Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1537
Judge dismisses lawsuit tied to fires at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by two environmental groups against U.S. Steel over alleged Clean Air Act violations at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. The suit was filed last year after fires on Dec. 24, 2018 and June 16, 2019. U.S. District Judge Marilyn Horan sided with...
Greensburg diocese to begin in-person Mass on June 1
The seating and the passing of peace may look a little different but, beginning June 1, Catholic churches in the Diocese of Greensburg will celebrate Mass — in person. Diocesan officials announced Monday that parishes can once again begin public Mass. Parishioners will be required to wear masks and remain...
Westmoreland prison guard fired amid inmate assault investigation
A Westmoreland County Prison guard was fired Monday, less than a month after the launch of an investigation into allegations that an inmate was assaulted by staff at the jail. Warden John Walton declined to reveal details that led to the firing. Sheriff James Albert, who serves as a member...
New CMU study shows inequity in internet access among children
A study led by a Carnegie Mellon University professor used national data to measure how many children have internet access at home and what factors contribute to the long-existing digital divide. The findings, said lead researcher Ananya Sen, are especially potent as most K-12 school districts have moved to online...
New Pennsylvania program extends unemployment benefits
The state’s new Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program will allow some Pennsylvanians to continue receiving benefits after traditional unemployment expires. The program is funded through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Unemployment benefits usually expire after 13 weeks. Unemployed Pennsylvanians whose benefits have run out, who...
Bipartisan request to loosen restrictions in Westmoreland County sent to Gov. Wolf
Westmoreland County’s top elected officials are pleased with having been moved into the yellow phase of coronavirus reopening. They would just prefer a more robust shade. In a letter sent to Gov. Tom Wolf, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers and county commissioners asked for an enhanced designation that would...
AG William Barr says he doesn’t expect criminal probe into Obama or BidenVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr said he doesn’t expect the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into former President Barack Obama or former Vice President Joe Biden, despite prodding to do so by President Donald Trump. Barr told reporters at a news conference on Monday that he won’t...
J.C. Penney plans to close more than 240 stores
NEW YORK — J.C. Penney will close almost 30% of its 846 stores as part of a restructuring under bankruptcy protection. The Plano, Texas, retailer said Monday that it plans to close about 192 stores by February 2021, and then 50 additional stores in the year after that. That would...
Gas prices continue to rise, but are expected to remain lower than they have been in years
Gasoline prices are rising in the Pittsburgh area and across the nation as demand for fuel is increasing with states beginning to reopen their economies and loosen covid-19 restrictions. Warmer weather also is drawing more people outdoors. The price-tracking service GasBuddy said the average gas price in the Pittsburgh area...
Voter registration efforts hampered by coronavirus restrictions
Political parties’ efforts to get people signed up to vote in the June 2 primary have been hampered by coronavirus-related restrictions. Still, both major parties saw slight registration gains in Allegheny County compared to pre-primary numbers in the last presidential election year, and GOP registrations in Westmoreland County are up...
Free street parking ending in Downtown Pittsburgh as businesses reopen
People who park in Downtown Pittsburgh will have to pay up at meters again. City officials announced that enforcement will restart on Wednesday. City and Pittsburgh Parking Authority officials hadn’t been enforcing metered parking since mid-March because of the shutdown spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. But now that Allegheny County...
6 more coronavirus deaths reported in Westmoreland County
State health officials on Monday reported six more people in Westmoreland County died from the coronavirus. The Department of Health, in its daily update, reported a total of 38 deaths in the county. The county coroner’s office has been reporting 32 virus-related deaths since May 7. There are also five...
Pa. revamps coronavirus reporting system as some counties see wide swings; in all, 822 new cases reported
State health officials reported dozens of new coronavirus deaths on Monday as they announced an overhaul in how deaths are reported to the Department of Health and then to the public. The 87 new deaths reported bring the state’s death toll to 4,505. Additionally, 822 new covid-19 cases were reported...
Man missing after falling in Ohio River was standout athlete at Allderdice
The 23-year-old who fell from a boat dock into the Ohio River Saturday evening while fishing with friends on Neville Island has been identified. Ohio Township police Chief Joseph Hanny said the search for Kenneth Robinson resumed Monday morning. Robinson, of Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, was a graduate of Allderdice High...
Western Pa. Goodwill stores reopening with safety protocols in place
Goodwill stores in southwestern Pennsylvania are reopening beginning Monday. With Gov. Tom Wolf’s decision to move the area from red to yellow phase in the coronavirus reopening plan, the company will start with limited hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. According to a news release, these safety precautions will...
West Deer woman to appear on ‘The Price Is Right’
Mary Kay Giarrusso is hard of hearing, so she didn’t know at first that she should come on down. But her husband, and everyone around her in the studio audience, recognized the signature call. “When I heard, ‘Mary Kay Giarrusso, come on down. You are the next contestant on ‘The...
Pittsburgh food bank announces 1 million pounds of food distributed during pandemic
It’s a bittersweet milestone. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has distributed its 1 millionth pound of food through drive-up events since the organization’s covid-19 response began on March 16. The mark was met on Saturday during a distribution event held with the South Hills Interfaith Movement. And while the...
Pittsburgh food bank hosting 3 drive-up distributions around Western Pa. this week
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will host three drive-up food distributions around the region this week. The first event is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Big Butler Fairgrounds, 1127 New Castle Road. Another distribution will be from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday at Pittsburgh International Airport,...
Allegheny County records 38 new coronavirus cases, no new deaths
Allegheny County on Monday reported no new covid-19 deaths and 38 new cases. The latest figures bring the total number of covid-19 cases in the county to 1,641 since the first case was reported here March 14. Total deaths remained at 143, and total hospitalizations rose by two from Sunday’s...
Police: 2nd woman dies in car crash into Butler County convenience store
Police say a second woman has died of injuries stemming from the crash of a car into a convenience store in Butler County over the weekend. Officer Conrad Pfeifer of the Middlesex Township police department says 36-year-old Patricia Collins, who was a back seat passenger, was pronounced dead shortly before...
Penn Hills woman caught with unloaded revolver at Pittsburgh International Airport
A Penn Hills woman was arrested Friday by Allegheny County police after an unloaded revolver was found in her carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport. A Transportation Security Administration officer spotted the gun when the woman was going through a checkpoint at the airport. Allegheny County Police charged Kierra Allen,...
PIAA board of directors to discuss restarting sports county by county
Could the PIAA take a county-by-county approach to restarting sports, or should the entire state resume summer workouts at the same time? “We want to have that discussion,” said PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi, who expects that question and others related to the coronavirus shutdown will be addressed Wednesday when...
Stocks rally on hopes for vaccine and economic recoveryVideo
NEW YORK — The stock market bounced back from its worst week in nearly two months Monday as optimism about a potential vaccine for the coronavirus and hopes for a U.S. economic recovery in the second half of the year put investors in a buying mood. The S&P 500 climbed...
Social distancing costs mount for fire companies forced to cancel fundraisers
Gun bashes that can bring in thousands of dollars for fire departments aren’t allowed. Neither are purse bashes, cash bashes, drag queen bingos, burger sales or any of other typically crowded fundraisers that are the lifeblood of local fire departments, which struggle with finances even in good times. Throw in...
Victim of fatal McKeesport stabbing identified
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim of a fatal stabbing Sunday evening in McKeesport. Gordon Danielson Jr., 57, was found dead Sunday evening in McKeesport. At about 6 p.m., McKeesport police were called to the 500 block of Sinclair Street where they found the man dead. Allegheny...
