Top Stories category, Page 1050
White House rushes with infrastructure fixes for economy
BALTIMORE — The Biden administration is relying on infrastructure dollars to help fix the clogged ports and blanket the nation with internet access — but a series of initiatives rolled out on Tuesday show that the urgent pace might not be fast enough to address the immediate needs of an...
U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell denies abuse allegations, custody trial concludes
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell on Tuesday vehemently denied that a photograph purporting to show a handprint-shaped welt on a child’s back was of his child. “That’s not a picture of my (child),” Parnell repeated twice. The testimony came during cross-examination Tuesday during his custody trial. Both he and...
Armstrong School District vows to punish student who attacked transgender teen
The Armstrong High School student involved in the attack of a transgender teen late last month will be disciplined by the district and could face criminal prosecution, according to a school board member. The Oct. 27 incident, which was videotaped and circulated on social media, shows 14-year-old Willow Andring being...
Top Pa. House Republican wants to greatly expand lawmakers’ power over governor, executive branch
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — The top Republican in the state House wants to give the legislature the ability to block regulations or administrative...
House Jan. 6 panel subpoenas 10 former White House aides
WASHINGTON — House investigators have issued subpoenas to 10 more former officials who worked for Donald Trump at the end of his presidency, an effort to find out more about what the president was doing and saying as his supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in a...
Pfizer asks FDA to OK covid-19 booster shots for all adults
Pfizer asked U.S. regulators Tuesday to allow boosters of its covid-19 vaccine for anyone 18 or older, a step that comes amid concern about increased spread of the coronavirus with holiday travel and gatherings. Older Americans and other groups particularly vulnerable to the virus have had access to a third...
5 things to know about potential expansion of booster shots
Pfizer on Tuesday asked the Food and Drug Administration to give the go-ahead on covid-19 booster shots for anyone 18 or older. According to the Associated Press, the company is submitting early results of a 10,000-person booster study to back up its request. The study suggested a booster shot could...
Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente Drive one step closer to being renamed to also honor icon’s late wife
Pittsburgh City Council advanced legislation to rename Oakland’s Roberto Clemente Drive to also honor his late wife Vera, and the proposal could be finalized as soon as next week. The street between South Bouquet Street and Schenley Drive, which passes what remains of the Forbes Field outfield wall, would be...
Unity man suspected in Gross case pleads guilty to unrelated gun charges
A Unity man suspected in the 2018 disappearance of Cassandra Gross pleaded guilty Tuesday to unrelated federal weapons violations. Thomas George Stanko, 51, pleaded guilty to two counts of illegally having guns because he is a convicted felon. His admission came in a video conference hearing from the Allegheny County...
Pittsburgh City Council weighs changes to parking code
Some Pittsburgh residents are skeptical of proposed changes to the city’s parking code that they say would do more harm than good. The proposed amendments would apply to the city’s 39 residential parking permit areas, most of which are near commercial areas, universities or hospitals. While officials say the amendments...
Students, staff at Greensburg Salem Middle School move to remote learning
Greensburg Salem middle schoolers are moving to remote learning for almost two weeks following a spike in covid-19 cases, district officials said. According to Kenneth Bissell, acting superintendent, the spike caused the 14 day total of positive cases to rise to about 5% of the total student and faculty body....
Sub shop opens in site of ‘The O’ in Oakland, tacos to come soon
It will take two eateries to fill the empty space of “The O.” The beloved Original Hot Dog Shop in the heart of Oakland has been replaced by Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, which started in Wilmington, Del., and is now headquartered in Las Vegas. It opened Monday on Forbes Avenue. Viva...
Sto-Rox senior, 18, identified in fatal shooting
A Sto-Rox high school student was shot and killed Monday afternoon, authorities said, prompting district officials to switch high school students to remote learning for the rest of the week. Hasson Shackelford, 18, was a senior at Sto-Rox Junior-Senior High School, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Shackelford was shot...
Allegheny 911: 2 people taken to hospital following Route 28 crash
Two people were taken to the hospital Tuesday morning following a multiple-vehicle crash on Route 28, according to an Allegheny County 911 shift commander. Crews responded to the crash in the southbound lanes of Route 28 near the Millvale exit around 7 a.m. The dispatcher said a school bus that...
Some school districts ready to go mask-optional, others not ready to say
Some local school districts already know what they’ll do next year when they regain control of mask mandates, while others expect more discussions before announcing a policy. Pennsylvania school districts will be allowed to modify or end the mask mandate for K-12 students in January, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday....
Police: Penn Township man admits to stabbing deaths of father, auntVideo
A Penn Township man with a history of violence and mental health issues told authorities he awoke early Tuesday to the sound of arguing and found his “father and aunt laying in a pool of blood,” according to court documents filed by police. As he told his story shortly before...
Veterans Day parade begins in Downtown Pittsburgh on Thursday morning
One year after being drastically scaled back by the pandemic, the City of Pittsburgh’s annual Veterans Day parade is returning in full force Thursday morning. Representatives of the six units of the U.S. military — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Space Force — will be taking part....
Steelers get late field goal from Boswell, survive rally by Bears
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ string of consecutive home victories on Monday Night Football was put to the ultimate test by the Chicago Bears. Despite holding 14-point leads in the first and third quarters and a 10-point advantage with less than seven minutes to play, the Steelers needed Chris Boswell’s 40-yard field...
Capacity crowd turns out to support Mars hockey goalie
Eve Furbee bounced up and down in the stands excitedly Monday night at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Furbee, who is 5 years old and a Canonsburg resident, was excited to be at the Mars-South Fayette hockey game. “I’m here for (the Mars goalie),” said Eve, who plays youth hockey....
Display recognizing Pittsburgh veterans unveiled on Boulevard of the Allies
A display featuring the images of Pittsburgh veterans who served from the Civil War through the present day now adorns a portion of the Boulevard of the Allies in Downtown Pittsburgh. Mayor Bill Peduto joined Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum on Monday to unveil the display in advance...
Peduto outlines budget priorities, touts accomplishments in last State of City addressVideo
Outgoing Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto reflected on his administration’s accomplishments Monday as he introduced spending plans for 2022 during his final State of the City Budget Address. Peduto formally introduced a $613.2 million operating budget and a $158.2 million capital budget with no proposed tax increase. Mayor @billpeduto is addressing...
Proposal would prevent Pittsburgh police from pulling over drivers for minor, secondary violations
Pittsburgh police would no longer be allowed to pull over drivers for secondary violations such as headlights or brake lights being burned out or license plates being improperly displayed, under legislation introduced Monday. The measure is meant to make traffic stops more “equitable and fair,” according to the legislation sponsored...
Voter turnout at 36% in Westmoreland County; elections board reviews problem ballots
More than 88,000 registered voters in Westmoreland County cast ballots in last week’s general election as turnout for the municipal races neared 36%, officials said. That figure exceeded the predicted turnout of 30% and represented 22,000 more ballots than were cast during a similar election cycle in 2017. This fall’s...
Hempfield girl, Steelers LB Devin Bush featured on ‘Next Generations’ through NFL Network
A Hempfield Area eighth-grader’s football skills are earning her a name among the pros. Madalyn “Mads” Pevarnik, 13, who attends Harrold Middle School, will be featured on the NFL Network after Monday night’s Steelers game against the Chicago Bears, according to her family. The flag football safety and wide receiver...
Police: 1 dead in North Versailles crash
A multiple-vehicle crash Monday in North Versailles left one person dead and several others injured, according to Allegheny County Police. The crash happened just before 10:30 a.m. near the intersection of East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard and Maryland Avenue, police said. One woman was pronounced dead at the hospital, police said. Those...
