Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1520
Pennsylvania reports 506 more coronavirus cases, 12 deaths
Pennsylvania on Sunday reported 12 more covid-19 deaths and 506 additional cases, bringing the state’s total number of cases to 75,592, according to state health officials. A total of 5,943 people have died from the virus. More than 444,000 people have tested negative. Of the total cases, 71% have recovered....
Allegheny County adds 14 new covid cases, no deaths
Allegheny County Health Department officials reported 14 new covid-19 cases and no new deaths Sunday. The total number of deaths countywide remained at 168, while the total number of confirmed and probable cases rose to 2,003, according to the county. The first cases were reported in Allegheny County on March...
Police: Sewickley Township man killed in South Huntingdon shootout, 1 hurtVideo
A bonfire get-together in South Huntingdon on Saturday night turned into a shootout that killed a Sewickley Township man early Sunday, according to state police. David J. Hoffman, 44, was fatally shot in the 200 block of Mendon Road around 3 a.m. Sunday. He had multiple gunshot wounds and an...
Many school leaders say they won’t be able to resume normal operations by July 1
The Pennsylvania Department of Education said Wednesday that school districts are allowed to resume in-person teaching and other activities July 1, but local school leaders say it’s unlikely they’ll be able to resume normal operations by then. Before schools can open, districts are required to create their own health and...
Western Pa. churches split along denominational lines on reopening
The Rev. Tom Burke has been a priest for nearly two decades. But the St. Mary Magdalene Parish pastor would have a hard time remembering a moment during his tenure quite like the one he experienced Monday — the first day since mid-March he was able to welcome people into...
Protesters flood U.S. streets in huge, peaceful push for change
WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of protesters streamed into the nation’s capital and other major cities Saturday in another huge mobilization against police brutality and racial injustice, while George Floyd was remembered in his North Carolina hometown by mourners who waited hours for a glimpse of his golden coffin. Wearing...
Peaceful crowd shuts down Bakery Square during 8th day of Pittsburgh protests
Protesters took to the streets of Pittsburgh for the eighth day in a row Saturday, blocking streets in Larimer, East Liberty and Shadyside for much of the afternoon. Hundreds of people started to gather at the Bakery Square shopping center in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood around 3 p.m., blocking Penn Avenue...
Pittsburgh police ask public’s help identifying bombing suspect
Investigators are looking for a man suspected of tossing a homemade bomb at a Pittsburgh police officer near Mellon Square last Saturday , May 30. A Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeman said the device exploded on the ground and caused a nearby officer to suffer concussion-like symptoms. Police ask anyone who...
Fox News apologizes for stock graphic referencing Floyd, MLK deaths
NEW YORK — One day after Fox News aired a graphic correlating stock market gains following notable tragic events involving black Americans, it offered an apology. The contrite concession came Saturday after outraged viewers howled over the insensitive chart shown during Friday’s broadcast of “Special Report With Bret Baier.” The...
Zuckerberg-funded scientists: Rein in Trump on Facebook
BOSTON — Dozens of scientists doing research funded by Mark Zuckerberg say Facebook should not be letting President Trump use the social media platform to “spread both misinformation and incendiary statements.” The researchers, including 60 professors at leading U.S. research institutions, wrote the Facebook CEO on Saturday asking Zuckerberg to...
Editorial: When protests become riots
A protest can be a volatile situation. With tensions high and nerves raw, it doesn’t take much to strike a spark and have anger or pain or righteous indignation flash over to the violent unpredictability of a confrontation or from there to a riot. That makes people who show up...
‘Justice for George’ rally held in Upper St. Clair
Several hundred protesters participated in a “Justice for George” rally in the parking lot of the Upper St. Clair municipal complex on Saturday. Protesters kneeled for nine minutes of silence for George Floyd, the Minneapolis man who was killed by police on May 25, before listening to several speakers discuss...
Jeannette, Irwin racism protests peaceful, well-attendedVideo
Allyson Dinsmore of Unity had reservations about throwing her support behind her father Ron’s idea: to hold a rally in downtown Jeannette calling for justice for George Floyd. “As a white woman, I wasn’t sure if it was my place to ask for people to come out in support,” she...
Greensburg Salem students and parents try to stop band cuts
A group of Greensburg Salem School District students and parents is trying to prevent district leaders from making cuts to the music program. “We love these programs. They mean the world to us,” said Ryann Shirey, who just finished her sophomore year at Greensburg Salem High School. She’s been involved...
Cameron Barnett: 7 tips for white allies from a black Pittsburgher
Dear Potential White Ally, It’s me, your black friend/neighbor/co-worker/family member/acquaintance/person in the world. 2020 has been a lot to handle — an election year, a pandemic, economic depression, and now this. Brutal civilian and police killings of black Americans have punctuated the first half of this year. In Georgia, three...
Pennsylvania adds 701 new coronavirus cases, 45 deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 45 new deaths and 701 additional cases of the coronavirus. The state has now had 75,086 total cases and 5,931 deaths. Deaths have been recorded in 55 of the state’s 67 counties, and every county has had a positive case. More than...
Feds charge Pittsburgh man, 52, with placing bag full of homemade bombs Downtown, having supplies at home
A Pittsburgh man has been charged with a federal crime after police said he placed a backpack containing several homemade bombs in Downtown Pittsburgh on May 31. U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced Saturday that Matthew Michanowicz, 52, of the city’s Duquesne Heights neighborhood, was charged with possession of an...
Biden formally clinches Democratic presidential nomination
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden has formally clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, setting him up for a bruising challenge to President Donald Trump that will play out against the unprecedented backdrop of a pandemic, economic collapse and civil unrest. “It was an honor to compete alongside one of the most talented...
Allegheny County reports 16 new covid-19 cases, no new deaths
Allegheny County Health Department officials reported 16 new covid-19 cases and no new deaths Saturday. The total number of deaths countywide is 168, while the total number of confirmed and probable cases rose to 1,989, according to the county. The first cases were reported in Allegheny County on March 14....
Authorities re-apprehend Pittsburgh bomb suspect after apartment search
The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office Friday re-apprehended a man charged with leaving a backpack full of homemade explosives in downtown Pittsburgh after a search of his apartment allegedly turned up new evidence. Matthew Michanowicz, 52, of Pittsburgh, originally was arrested by Pittsburgh police this week and charged with three counts...
Social media threat discovered toward end of Apollo-Ridge graduation ceremony
A threat made via social media had Apollo-Ridge School District officials err on the side of caution during the finale of Friday night’s graduation ceremony and cut it short. School Director Paul King said the district skipped its traditional return of seniors’ caps and gowns in exchange for diplomas after...
NFL commissioner Goodell says league was wrong for not listening to players on racial issuesVideo
NEW YORK — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league was wrong for not listening to players fighting for racial equality and encouraged them to peacefully protest. One day after 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and several of his peers released a video demanding the league condemn racism, Goodell made...
In-person Masses at the Shrines of Pittsburgh canceled this weekend due to potential covid-19 exposure
In-person Masses at the the Shrines of Pittsburgh churches have been canceled due to potential covid-19 exposure, Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh officials announced Friday night. Diocese officials said the spouse of an employee at the Shrines of Pittsburgh grouping has been tested for the coronavirus and is awaiting test results....
Mayor downplays rough police treatment of NYC protesters
NEW YORK — Another day of protests over the death of George Floyd brought more examples of New York City officials downplaying or denying the police department’s rough treatment of protesters — even when it was caught on video. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday he had personally seen “no...
Shaler man accused of inciting riot during Pittsburgh protests faces federal charges
A Shaler man accused of inciting a riot during the protests in Pittsburgh last Saturday now faces federal charges. Federal charges of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder have been filed against Brian Bartels, authorities announced Friday evening. Bartels, 20, is accused of initiating the destruction of a...
