Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1430
Massive bird migration over Pittsburgh was spectacular — if you had binoculars
Waves of tens of thousands of birds passed through the region Monday night, as they do each fall on big migration days, delivering a variety of species that are heading south after summering in the northern United States and Canada. But the trees weren’t dripping with birds as they would...
Pittsburgh researchers unveil new drug that could treat and prevent covid-19
Pittsburgh scientists as soon as next year could begin testing in humans a breakthrough drug they say has the potential to stop the pandemic by treating — and even preventing — the virus that causes covid-19. The drug’s foundation is a tiny but potent antibody that can block the virus...
Pittsburgh Bishop Zubik to stream 1 Mass a week as seminarians return
With 22 seminarians now studying at St. Paul Seminary, Pittsburgh Catholic Bishop David A. Zubik is ending daily livestreams of Mass and instead will be streaming one weekly service, on Sundays at 10 a.m. Zubik has been livestreaming Mass daily from Boyle Hall Chapel at the seminary. With the return...
Chabad Jewish Center hands out more than 1,000 free masks in 2 hours in Monroeville
The Chabad Jewish Center in Monroeville handed out 1,100 free face masks on Sept. 13, according to one of the event’s organizers. The cloth face masks were handed out in packages of five from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2700 Monroeville Blvd., the municipal building. Cars lined up in...
Authorities identify man found in Allegheny River near Kittanning
Authorities have identified a man whose body was found in the Allegheny River near Kittanning on Sunday. The man was identified as Clifton H. McHenry, 67, of Kittanning and formerly New Kensington, Coroner Brian Myers said in a statement Tuesday. Myers said McHenry was identified by “obvious markings” on his...
Seeping under doors, bad air from West’s fires won’t ease upVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — Putrid, dangerous air spewing from massive wildfires on the West Coast is seeping into homes and businesses, sneaking into cars through air conditioning vents and keeping people already shut away by the coronavirus pandemic from enjoying even a walk outside or trip to the park. People in...
Woman in prison for threatening to kill Westmoreland judge pleads guilty to doing it again
A woman already serving up to four years in prison for threatening to kill a Westmoreland County judge two years ago pleaded guilty Tuesday to again issuing a similar threat to the same judge last year. Rebecca Elizabeth Gardner, 31, is expected to be sentenced this year under terms of...
Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkin Pop-Up carves out a new face this year
The Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkin Festival has turned into the Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkin Pop-Up. The pandemic won’t allow for the traditional event along Pittsburgh’s North Shore, but organizers have devised another way. Not far from the usual spot, they will create a “mammoth, pumpkin-carved and painted scene of Pittsburgh’s mythical river...
Westmoreland sheriff: ‘I have not left the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party has left me’Video
Declaring that he feels disenfranchised by the Democratic Party, Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert announced he changed his affiliation to Republican. “It was a really difficult decision and I’ve thought long and hard about it, but I feel I stand for the ideals of the Republican Party platform more than...
Stocks give up part of an early gain but still end higher
NEW YORK — Stocks gave up part of their gains from earlier in the day but still closed higher on Wall Street Tuesday. Gains for big technology companies outweighed losses in banks and elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% after being up more than 1% earlier. It’s...
Giant Eagle pledges $500K to feeding students, with $125K for Greater Pittsburgh food bank
With many schools beginning virtual instruction, some students and families are facing the dilemma of how to provide healthy meals for their children this year. Businesses and local organizations are coming together to help ensure those students are fed. Giant Eagle pledged $500,000 to regional Feeding America food banks with...
Mt. Lebanon to censure school director for using profanity during board’s Zoom meeting
A Mt. Lebanon school director may have learned a valuable lesson on Monday night: If you’re participating in a Zoom meeting that’s open to the public, it’s a good idea to mute your microphone before unleashing a string of profanities. Prior to the start of the Sept. 14 school board...
‘Huge rainmaker’: Hurricane Sally threatens historic floods
NAVARRE BEACH, Fla. — Heavy rain, pounding surf and flash floods hit parts of the Florida Panhandle and the Alabama coast on Tuesday as Hurricane Sally lumbered toward land at a painfully slow pace, threatening as much as 30 inches of rain and dangerous, historic flooding. The storm’s center churned...
Gov. Wolf hits back after judge rules against virus restrictions
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf vowed he wouldn’t heed the “irresponsible demands” of President Donald Trump and Republicans in the state legislature concerning the state’s coronavirus response, hitting back hard Tuesday after a federal judge appointed by Trump ruled many of Wolf’s pandemic shutdown orders were unconstitutional. In unusually sharp language,...
Pennsylvania posts 1,151 new coronavirus cases, 6 more deaths
Pennsylvania reported 1,151 new coronavirus cases and six deaths on Tuesday. The new data brings the total cases to 146,214 and the total number of covid-19 deaths in Pennsylvania to 7,875. The state Department of Health said that 168,375 tests were administered the last seven days between Sept. 8-14 with...
Greensburg Craft Beer Week pairs brews with food, music and fun
Greensburg Craft Beer Week is an opportunity for area brewers to showcase their new products and customer favorites. It’s also an opportunity to combine a glass or two with some food and fun. This year’s event begins Friday and runs through Sept. 26 at breweries and other indoor and outdoor...
Pittsburgh police charge 3 protesters for harassing Downtown diners during ‘Civil Saturday’
Three Pittsburgh protesters have been charged by police for a pattern of disorderly conduct Sept. 5 that started at the McDonald’s on Liberty Avenue and continued to an area outside Sienna Mercato on Penn Avenue. Parts of the protest were captured on video that went viral on social media nationwide,...
Allegheny County announces 90 new coronavirus cases, 2 deaths
Allegheny County Health Department announced 90 new covid-19 cases and two deaths on Tuesday. The county’s total number of cases stands at 11,358. The 90 new cases — 78 which were confirmed and 12 probable — were out of 926 test results. New cases range in age from 11 months...
Inmates at Allegheny County Jail sue over dangers to their mental health
A group of inmates at the Allegheny County Jail have filed a federal lawsuit alleging a gross failure to care for their mental health, citing an environment in which staff belittle, abuse and mock them. The 60-page filing, which seeks class-action status, lays out in detail allegations of excessive use...
Jeannette man charged with animal cruelty
A Jeannette man accused of shooting at his neighbor last year was charged Monday with animal cruelty after a dog fight led police to discover several pit bulls that had no water and were infected with parasites, according to court papers. Dale A. Shaw, 64, is charged with aggravated cruelty...
Mailed ballots can’t be discarded over signature, Pa. officials tell counties
HARRISBURG — With concerns rising in Pennsylvania that tens of thousands of mail-in ballots will be discarded in the presidential election over technicalities, officials in the battleground state told counties that they aren’t allowed to reject a ballot solely because an election official believes a signature doesn’t match the signature...
Police say driver was under the influence in fatal New Stanton crash
A Uniontown woman who was killed last week was struck by a vehicle driven backwards on a New Stanton roundabout, police found. According to state police, the driver, who was not identified, was under the influence at the time of the crash, which occurred around 1 a.m. Thursday in the...
Editorial: Duquesne prof’s slur use was wrong choice
To say or not to say. It isn’t a question. It’s a decision. And it’s not something new. It’s something very old. Today’s political climate has a tendency to divide people sharply over everything, but language is a real sticking point. While some are calling out verbal offenses, others are...
In California, Trump continues to deny climate change is real: ‘It will start getting cooler’Video
WASHINGTON — As wildfires raging through the West force millions of voters to confront the consequences of a warming planet, the presidential race became intensely focused Monday on climate change — an issue that has been overshadowed through much of the campaign. The realities of communities ablaze, mass evacuations and...
Business owners endorse judge’s ruling on Wolf orders, but say damage already done
David Magill said Monday he felt Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown orders were unconstitutional from the start, but he didn’t think a federal judge ruling them as such would change much because the governor is appealing and many businesses already have suffered. “I think that he should concede his loss, and...
