Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1530
Historic SpaceX launch postponed because of stormy weather
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The launch of a SpaceX rocket ship with two NASA astronauts on a history-making flight into orbit has been called off with 16 minutes to go in the countdown because of the danger of lightning. Liftoff is rescheduled for Saturday. The spacecraft was set to blast...
Poll: Half of Americans would get a covid-19 vaccineVideo
Only about half of Americans say they would get a covid-19 vaccine if the scientists working furiously to create one succeed, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s surprisingly low considering the effort going into the global race for a vaccine against...
Trump threatens social media after Twitter fact-checks him
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened social media companies with new regulation or even shuttering after Twitter moved a day earlier to add fact checks to two of his tweets. Claiming tech giants “silence conservative voices,” Trump said, “We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we...
Woman dies in early morning fire in Munhall
A woman died early Wednesday morning when flames quickly spread through her Munhall home, according to authorities. Firefighters arriving at the home in the 1200 block of Ravine Street shortly after 1 a.m. encountered heavy smoke pouring from the windows of the one-story frame house, according to emergency dispatchers. Within...
Pennsylvania preps short-term budget amid coronavirus uncertainty
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state government began advancing a temporary, no-new-taxes budget plan Tuesday that maintains current spending levels while budget makers watch to see how badly coronavirus-related shutdowns damage tax collections and whether the federal government sends another aid package to states. Officials in the House and Senate Republican majorities...
Police: Missing girl from West Mifflin found safe
An 11-year-old girl who was reported missing on Tuesday afternoon has been found safe, according to West Mifflin police. Authorities said Haley Hanson was last seen in the area of the Auto Zone along Homeville Road Tuesday afternoon. The police department posted a notice on its Facebook page late Tuesday...
Greensburg pool to remain closed for season
Veterans’ Memorial Pool in Greensburg will not open this season. The city announced the decision on Facebook Tuesday. There are several reasons for the closure, all of them related to the coronavirus pandemic. CDC guidelines suggest swimmers should maintain 6 feet of social distancing even when in the water, which...
Hempfield supervisors ask Gov. Wolf to end phased plan and reopen economy
Hempfield supervisors are asking Gov. Tom Wolf to allow the township to reopen without mandated restrictions put into place because of the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, supervisors voted unanimously to send a letter asking Wolf to lift restrictions put in place in March. Supervisor Tom Logan was not present at...
Westmoreland County man found stabbed to death in Virginia
A Westmoreland County man was found over the weekend stabbed to death on the side of a road in Virginia, authorities said. Bruce M. Ritchie, 57, of Herminie, was found near his car Saturday afternoon in Bland County, Virginia, near the exit of I-77, according to Virginia State Police. A...
Food box delivery to bring U.S. agriculture secretary to Westmoreland Fairgrounds
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will visit the Westmoreland Fairgrounds on Wednesday morning as pantry staples are delivered to area food banks in response to the covid-19 pandemic. Perdue will be on hand as part of the federal Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The program is purchasing up...
In a first, Twitter adds fact-check warnings to Trump tweets
For the first time, Twitter has flagged some of President Donald Trump’s tweets with a fact-check warning. On Tuesday, Twitter added a warning phrase to two Trump tweets that called mail-in ballots “fraudulent” and predicted that “mail boxes will be robbed,” among other things. Under the tweets, there is now...
Federal funds available for farmers impacted by covid-19 pandemic
Pennsylvania’s farmers and ranchers who have lost revenue because of the covid-19 pandemic can apply for federal aid to compensate for their losses. The federal government is making $16 billion available for agricultural producers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. The direct payments to farmers and producers are limited to...
Allegheny Valley’s former Colfax school building on market for $1.9M
The former Colfax Upper Elementary School in Springdale is on the market for $1.9 million. Allegheny Valley School Board last week entered into a six-month contract with commercial real estate agent CBRE, Inc. to see if there is interest in the shuttered building. The school board agreed to sign an...
Aid to jobless workers in Pennsylvania reaches $10.6B
About $10.6 billion in unemployment compensation and special federal covid-19 funding has been distributed to Pennsylvania’s jobless workers since businesses deemed nonessential were shut down in mid-March, officials said Tuesday. Of that money, $6.2 billion came through regular unemployment compensation, while $3.8 billion comprised extra $600 weekly payments funded by...
Pittsburgh overpays police officers more than $250,000
Pittsburgh erroneously paid its police officers a total of more than $250,000 for uniforms and is now trying to recoup the money, according to the Mayor’s Office. The city’s Human Relations Department on Tuesday notified police management and officers of the error and said it was working with the police...
Niche survey finds most students want to resume in-person classes
Recent surveys show that the nation’s students – both high school and college – are itching to return to the classroom for in-person learning. A survey from Pittsburgh-based Niche, an online school search platform, received more than 21,000 responses from students across the country. The survey found that students want...
Police: Glassport man charged with assaulting woman who escaped out window
A Glassport man accused of tying up and assaulting a woman on Monday is wanted by authorities. Richard Joseph Sciubba III, 37, is charged with aggravated assault, strangulation, aggravated incident assault and unlawful restraint and false imprisonment, according to online court records. Sciubba was last seen earlier Tuesday in the...
FBI investigating vandalism of Pittsburgh war memorial
The FBI is investigating the Memorial Day vandalism of a landmark Pittsburgh veterans monument, officials said. The 99-year-old Doughboy Statue in Lawrenceville was doused with red paint between Sunday night and Memorial Day. Hammers and sickles were painted on the monument, along with the message “June 19, 1986! Glory to...
Masses to resume June 1 in Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced new directives as it resumes Masses next week. Daily Mass will begin Monday, June 1, and weekend Masses will begin June 6 and 7. Parishioners will be required to wear masks, use hand sanitizer and maintain a social distance of six feet at all...
Gibsonia man dies in 2-vehicle crash on Route 8
One man was killed and another man was hurt Tuesday after a two-vehicle crash in Hampton, police said. The collision happened shortly after 1:30 p.m. near the intersection of Route 8 and Mt. Royal Boulevard shortly , Allegheny County Police said. Raymond Anderson, 77, of Gibsonia, was killed in the...
Police seek man suspected in Avalon stabbing
A Pittsburgh man is wanted on charges that he stabbed another man several times Tuesday in a fight over a woman in Avalon, police said. Patrick Giesy, 39, is facing charges of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment in connection to the incident, which occurred shortly before 12:50 a.m., Allegheny County...
Westmoreland Transit gets $7M in federal money to cover pandemic losses
Westmoreland County’s Transit Authority received $7.2 million in federal bailout money, an award officials say will enable the public transportation agency to continue operating its full schedule for the next several years even as other revenues erode because of the coronavirus pandemic. The federal money comes at a time where...
Tree of Life donates $200,000 to Pittsburgh Public Safety Department
The Tree of Life synagogue, where 11 people died in a mass shooting two years ago, has approved a $200,000 donation to the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department. Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday introduced a resolution that would authorize acceptance of the gift. A half-dozen police officers were injured and city...
Medical examiner identifies man found in Monongahela River
A man found dead in the Monongahela River on Sunday has been identified. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Kenneth Subotich, 55, of Munhall. According to the medical examiner, Subotich was found at mile marker 5.5 of the river. Crews from Baldwin and the Pittsburgh Bureau of...
Overnight closure of northbound I-579 in Pittsburgh starts tonight
PennDOT will close portions of Interstate 579 in Downtown Pittsburgh during overnight hours starting Tuesday and continuing through Saturday as work continues on construction of a “cap” over the highway. Northbound lanes between Centre Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard will close nightly from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. One lane of...
