Regional News category, Page 41
Duquesne Light, West Penn Power officials grilled at hearing over days-long power outages
Officials from Duquesne Light and West Penn Power said their crews, as well as those called in from other states, did the best they could to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers impacted by catastrophic storms late last month. Those same officials at a House Majority Policy Committee...
Tornado, flood watches issued across Western Pennsylvania region
The National Weather Service has issued tornado and flood watches in multiple counties across Western Pennsylvania for Wednesday into Thursday morning. The tornado watch is in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday evening for Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties. “A line of showers are moving through...
How do you navigate new covid vaccine guidance? We asked the experts
A drastic shift in national policy recommends that only people 65 and older and others with certain health risks should get annual covid-19 vaccines, but at least one vaccine expert says the guidance raises as many questions as it answers. The Food and Drug Administration published its new policy Tuesday...
Pa. set to expand cellphone ban for drivers — aiming to shift focus from phones to freeway
Fair warning: Come June 5, it will not be legal to hold a cellphone — even during calls — while driving in Pennsylvania. The new law expands the state’s restrictions on cellphone use while driving. Those who are caught violating the law will receive written warnings until June, 5, 2026....
‘Profits over people’: 2 nursing homes guilty of fraud ordered to pay $15M
Two Pittsburgh-area nursing home companies must pay more than $15 million in restitution for health care fraud, a federal judge ordered on Tuesday. In December 2023, a jury found the companies — Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC and Mt. Lebanon Operations LLC — guilty in U.S. District Court of making...
Cecil police officers accused of falsifying records for DUI arrest
Two police officers from Washington County have been charged with tampering with evidence, altering police reports and other violations in connection with a 2018 DUI traffic stop. The state Attorney General’s office said Cecil Township Officer Shawn McNaughton and Sgt. John Holt included false information in police reports in order...
What you need to know for the primary election in Western Pa.
Six months ago, more than three-quarters of Pennsylvania’s registered voters cast ballots in the general election after being bombarded for months by campaign ads and seemingly nonstop news coverage of the presidential race. This year’s primary election, culminating Tuesday with in-person voting across the state, has been low-key by comparison....
Morning Roundup: No injuries in Home Depot fire in West Mifflin
Here are some news items for Monday, May 19: No injuries in Home Depot fire Pleasant Hills volunteer firefighters quickly knocked down a fire in the rear of the Home Depot in West Mifflin Sunday night. Crews were called to the store around 11:30 p.m. and discovered a fire in...
Donora boy drowns in Monongahela River
A search and rescue mission in Donora ended in sorrow Saturday with the discovery of a 12-year-old boy’s body on the bed of the Monongahela River. The Washington County Coroner’s Office identified the boy as Rontae Lester of Donora. According to the coroner’s report, Lester was swimming with friends Saturday...
Providing health care in rural areas offers challenges for physicians
Dr. Richard Conn is well-versed in the challenges of providing health care in rural areas. The primary care physician has been seeing patients in Connellsville for the past 19 years. “For some (patients), preventive care is foreign to them. There’s a hesitancy to do things,” said Conn, 52, a Fayette...
Turnout for Western Pa. primaries gets bump from mail-ins, but still draw fewer than 1 in 3 voters
Fewer than one in three registered voters in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are expected to cast a ballot in this year’s primary. That may seem paltry, particularly compared with November’s hotly contested presidential election when voter turnouts in the two counties approached or exceeded 80%. But this year’s projected turnouts...
Angler fishing in Lake Michigan fog discovers remains of abandoned tugboat J.C. Ames
MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin angler fishing in the fog this week discovered the wreck of an abandoned tugboat submerged in the waters of Lake Michigan for more than a century, state officials announced Friday. Wisconsin Historical Society Maritime Archaeologist Tamara Thomsen said that the society confirmed that Christopher Thuss...
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
A one-of-a-kind airplane made a special flight to Indiana County this week. The American P-51 Mustang, nicknamed “Thunderbird,” is on display at Indiana County-Jimmy Stewart Airport through Sunday. While many P-51s served the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, only this one was flown by Academy Award-winning actor...
Cold temperatures to return to Western Pa. next week
While it might feel like summer today in Western Pennsylvania, a change is headed this way. Friday had the potential to reach 85 degrees, according to David Shallenberger, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon. After that, a cold front is moving into the area next week. Saturday will...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: May 16
The following is a regular feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz:...
Morning Roundup: Crash on George Westinghouse Bridge injures 3; truck crashes into home in Baldwin
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, May 16: Westinghouse Bridge crash leaves 3 injured Three people were hospitalized after a Thursday evening crash on the George Westinghouse Bridge in East Pittsburgh, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The crash involved three separate cars and...
As Rite Aid collapses, customers and other pharmacies bear the impact
It takes Kathy Younkins just a few minutes to walk to her neighborhood Rite Aid. The 67-year-old has picked up her prescriptions at the company’s Harrison location since the 2000s. But now the Philadelphia-based pharmacy empire is crumbling. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month, blaming “the...
Pittsburgh population grew by nearly 3,000, census shows
Pittsburgh’s population is on the rise, new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed. The city added 2,902 people from 2023 to 2024, bringing the total population to 307,668 — an almost 1% increase, according to census figures. Chris Briem, regional economist at the University Center for Social & Urban...
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee reintroduces resolution for reparations
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee introduced a resolution Thursday that would effectively provide reparations to the descendants of Black American slaves amid a flurry of actions by President Donald Trump and a Republican-led Congress to remove what they term “woke” policies. Lee, a Swissvale Democrat who represents parts of Allegheny and...
McDonald’s to hire 375K new employees
This summer, McDonald’s said it will hire 375,000 employees across the United States. The plan marks one of the fast-food chain’s largest hiring pushes in years, Today reported. McDonald’s hopes to open 900 new restaurants in the U.S. by 2027 and plans to serve more customers during summer months. Specifically,...
Morning Roundup: Body found in Mon; car crashes into house in Derry
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, May 15: Body found in Monongahela River A barge operator found a man’s body in the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The unidentified man was found near the Brownsville...
‘Heartbroken,’ ‘gut-wrenching’: Penn State communities grapple with recommended campus closures
Penelope Morrison hoped to retire one day from her job as an associate professor at Penn State New Kensington. Now she has come to the realization that might not be possible after Penn State acknowledged this week that New Kensington is one of seven branch campuses recommended for closure. “None...
Judge in Johnstown becomes 1st in U.S. to uphold use of Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans
A federal judge in Johnstown on Tuesday ruled the government may remove Venezuelan citizens thought to be members of a violent gang under the Alien Enemies Act — but only if they are given 21 days notice and “an opportunity to be heard.” The 43-page opinion, written by U.S. District...
Pa. human relations commission wants to hear about your ‘Beloved Community’
While working on Robert Casey Sr.’s 1986 gubernatorial campaign, Democratic strategist James Carville once famously said that “between Paoli and Penn Hills, Pennsylvania is Alabama.” Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Executive Director Chad Lassiter never believed that. “You have counties full of people who love their children, their families and their...
Reports: Trump’s planned EPA overhaul jeopardizes Energy Star appliance program
Any budget-aware, environmentally conscious consumer scouting out new appliances knows to look for the Energy Star label. The familiar blue-and-white logo – stuck on refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, heat pumps, washers, dryers, water heaters and air conditioners – signifies cost savings and efficiency. But the program, run by the U.S. Environmental...
