Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1472
Man found in Gilpin river search taken to hospital; police investigating
A West Leechburg man who was the subject of a Kiski River search Tuesday night in Gilpin was taken to a hospital with an apparent unrelated medical condition, according to township police. Police Chief Chris Fabec did not identify the 39-year-old man, citing medical privacy issues. He said the man...
Allegheny County’s covid-19 investigators find most restaurants complying with guidelinesVideo
In its first week, Allegheny County’s new Covid Field Response Team visited around 350 establishments, Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said in a news conference Wednesday. Of the businesses visited – which included bars, restaurants, convenience stores and others – 87% received a satisfactory report, while 13% had at least...
Bell Township man’s race car, hearse make memorial victory lap at Lernerville SpeedwayVideo
The crowd of about 150 people at Lernerville Speedway on Wednesday afternoon was quiet until the roar of the sprint car owned by the late “B-Dog” Hawkins brought applause and tears. A popular local race car driver, Brandon D. “B-Dog” Hawkins, 26, of Bell Township was a union laborer who...
Port Authority reports 3 new covid-19 cases
Three more Port Authority of Allegheny County employees have tested positive for covid-19, spokesman Adam Brandolph said. The new cases bring the number of covid-19 cases involving Port Authority employees to 32. Two of the new cases are bus drivers: one based in Collier and the other in Ross. Both...
U.S. death toll from coronavirus hits 150,000
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The death toll from the coronavirus in the U.S. hit 150,000 on Wednesday, by the far the highest in the world, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The bleak milestone comes amid signs that the nation’s outbreak is beginning to stabilize in the Sun...
Struggling restaurant owners tell Pa. lawmakers: ‘We’re limping along here’Video
With a $20,000 monthly mortgage payment, the owner of a Hempfield brewpub told state legislators his business is barely breaking even under a state-mandated 25% customer capacity order. “We’re limping along here, and we need help,” said Greg Cammerata, owner of IronRock Tap House. Cammerata and IronRock executive chef Arnold...
Pelosi orders masks for voting after Rep. Louie Gohmert tests positive for coronavirusVideo
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will require that masks be worn on the House floor after a Republican member of Congress tested positive for the coronavirus. The member, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, often shunned wearing masks and was known to vote without one. Pelosi announced on the House floor...
I-579 ‘cap’ project remains on schedule despite pandemic; 1st concrete slabs set into place
Construction of a “cap” linking the Hill District to Downtown Pittsburgh remains on schedule despite restrictions necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, PennDOT officials said Wednesday. The nearly $30 million I-579 Urban Connector, known as the I-579 “Cap,” is still on pace to open in 2022, according to PennDOT. The first...
Census Bureau to send out emails to spark response rates
The Census Bureau is making one last effort to contact people who have not yet responded to the once-a-decade survey by sending out emails. Households in low-responding census tracts will receive an email from 2020census@subscriptions.census.gov encouraging people to fill out the form online, as well as informing them why the...
Western Pa. residents among those receiving ‘mystery seed’ packets
Shawn O’Mahony of Penn Hills ordered a bunch of seeds online to jump-start his 2020 garden. So, when a couple of packets he didn’t recognize showed up in the spring, it didn’t seem like a big deal. “I received two of them a couple months ago,” O’Mahony said. “They were...
Feds charge 8 in Pittsburgh protests that turned violent
A federal grand jury indicted eight people in connection with damage and vandalism during protests May 30 in Downtown Pittsburgh. Most of those indicted were in some way connected to the destruction of two Pittsburghpolice cruisers that were set ablaze during protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in...
Cicadas abuzz around Western Pennsylvania as summer progresses
The annual cicadas are buzzing in Western Pennsylvania, as the large insects emerge from underground for the hottest months of summer. Cicadas are best known for their noises — mating calls coming from the males — that can be heard from dawn till dusk. Joe Stavish, manager of community education...
Westmoreland County adds 24 new coronavirus cases, 1 death
On Wednesday, Westmoreland County continued its streak of daily double-digit coronavirus cases for the month of July. In their latest report, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 24 new cases, bringing the county’s total to 1,351. The state also reported one new death, as the county’s toll climbed to 45....
Pa. commissions denounce Trump memo excluding those in U.S. illegally from census
Several Pennsylvania commissions are denouncing an executive memorandum signed by President Donald Trump last week that seeks to bar people who are in the United States illegally from filling out the census, the once-a-decade survey that determines federal funding and congressional seats. Trump, who signed the memorandum July 21, said...
South Main Street in Greensburg to close Thursday during Pence visit; Rally for Black Lives to be held, too
Drivers traveling through Greensburg on Thursday may have to find an alternate route. Part of South Main Street will be closed at some point Thursday morning to accommodate a Cops for Trump rally with Vice President Mike Pence, said Tom Bell, fire chief and public works director. But an exact...
Pennsylvania coronavirus case total breaks 110,000
Pennsylvania surpassed 110,000 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, according to a report from the state’s Department of Health. A total of 834 new positive results brought the state’s total to 110,218. The state also reported 16 additional deaths to bring the total to 7,162 attributed to covid-19 since the state’s outbreak...
CORE launches social media campaign to promote organ donation
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) launched a social media campaign to spread awareness and recruit new organ donors. The campaign, dubbed #JustOne, aims to demonstrate how many lives just one new organ donor could save. “The very fact that one donor can save eight lives showcases the...
Allegheny County hits triple digits of new coronavirus cases for 7th straight day
Allegheny County recorded new coronavirus cases in triple digits for the seventh straight day on Wednesday. The Allegheny County Health Department reported 125 new cases, along with five additional deaths and 10 new hospitalizations. The five deaths attributed to coronavirus happened from July 14-24 and ranged in age from 70...
Fox Chapel committee to examine removing word ‘Squaw’ from street, trail names
A new committee in Fox Chapel will examine the impacts of the word “Squaw” and its use in borough street and trail names. The issue has become hotly debated in recent months, with several residents requesting local governments to replace the word, saying it is a slur against Native American...
Bring the noise! Joe Klimchak pulls off MLB’s crowd noise plan at PNC Park
If you are a Pirates fan who has ever been to PNC Park, you know who Joe Klimchak is. You may not know his last name off the top of your head. But you know his face. And his voice. Klimchak is the longtime Pirates in-game host at the stadium....
Dirt bike rider killed in crash in Pittsburgh’s Hill District
A dirt bike rider was killed Tuesday after colliding with a parked vehicle in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, public safety authorities said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Derelle Williams, 32, of Pittsburgh. Police responded to the incident just after 7:30 p.m. along Milwaukee Street at Bryn Mawr...
Pittsburgh jobless rate dips slightly to 12.5% in June
The Pittsburgh region’s jobless rate dropped again in June, falling slightly to 12.5%, because of an increase in nonfarm jobs, the state said Tuesday. The unemployment rate fell by 1.4 percentage points, continuing a decline from a high of 17% in April for Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and...
Medics treat person found following Kiski River search in Gilpin
A search of the Kiski River in Gilpin ended in less than two hours late Tuesday night as crews discovered a person in need of assistance. The person, whose name and condition weren’t immediately available, was being tended to by medics, according to an Armstrong County 911 dispatch supervisor. Crews...
Kennedy Township girl set to debut new song after ending run on ‘America’s Got Talent’Video
Ashley Marina Yankello’s run on “America’s Got Talent” came to an end Tuesday night when judge Howie Mandel delivered the news by video link that the Kennedy Township singer would not be advancing to the quarterfinals of the NBC-TV competition. According to Mandel, the decision to eliminate the youth from...
Source: U.S., Oregon in talks about pulling agents in PortlandVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Trump administration has started talks with the Oregon governor’s office and indicated that it would begin to draw down the presence of federal agents sent to quell two months of chaotic protests in Portland if the state stepped up its own enforcement, a senior White House...
