene,...
Increase in covid-19 cases prompts closure of Hempfield Area High School
Hempfield Area High School is closed through Friday, following an increase in covid-19 cases at the school. Superintendent Tammy Wolicki announced the closure in a letter posted Tuesday on the district website. She said the decision was triggered when another high school student’s positive case was reported to the district...
Trump tweets clip of ’60 Minutes’ host Lesley Stahl without mask at White House, threatens to air interview early
NEW YORK — He’s tick, tick ticked. President Donald Trump posted video of “60 Minutes” anchor Lesley Stahl appearing maskless after interviewing him Tuesday — then threatened to scoop CBS by airing their recent interview ahead of schedule. “Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes not wearing a mask in the White...
U.S. spacecraft swoops onto asteroid to snap up sample
NEW YORK — A NASA spacecraft on Tuesday conducted the U.S. space agency’s first sample collection from an asteroid as part of seven-year-long voyage. The event, which lasted around 4 1/2 hours, saw Osiris-Rex approaching Bennu at tortoise speed, about 0.19 miles per hour, and then touching down on the...
Westmoreland GOP rally short on candidatesVideo
Tuesday’s Westmoreland County Republican Committee rally in Hempfield was short on candidates but strong on local party support. More than 50 GOP faithful attended the evening event, spilling from the main room of All Saints Brewing Co. onto the patio. Committee Chairman Bill Bretz, who expressed confidence in county support...
