Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1531
Three Rivers Arts Festival is now open — in the virtual world
As the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival goes virtual this year, the focus is on a new group of creative people — those who are creating digital content that will bring a different kind of festival experience to the public. “Usually, the digital team is marginally involved in the...
Westmoreland County adds 1 new coronavirus case, no additional deaths
One new case of covid-19 was reported Tuesday in Westmoreland County, bringing the countywide total to 442. Deaths remained unchanged at 38, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha has not updated his county death total since May 7. The coroner’s website is reporting 32...
Pennsylvania’s covid-19 cases ‘trend downward,’ but health official says social distancing still critical
Pennsylvania’s top health official said Tuesday that cases of covid-19 continue to “trend downward” and, highlighting a new statistic being released by the state, estimated that more than three-fifths of the people sickened by the virus have recovered. The state Department of Health reported 13 more covid-19 deaths and 451...
Allegheny County adds 11 coronavirus cases, no new deaths
The number of confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus in Allegheny County increased by 11 to 1,816, while deaths remained unchanged at 150, the Allegheny County Health Department reported Tuesday. This is the third day in a row that Allegheny County has not reported new deaths. The state reported...
Philadelphia police break up Memorial Day party of about 200 people in vacant lot
Philadelphia police spent nearly an hour breaking up a group of about 200 people who had gathered in the city’s Brewerytown section to listen to a DJ, 6ABC reported. Police say the crowd got larger as word of the gathering spread on social media, and helicopter footage from the TV...
Familiar song returns to No. 1 in WDVE Memorial Day 500 countdown
“Stairway to Heaven” ascended back to the top. The Led Zeppelin song finished first in the DVE Memorial Day 500 countdown, which ended Monday night. It bested Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Guns ‘N Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine,” “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink...
4 Minneapolis police officers fired after death of black manVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Four Minneapolis officers involved in the arrest of a black man who died in police custody were fired Tuesday, hours after a bystander’s video showed an officer kneeling on the handcuffed man’s neck, even after he pleaded that he could not breathe and stopped moving. Mayor Jacob Frey...
Police: UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital nurse stole patient’s pain medication
A registered nurse at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital is accused of stealing a patient’s pain medication. Tiffany Hafner, 28, of Pittsburgh, faces charges of neglect of a care-dependent person, drug offenses and theft, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced. Hafner’s arrest resulted from an investigation launched in November after authorities said...
On Memorial Day, Trump insults Marine Corps veteran Conor Lamb by calling him ‘American fraud’
On Memorial Day, President Trump called Marine reserve officer and Pennsylvania Rep. Conor Lamb an “American fraud” on Twitter. Almost a week before the state’s primary, Trump threw his support toward Sean Parnell, an Army combat veteran from Cranberry, who is running for Lamb’s seat in the 17th Congressional District....
Leechburg honors fallen service members in ceremony scaled back by coronavirus pandemic
Bob Fiscus has been an eager observer of Leechburg’s Memorial Day celebrations honoring fallen service members since he was a young boy, long before he joined the Army and fought in two wars. Pandemic or not, the 94-year-old veteran wasn’t about to give up on the tradition in 2020. So...
In person and on the web, local Memorial Day services honor fallen warriors’ sacrificesVideo
Social distancing held in-person attendance at Monday morning’s Sutersville Memorial Day service to little more than 20. But others were able to pay their respects to the town’s service members, past and present, from afar by viewing a livestream of the annual ceremony at the honor roll next to the...
Coronavirus pandemic presents unique challenges for kindergarten education
Students of all ages have been adversely affected by the covid-19 pandemic, but educators say the stakes are especially high for kindergartners and preschool-aged children. “Imagine being 5 and this is your world. What will be ‘normal’ to this generation of kindergartners?” said Michilene Pegher, principal of Minadeo Elementary in...
1 new coronavirus case reported in Westmoreland
Westmoreland County on Monday reported one new covid-19 case, but no new deaths. The Pennsylvania Department of Health said 441 people had tested positive for the virus as of Monday, up from the 440 reported on Sunday. More than 8,400 people have tested negative. Neither the coroner nor state officials...
Pennsylvania records 15 more coronavirus deaths, 473 new cases
Pennsylvania on Monday reported 15 more covid-19 deaths and 473 additional cases, according to the state Department of Health. The state has now had 68,186 total cases and 5,139 deaths. Deaths have been recorded in 54 of the state’s 67 counties, while every county has had a positive case. Nearly...
Allegheny County records 28 more coronavirus cases, no new deaths
The number of confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus in Allegheny County increased by 28 to 1,805, while deaths remained unchanged at 150, the Allegheny County Health Department reported Monday. The new cases were reported to the department throughout the day Sunday. While the number of cases matched the...
Former Army Ranger, Steelers LT Alejandro Villanueva featured in Memorial Day videoVideo
Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle and Army Ranger veteran Alejandro Villanueva was featured in a video message released by The Players’ Tribune on Memorial Day. The video, titled “Something Bigger,” was released via The Players’ Tribune’s verified Twitter account. It discusses Villanueva’s journey into the military — something he calls “truly...
3 taken into custody after alleged assault on Pittsburgh cop
Pittsburgh police used pepper spray to subdue three people accused of assaulting an officer early Sunday in Homewood South. A woman and two boys were arrested following the confrontation that happened before 2:30 a.m. on Collier Street. No one was seriously injured when the woman punched the officer in the...
Police investigating vandalism to Lawrenceville war memorial
Pittsburgh police are investigating vandalism to a Lawrenceville war memorial that happened late Sunday or early Monday. Police responded before 8 a.m. to find the statue at Doughboy Square covered in red paint and a message: “June 19, 1986! Glory to the Day of Heroism!” Police are reviewing available video...
Fayette County man charged in fatal shooting outside restaurant
A Fairchance man is accused of fatally shooting another man Sunday afternoon at a Fayette County restaurant. State police charged Justin D. Rittacco, 21, with criminal homicide in connection to the shooting that happened before 4:30 p.m. at the Long John Silver’s restaurant on Morgantown Road in South Union. Police...
Woman taken hostage by Connecticut murder suspect found safe
A woman who said she was abducted by a college student suspected of killing two people in Connecticut has been found safe in New Jersey, police said Monday. The 23-year-old woman, whose boyfriend was found shot to death Sunday at a home in Derby, Conn., was located at a rest...
Warden: Inmate dies at Allegheny County Jail
An inmate at the Allegheny County Jail died Sunday, officials said. The male inmate was found in his cell, suspended by his uniform, Warden Orlando Harper said in a statement. Corrections officers began compressions until health care staff and paramedics arrived. The inmate died just after 5 p.m., Harper said....
Spokesman: Employee at Parkway Center Giant Eagle diagnosed with covid-19
A Giant Eagle employee at the Parkway Center Mall store near Greentree has tested positive for covid-19, company officials confirmed Sunday. The store on May 3 converted to a curbside pick-up distribution center and no longer has traditional customer store traffic, company spokesman Dick Roberts said. “The safety of our...
White House bans travel to the U.S. from BrazilVideo
WASHINGTON — The White House has announced a ban on travel to the U.S. from Brazil because of the spread of coronavirus in Latin America’s hardest-hit country. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany says in a statement Sunday evening that the ban applies to foreign nationals who have been in Brazil in...
Amid pandemic, Memorial Day service marked privately at National Cemetery of the Alleghenies
The 2020 Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies was closed to the public Sunday in Cecil Township, but the media was allowed to document the ceremony while abiding by social distancing guidelines because of the coronavirus pandemic....
Police investigate shooting in Brookline
A man was shot Sunday afternoon in Brookline, according to Pittsburgh police. The shooting was reported just before 12:15 p.m. on the 900 block of Norwich Avenue. When police arrived, they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition, police said....
