Top Stories category, Page 1054
Analysis: After tough election, Biden dismisses danger signs
WASHINGTON — The hazard lights are blinking for President Joe Biden after Democratic setbacks in this week’s elections, but the president professes to see no reason for panic. Just one year after he rode to the White House with a record 81 million votes, Biden saw Democratic stalwart Terry McAuliffe...
Pa. lawmaker pushing to eliminate Native American mascots, images for sports teams
A Pennsylvania lawmaker is introducing legislation that would ban schools from using Native American mascots. Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Philadelphia, said more than 60 schools and sports teams in Pennsylvania still use or refer to indigenous culture in their mascots and logos. “For far too long, Indigenous peoples have faced discrimination,...
‘Rust’ film armorer says someone may have put bullet in gun
The woman in charge of weapons on the movie set where actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins said Wednesday night that she had inspected the gun Baldwin shot but doesn’t know how a live bullet ended up inside. “Who put those in there and why is the central...
Are covid-19 boosters the same as the original vaccines?
NEW YORK — Are covid-19 boosters the same as the original vaccines? Yes, covid-19 boosters use the same recipe as the original shots, despite the emergence of the more contagious delta variant. The vaccines weren’t tweaked to better match delta because they’re still working well. The vaccines work by training...
Pittsburgh couple plead guilty in federal court to conspiring to distribute steroids
A husband and wife from Pittsburgh with ties to the fitness and bodybuilding industry have pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiring to distribute steroids and other performance enhancers, the government announced. Thomas Mouton, 34, and Sara Mouton, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan to conspiracy...
New Kensington police investigating bathroom bullying incident at Valley High School
New Kensington police are investigating a bullying incident in which garbage was dropped on at least one student in a bathroom at Valley High School. Students found to have been involved could face discipline ranging from detention to expulsion depending on the severity and their own disciplinary history, Superintendent Chris...
Murrysville Council approves 1st tax hike since 2007 on earned income, real-estate transfer taxes
Murrysville Council voted unanimously Wednesday to bump its share of the earned income tax from 0.5 to 0.7%, and its share of the real-estate transfer tax from 0.5% to 1%. It is the first municipal tax hike since 2007. Finance Director Diane Heming said she anticipates the move will bring...
Republicans win big in Jefferson Hills; Gill Hall fire department remains an issue
It is a clean sweep by Republicans in the Jefferson Hills Council and mayoral races, according to complete but unofficial returns from the Allegheny County Elections Division. Newcomer Keith Polick was the top vote-getter in a race for four four-year council seats. He earned 1,692 votes followed by incumbents David...
Democrat Phil Murphy narrowly reelected governor in New Jersey
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy narrowly won reelection Wednesday, eking out a victory that spared Democrats the loss of a second gubernatorial seat. He’s the state’s first Democratic governor to get a second straight term in 44 years, defeating Republican former Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli. Ciattarelli...
Westmoreland GOP crows over election wins as Democrats look to redefine message
Westmoreland is a Republican county. While that has been the the case for the last several years, Tuesday’s GOP victories solidifies the party’s dominance in local politics. Those wins will give Republicans control of every elected office in county government as well as every state and federal office specific to...
Black Pittsburghers hopeful Ed Gainey’s mayoral win marks new day
Ed Gainey is poised to become Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor, something community activists and residents say they hope will lead to more representation for the city’s minority residents. Gainey, a Democratic state representative from Lincoln-Lemington, handily defeated Republican challenger Tony Moreno. Gainey garnered about 70% of the vote, according to...
Here’s how PennDOT trains snowplow drivers for the upcoming winterVideo
Unlike a lot of people, Ann Rogers does not mind driving in the snow. For the PennDOT driver, it’s something that comes with her job. “I really love plowing snow,” said Rogers, who has been keeping state roads in the Uniontown area clear for the past three years. Rogers was...
Ziccarelli ready for new job as Westmoreland County District Attorney
Nicole Ziccarelli knows her successful campaign that ousted six-term Democrat John Peck is only the beginning. The hard part begins in January, when she takes over as Westmoreland County District Attorney. “I’m glad I have two months to prepare,” Ziccarelli said Wednesday, hours after she received more than 57% of...
Philadelphia bans traffic stops for minor infractions
PHILADELPHIA — The mayor ordered police Wednesday to stop pulling over drivers for low-level offenses that critics say lead to disproportionate stops of minority drivers, making Philadelphia the largest city government in the U.S. to ban what are sometimes called pretextual stops. The executive order from Mayor Jim Kenney puts...
Giant Eagle joins list of grocery stores to close on Thanksgiving
Anyone in the Pittsburgh region panicked over a forgotten cranberry sauce or scorched turkey will have to get creative this Thanksgiving, as a number of local grocery stores plan to remain closed Nov. 25. Now add Giant Eagle to that list, which already includes Trader Joe’s and Walmart. In Greensburg,...
Renovations proceed at city-owned 412 Blvd. of the Allies in Downtown Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh officials said this week that progress is being made on renovating 412 Boulevard of the Allies, which the city bought three years ago to house offices for several city departments. The city bought the nine-story Downtown building so it could relocate several offices and services there from the John...
Covid vaccinations for kids begin in U.S.
Hugs with friends. Birthday parties indoors. Pillow fights. School children who got their first covid-19 shots Wednesday said these are the pleasures they look forward to as the U.S. enters a game-changing phase in fighting the pandemic. Health officials hailed shots for kids aged 5 to 11 as a major...
5 takeaways from Election Day in Western Pa.
Tuesday’s election didn’t produce any of the drama or tumult that we saw in 2020, but it turned out to be historically significant in other ways. Republicans shined in countywide races in Westmoreland County and races for the state’s appellate courts, while Black and women candidates came up big in...
Gus & Yia Yia’s cart joins Carnegie Science Center’s railroad display
November isn’t traditionally a month to think about a refreshing ice ball. That’s not stopping the Carnegie Science Center from honoring a traditional Pittsburgh favorite. It announced Wednesday that Gus & YiaYia’s Ice Ball Cart is the latest model to be added to the Miniature Railroad & Village. The familiar...
Anti-mask Republicans win Norwin School Board seats
Three Republican newcomers who vocally opposed the mask mandate in schools and a GOP incumbent beat four other candidates in Tuesday’s election for four-year terms on the Norwin School Board, according to unofficial results. Newcomers Christine Baverso, 44, Alex Detschelt, 45, and Shawna Ilagan, 39, joined incumbent Raymond Kocak, 58,...
School bus strike averted as North Hills drivers reach tentative pact with company
Students in the North Hills School District will be able to ride the bus to school Wednesday after drivers who were poised to strike reached a tentative contract agreement. Union drivers for the district’s contracted bus provider, ABC Transit, reached the agreement shortly after midnight. The drivers rejected a contract...
Pittsburgh City Councilman Anthony Coghill declares victory with wide lead in reelection bid
In the only contested race for a Pittsburgh City Council seat this year, first-term Councilman Anthony Coghill led challenger Connor Mulvaney by a wide margin late Tuesday. Coghill, 55, a Democrat from Beechview, and Mulvaney, 28, a Green Party candidate from Brookline, are vying to represent District 4, which includes...
Carson defeats Bacha in Westmoreland coroner’s race, as GOP sweeps county row offices
Scottdale’s Tim Carson on Tuesday went from caterer to coroner and ended the political dynasty that has held the Westmoreland County office for nearly a half century. With 100% of the vote counted, the Republican appeared to defeat five-term incumbent Democrat Ken Bacha. The owner of Carson’s Premier Catering in...
Women, Black candidates lead way in Allegheny County Common Pleas race
In the race for 10 seats on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, the four leading vote-getters as of 9 a.m. Wednesday were Black, while six of the top 10 were women, according to unofficial results. Eighteen candidates appeared on the ballot — whittled down from 39 candidates in...
Ziccarelli surges to win Westmoreland district attorney race over Peck
For the first time in more than a quarter century, Westmoreland County will have a new top prosecutor. With 100% of the county’s 307 precincts reporting Wednesday morning, Republican Nicole Ziccarelli erased an early lead held by six-term Democratic incumbent John Peck and claimed the race for district attorney. Peck...
