Top Stories category, Page 1033
2 Pittsburgh zoo tigers test positive for covid as zoo awaits vaccines
Two tigers at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium have tested positive for covid-19, officials said Monday as the Highland Park facility remained on a waiting list for specialty vaccines developed specifically for animals. The tigers were tested via nasal swab after they started showing symptoms, including “occasional coughing and...
Westmoreland drug court still awaiting Chew pledge as others step up with donations
A donation Commissioner Doug Chew promised in September to keep a weekend testing program in place through the end of the year for Westmoreland County’s drug court never was made, the Tribune-Review confirmed Monday. Chew, a first-term Republican, faced criticism this summer when it was disclosed he had yet to...
Pitt continues to sort through vaccine mandate
Officials at the University of Pittsburgh aren’t saying how many students, faculty and staff are facing ouster for failure to meet today’s deadline to provide proof of covid-19 vaccination or an approved exemption. Unlike officials at Excela Health System and UPMC who have temporarily put their vaccine mandates on hold,...
Westmoreland County passes 1,000 covid-related deaths since pandemic began
An ominous mark is here: 1,000 covid-related deaths in Westmoreland County, making it the ninth county in Pennsylvania to reach four digits. Two deaths reported Monday pushed the county to 1,001 lives lost, according to figures from the state Department of Health. Of those, 400 deaths occurred in nursing homes....
New York City to impose vaccine mandate on private sector employersVideo
NEW YORK — From big Wall Street banks to corner grocery stores, all private employers in New York City will have to require their workers to get vaccinated against covid-19, the mayor announced Monday in the most sweeping vaccine mandate of any state or big city in the U.S. The...
Justice Department sues to block gerrymandered Texas congressional mapVideo
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration sued Texas on Monday to block its new congressional map, accusing the state of gerrymandering to shut out nonwhites in violation of federal voting rights law. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the enforcement action at Justice Department headquarters, saying the redistricting plans Texas adopted in...
East Deer man admits to killing father in Harmar, gets 10 to 20 years in prison
An East Deer man will serve at least 10 years in state prison after pleading guilty Monday to killing his father last year. Shane Howard, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter in the Feb. 26, 2020, shooting of David Howard, 47, of Harmar. A criminal complaint filed...
No injuries in Fox Chapel fire
There were no injuries when fire tore through a Fox Chapel home Monday afternoon. Fox Chapel police Chief Michael Stevens confirmed everyone escaped the home safely. Fire crews from several surrounding communities responded to the fire shortly after 1 p.m. along Hunt Road, with more than a dozen emergency vehicles...
Charges related to Scottdale standoff withdrawn upon man’s death
A criminal complaint against a Scottdale man who was the subject of a police standoff last month was withdrawn because of his death, according to court records and prosecutors. Toxicology results are pending for Matthew B. Gribble, 44, who died Nov. 24, according to the county coroner’s office. He was...
101-year-old returns to Pearl Harbor to remember those lost
When Japanese bombs began falling on Pearl Harbor, U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class David Russell first sought refuge below deck on the USS Oklahoma. But a split-second decision on that December morning 80 years ago changed his mind, and likely saved his life. “They started closing that hatch. And I...
2 weekly Millionaire Raffle prizes of $50K go to tickets sold in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
Winning tickets for two $50,000 weekly prizes from the New Year’s Millionaire Raffle were sold in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, Pennsylvania Lottery officials said. The raffle features two prizes of $50,000 each week for two months leading up to the Jan. 8 drawing. The third week’s winning numbers — 00095198...
NYC Mayor: Vaccine mandates to be required for all city employers
NEW YORK — All New York City employers will have to mandate covid-19 vaccinations for their workers under new rules announced Monday by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The vaccine mandate for private businesses will take effect Dec. 22 and is aimed at preventing a spike in covid-19 infections during the...
How a database of vaccine side effects sowed doubt in vaccinations
Midway into the pandemic, University of Alabama epidemiologist Bertha Hidalgo realized her covid-19 communication strategy needed a makeover. She was skipping basic biology lessons in favor of simply telling people the best ways to moderate their behavior in response to the virus. Instead of helping people better understand the virus,...
Turning outrage into power: How far right is changing GOP
WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy appears to have settled on a strategy to deal with a handful of Republican lawmakers who have stirred outrage with violent, racist and sometimes Islamophobic comments. If you can’t police them, promote them. The path to power for Republicans in Congress is now...
Multi-vehicle crash along Parkway East snarls morning commute
A multiple-vehicle crash along the outbound lanes of Interstate 376 caused a traffic backup Monday morning from Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill tunnels to the Greensburg Pike exit. The accident was reported shortly before 7:30 a.m. between the Beechwood Boulevard Exit 74 and Exit 77 for Edgewood/Swissvale, according to PennDOT. The wrecked...
Steelers vs. Ravens: What they’re saying in Baltimore after loss
Going for two with all that momentum? Relying on analytics when your team has the best kicker in the league? The Ravens’ 20-19 loss to the Steelers cannot be going over well in Baltimore. Coach John Harbaugh shrugged off overtime and chose to go for two at the very end....
Man found shot in head in Wilkinsburg
Police are seeking the public’s help in connection with an early-morning shooting in Wilkinsburg. Authorities say first responders who were dispatched to an apartment in the 700 block of Wood Street shortly after 3:30 a.m. Monday found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken...
Report: U.S. to declare diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics
The United States is poised to announce a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, CNN reports, a move that will escalate tensions between the world’s two largest economies. The decision not to send any U.S. government officials to the games beginning Feb. 4 will be announced this week, the...
‘New Kensington is part of my life,’ says 60-year hair salon owner
Long before people could ask their smartphones for directions, Patty Reimer sought guidance from a higher source — God. Reimer was renting space for her hair salon, Cleopatra’s, in New Kensington. She was on her way to buy a building for it in Lower Burrell in October 1984 when she...
Lawyer: Artist didn’t know Michigan parents stayed in studio
A Detroit-area artist whose studio was where the parents of the Oxford High School student charged in a deadly shooting were found by police is cooperating with authorities and didn’t know the couple had stayed overnight, his attorney said Sunday. James and Jennifer Crumbley, who face involuntary manslaughter counts, were...
T.J. Watt, Chris Wormley, depth offensive players highlight Steelers ‘Feats of Strength’ during upset of Ravens
As we discussed at “Breakfast With Benz” leading up to Sunday’s latest chapter of Pittsburgh Steelers versus Baltimore Ravens, these two teams can’t help themselves. They don’t know any other way than to play each other close, even if what’s happening on paper suggests the game should be an easy...
St. Vladimir priest taps faith as way to get through loss of fire-damaged church
The sounds of “Rejoice, rejoice Emanuel” floated from the social hall Sunday in Arnold, where congregants of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church gathered for a Divine Liturgy despite having, at least for now, lost their house of worship. Next door to the social hall, which once was a school, sat...
Roethlisberger rallies Steelers in 4th quarter for victory over AFC North rival Ravens
With his team’s season on the line Sunday, Ben Roethlisberger pushed aside retirement rumors and showed he had one more fourth-quarter comeback left in his 39-year-old right arm. The defense showed it was capable of pressuring Lamar Jackson one more time, and the Pittsburgh Steelers showed they weren’t quite ready...
Heather Lyke’s belief in her coach paid off for Pitt in the form of a championship
Before she climbed atop the stage on the field at Bank of America Stadium, Heather Lyke stood apart from the wild, confetti-laced celebration that ensued after Pitt defeated Wake Forest to win the ACC championship. Yet her role was instrumental in keeping Pitt’s football program stable after years of coaching...
Pat Narduzzi gets a shot at his former team after Pitt earns berth in Peach Bowl vs. Michigan State
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi will be back on a football field with Michigan State, but this time, he will be on the opposite sideline. After Pitt (11-2) won its first ACC championship Saturday night and vaulted to No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Panthers earned a berth...
