Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1543
Chatty Congress learning to respect mute button
WASHINGTON — Hey, everyone on the call? We can hear a dog barking. Could senators please make sure you are on mute? It was a serious meeting on a frightening global pandemic. But as the Senate health committee Tuesday convened by video conference, the session became a reminder that the...
Eat’n Park’s CEO talks future of restaurant dining
Customers won’t physically see the smiles on the faces of Eat’n Park employees when the Pittsburgh-based restaurant chain eventually opens its doors for dine-in eating. Masks will cover them. “But they will be smiling,” said Jeffrey Broadhurst, president and CEO Eat’n Park Hospitality Group on a Zoom call with Pittsburgh...
Temp checks, face masks among things reopening day cares face during pandemic
Temperature checks at the door as well as masks, gloves and gowns to protect people from exposure to the coronavirus are some of the things parents can expect at day care centers as they reopen in the region. Kids shouldn’t bring their favorite stuffed animal, blanket or toy to the...
Pa. Attorney General Shapiro to investigate nursing homes for criminal neglect
Pennsylvania nursing homes are being investigated for criminal neglect during the coronavirus pandemic, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday. The Office of the Attorney General Care-Dependent Neglect Team, which is part of the Medicaid Fraud Control section, has opened criminal investigations into several nursing homes and could start other investigations...
Western Pa. leaders urge precautions as region moves into yellow phase
Officials expect a spike in covid-19 cases with the reopening of Southwestern Pennsylvania business, but believe the region can minimize impact if people continue following guidelines for social distancing, wearing masks and remaining at home when possible. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald hosted a teleconference Tuesday that included government and...
Fox Chapel man jailed in Baldwin man’s killing faces 2nd homicide charge
A Fox Chapel man accused of killing a Baldwin man in February now faces charges in connection with the death of a Verona man whose remains were found near the suspect’s home in March. Adam Rosenberg, 21, was charged Tuesday with criminal homicide, robbery, abuse of a corpse, tampering with...
Red Lobster CEO on Mother’s Day mayhem: ‘We let many of you down’
Red Lobster’s CEO apologized Tuesday for its Mother’s Day mishap that left crowds of customers waiting for hours for unfilled orders at restaurants in Ross and other states. “I apologize that we disappointed many of you this past weekend as you placed orders for Mother’s Day, one of the most...
Texas firm eyes several Levin Furniture stores in bankruptcy deal
The Mt. Pleasant flagship store that was the foundation for the century-old Levin Furniture empire may reopen — but only as part of a new furniture chain under a pending bankruptcy court deal. A Texas-based private equity firm bid $6.7 million to buy leases and unsold furniture in 27 Art...
Trump to make 2nd visit of year to Pennsylvania
President Donald Trump will visit the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Thursday to tour a distribution center of medical and surgical products for healthcare facilities, including personal protective equipment in the fight against the coronavirus. Trump’s visit is to a warehouse of Virginia-based Owens and Minor in suburban Allentown. The...
Wall Street drops after reopening worries lead to late slide
Worries about the downside of reopening the economy too soon are weighing on markets, and Wall Street fell Tuesday to its biggest loss since the start of the month. The S&P 500 dropped 2.1% after spending much of the day drifting between small gains and losses, as investors debate whether...
Pittsburgh food bank to host drive-up events at South Hills Village, Johnstown mall
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will host drive-up food distributions this week in the South Hills and Johnstown. The event in Johnstown will run from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the Johnstown Galleria. The distribution can accommodate 1,000 vehicles. Attendees are asked to begin lining up no earlier...
Long-term care residents, employees to be tested weekly for covid-19, Gov. Wolf says
All nursing home patients and employees will be tested for the coronavirus, Pennsylvania officials said Tuesday, and the facilities will be required to publicly report the number of covid-19 deaths, cases and tests. Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said how often the nursing homes test their patients and employees...
Cops: Woman who crashed in North Huntingdon parking lot with 2 kids in car charged
An Irwin woman is accused of driving under the influence and endangering the welfare of children after she crashed into a car in a North Huntingdon hotel parking lot and hit a curb with two young children in the backseat. Township police stopped Kristina L. Nottingham, 29, a short distance...
Pennsylvania reports 75 more deaths, 837 new coronavirus cases
State health officials reported more than 800 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday along with dozens more deaths as the statewide death toll surpassed 3,800. The 837 covid-19 cases reported between 12 a.m. Monday and 12 a.m. Tuesday brought the state’s running case count to 57,991. Statewide, there were 75 more...
PennDOT to renew driver’s licenses with old photos during pandemic
A lot of people don’t like their driver’s license photo and, for the time being, Pennsylvanians won’t have to worry about taking one. PennDOT announced Tuesday it will use existing photos on file for customers who renew their driver’s license and identification card. The move is designed to lower the...
Allegheny County reports 15 new coronavirus cases, 4 deaths
Allegheny County officials reported 15 additional cases of covid-19 and four more deaths Tuesday. This brings the countywide totals to 1,526 confirmed or probable cases and 127 deaths since March 14, when the first case was reported. Tuesday’s new cases and deaths are up from Monday, when the county reported...
Goodbye to cold weather? Western Pa. is ‘trending toward summer’
As warmer temperatures move into the region this weekend, meteorologists predict the unseasonably cold weather will not return. “It’s one of those weekends we need,” said John Darnley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. Temperatures are expected to reach the upper 70s Saturday and Sunday, with likely...
Pittsburgh construction boom continuing despite pandemic
The Pittsburgh Department of Licenses and Inspections has issued more than 1,200 construction permits for projects totaling $153 million during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Mayor’s Office. PLI personnel working from home issued 614 permits in March, 428 in April and 187 so far this month, the Mayor’s Office...
Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto, public safety officials to read bedtime stories to children
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and public safety officials will appear on social media channels three times weekly to read bedtime stories for children. The officials will read stories from books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which are available for free. Peduto will start reading at 7 p.m. on Mondays and...
3 more residents die of coronavirus at Kane’s Glen Hazel facility
Three more residents of Kane Community Living’s Glen Hazel location have died from the coronavirus, according to information from Allegheny County and Kane officials. Sixteen residents at the county-owned facility have died since the outbreak began. The Rivermont Drive facility is home to 174 residents, and 112 have been tested...
Business rally for loosening covid-19 restrictions set for Saturday in UnityVideo
A small-business rally is planned Saturday in Westmoreland County to urge less stringent restrictions from Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to phase in segments of the state’s economy curtailed during the coronavirus pandemic. About 60 small-business owners and supporters braved unseasonably cold temperatures Monday night outside Sharky’s Cafe on Route 30...
Fauci warns of ‘suffering and death’ if U.S. reopens too soon
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, is warning Congress that if the country reopens too soon during the coronavirus pandemic, it will result in “needless suffering and death.” Fauci is among the health experts testifying to a Senate panel. His testimony comes as President Donald...
Trump casts doubt on mail voting. His campaign promotes it.
While President Donald Trump claims mail-in voting is ripe for fraud and “cheaters,” his reelection campaign and state allies are scrambling to launch operations meant to help their voters cast ballots in the mail. Through its partnership with the Republican National Committee, Trump’s campaign is training volunteers on the ins...
Pennsylvania lawmakers’ spending on their own operations
HARRISBURG — The Associated Press combed through more than 6,000 pages of line items to get a clearer picture of how the Pennsylvania General Assembly spent taxpayer money on its own operations during the fiscal year that ended June 30. Highlights of the findings: • Total spending: The 253-member Legislature...
From frames to furniture to food, here’s how Pa. lawmakers spent millions of taxpayer dollars
HARRISBURG — It takes hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars a year for the Pennsylvania General Assembly to maintain one of the country’s largest legislative staffs, a small army that needs food, shelter, transportation, office supplies and modern electronics. An Associated Press review of invoices and more than 6,000 pages...
