Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1539
Married music teachers use old-school rendition to show they miss studentsVideo
Time away from the classroom isn’t just affecting students. Teachers are feeling the impact as well. Two music teachers, who are a married couple, have found a creative way to cope with withdrawal from their pupils. Joe Wilson is music department chair and marching band moderator at Central Catholic High...
Transmission tower topples onto power lines after driver crashes in Harmar; 1 airlifted to hospital
Rescue crews freed a man trapped inside a mangled Volkswagen that veered off Russellton Road and smashed into a 90-foot power transmission tower in Harmar early afternoon Saturday. Medics airlifted the injured driver, a Harmar area man in his early 50s, to a nearby hospital. His name and condition were...
Coronavirus masks a boon for crooks who hide their faces
CHICAGO — The way the FBI tells it, William Rosario Lopez put on a surgical mask and walked into the Connecticut convenience store looking to the world like a typical pandemic-era shopper as he picked up plastic wrap, fruit snacks and a few other items. Then, when the only other...
No new covid-19 cases, deaths to report in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County did not have any new covid-19 cases or deaths to report as of Saturday, state health data show. Between Thursday and Friday, state officials had reported one more covid-19 case in the county, bringing the total to 423. Nearly 40% of Westmoreland County’s cases involve residents and employees...
Pennsylvania reports 61 more covid-19 deaths; 69% of deaths linked to nursing homes
Pennsylvania reported 61 more covid-19 deaths and 989 newly confirmed cases as of Saturday morning, bringing the state’s total number of cases to more than 61,600. Hospitals are treating 1,887 patients with the disease, and 409 of those patients are on ventilators. Another 18 patients are on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation,...
Malls look toward rocky future following pandemic
America’s once-dazzling shopping industry is facing blow after blow as department stores anchoring malls across the country file for bankruptcy, a move that could leave already struggling shopping malls permanently in the dark. Sales have plummeted, with a record 16% drop in retail sales for April, in large part because...
Allegheny County announces consolidated polling places for June 2 primary election
Allegheny County Elections Division officials have announced the list of consolidated polling places for the June 2 primary election. Officials said households with eligible voters will receive a postcard prior to election day advising them of their specific polling place location. The consolidation of polling places was approved in April....
Allegheny County reports 13 coronavirus cases, 2 deaths
Allegheny County reported 13 more covid-19 cases and two deaths Saturday. The new figures bring the total number of coronavirus cases in the county to 1,595 and total deaths to 143. Of the reported coronavirus cases in the county, 59% of them have been 50 years or older. Those who...
1 critically wounded in shooting on Pittsburgh’s North Side
A male victim was in critical condition after he was shot early Saturday on Pittsburgh’s North Side, according to city police. The victim was found with multiple gunshot wounds after police responded to a ShotSpotter notification around 1:40 a.m. in the 300 block of West Burgess Street in Perry South....
Remote learning at The Neighborhood Academy in Pittsburgh a seamless transition
Most days of the week, Page Hempfield tunes in for an advising appointment at 9 a.m. on Zoom. She and other students are able to check in, ask questions and get updates about homework and about their school, The Neighborhood Academy. Then, in her bedroom of her North Versailles home,...
Union rep says Post-Gazette seeking buyouts in bid to shrink newsroom by 20%, slash 24 positions
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is offering a buyout option in an effort to shrink its newsroom by about 20%, or at least two dozen employees, a union official said Friday. In exchange for leaving their jobs, full-time employees will receive a week’s pay for every year of service, up to 16...
GNC avoids bankruptcy; gets 90-day max to pay down debt
GNC Holdings, Inc. reached a last-minute deal with creditors that allows it to avoid bankruptcy for at least 30 days but no more than 90 days under a deal announced Friday, the Pittsburgh-based health and wellness company said. GNC was facing a Saturday deadline to pay down debt to under...
Police seek public’s help in identifying Wilkinsburg homicide suspect
Allegheny County Police seek public assistance in identifying a homicide suspect. County detectives and Wilkinsburg police are investigating the shooting death of 16-year-old Marcus Wells Jr. of Pittsburgh. He was shot several times near the intersection of Laketon Road and Robinson Boulevard at about 9 p.m. Wednesday. County police on...
Editorial: Penguins miss shot with arena development project in Lower Hill District
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. It’s an idea the Pittsburgh Penguins should find familiar. It speaks of big games and clutch performance, reaching for the stars and following through. Champions do the hard thing even though it’s hard, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have the Stanley Cup...
North Huntingdon police won’t cite businesses for violating Gov. Wolf’s orders
North Huntingdon joined other municipalities in directing its police force not to cite or take any legal action local businesses that open in violation of the state’s coronavirus-related shutdown orders — as long as they follow the Centers for Disease Control guidelines for wearing personal protective equipment, keep social distancing...
Penguins’ withdrawal from Lower Hill development surprises leaders
When the Pittsburgh Penguins said they were pulling out of a planned development in the city’s Lower Hill District, it caught some community leaders off guard. The Thursday announcement by Penguins President and CEO David Morehouse came after the Urban Redevelopment Authority delayed a vote on a proposed First National...
Shoppers enjoy spring day as region moves into yellow phase, some businesses reopenVideo
Some restrictions lifted across Western Pennsylvania on Friday, and people wasted little time getting back to life a little closer to normal — but still coronavirus-style. Patricia Slifkey said she felt free as she browsed rows of antiques and knickknacks at Miller’s Crossing Fleatique in Irwin. “It’s good to get...
Visitors to Pittsburgh International Airport required to wear masks
Visitors to Pittsburgh International Airport will be required to wear masks or face coverings on all public airport property starting next week, Allegheny County Airport Authority officials announced Friday. The requirement is part of a new “PIT Safe Travels” initiative and also applies to Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin....
FDA probes accuracy issue with Abbott’s rapid virus test
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials are alerting doctors to a potential accuracy problem with a rapid test for covid-19 used at thousands of hospitals, clinics and testing sites across the U.S., including the White House. The Food and Drug Administration said late Thursday it is investigating preliminary data suggesting Abbott...
Westmoreland County Housing Authority confirms 1st covid-19 case at Parnassus Manor
A resident of Parnassus Manor in New Kensington has tested positive for covid-19, Westmoreland County Housing Authority Executive Director Michael Washowich said Friday. The resident, who is not being identified because of privacy laws, notified the authority Thursday. The authority alerted residents of the high-rise the same day, he said....
Lawsuit: Former Mad Mex manager was fired for seeking time off after domestic violence attack
A Pittsburgh woman is suing Mad Mex and its parent company, alleging she was fired for requesting time off for medical treatment and court appearances after a domestic violence attack. The woman, a former manager at the restaurant’s Waterworks mall location, alleged in a lawsuit she was met with roadblocks...
As restrictions loosen in Pennsylvania, health officials gear up for increased contact tracing
Contact tracing has been done on infectious diseases for years, but it arguably has never been more discussed or under as much scrutiny as it is now as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic and tries to reclaim some amount of normalcy. Pennsylvania officials have identified the simple yet...
Beaver County among 12 more moving to Pennsylvania’s yellow phase
Beaver County is among the dozen counties that Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday will move into the yellow phase of the tiered reopening process next week, a move that will put all of Western Pennsylvania under loosened restrictions. The announcement came a week after Beaver County was left off...
Pennsylvania reports 124 more coronavirus deaths as total case count tops 60,000
State health officials reported more than 100 more coronavirus deaths on Friday as the case total pushed past 60,000. Of the 124 deaths added to the total, 89 came from the Department of Health’s continued work to catch up with reporting by individual counties. The other 35 were reported to...
Cops: 3-year-old left alone with 2 siblings in Monessen ingests THC-laced food
A Monessen couple was arrested Thursday, charged with three counts of child endangerment and illegal possession of a controlled substance after, police say, a 3-year-old boy left at home with two older siblings was found unresponsive after ingesting THC-laced food. Kirsty M. Thorpe, 30, and Brandon M. Mitchell, 33, were...
