Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1401
Local projects awarded $2.7 million for coal-impacted towns, creating 272 new jobs and training 1,300 workers
A job training center in Armstrong County, an economic development group and a Pittsburgh health system were awarded $2.7 million in federal grants helping coal-impacted communities. Pennsylvania received $15 million in grants and had the most grant awards of any state, covering 15 projects, for the federal program Appalachian Regional...
Plan to retrieve Titanic radio spurs debate on human remains
NORFOLK, Va. — People have been diving to the Titanic’s wreck for 35 years. No one has found human remains, according to the company that owns the salvage rights. But the company’s plan to retrieve the ship’s iconic radio equipment has sparked a debate: Could the world’s most famous shipwreck...
Touch-and-go: U.S. spacecraft sampling asteroid for return
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.— After almost two years circling an ancient asteroid hundreds of millions of miles away, a NASA spacecraft this week will attempt to descend to the treacherous, boulder-packed surface and snatch a handful of rubble. The drama unfolds Tuesday as the U.S. takes its first crack at collecting...
Most U.S. clergy avoid hellfire threats over abortion politics
James Altman is a Roman Catholic priest in Wisconsin, little known outside his parish until a few weeks ago. Robert Jeffress is the high-profile pastor of a Baptist megachurch in Dallas. They have a message in common for members of their faiths: Voting for Democrats who support abortion rights is...
Millions more virus rapid tests but are results reported?
WASHINGTON — After struggling to ramp up coronavirus testing, the U.S. can now screen several million people daily, thanks to a growing supply of rapid tests. But the boom comes with a new challenge: keeping track of the results. All U.S. testing sites are legally required to report their results,...
Indiana County DA: Teen arrested, 3 sought in fatal shooting of Pittsburgh man
Indiana Borough Police have arrested a teenaged girl and acquired an arrest warrant for a 20-year-old man in connection with the fatal shooting of a Pittsburgh man who was found early Saturday in a parking lot. Isabella Marie Edmonds, 17, was arraigned late Saturday on multiple charges of homicide, robbery...
Along Mariner East pipelines, secrecy and a patchwork of emergency plans leave many at risk and in the dark
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/the Patriot-News and other news organizations across Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. Winding through green forested hills, the road to Meadowbrook Mobile Home Park in York County is nestled with brown-paneled trailers...
Pennsylvania nursing homes brace for more covid outbreaks amid supply shortages
As Pennsylvania’s public health chief warns of a second wave of covid-19 community spread, nursing homes are bracing for a potential correlative wave of nursing home outbreaks and deaths. Nursing home operators and staff are looking for more protective gear, help with testing and other aid to ensure the next...
Quaker Valley moves to online learning after mass quarantine of students, staff occurs
More than 100 Quaker Valley students and staff are in quarantine after possible covid-19 exposures, and the middle and high school will be 100% virtual for at least two weeks, district officials said Saturday. The move to all-online classes comes as officials also announced nine new cases of the virus...
In 1st re-election bid, Rep. Reschenthaler faces Democratic challenger Bill Marx
To say Rep. Guy Reschenthaler’s first term in the U.S. Congress was busy might be an understatement. The Peters Township Republican was elected in 2018 to represent most of Westmoreland County, as well as Fayette, Greene and Washington counties, in the newly drawn 14th District. He was thrust into a...
Scammers seize on U.S. election, but it’s not votes they want
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The email from a political action committee seemed harmless: If you support Joe Biden, it urged, click here to make sure you’re registered to vote. But Harvard University graduate student Maya James did not click. Instead, she Googled the name of the soliciting PAC. It didn’t exist...
Portions of Pittsburgh’s Garfield, Stanton Heights neighborhoods under flush and boil advisory
Around 300 homes in Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights and Garfield neighborhoods are under a flush and boil water advisory Saturday. A tank near Garfield experienced a pump failure while T-Mobile was completing utility work around 11 a.m., according to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. The result was low or no...
Safety concerns loom as Allegheny County trials resume during covid-19 pandemic
Seven months after the Allegheny County Courthouse shut down because of the covid-19 pandemic, criminal jury trials are about to start again with masks and plexiglass and social distancing — to the chagrin of many of the attorneys who practice there. Although those lawyers appreciate the steps being taken, some...
Police: Kiski Township teens arrested after 1 found with meth, other knocks officer to the ground
A suspicious vehicle investigation in Kiski Township ended with one teen charged for allegedly knocking an officer to the ground and another facing drug charges, authorities said. A township officer spotted what he deemed to be two suspicious cars about 6:50 p.m. along Brownstown Road near McCartney Road, according to...
Big game hunting: Are there hunters in your park?
It might be only three Sundays a year, but a new state law will kick in Nov. 15 allowing for the first big game Sunday for deer archery. Archery season for big game already is in progress in some parts of the state, among them Allegheny County and parts of...
Trump leans into fear tactics in bid to win Midwest states
MUSKEGON, Michigan — President Donald Trump leaned into fear tactics Saturday as he accused the left of trying to “erase American history, purge American values and destroy the American way of life” in a late reelection pitch to voters in Michigan. “The Democrat Party you once knew doesn’t exist,” Trump...
‘Treasure seekers’ flock to Apple Hill Playhouse rummage saleVideo
Jennifer Traugott and her 9-year-old daughter, Lucy, made sure they were out the door of their Cooksburg home at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, heading 85 miles away to the Apple Hill Playhouse in Delmont on a shopping mission. The Traugotts are part of the Clarion County Homeschoolers drama organization. And —...
Westmoreland County reports 3rd-straight day of triple-digit coronavirus cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported a third consecutive day of triple-digit covid-19 cases after reporting 102 to Westmoreland County. Saturday’s addition puts the three-day total at 359 cases; the county reported 148 and 109 cases on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Three additional deaths were reported, lifting the...
Norwin reports 2 more covid-19 cases
Two more Norwin elementary school students have tested positive for the coronavirus, the school district announced Saturday morning. One student attends Sunset Valley Elementary School, which has had covid-19 cases, and the other student attends Sheridan Terrace. This is the first Sheridan Terrace student the school district reported who had...
Pennsylvania reports 2nd-highest covid-19 case count
Pennsylvania on Saturday reported 1,857 new coronavirus cases — a staggering 291-case jump from yesterday’s 1,566 — and the second-highest single-day total the state has ever reported. The all-time high for the Keystone State has stood since April 9, when 1,989 cases were reported. The state Department of Health reported...
Allegheny County reports 138 coronavirus cases, 2 deaths
Allegheny County on Saturday recorded 138 new coronavirus cases and two new deaths. The additional deaths bring the county total to 405. The county now has accumulated 13,959 cases of covid-19, according to data from the Allegheny County Health Department. Of the new cases, 113 are confirmed, while 25 are...
Sounding off: Goodbye Columbus, hello Bruno
After much weeping, moaning and gnashing of teeth (on both sides), a panel has recommended to “disappear” the statue of Christopher Columbus from Schenley Park (“Pittsburgh Art Commission recommends removal of Columbus statue from Schenley Park.”) and the mayor agreed. The “art commission” has no problem with a “worthy Italian...
3 arrested at Armstrong County bar for child endangerment, cops say
Three members a family who work at the same Armstrong County bar were arrested before midnight Saturday on child endangerment charges, according to Kiski Township police. Police Sgt. Thomas Dessell reported that Harley Rome, 23; Frank Branan, 29, both of Vandergrift, and Tawyna Palermo, 47, of North Apollo, were charged...
Indiana Borough police investigating fatal shooting
Indiana Borough Police are continuing to investigate the fatal shooting of a Pittsburgh man who was found early Saturday in a parking lot. Police said they were called at 4:07 a.m. to the 1300 block of Oakland Avenue for a report of an unresponsive man laying in a private parking...
Police investigating shooting of 3 people in Mt. Oliver
Allegheny County Police are seeking assistance in the investigation of a shooting that wounded three people early Saturday in Mt. Oliver. Police said they were notified of a shooting about 3:24 a.m. in the 1700 block of Arlington Avenue. When authorities arrived, they found three victims, two women and a...
