Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1424
South Side’s Rex Theater closing permanently
Pittsburgh’s Rex Theater, a South Side concert venue, will close permanently, theater management announced Tuesday on social media. “Due to the ongoing hardship and uncertain future caused by the covid-19 pandemic, The Rex Theater will be closing our doors after over a decade of live music and events,” they wrote on...
Democrats call Trump rally a ‘super spreader’ ahead of Western Pa. visit
With President Donald Trump about to descend on Western Pennsylvania, riding the momentum of a likely Supreme Court nomination later this week, three prominent Democrats did what they could to highlight what they described as Trump’s “failed economic policies.” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Pennsylvania Democratic Party chair Nancy Patton...
Sen. Toomey says he will consider Trump’s high court nominee
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey will not try to block President Donald Trump’s attempt to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court less than 40 days before the election, he said Tuesday. The Lehigh Valley Republican joined the successful effort to block President Barack Obama from filling a vacancy on...
Spectators will be at Hempfield home football, volleyball games
Hempfield Area school leaders are allowing two sporting teams to exceed suggested gathering limits by allowing spectators at events. Girls volleyball and varsity football will be allowed two spectators per participating athlete, equating to between 175 and 200 people at volleyball events and between 1,000 and 1,100 at football events,...
Mayor Peduto to sign legislation restricting facial recognition in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto plans to sign legislation passed Tuesday by city council that restricts the use of facial recognition software and predictive policing technology by police, mayoral spokesman Tim McNulty said. The legislation passed with no opposition. Councilman Anthony Coghill abstained. Councilman Ricky Burgess voted in favor of the...
Bill freezing pay for Pa.’s legislators, judges, top executive branch officials heading to Gov. Wolf’s desk
Pennsylvania lawmakers this year likely will be spared the grief that often accompanies the annual automatic pay raise that state law authorizes them to receive. Legislation is on its way to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk that would not only freeze lawmakers’ salaries at their current level through 2021 but judges...
Indiana Township mansion for sale for $8 million
Perched high atop a hill in Indiana Township, the Italian villa at 340 Fox Hunt Road isn’t visible to its neighbors in the Manor at Hartwood plan below. But on the 35-acre estate, there’s plenty to see — starting with the six-bedroom mansion boasting six full and two half bathrooms....
Pennsylvania sees 7th straight day with double digit new covid-19 deaths
Pennsylvania has 834 new covid-19 cases Tuesday, per the state Department of Health. The state also reported 19 additional coronavirus-related deaths. Total cases are now 151,646, and the death total is 8,023. Pennsylvania surpassed 150,000 covid-19 cases Sunday. The state surpassed 100,000 cases on July 18 and 50,000 cases on...
New Allegheny County covid-19 cases tie 14-day low
Allegheny County reported 42 new covid-19 cases Tuesday, according to the county Health Department. The new case count ties a 14-day low, with 42 new coronavirus cases being reported Monday and Tuesday. No new coronavirus-related deaths and 25 new hospitalizations were reported. Total cases are now 11,821, and the hospitalization...
Romney OKs voting on Supreme Court nominee, all but assures approvalVideo
WASHINGTON — Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney said Tuesday he supports voting to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court, all but ensuring President Donald Trump has the backing needed to push the nomination over Democratic objections that it’s too close to the November election....
Allegheny County restaurant task force shuts down 2 repeat offenders for covid-19 violations
Health inspectors shut down two Allegheny County restaurants, for the second time, over the weekend for flouting covid-19 restrictions meant to slow the spread of the virus, according to reports from the county health department. On Saturday at Savoy in the Strip District, inspectors noted patrons orderings drinks without food...
Cops: Vandals shot paintball guns at Pittsburgh Black Lives Matter mural
Pittsburgh police are looking for two men suspected of using paintball guns to vandalize a Black Lives Matter mural Downtown Saturday. The police department shared photos of the men walking near the mural along the Allegheny River, near Point State Park. One can be seen carrying a paintball gun in...
Pennsylvania launches new coronavirus exposure notification app
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s new coronavirus exposure notification app became available in app stores Tuesday and could soon be compatible with those of three neighboring states, including New York. The release of the app, named COVID AlertPa, is part of Pennsylvania’s effort to more quickly break chains of transmission by using...
Pittsburgh police investigating fatal shooting in Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood
Pittsburgh police are investigating an apparent homicide in the city’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood, according to the city Department of Public Safety. The city’s ShotSpotter audio detection system alerted officers of a shooting on the 1300 block of Schwerner Court around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. Officers found a man with multiple gunshot wounds...
In battleground states, Catholics are a pivotal swing vote
For decades, Roman Catholic voters have been a pivotal swing vote in U.S. presidential elections, with a majority backing the winner — whether Republican or Democrat — nearly every time. How they vote in the battleground states this year could well decide the outcome, and the rival campaigns are targeting...
Beta weakens to tropical depression, stalls over Texas coastVideo
HOUSTON — Beta weakened to a tropical depression Tuesday as it parked itself over the Texas coast, raising concerns of extensive flooding in Houston and areas farther inland. Beta made landfall late Monday as a tropical storm just north of Port O’Connor, Texas, and has the distinction of being the...
Beaver County hotel sweep turns up 16 suspected drug dealers, human traffickers
Law enforcement agencies teamed up to arrest suspected drug dealers and human traffickers in Beaver County hotels, according to Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier. The district attorney’s office, Center Township Police Department, the FBI Human Trafficking Task Force and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the sweep at numerous...
Car crashes into house in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood
A car went through the front of a house in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood Monday night, narrowly missing a man who had been sleeping in the living room, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. on Westmoreland Avenue. Homeowner Albert Lowry told WPXI the car went...
President Trump back in Western Pa. to rev up base, win over ‘slivers’ of wavering voters
President Trump will seek to rev up Western Pennsylvania voters Tuesday night during a campaign rally at a hangar outside Pittsburgh International Airport, marking the Republican incumbent’s fourth stop in the battleground state this month. “I’m not at all surprised to see that Trump is back in the state,” said...
Sen. Toomey mum on Trump’s rush to replace Justice Ginsburg; Casey balks at GOP hypocrisy
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey has not said whether it’s critical to let the American people have the chance to “weigh in and select a new president” before filling the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. That’s what Toomey, a Lehigh Valley Republican, described as...
Federal judge: Postal Service must process election mail on time
NEW YORK — For the second time in a week, a federal judge said a nationwide order is necessary to ensure mail for November’s election is delivered on time, and he is threatening to demand weekly updates on efforts by the U.S. Postal Service to process election mail. On Monday,...
North Hills School District sues Juul, contending e-cigarette company targets young people
The North Hills School District on Monday became the latest in the Pittsburgh area to file a federal lawsuit against Juul, alleging the e-cigarette maker purposely targeted its products to young people, forcing the district to reallocate resources to battle what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has called an...
Tom Purcell: Autumn’s beauty can restore the better angels of our nature
Autumn has arrived — and it couldn’t come soon enough. I love this time of year — the brilliant colors, the chilly air, the sweet yet tart taste of apple cider and the smell of oak burning in a fire pit. I love childhood memories of Devil’s Night mischief and...
20 residents at Westmoreland Manor test positive for coronavirus; more cases expected
Nearly two dozen people at Westmoreland Manor tested positive for the coronavirus over the weekend, and county officials said the number of those infected could increase in the coming days. Routine testing conducted last week identified the cases among 20 residents and two staffers, of which many appeared to be...
Eastern Allegheny County boroughs discuss cooperative police forceVideo
Elected officials from four Allegheny County communities gathered Monday to discuss possible plans for a regional police force, though some remained hesitant as to whether the move is what’s best for the boroughs. Officials from Braddock, East Pittsburgh, North Braddock and Rankin spoke, for the most part, in support of...
