Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1473
Pa. health secretary: Data will guide state’s approach to high school sports
The PIAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee strongly recommends starting high school sports on time, but Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine declined to endorse that decision Tuesday. Levine said the same covid-19 data that’s being used to determine how schools reopen should guide whether interscholastic sports are played in the fall....
In meeting with Jill Biden, Pittsburgh schools union leader supports delay for in-person instruction
While school districts in Southwestern Pennsylvania finalize their fall reopening plans, some educational leaders are advocating for stronger safety guidelines and a delay to in-person instruction. On Tuesday, in a virtual campaign stop for the Joe Biden presidential campaign, Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, and U.S. Sen Bob Casey, D-Scranton,...
Sprint car in funeral home, with final lap at Lernerville, honor Bell Township man
As Brandon D. “B-Dog” Hawkins lived life full throttle, expect nothing less for his funeral home viewing and services. Hawkins’ family is celebrating the memory of the underwater welder and laborer who died July 20 on the job in Johnstown. Hawkins, of Bell Township, was 26. He was a 2012...
Riverview students to start 1st 9 weeks of new school year online
Riverview School District students will spend their first nine weeks of the new school year learning online. It’s part of the reopening plan school board members unanimously approved Monday night. Incoming Superintendent Neil English said the administration has heard from parents, staff and Allegheny County health officials the past two...
Dr. Rachel Levine responds to transphobic comments: ‘I do not have time for intolerance’
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine on Tuesday broke her silence about people who have harassed and directed transphobic comments at her in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. At the start of a news briefing, Levine said she felt compelled to “personally respond to the multiple incidents of...
Attorney General Barr defends response to protests, his role in criminal cases of Trump alliesVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday aggressively defended the federal response to violence and protests at the federal courthouse in Portland, Ore., and his decision to inject himself into criminal cases involving President Donald Trump’s close associates. The attorney general’s highly anticipated and contentious appearance before the House...
John Pallone announces resignation as New Kensington-Arnold School District superintendent
New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent John Pallone announced Tuesday that he is resigning from his post with the school district. Pallone said he is stepping down effective at midnight Friday. In a statement, Pallone said he has no “strong desire” to leave but “circumstances have made it clear that this decision is...
Allegheny County Police investigating death of 2-year-old New Kensington boy found in Harrison pool
Allegheny County Police are investigating after a 2-year-old boy died four days after being found in a swimming pool in Harrison. The boy, Cassius Alexander Saulsgiver of New Kensington, died July 20, less than a month before his third birthday. The incident happened July 16 at a home in the...
Latrobe veteran sentenced for attack on wife, stepdaughter
A Latrobe veteran will serve up to 10 years in prison for an alcohol-fueled knife attack three years ago that left his wife and stepdaughter wounded. Scott A. Matuszky, 48, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault and terroristic threats in connection with the Oct. 7, 2017, incident at his...
Keeping Pa. private colleges closed will hurt small communities, officials say
The covid-19 pandemic has upended procedures for colleges and universities throughout the country, and many of Pennsylvania’s private institutions are struggling to find the best path forward, officials said Tuesday. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has hosted Facebook Live conversations with industry leaders semi-regularly during the pandemic. On Tuesday, he met...
East Vandergrift man ordered to trial in assault of girl at Westmoreland Mall
A Greensburg-area teenager tearfully testified Tuesday how a stranger grabbed her by the throat, picked her “off the floor” and threw her to the floor at Westmoreland Mall on Dec. 27 after she replied to an offhand comment he made about her appearance. “After he made the comment to me...
Pittsburgh City Council approves police reforms supported by Mayor PedutoVideo
Pittsburgh City Council gave final approval Tuesday to a series of reforms to police procedures and policies. But council members say the reforms aren’t the city’s final answer to addressing issues raised after the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The legislation, sponsored by...
Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto joins other mayors asking for federal help during pandemicVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto joined mayors from across the country Tuesday in a call for an infusion of federal cash to help local governments deal with financial shortfalls caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “We are at a critical juncture as we look into the future of an economic recovery,” Peduto...
Covid-19 testing of all nursing home residents, staff complete, Pa. health department says
All of Pennsylvania’s 693 nursing homes have completed at least one round of covid-19 testing for all residents and staff, Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine announced Tuesday. This first round of testing will help to prevent further spread of the virus by detecting residents and staff who...
Protest over Pittsburgh bar’s dress code results in multiple charges
Multiple activists face charges stemming from a protest outside a Downtown Pittsburgh bar last month over a dress code some called racist and transphobic, court records show. The incident that led to the protest happened June 20 after two men at the 941 Saloon on Liberty Avenue were asked to...
State, Westmoreland see drop in OD deaths; Allegheny sees increase
Pennsylvania saw a slight decrease in drug overdose deaths in 2019 for what could be the second consecutive year the number has dropped. The state health department on Tuesday released preliminary data that shows 4,348 people died in Pennsylvania from a drug overdose last year, a 1.7% decrease from 2018...
State: Brighton Rehab nursing home failed to get proper approval to use hydroxychloroquine on residents
Residents of a Beaver County nursing home that is the site of one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the country were given an experimental drug without approval from the state health department, inspection records show. Hydroxychloroquine, typically used to treat malaria, was administered to 205 of the 435 residents...
Twitter gives Trump’s son Don Jr. a tweet timeout
CHICAGO — Twitter has temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s son from tweeting on its site after he shared a video riddled with unsupported claims about the coronavirus Monday. Many Republicans reacted with outrage, filling social media with cries of “censorship,” after Donald Trump Jr.’s account was put on a timeout...
Pittsburgh International Airport gets $3M in federal funding for runway rehab
Pittsburgh International Airport will receive more than $3 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve taxiways and buy new snow removal equipment, federal officials announced Tuesday. The grant is part of more than $273 million awarded to 184 airports across the country for safety and infrastructure improvements by...
‘Watchmen,’ ‘Mrs. Maisel,’ ‘Ozark’ lead Emmy nominees
LOS ANGELES — “Watchmen,” cloaked in superhero mythology and grounded in real-world racism, received a leading 26 nominations Tuesday for the prime-time Emmy Awards. The series, which captured America’s unease as it faces racial clashes amid a pandemic, was nominated as best limited series and received bids for cast members...
Allegheny County reports 20 new covid-19 hospitalizations, 7 new deaths
Allegheny County Health Department reported 20 new hospitalizations and seven new deaths from the coronavirus Tuesday. The county added 119 new covid-19 cases to the running total, which now stands at 7,593. There have been only three other times in July that new cases have been lower. Tuesday’s near-record number...
Loitering definition debated as Latrobe considers amending rules governing parks
Latrobe Council is considering changing the city’s parks ordinance to prohibit feeding of wildlife in recreational areas. But city officials aren’t so sure about language for addressing loitering. At the city’s agenda meeting Monday , councilman Jim Kelley questioned whether a prohibition against loitering might be interpreted to prevent a...
Pa. school leaders to state officials: We need specifics, not guidance, for reopening plans
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s existing reopening guidance for schools is too vague, and superintendents and school boards need more specifics from the state Department of Health about how to do it safely, a superintendents group said Monday following a call with Wolf administration officials. The superintendents asked for more concrete recommendations...
Latrobe eyes plaza update, fee reduction at parking garage
Officials in Latrobe are hoping for a funding assist so they can update aging, patched infrastructure in a small business plaza tucked away next to the municipal parking garage. City manager Michael Gray mentioned the need for renovation at the Courtyard Plaza more than a year ago. Now, he’s recommending...
Boat blocked traffic midday Monday in New Kensington
A boat blocked traffic in both directions along Stevenson Boulevard in New Kensington Monday. Firefighters said the incident took place shortly before noon near the Fourth Street intersection. Cameron Yockey of Realty ONE Group Horizon in Murrysville was in the traffic jam. He said he had left an appointment in...
