Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1453
Kennywood, Idlewild, Sandcastle announce closing dates
Years ago, Labor Day always marked the final day of the season for Kennywood. The park is going back to that time. On Labor Day, Sept. 7, Kennywood will close until spring. “With so much uncertainty with covid-19 and schools going back in session we decided to end the season...
Trump wants Supreme Court’s OK to let him block critics on Twitter
President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to allow him to block critics from his personal Twitter account. The administration said in a high-court filing Thursday that Trump’s realdonaldtrump account with more than 85 million followers is his personal property and blocking people from it is akin to elected...
Black Lives Matter protest, march in Greensburg planned for Thursday evening
A protest planned for Thursday evening in Greensburg sent local police into short-notice preparation mode in the morning after learning about it through social media. The event is billed as a Black Lives Matter protest that will start at 6 p.m. at the Westmoreland County courthouse, followed by a three-block...
Allegheny County posts covid-19 case increase in triple digits
Coronavirus cases in the triple digits were reported Thursday in Allegheny County, a day after the county had its lowest number of new covid-19 cases in almost two months. The death toll in the county grew Thursday, as well, with one new death reported. There were 100 new cases reported...
Ex-Trump aide Bannon pleads not guilty in border wall scheme
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, was pulled from a luxury yacht and arrested Thursday on allegations that he and three associates ripped off donors trying to fund a southern border wall, making him the latest in a long list of Trump allies to be...
U.S. jobless claims unexpectedly increase to more than 1 millionVideo
Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly increased last week, a stumble for the labor market in its long road to recovery. Initial jobless claims in regular state programs rose by 135,000 to more than 1.1 million in the week ended Aug. 15, Labor Department data showed Thursday. Continuing claims —...
After 6 decades, Laurel Ballet founder closes school doors
After more than six decades of training ballet students, Eleanor Tornblom, owner and artistic director of Laurel Ballet in Greensburg, is calling it a career and closing her studio doors. “I’m 83, and I’ve done this all my life,” Tornblom said from her Greensburg home. “It’s over, and that’s a...
Pittsburgh rocker Joe Grushecky to perform for Democratic conventionVideo
Pittsburgh rock icon Joe Grushecky will be a featured performer today at the Democratic National Convention. Grushecky will play “That’s What Makes Us Great” with his band, the Houserockers, along with a solo acoustic version of “Never Be Enough Time,” during a 14-state meeting this afternoon. Grushecky wrote “That’s What...
Truck driver dies in crash with train in CheswickVideo
The driver of a tractor-trailer died in a collision with a train Thursday morning in Cheswick, according to Allegheny County Police. The crash happened at Pittsburgh and Blockdale streets about 5:20 a.m., according to Allegheny County 911. The collision appeared to push the trailer into a corner of a building....
Lengthy protest at Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto’s house morphs into ‘unlawful assembly,’ pepper spray, 1 arrestVideo
An hours-long protest Wednesday night outside the Point Breeze home of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto ended in chemical spray, chaos and one arrest after a confrontation between protesters and police in riot gear near Mellon Park. A group of about 100 protesters had originally marched from the park to Peduto’s...
Obama, in scathing Trump rebuke, warns democracy on the lineVideo
WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama warned Wednesday night that American democracy may not survive if President Donald Trump is reelected, a damning assessment of his successor intended to jolt Democrats into rallying around Joe Biden in the November election. “This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down...
Bernie Sanders delegates seek bold changes beyond unseating Donald Trump, some report feeling left out of DNC events
Despite his passion for politics and role as a Pennsylvania delegate, Mike Cordaro laments feeling a little left out of this year’s Democratic National Convention. He’s feeling alienated not merely because of the all-virtual events, but because he’s a fan of Bernie Sanders. “I’ve asked every day if there will...
Police: Penn Hills woman ran through airport security checkpoint, tossed water on TSA agent
A Penn Hills woman was arrested by county police Aug. 19 after tossing water on a TSA agent and running unchecked past the Pittsburgh International Airport’s security checkpoint. Allegheny County police said Brandi L. Bailey, 32, of Penn Hills, threw water on a TSA agent when asked for her identification...
Allegheny County dealing with backlog of covid-19 hospitalization data
The Allegheny County Health Department is catching up on covid-19 hospitalization data that accumulated in the month of July. At a Wednesday news conference, Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen explained why this week, the county dashboard stopped providing daily counts of the number of past and present hospitalizations. During the...
Commonwealth Court must hear gun owners’ challenge over Pittsburgh ban
The state Superior Court on Wednesday moved an appeal by a number of gun owners who sought to file private criminal complaints against Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and members of city council over their passage of new firearms legislation last year to the Commonwealth Court. In a five-page opinion, the...
‘Let me be clear’: Pitt dean admonishes students for partying during pandemic
University of Pittsburgh students who party could tip the school into shutdown mode, a top official at the school warned. Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner cautioned students that large parties carry the potential of becoming covid-19 super-spreader events and threaten the ability to continue classes on the Oakland campus. On...
Health department restrictions could force Allegheny County football teams elsewhere
If there’s a high school football season this fall, teams from Allegheny County might play home games at stadiums in neighboring counties. That’s a possibility if the Allegheny County Health Department maintains its strict 50-person limit on outdoor gatherings, North Allegheny athletic director Bob Bozzuto said Wednesday. Bozzuto, president of...
Woman accused of choking prospective witness inside Westmoreland County Courthouse
A 47-year-old woman was arrested at the Westmoreland County Courthouse Wednesday on charges of assaulting and choking a woman who was to testify against her in a custody dispute, according to court documents. Rhonda L. Cathers, 47, of Daisytown, Washington County, was arrested by county park police in the courthouse...
Paving project to restrict Freeport Road traffic, among others, through NovemberVideo
A $9 million PennDOT paving project will restrict traffic for several months in some areas of the Alle-Kiski Valley. Work on the project began in June and is expected to be complete by late November, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said. Alle-Kiski Valley roads that will be affected include Freeport Road...
Principals in alleged drug smuggling at Westmoreland County Prison ordered to trial
When investigators listened in on inmates’ telephone calls during an 18-month probe into alleged drug smuggling at the Westmoreland County Prison, they often heard inmates referring to “spicy chicken,” “deuce” or “papers.” But the conversations weren’t referring to food, card games or legal paperwork. It was code that a delivery...
Pa. Supreme Court delays considering appeal of former Westmoreland Sheriff Jonathan Held
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court put on hold the appeal of Westmoreland County’s former sheriff, who is seeking the dismissal of two criminal offenses related to allegations of public corruption. The court this week said it will delay a decision on whether it will consider the appeal in the pending case...
They were caught up in the Tim Murphy scandal. Now, they have a co-parenting podcast.
For Shannon Edwards and Jesse Sally, the road from separation to divorce was a very public one. There were newspaper headlines and mentions on national news and comedy shows. There were allegations of infidelity and threats. And now, three years later, there is friendship and a new podcast on co-parenting....
Professors question Penn State reopening as study projects problems
A faculty group at Penn State says the university’s plan to reopen its University Park campus could culminate in thousands of cases of covid-19 and quickly overwhelm its capacity for quarantine. As students began to move into dorms this week, the Coalition for a Just University at Penn State released...
Pennsylvania troopers take on roles helping communities, police with racially charged crimes
Two Pennsylvania state troopers with a penchant for connecting communities with police officers are taking on full-time roles that will entrench them in the local area. Greensburg native Cpl. Aaron Allen and Trooper Ismail El-Guemra of the Carlisle area will work with community groups, police agencies and local residents in...
Pennsylvania adds 570 coronavirus cases to its total
The Pennsylvania Department of Health added 570 positive covid-19 cases and 24 deaths on Wednesday. The new cases bring the state’s total to 126,149. The health department added 24 deaths to its totals, with 21 from August, two from July and one from April. The state’s death total now sits...
