Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1460
Babcock Boulevard reopens following crash, ‘major power outage’ in North Hills
A vehicle toppled a telephone pole Tuesday afternoon in Ross, sending at least one person to the hospital and knocking out power for nearly 2,000 customers in the North Hills. Major intersections along Babcock Boulevard near McKnight Road and Siebert Road reopened Tuesday night after crews worked to clear the...
‘Where’s the chaos’?: At Pitt’s move-in day, a surreal silence amid a pandemicVideo
The University of Pittsburgh’s move-in day this year was, for perhaps the first time, a quiet one. The usual throngs of students and parents were instead just sporadic groups that trickled across campus. Traffic moved freely on Forbes and Fifth avenues. There were no lines for parking lots, no waiting...
Pennsylvania mayors appeal to Congress for federal aid
HARRISBURG — Mayors in Pennsylvania are challenging the state’s members of Congress to help them get direct budget aid from the federal government, warning that cities of all sizes face steep deficits and deep service cuts as a result of the coronavirus’ impact on the economy. With Washington in a...
Inquiry on Allegheny County judge’s alleged racist remarks coming to close
Six months after Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Mark V. Tranquilli was moved to administrative duties after allegations he made racist comments about a criminal court juror, an investigation by the state Judicial Conduct Board is wrapping up. “Judge Tranquilli has completely and fully cooperated with the investigation, and we...
Joe Biden selects California Sen. Kamala Harris as running mateVideo
WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump. “I...
St. Clair Social gastropub opens at old Sharp Edge spot in Friendship
Friendship has a new neighborhood bar. St. Clair Social gastropub is open on South St. Clair Street in the former location of Sharp Edge, a pioneering craft beer venue that closed in 2018 after nearly three decades. SYN Bar & Taqueria + Pizzeria later operated in the space but closed...
Authority OKs $5.8M in contracts for Arnold Palmer airport terminal, runway expansions
The Westmoreland County Airport Authority is moving ahead with interior and exterior improvements at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, at a cost of about $5.8 million. The authority this week awarded contracts for expanding the passenger holding room and for continuing widening and strengthening of the runway at the Unity airport....
Pennsylvania surpasses 120K cases of covid-19
The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced 828 new covid-19 cases on Tuesday, making a solid two weeks in which daily cases were below the 1,000 mark. With its latest tally of cases, Pennsylvania’s total of covid-19 cases stands at 120,281. For the second time in the past week, the state...
Western Pa. colleges awarded federal funds to underwrite reopening costs
Seven local colleges and trade schools were awarded more than $900,000 in federal grants to help underwrite public health and safety plans for reopening shuttered campuses. The grants that flowed through the state are part of a $28 million pool of federal CARES Act money state officials set aside to...
Allegheny County continues to post lower new covid-19 case counts
For the first 11 days of July, Allegheny County posted 2,002 new cases of covid-19. In the first 11 days of August, the county had seen its new case count drop by more than 54%. On Tuesday, the county’s health department posted another day — its fifth straight — of...
Scientists uneasy as Russia approves 1st coronavirus vaccineVideo
MOSCOW — Russia on Tuesday became the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine, a move that was met with international skepticism and unease because the shots have only been studied in dozens of people. President Vladimir Putin announced the Health Ministry’s approval and said one of his two adult...
Norwin protesters: put students in class 5 days a weekVideo
The message about 60 Norwin students and parents sent to school officials as they gathered outside the administration building Monday was loud and clear: Let students attend school five days a week and scrap plans to offer three days of online instruction. “I don’t think our district is actually listening...
Post-Gazette staff votes to authorize strike
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s reporters, photographers, copy editors and artists authorized a strike in response to what union leaders describe as management’s unfair labor practices and negotiating tactics. Members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh approved the measure with an 88-31 vote by secret ballot. Only four members of the 123-member...
Pa. leaders tell schools to be consistent but flexible in reopening plans, teaching methods
As schools prepare to resume teaching, the leaders of Pennsylvania’s health and education departments on Monday said districts should be consistent in approach but flexible in how they educate students. A spike in covid-19 cases in a county may require districts to change how they plan to teach students, said...
Trump abruptly escorted from briefing after shooting near White HouseVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was abruptly escorted by a Secret Service agent out of the White House briefing room as he was beginning a coronavirus briefing Monday afternoon. He returned minutes later, saying there was a “shooting” outside the White House that was “under control.” “There was an actual...
Federal court dismisses former cop Michael Rosfeld’s lawsuit against Pitt
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by former police officer Michael Rosfeld against the University of Pittsburgh, finding that he resigned his position there willingly — and under duress. The 12-page opinion, issued by U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan, prohibits Rosfeld from further pursuing his complaint...
Police: Butler County man charged with child porn took photos of girls in bathroom
State police say a Jefferson Township man admitted taking photos of two underage girls while they were in a bathroom and had dozens of images of child pornography on his cellphone. Joshua Michael Pethtel, 33, allegedly told troopers he would take photos of the girls from an outside window, knowing...
Powerful derecho leaves path of devastation across MidwestVideo
IOWA CITY, Iowa — A rare wind storm with power similar to an inland hurricane swept across the Midwest on Monday, blowing over trees, flipping vehicles, causing widespread property damage and leaving tens of thousands without power. The storm known as a derecho lasted several hours as it tore across...
2 waive preliminary hearings in Greater Latrobe hazing case
Two former Greater Latrobe Junior High School wrestling coaches waived their rights to preliminary hearings Monday on allegations related to hazing incidents. One of them could enter a probationary program. Court records show David Francis Galando, 44, of Youngstown, is scheduled for an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition hearing Oct. 28. The...
Allegheny County leads Pennsylvania in animal abuse cases as 3rd anniversary of Libre’s Law approaches
Aug. 28 will mark the third anniversary of Libre’s Law, an anti-cruelty measure that strengthened the protection of animals in Pennsylvania. The 2017 law, also known as Act 10, was inspired by Libre, a Boston terrier puppy found badly neglected and abused in Lancaster County. Its passage increased penalties for...
Food distribution scheduled at Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer
A drive-up food distribution will be held Tuesday at the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is holding the event in partnership with the Allegheny Valley Association of Churches from 5 to 7 p.m. Almost 500 households received food at the first distribution in July,...
Senior Trump campaign legal adviser intentionally misgenders Rachel Levine in tweet
In the latest attack on Dr. Rachel Levine’s gender identity, a senior legal adviser to President Trump’s reelection campaign intentionally misgendered Pennsylvania’s secretary of health. “This guy is making decisions about your health,” Jenna Ellis, an attorney for Trump 2020, tweeted Monday. Ellis shared a May 13 PennLive news article...
Armstrong County man accused in hit-and-run crash with bicyclist
A 20-year-old bicyclist suffered multiple facial fractures, a broken jaw and a broken arm Friday night after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver Friday in Bell Township, state police said. The incident occurred around 9:20 p.m. in front of the Dollar General on Route 981, according to court documents....
Tarentum considering memorials in Riverview Memorial Park as band shell renovation begins
Renovation work on the band shell in Tarentum’s Riverview Memorial Park was scheduled to start Saturday, borough manager Michael Nestico said. Council is waiting for that work to be finished before considering a request for a memorial to a local musician there or an idea for another memorial to many...
Pittsburgh airport checkpoint detects 2nd gun in 3 days
A Westmoreland County man was caught with a loaded 9mm handgun in his carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday, officials said. It was the second gun detected by Transportation Security Administration officers in Pittsburgh in a three-day period. On Aug. 4, they stopped a Fayette County man from...
