Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1459
Sewage treatment plant in Avonmore to get $3.3 million upgrade
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board on Wednesday approved the financing for construction of an upgraded sewer plant in Avonmore. The $3.3 million project will upgrade the 50-year-old plant that services more than 400 sewer customers in the borough. The work will be paid for by a $1.85 million...
Editorial: Tranquilli deserves judicious hearing
There are several things that a judge is supposed to be. Fair and patient. Respectful and understanding. Measured and firm. Judicious. We need the people who evaluate the law to do it without preconception or prejudice. It should definitely be without bias, racism and harassment. Sadly, those are the qualities...
Trump weighs replacing Mark Esper at Pentagon after November election
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has privately said he intends to replace Secretary of Defense Mark Esper after the November election, according to people familiar with internal discussions. One person said Esper, a Uniontown native, has told people close to him that he intends to leave regardless of the election’s...
Students moving back to Seton Hill University for face-to-face classes
Slowly but surely students began moving in at Seton Hill University on Wednesday for what the school hopes will be a largely traditional semester — despite a global pandemic that has prompted many of the nation’s college campuses to remain largely shuttered. Unlike some local universities that have transitioned to...
KISS concert in Burgettstown finally rescheduled for 2021
There it was, still on the KISS website by mid-Wednesday afternoon. The iconic hard rock group’s Aug. 28 concert at S&T Bank Music Park in Burgettstown was still scheduled. Obviously, this show could not possibly happen because of the pandemic. Not with Gov. Wolf’s order restricting gatherings of more than...
Allegheny County officials urge vigilance as some schools prepare to reopen
As public schools and universities prepare to reopen, Allegheny County officials urged residents to remain vigilant, despite an encouraging decrease locally in daily covid-19 cases. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald on Wednesday said the county had achieved a 3.9% test positivity rate — the lowest the rate has been since...
Biden introduces VP choice Kamala Harris; much history, no crowdVideo
WILMINGTON, Del. — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his newly chosen running mate Kamala Harris campaigned together for the first time Wednesday, as the former primary rivals sought to solidify their advantage over President Donald Trump and secure their place in American history. Biden, a 77-year-old white man, embraced...
Man pleads to 2019 fatal shooting of landlord in Garfield
A man accused of killing his landlord following a dispute last year pleaded guilty Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter. Michael Wolf, 50, of Garfield, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski on Nov. 3. In addition to the manslaughter count, he also pleaded guilty to possessing...
Giant slides at Mammoth Park to remain closed 2 more weeks
The Giant Slide at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant will remain closed for at least two more weeks as Westmoreland County officials await safety reports from two independent investigators. Public Works Director Greg McCloskey reaffirmed Wednesday that officials believe the matching 100-foot metal slides are safe. Four of the five...
Mt. Pleasant man jailed on $250K bond after police seize heroin, meth, cash
A major area heroin dealer, who investigators said typically conducted business out of his car throughout central and southern Westmoreland County, on Tuesday decided to sell four bricks of the drug from his Mt. Pleasant home. That proved to be a mistake. Borough police and agents from state Attorney General’s...
Mother of Duquesne student killed in fall still at odds with university
A woman still searching for answers in the 2018 death of her son at Duquesne University remains at odds with the school and its attorneys who say they have done all that they can to accommodate her demands for information. Dannielle Brown, of Washington, D.C., has been on hunger strike...
Police identify suspects in I-70 brick throwing probe
State police in Belle Vernon said they have “identified suspects” in two brick throwing incidents last month along Interstate 70 that caused a minor injury to one truck driver near the North Belle Vernon interchange. On July 7, state police reported bricks were thrown at two eastbound tractor-trailers. One driver...
71 Fayette Co. inmates test positive for coronavirus; courthouse reopening for business
More than half of the inmates at the Fayette County Prison tested positive for covid-19 as county officials prepare to reopen its courthouse Thursday after a two-week closure. The county has seen big jumps in the number of confirmed cases in recent days, and 32 county employees have tested positive...
AG Shapiro confirms investigation into embattled Brighton Rehab nursing home in Beaver CountyVideo
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has launched a criminal investigation into the embattled Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County, the Tribune-Review has learned. A spokesperson for Shapiro confirmed Wednesday morning his office is exploring whether criminal charges are warranted related to the “conditions and practices” at the Brighton...
Pennsylvania reports 849 new coronavirus cases, 33 deaths
Pennsylvania remained in triple digits for new coronavirus cases on Wednesday — as it has so far in all of August. The state’s Department of Health added 849 new positive covid-19 results, bringing the state’s total to 121,130 since the outbreak began in March. For the month, daily new cases...
Pittsburgh restaurant closed for week after violating covid-19 regulations
Seven, a restaurant and nightclub in Downtown Pittsburgh, was ordered by the Allegheny County Health Department to close for seven days for violating covid-19 regulations. The health department’s report cited several violations of covid-19 mandates, including employees not wearing masks — a violation of Gov. Tom Wolf’s mandate for universal...
Summit Academy is 2nd WPIAL school to forgo fall sports
Summit Academy won’t play sports this fall, becoming the second WPIAL school to cancel athletics over covid-19 concerns. “This has to do with the health and safety of our students and staff members,” said athletic director Ryan Parrish, noting the school for at-risk boys faces challenges different than others. “Our...
Allegheny County reports 13 new coronavirus deaths
Allegheny County added 13 new deaths attributed to coronavirus to its totals Wednesday, but some of the deaths reach back into July. The county Health Department’s report brings the total covid-19 related deaths to 273. It was the highest single-day report since the outbreak began in March, with previous reports...
Board recommends suspension of Allegheny County judge for alleged racial comments
The Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board on Wednesday referred charges against Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Mark V. Tranquilli to the state Court of Judicial Discipline and recommended that he be suspended. The allegations against him include six counts of judicial misconduct, including that he engaged in “racial or other harassment,”...
Pittsburgh’s North Shore restaurants endure summer without sports fans
Rico Lunardi opened the third location of Slice on Broadway, his local pizza chain in 2016 at PNC Park. He guesses he missed only five or six Pirates game nights since he opened the spot with a street entrance on Federal Street. “I will never be a professional athlete, but...
Gateway School Board allows Grace Life Church to continue services at high school despite concerns
The Gateway School Board narrowly voted down an administrative recommendation Tuesday to place a temporary moratorium on all facility rentals amid ongoing concerns of spreading covid-19. The vote, 5-4, means outside groups can continue to rent school district buildings throughout the school year. Those in favor of stopping facility rentals...
Monroeville nursing home reports 47 covid-19 cases, after reporting zero last week
A Monroeville nursing home has reported 47 cases of covid-19 to state health officials, after reporting none a week ago. Long-term care facility data from the state’s Department of Health shows that Monroeville Rehabilitation & Wellness Center reported zero cases of covid-19. In numbers updated on Tuesday, the center reported...
As Post-Gazette employee representatives consider a strike, analysts say strategy can be dicey
A strike is “in the arsenal” for newspapers to use in labor negotiations, said Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst for the Poynter Institute. But it’s “sort of the atomic bomb,” he said. Edmonds, referring to a potential strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, said these work stoppages once were commonplace...
Horses welcome — but not people, really — to horse show at North Park
Horses are encouraged — people, not so much — to attend the North Allegheny Horsemen’s Association Horse Show at North Park this Sunday. It’s one of the rare public events that Allegheny County Parks has approved during covid-19 pandemic regulations. The Allegheny County Health Department’s limit of 50 people to...
What Pittsburgh experts are saying about Russia’s covid-19 vaccine
Russia declared on Tuesday its covid-19 vaccine was ready for public use — an announcement met with global skepticism. While Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted the vaccine had proven to be efficient and had undergone proper testing, some health experts warned that it’s ill-advised to begin using a vaccine before...
