Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1434
Westmoreland County reports 20 additional coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Friday reported 20 new cases of covid-19, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The county’s total case count now stands at 1,945. Of the new cases, 19 are reported as confirmed and one is probable. Westmoreland County coronavirus by dayInfogram With no new deaths reported Friday,...
Pennsylvania reports 1,008 new coronavirus cases, 17 new deaths
Pennsylvania on Friday added 1,008 new cases of covid-19 to bring the state’s total to 142,885 cases. The new cases were part of a record-high number of daily test results reported: 30,855, according to the Department of Health. Pa. coronavirus by dayInfogram Daily case reports have exceeded 900 on five...
Allegheny County reports triple-digit new covid-19 cases for 2nd time this month
Allegheny County on Friday reported 100 new cases of coronavirus out of 1,134 tests. The highest number of cases reported this month was 105 on Sept. 3, which was the only other day so far this month with 100 or more cases. The lowest reported number of new cases was...
Scrap those face shields: Study says layered masks work better against covid-19
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — They’re more comfortable, but they don’t work too well. Plastic face shields, neck gaiters and masks with valves — three of the creative approaches to face coverings since covid-19 hit the United States — are not very effective in curbing the spread of coronavirus particles, according...
U.S. marks 9/11 anniversary at tributes shadowed by virus
NEW YORK — Americans commemorated 9/11 Friday as another national crisis reconfigured memorial ceremonies, dividing some victims’ families over coronavirus safety precautions, and a presidential campaign carved a path through the observances. In New York, victims’ relatives gathered Friday morning for split-screen remembrances at the World Trade Center’s Sept. 11...
Remembering Flight 93: ‘Their momentous deeds will outlive us all’Video
Calling the 40 people who died on Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, “intrepid heroes,” President Donald Trump marked the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at the national memorial to that flight in Somerset County. “On that September morning when America was under attack, the battle turned to the...
Cops responding to Shotspotter alert find gas line ruptured by gunfire; homes evacuated
Pittsburgh police officers responding to a Shotspotter alert overnight in the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood didn’t catch any suspects. But they may have prevented a tragedy. Officers from the Zone 1 station who responded to the automated gunfire detection alert in the 3000 block of Shadeland Avenue shortly after midnight found...
Trump revels in packed Michigan crowd amid Woodward book falloutVideo
FREELAND, Mich. — Reeling from another crisis of his own making, President Donald Trump tried to refocus attention on his Democratic rival Thursday at a rally in battleground Michigan as he pushed to move past revelations that he purposefully played down the danger of the coronavirus last winter. But the...
Report: Trump administration has secretly withheld millions from FDNY 9/11 health program
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has secretly siphoned nearly $4 million away from a program that tracks and treats FDNY firefighters and medics suffering from 9/11-related illnesses, the New York Daily News has learned. The Treasury Department started withholding parts of payments — nearly four years ago — meant to...
Police: 2 Allegheny County plumbing inspectors fudged their reports
Two Allegheny County plumbing inspectors have been arrested and charged with multiple felony counts of tampering with public records. Michael O’Toole, 57, of Pittsburgh and Timothy Chelosky, 53, of McKeesport were taken into custody and taken to the Allegheny County Jail on Thursday, Allegheny County Police reported. The arrests are...
Judges: Trump can’t exclude people from district drawings
NEW YORK — Saying the president had exceeded his authority, a panel of three federal judges on Thursday blocked an order from President Donald Trump that tried to exclude people in the country illegally from being counted when congressional districts are redrawn. The federal judges in New York, in granting...
Lori Falce: The people we were on 9/11
Why aren’t we the people we were 19 years ago? On Sept. 11, 2001, we were broken and bleeding, grieving and groaning in pain. The terrorist attacks that brought down the World Trade Center and shredded the Pentagon and cratered a field in Shanksville stole thousands of lives and left...
Appeals court upholds conviction of former state trooper from Plum
A former Pennsylvania State Police trooper’s appeal of his conviction for assaulting and threatening his wife was denied Thursday. A three-judge panel of the state’s Superior Court upheld the guilty verdicts issued by an Allegheny County judge against Scott Richard Mang, 34, on charges of simple assault and making terroristic...
With Pittsburgh’s 2021 budget facing $100 million shortfall, city seeks input from residents
Pittsburgh residents have several ways to provide input about the city’s 2021 budget, which will be introduced later this year because of uncertainties surrounding the covid-19 pandemic. “It is obviously going to be challenging budget year for the city, with estimates of a $100 million shortfall, so we are greatly...
Former Excela Health Latrobe medical education coordinator accused in thefts
The former coordinator of Excela Latrobe Hospital’s student programs was accused this week of stealing more than $75,000 from the medical residency program and the Andrew Bagby Memorial Scholarship Fund. Suzanne N. Strickler, 37, of New Stanton was charged with 31 counts of theft, 11 counts of forgery and one...
FNB Corp. works with Pittsburgh Penguins as plans for new headquarters continue
In a post-covid-19 future, executives with FNB Corp. meet with clients at its 24-story headquarters Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District and walk across the street to PPG Arena, entering through the FNB Gate to seats in the FNB Club section in time for the puck drop at a Penguins game. Now...
Russian hackers target U.S. campaigns, parties, Microsoft says
BOSTON — The same Russian military intelligence outfit that hacked the Democrats in 2016 has attempted similar intrusions into the computer systems of more than 200 organizations including political parties and consultants, Microsoft said Thursday. Those efforts appear to be part of a broader increase in targeting of U.S. political...
South Side man indicted for suspected role in May 30 Pittsburgh protest mayhem
A South Side Slopes man surrendered to federal authorities Thursday on charges that he threw bricks and more at Pittsburgh police officers during a spring protest in Downtown Pittsburgh, officials said. Jordan Coyne, 25, was indicted Aug. 26 on one count of obstructing law enforcement, according to U.S. Attorney Scott...
TSA catches 3 guns in 8 days at Pittsburgh International
Security officials caught three travelers trying to get guns through the checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport in the past eight days, officials said. The guns mark a continuing trend Transportation Security Administration officials noted last month: fewer travelers passing through airport security but more guns being caught by agents. On...
Republican coronavirus relief bill blocked in SenateVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate rejected Republicans’ latest coronavirus relief proposal Thursday, though Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may have strengthened their hand in bipartisan negotiations with a display of GOP unity. The vote to end debate on the roughly $650 billion package was 52-47, falling short of the necessary 60 votes....
Tako restaurant coming to Bakery Square in Pittsburgh’s East End
Taco lovers can soon get their fix at a new East End location. A second Tako restaurant is opening in Bakery Square in Pittsburgh. It joins the Downtown venue owned by the Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group. “We are really excited to have a Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group restaurant,” said Gregg...
Eric Trump rallies his father’s base in Washington County appearanceVideo
Eric Trump played the hits Thursday in Washington County, giving a 20-minute speech to an enthusiastic audience that touched on many of the campaign topics favored by his father — President Donald Trump. The rally, attended by about 300 people, was the second of three Trump campaign appearances happening in...
Public opinion could guide whether Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue will remain
The fate of a 62-year-old statue of Christopher Columbus that towers over Schenley Drive near Phipps Conservatory in Oakland will be decided Sept. 23 by the Pittsburgh Art Commission. Before the commission meets, it is working to gauge public sentiment about the statue, one of Pittsburgh-based Italian artist Frank Vittor’s...
‘Fat’ hummingbird migration in full force, keep those feeders up
Their bags are packed for a 1,000-plus-mile flight to Mexico and Central America. The essential luggage for a ruby-throated hummingbird? Up to an extra gram of fat. Yes, fat on the smallest breeding bird in the eastern United States is discernible, desirable for migration and definitely measured at the banding...
Carnegie Mellon delays spring semester to avoid flu season during pandemic
Carnegie Mellon University officials Thursday said they will delay the start of the 2021 spring semester, originally scheduled to begin Jan. 11, to Feb. 1. The new start date is an attempt to reduce the time the campus will be open during flu season, given indications that flu season will...
