Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1436
Flight 93 memorial service to be closed to public; park to reopen afterward
Friday’s remembrance ceremony at Flight 93 National Memorial will be closed to the public, the National Park Service announced Wednesday. The annual ceremony, which is abbreviated this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, will be livestreamed at nps.gov/flni by EarthCam. The Somerset County memorial will be open to the public...
Woman faces DUI charges after crashing into Jimmy Wan’s restaurant in Cranberry
A woman is facing charges of driving under the influence after she crashed her car through the front of a restaurant in Cranberry late Tuesday night causing thousands of dollars in damage to the building. The vehicle crashed into Jimmy Wan’s restaurant along Route 228 shortly after 11:30 p.m., according...
Shotspotter alerts lead Pittsburgh police to shootings in East Liberty, Spring Hill
Pittsburgh police are investigating a pair of shootings on Tuesday night that occurred within an hour of each other. Officers from the Zone 5 station responded to a Shotspotter alert and 911 calls in the 6400 block of Station Street in East Liberty at around 8:30 p.m., according to police....
Trump plans to announce new troop reductions in Iraq
WASHINGTON — President Trump plans to announce further U.S. troop reductions in Iraq on Wednesday, an administration official said late Tuesday night. It was not immediately clear how many military personnel would be affected and when their withdrawal might begin. About 5,200 U.S. troops remain in the country. After sending...
5 questions that will help decide the presidential race in Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA — When a major Democratic political group presented a chart last week projecting each party’s path to victory in the presidential race, Pennsylvania sat dead center: the state most likely to decide the winner, and one of the most competitive. It’s so closely balanced it’s impossible to name just...
City to review arrest of man who questioned Pittsburgh cop’s ‘Thin Blue Line’ mask at farmers market
Pittsburgh’s municipal investigating arm is examining the arrest Sunday of a man by an off-duty police officer at a Squirrel Hill farmers market after videos of the incident surfaced on social media and spurred backlash from police accountability activists, officials said Tuesday. The incident started with a Squirrel Hill man...
Novice drummers find their rhythm in Greensburg parkVideo
About 20 people got an outdoor drum lesson Tuesday at an unorthodox “drum circle” in Greensburg’s St. Clair Park. “This isn’t really a drum circle, it’s more of a weird drum line, semicircle kind of thing,” said Matt Mikeska, who led the event. Participants were seated on the park’s bleachers...
McConnell sets up vote on Republican relief plan Pelosi rejectsVideo
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders hardened their battle lines on additional fiscal stimulus on Tuesday, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi labeling Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s proposal for a slimmed-down package “fraudulent.” The Republican bill, featuring some of the aspects of a $1 trillion proposal they put forth a month...
Beer garden with social distancing coming to Pittsburgh’s South Side
In the waning days of summer, people often find themselves trying desperately to hang on to the things that go with the warm season. Kenny Gould is no different. Gould — an entrepreneur, beer lover, writer and founder of Hop Culture Magazine — had been dreaming about doing a pop-up...
AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine study paused after one illnessVideo
Late-stage studies of AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine candidate are on temporary hold while the company investigates whether a recipient’s “potentially unexplained” illness is a side effect of the shot. In a statement issued Tuesday evening, the company said its “standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of...
Pitt reports 37 new coronavirus cases over the weekend, 68 in a week
The University of Pittsburgh recorded 36 new covid-19 infections among students over the weekend, and one infected employee. Since last Monday, the university has recorded 68 students and two faculty or staff members testing positive, according to its covid-19 data dashboard. The five-day moving average of positive student cases per...
Pa. Supreme Court criticizes former justice who received reprimand over Jerry Sandusky case
The state Supreme Court on Tuesday took umbrage at recent comments made by former Justice Cynthia Baldwin, who was reprimanded by the court’s Disciplinary Board in July for her handling of the Jerry Sandusky investigation when she served as general counsel at Penn State University. “Attorney Baldwin has seen fit...
Girl, 8, among 10 dead in Chicago’s holiday weekend gunfireVideo
CHICAGO — An 8-year-old girl shot in the back was among 10 people killed in gunfire over the Labor Day weekend, police said Tuesday, marking the latest deadly holiday weekend in Chicago. More than 50 people were shot from Friday until just before midnight Tuesday during a year where violent...
Son of former Steelers player, Cal (Pa.) football player Jamain Stephens dies
Editor’s Note: On Wednesday afternoon, Central Catholic High School said in an amended statement that the school does not have an official confirmation on the cause of Jamain Stephens’ death. Previously, the high school reported that Stephens died of complications from covid-19. Here is a portion of Central Catholic’s statement:...
Route 22 traffic advisory issued in Murrysville for VP Mike Pence’s visit Wednesday
Murrysville police say travelers on Route 22 should expect minor traffic delays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday during Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Cornerstone Ministries. The vice president is scheduled to land in Air Force Two at 10:30 a.m. at the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Moon...
Allegheny County judge accused of racist remarks argues suspension unnecessary
The Allegheny County Common Pleas judge suspended for misconduct last month without pay has asked the state Court of Judicial Discipline to reverse its decision, saying it was made without due process. The Judicial Conduct Board referred six misconduct charges against Mark V. Tranquilli alleging, among other claims, that he...
Greensburg man jailed for assaulting, choking woman, cops say
A 29-year-old Greensburg man was ordered held in the county jail after assaulting a woman and threatening harm to her 1-year-old infant early Monday. Kevin M. Reese, of Eastmont Drive, was charged with endangering the welfare of children, flight to avoid apprehension, harassment, simple assault and strangulation after the 4:37...
Pittsburgh officials denounce weekend disturbances during Downtown protests
Pittsburgh Public Safety officials Tuesday condemned “the actions of a few protesters” during weekend protests, reiterating a pledge to protect the First Amendment and prosecute those who break the law. “People have the right to dine in public without being accosted and without vulgarities being thrown at them,” Public Safety...
Proposed Senate bill could toughen, revamp Pa.’s ‘steer clear’ law
Revisions to the state’s steer clear law could make it safer for first responders assisting at calls along roadways, two Republican senators said. State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, and Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Adams County, propose changes to the law that will clarify how drivers should act when passing emergency response...
Pennsylvania reports 496 new coronavirus cases, 11 new deaths
Pennsylvania on Tuesday reported 496 new coronavirus cases and 11 additional deaths — deaths that occurred in April but were only reported now. That brings the total cases to 140,359 and the total number of covid-19 deaths in Pennsylvania to 7,791. The state Department of Health said 147,207 tests were...
Southwest Pennsylvania again takes center stage in presidential campaigns this week
Pennsylvania’s importance in the Nov. 3 election is apparent again this week in a series of stops planned in the Pittsburgh region by the Trump and Biden campaigns. Former Vice President Joe Biden stopped in Harrisburg on Monday for Labor Day. The week will ramp up Wednesday with Vice President...
Pittsburgh Public Schools have technical difficulties on 1st school day
The first day of classes at Pittsburgh Public Schools on Tuesday morning was marred by technical difficulties. Parents took to social media to inform the district of their technology’s shortcomings. Some parents said their students couldn’t log in on the laptops the district provided. Others cited issues with specific platforms...
South Side bar closed by Allegheny Co. for crowd of ‘too many to count’
The Allegheny County Health Department last week ordered the South Side bar Oddballs to close for seven days after it was found violating covid-19 mitigation orders. Officials observed more than 200 people inside the East Carson Street establishment, according to a Food Safety Assessment Report. There were “too many to...
Neighborhood dispute over football in yard leads to Hempfield man’s arrest, police say
A backyard family reunion Sunday in Hempfield turned sour when state police said neighbors refused to return a football to children at the party after it was thrown on their property. The situation escalated from a neighborhood dispute to an alleged assault when Joseph Martino, 60, fought with state troopers...
President Trump calls Pittsburgh protesters ‘anarchists,’ ‘thugs’
President Donald Trump responded to viral videos showing apparent clashes in Pittsburgh between protesters and the public over the weekend, using Twitter to take aim at Democratic challenger Joe Biden while calling the demonstrators “anarchists” and “thugs.” “BLM Protesters horribly harass elderly Pittsburgh diners, scaring them with loud taunts while...
