Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1449
Officials: Pa. inmates illegally received coronavirus unemployment benefits
State and federal officials say they have identified more than 10,000 inmates in Pennsylvania prisons who have illegally applied for unemployment compensation during the covid-19 pandemic — potentially costing the government more than $100 million. So far, 33 inmates and accomplices face criminal charges. Scott Brady, U.S. attorney for the...
Pa. Department of Health launches mobile covid-19 testing RV
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Tuesday announced a new covid-19 mobile response unit, designed to provide testing and education for minority and underserved communities. The effort is part of a partnership with Latino Connection, Highmark Blue Shield and the Independence Blue Cross Foundation. “We share a unified purpose of...
Brookline’s Menuette reinvented as Oak Hill Post
Brookline’s refined diner, Menuette, had a false start earlier this year, but its second chance comes starting Wednesday as a revamped, quirky and casual spot called Oak Hill Post. Much of Brookline sits atop the 1870s caverns of the Oak (coal) Mine, making “Oak Hill” a natural nickname for the...
Gov. Tom Wolf: Pennsylvania eviction moratorium to lapse Aug. 31
Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday he does not have the legal authority to extend Pennsylvania’s moratorium on evictions and foreclosures beyond the end of the month, meaning that renters will no longer be shielded from losing their homes for failing to pay rent during the pandemic. In a letter to...
Pennsylvania adds 561 new covid-19 cases, 26 new deaths to totals
Pennsylvania reported 561 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health. The state’s covid-19 cases count is now 130,035, as a result. Between resident cases (20,798) and employee cases (4,411), there are 25,209 covid-19 cases from nursing and personal care homes. That accounts for 19% of total...
Highland Tire’s rooftop Rhino dons face mask during pandemic
The yellow fiberglass rhinoceros that sits atop Highland Tire in Tarentum is donning a face mask in response to the covid-19 pandemic. The rhino, a local landmark, has been wearing its mask for about a month, according to Brad Bonnett, president of Highland Tire. “I just figured that people needed...
Man hit by vehicle after hopping jersey barrier along McKnight Road
A man was hit by a vehicle Monday night while trying to cross a section of McKnight Road in Ross where there is no crosswalk, according to police. The incident occurred shortly before 9:30 p.m. when the man tried to reach the Exxon gas station near the InTown Suites motel...
1-year-old killed amid night of violence in Pittsburgh
A bullet meant for someone else found its way through a window and two walls at an apartment complex in Spring Hill, killing a 1-year-old boy as he slept in his bed Monday night. Pittsburgh police on Tuesday morning pleaded for anyone with information about the shootout that killed Zykier...
Pair of alligators stolen from White Township pet store
Stealing alligators is not for the faint of heart, especially when it’s a 6-foot female and a 4-foot male. State police, nonetheless, are seeking information about the pair, stolen Aug. 8 from an outdoor enclosure at Pearce’s Pet Place in White Township, Indiana County. The reptiles, valued at about $2,000...
Pitt suspends 9 Greek chapters over health and safety guideline violations
The University of Pittsburgh has placed nine Greek life chapters on interim suspension of registration status after reports that the groups violated the university’s Health and Safety Guidelines and Student Code of Conduct. Pitt announced the interim suspension of Alpha Tau Omega, Chi Omega, Kappa Delta, Pi Kappa Alpha, and...
Republican National Convention showcases rising stars, dark warnings
WASHINGTON — A rising generation of Republican stars offered an optimistic view of President Donald Trump’s leadership, but were undermined on the opening night of the GOP’s scaled-back convention by speakers issuing dark warnings about the country’s future and distorting the president’s record, particularly on the pandemic. As Trump faces...
Trump supporters eschew formal platform at RNC
While Republican party leaders were gathering in a socially distanced ballroom in Charlotte, N.C., to nominate President Donald Trump for a second term this week, a steady stream of Trump supporters from far and near were lining up in Unity to troop through the Trump House. The old two-story frame...
One critical after Uptown Pittsburgh shooting
Pittsburgh homicide detectives are investigating an early-morning shooting Uptown that left one man in critical condition. The city’s Shotspotter gunshot detection system alerted officers of shots fired on the 100 block of Dinwiddie Street just before 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety. Officers found a...
Albino buck caught on camera in northern Butler CountyVideo
After an amateur photographer heard about an albino white-tailed deer in northern Butler County, he finally managed to photograph and video the animal twice, most recently in mid-August. “It was a cool sighting,” said Jake Dingel of Butler who found the buck on private property in a wooded area. To...
Former Jeannette hemp processor leaves behind empty building, unpaid fine, jilted workers
It appears Patriot Shield won’t be returning to Jeannette this fall to dry and process hemp. Inspections by the state Department of Environmental Protection on July 29 and Aug. 6 showed “all equipment related to Patriot Shield’s operation had been removed” from a Thomas Avenue warehouse and there was no...
Medical examiner IDs 1-year-old boy shot and killed inside Rhine Place home
A 1-year-old baby has died after being shot in Pittsburgh. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office identified the boy as Zykier Young. City police responded to 911 calls and a Shotspotter alert for multiple shots fired shortly after 6 p.m. Monday along the 100 block of Rhine Place in the...
Sean Parnell, GOP challenger to Conor Lamb, gets high-profile speaking slot at RNCVideo
Murrysville native and former Army Ranger Sean Parnell, the GOP challenger seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, scored a primetime speaking slot on the first night of the Republican National Convention. Parnell, 39, a former platoon leader in Afghanistan who recently moved from Cranberry to Ohio Township, said he’s...
National Guard called out after police shoot Black man
KENOSHA, Wis. — Wisconsin’s governor summoned the National Guard for fear of another round of violent protests Monday after the police shooting of a Black man turned Kenosha into the nation’s latest flashpoint city in a summer of racial unrest. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said 125 members of the National...
Pennsylvania to jobless: $300 checks from feds could be weeks away
Pennsylvanians who lost their jobs when covid-19 slammed the economy probably will have to wait weeks before they see a weekly $300 check the Trump administration promised as a replacement for the extra $600 a week they had been receiving until late July, state officials said Monday. The state has...
Southwest Greensburg man accused of 3 road rage collisions on Route 30
A Southwest Greensburg man awaiting a preliminary hearing for a March stabbing was arrested Friday after three alleged road rage incidents along Route 30 near Adamsburg. Jason M. Walters, 37, was arrested by state police on three counts of aggravated assault and single counts of illegal possession of a firearm...
Pittsburgh councilman to introduce bill that restricts facial recognition use
Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor intends to introduce legislation Tuesday that would regulate the usage of facial recognition and predictive policing technology in the city. “This technology has harmed more people than it has helped,” O’Connor said. Under O’Connor’s legislation, council approval would be needed for the police to use...
Cops: Attacker told 3 victims in Derry Township apartment, ‘You’re all going to die tonight’
Cathy Tarr grimaced Monday inside the still-blood spattered kitchen and living room of a Derry Township apartment where her sister, niece and a family friend were brutally attacked by an intruder early Sunday. Her sister, Karen Short; niece, Amber Short, 18; and friend Adam Rousson of Montreal, Canada, all remained...
ScareHouse moving to Pittsburgh Mills mallVideo
The ScareHouse is moving to the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. “You know that Pittsburgh Zombies love shopping malls,” the haunted attraction said in announcing the move with a cheeky homage to George A. Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead,” filmed primarily at the Monroeville Mall. “We think you will love...
Upper St. Clair couple killed in apparent murder-suicide identified
An Upper St. Clair man called police Monday morning, saying he had killed his wife and that he was going to kill himself, police said. When authorities arrived at the home in the 100 block of Thousand Oaks Drive they found the couple dead. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified...
Pittsburgh LGBTQ Coalition announces continued activism, will organize Pride 2021Video
A group of Black LGBTQ activists announced Monday they are taking the lead in organizing a Pittsburgh Pride festival next year. They also reaffirmed their commitment to regularly protesting in the city to call attention to racial inequity and outlined demands they have for leaders in the region to address....
