Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1455
Editorial: Low-visibility arrest a high-visibility failure
It was supposed to be a low-visibility arrest. That didn’t really work out. On Saturday afternoon, Matthew Cartier, 24, was in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh as part of the weekly protests for racial justice. Pittsburgh plainclothes police officers apprehended him and hustled him into an unmarked white van, which...
Police: Woman grazed by bullet in Garfield
A woman was in stable condition after being found with a bullet wound in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood Monday night, according to city police. Officers responded shortly after 9 p.m. to an alert of shots fired in the 5300 block of Hillcrest Street, where police said they found evidence of a...
Westmoreland leaders mull solutions to accommodate expected volume of mail-in ballots
Additional opportunities for Westmoreland County’s mail-in voters this fall are being considered as local officials plan for potential slowdowns related to budget cuts at the U.S. Postal Service. Commissioners said Monday no plans have been finalized, but they might consider creating satellite elections bureau locations to allow voters another option...
Michelle Obama assails Trump as Democrats open conventionVideo
NEW YORK — Michelle Obama delivered a passionate broadside against President Donald Trump during Monday’s opening night of the Democratic National Convention, assailing the Republican president as unfit for the job and warning that the nation’s mounting crises would only get worse if he’s reelected. The former first lady issued...
Conor Lamb among 17 ‘rising stars’ to deliver Tuesday’s keynote speech for Democratic National Convention
U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb is among 17 Democrats deemed “rising stars” who will take turns delivering the 2020 national convention’s keynote address Tuesday night. “It’s a great honor,” Lamb, 36, of Mt. Lebanon told the Tribune-Review by phone Monday afternoon. “I do think that it matters because I have heard...
Latrobe centenarian surprised with birthday paradeVideo
Audrey Spangler found several birthday surprises waiting for her Monday evening when she stepped outside her apartment at Laurel Highlands Village, an independent senior living community in Latrobe. Family and friends geared up to celebrate the Philadelphia native’s 100th birthday in a big way, despite pandemic-related restrictions on social activities....
Democratic National Convention strives to build enthusiasm despite going all-virtual
Pennsylvania’s political leaders, power brokers and delegates kicked off the Democratic National Convention as they usually do, with a breakfast event peppered with calls to action aimed at galvanizing support and momentum leading up to the presidential election. But the breakfast, like everything about the convention this year, was virtual....
Pennsylvania increases contact tracing staff
Pennsylvania has increased its contact tracing staff to 1,205 people, the Department of Health announced Monday. Of that number, 955 are already working, while an additional 250 are being hired and trained through a partnership with the private firm Insight Global, according to a news release. “Pennsylvania has prioritized and...
Virtual teaching: Be improvisational, engage students, experts say
As teachers get ready to return to a school format in which many will have to do virtual instruction, area experts in online teaching offer some advice. Connect with students, offer rigorous instruction, be a bit improvisational and refrain from simply providing students at home with the same lesson as...
Can Trump win without winning the most votes? Yes. Pennsylvania shows how
PHILADELPHIA — Few people think President Donald Trump will win the most votes in the 2020 election. But he could still become the first president to serve two terms without ever winning a majority of the country’s support. And Pennsylvania is a big reason why. It’s older and whiter than...
‘Low profile’ arrest creates firestorm as officials, experts blast Pittsburgh police tactic
More Pittsburgh city leaders on Monday added their voices to a growing chorus of concern and alarm over tactics used by city police in the weekend arrest of a protester in Oakland, with Mayor Bill Peduto decrying the arrest as “disturbing” and barring the tactic from use during peaceful protests....
Pa. to spend $10M on surplus produce, milk, more from farmers for struggling familiesVideo
The demand to get nutritious food to struggling families may have slowed slightly since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, but not much: At its Aug. 10 distribution day, Westmoreland County Food Bank officials estimate they served about 1,000 families. To continue that effort — and to lend a hand...
Police: Intoxicated man had heroin, Xanax in backpack when crashing into Greensburg parked cars
An Allegheny County man is being held without bail after police said he crashed into several parked cars in Greensburg, according to court papers. Dajon Anthony Smith, 26, was wearing a backpack that police said had 150 stamp bags of heroin and a “large amount” of suspected Xanax bars. Officers...
Mayor Peduto decries tactics used by Pittsburgh police during protest
The arrest tactics used when a protester was whisked into an unmarked van Saturday in Oakland won’t be used again in Pittsburgh, Mayor Bill Peduto said Monday. “It is hard to find the words for how livid I was after seeing the online videos of the disturbing arrest at Saturday’s...
Pumpkin spice lovers, rejoice – tasty blend returns early this year
Is mid-August too early for pumpkin spice flavors to make their annual appearance? Not according to Dunkin’ and Starbucks. Fall products from Dunkin’ will be on the menu beginning Wednesday, their earliest-ever rollout. The Starbucks pumpkin spice latte will return Aug. 25, according to Business Insider. Are people craving cooler...
Q&A: What’s happening at the U.S. Postal Service, and why?
The U.S. Postal Service is warning states it cannot guarantee that all ballots cast by mail for the Nov. 3 election will arrive in time to be counted, even if ballots are mailed by state deadlines. That’s raising the possibility that millions of voters could be disenfranchised. It’s the latest...
Pennsylvania adds 2nd lowest new covid case count in 2 months
The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced its lowest number of new coronavirus cases in more than a month on Monday. The department added 384 new cases, the lowest since it posted 328 on July 13. It’s also only the second time since June 17 — exactly two months ago —...
Pennsylvania prepares to launch virus-tracing app next month
Pennsylvania plans to launch a coronavirus exposure-notification app in early September in an effort to more quickly break chains of transmission by using the new technology to notify people who may have been exposed, officials said Monday. The state has a $1.9 million contract to deploy and maintain the app...
Allegheny County posts lower new covid case count for 4th straight day
For the fourth straight day, the Allegheny County Health Department posted a lower new covid-19 case count. The county added 71 new cases on Monday, making it the third consecutive day the number was in the 70s. The results come from 944 tests administered from Aug. 11-16. All of the...
Hersheypark denies boy, 9, had ‘near death’ experience on the Storm Runner rollercoaster
A father who claims his 9-year-old son faced a near death experience on the Storm Runner rollercoaster has no legal grounds to sue Hersheypark, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts is contending in a bid to have the case dismissed. The son of Anthony DeNoto III wasn’t physically injured when he leaped...
Trump motivates Democrats to rally behind Biden, Harris
ATLANTA (AP) — For the second time in four years, the Democratic presidential primary pitted the expanding progressive movement against an eventually victorious establishment. But as the party gathers virtually this week to nominate Joe Biden for the presidency, the possibility of President Donald Trump’s reelection has become Democrats’ unifying...
Virus pandemic reshaping air travel as carriers struggle
In a bid to survive, airlines are desperately trying to convince a wary public that measures like mandatory face masks and hospital-grade air filters make sitting in a plane safer than many other indoor settings during the coronavirus pandemic. It isn’t working. Surveys indicate that instead of growing comfortable with...
Munhall native Gabby Barrett and husband Cade Foehner expecting 1st baby
Singer Gabby Barrett has announced that she and her husband, Cade Foehner, are expecting their first child. The Munhall native, 20, revealed to People that their baby girl is due early next year. “The Lord has blessed us with a little one, and we’re really excited to finally be able...
Jeannette woman, 76, missing overnight at Ohiopyle State Park found alive
“Doom and gloom” were setting in about 2 a.m. Monday as crews searched Ohiopyle State Park for a missing 76-year-old woman. The Jeannette woman had gone missing off Ferncliff Trail, where park rangers Chief John Kaminsky said there are some crevices and “unique dangers.” Their fears evaporated about 8:30 a.m.,...
Trib launches ‘TV Talk’ with Rob Owen
It’s a good news day for TV lovers. Nationally known TV writer Rob Owen will join Trib Total Media this month, providing readers the latest in local TV news and hand-picked recommendations on shows to watch on broadcast/cable networks and streaming services. Owen, who spent 22 years at the Pittsburgh...
