Top Stories category, Page 1064
Route 51 crash in Pittsburgh caused traffic slowdowns
Traffic disruptions dissipated throughout the morning on Route 51 in Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood after an SUV caught fire when it crashed into a pole. Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV reported that the driver fled from the crash scene on Route 51 in the area of Whited Street. The crash happened just...
Turtle Creek woman sentenced to federal prison for role in drug trafficking
A Turtle Creek woman was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in federal prison for working with two siblings to distribute fentanyl in the area. Marleka Robinson, 26, was ordered to spend two years on supervised release after the prison term. She pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in June. A grand...
Fights, ‘credible threats’ send Woodland Hills students home Thursday and Friday
Woodland Hills High School students will shift to remote learning Thursday and Friday after district officials cited “credible threats” and multiple fights at the school on Wednesday, according to a district letter distributed to families. “After today’s events, we are reevaluating our safety and security protocols in regard to student...
Greater Latrobe: Note from chiropractor won’t suffice for student mask exemption
Greater Latrobe students who seek a medical exemption from the state mandate requiring masks in schools must provide a valid doctor’s note. District officials told parents this week that an exemption request backed by another type of medical professional, such as a chiropractor, isn’t sufficient. “We’re being consistent with what...
Operation Safe Stop puts spotlight on stopping for school buses
The only misbehavior on the road Wednesday morning during a state police ride-along on a Greater Latrobe school bus was from a deer and three raccoons. No motorists broke the law while Trooper Brandon Boyd was on board, but many of the youngsters catching a ride to school were thrilled...
Blawnox man died after canoe capsized in the Allegheny River near Sharpsburg
A man who died after a canoe capsized near Sharpsburg Wednesday afternoon was identified as Ralph Raymond Fuchs, 64, of Blawnox, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Greg Porter, Etna fire chief, said Fuchs’ body was recovered from the Allegheny River after dark. Sharpsburg police Officer Brian Hoebel said...
Westmoreland covid funds sought for proposed $20M Arnold Palmer terminal expansion
The Westmoreland County Airport Authority is seeking a $7 million share of covid relief funding the county has received in order to help with a proposed major expansion of the terminal at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. County officials have said federal restrictions on use of the covid-19 pandemic relief dollars...
FDA approves mixing covid vaccines; backs Moderna, J&J boosters
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators on Wednesday signed off on extending covid-19 boosters to Americans who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine and said anyone eligible for an extra dose can get a brand different from the one they received initially. The Food and Drug Administration’s decisions mark a...
Senate GOP again blocks Democrats’ election billVideo
WASHINGTON — For the third time this year, Senate Democrats on Wednesday tried to pass broad elections legislation that they tout as a powerful counterweight to new voting restrictions in the states. Once again, Republicans blocked them. But amid the stalemate, there are signs that Democrats are making headway in...
Here’s what you need to know about the White House plan to vaccinate children
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Wednesday announced plans to get young children vaccinated against covid-19, a move health officials say will help curb the pandemic, save lives and stabilize the economy. “We’re completing the operational planning to ensure vaccinations for kids ages 5 through 11 are available, easy and...
Proposal requiring Pittsburgh police to share race, gender data for incidents moves forward
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday advanced legislation that would require Pittsburgh police to improve their data collection and publicly share how certain incidents are handled, with demographic breakdowns. Under the proposal, recommended by the Pittsburgh Community Task Force for Police Reform last October, city police would collect data including information...
Pa. Commonwealth Court panel hears argument on masking in schools
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court heard more than 90 minutes of argument Wednesday on whether the state’s acting secretary of health had the authority in August to issue an order mandating the wearing of masks in all schools to prevent the spread of covid-19. The panel of five judges were considering...
How Pittsburgh set the stage for recent pig-to-human transplant surgery
A team of surgeons in New York reached a milestone last month in transplant medicine: A kidney from a pig attached to a human patient wasn’t immediately rejected — and the organ appeared to function normally. Announced this week, the procedure was performed at New York University’s Langone Transplant Institute....
Officials: Items linked to Brian Laundrie, potential remains foundVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Potential human remains were found Wednesday in a Florida wilderness area along with items believed to belong to Brian Laundrie, whose girlfriend, Gabby Petito, was found slain after he returned home alone from their cross-country road trip, according to the FBI. Michael McPherson, chief of the...
Pitt weighs covid vaccine mandate
The University of Pittsburgh is poised to join other colleges and universities that have mandated the covid-19 vaccination for students and staff. The school is weighing a policy change and expects to announce its decision soon, a Pitt spokesman confirmed. Pitt opted against requiring students, faculty and staff be vaccinated...
Derry man arrested after 15-mile pursuit, troopers say
A Derry man was arrested early Wednesday, accused of leading state troopers on a 15-mile pursuit that went through three municipalities in central Westmoreland County. Robert Z. Kastal, 22, was taken into custody when he pulled into the parking lot at Mt. Pleasant Area Senior High School and surrendered, according...
Bitcoin tops $66,000, hits high on mainstreaming excitement
NEW YORK — Bitcoin jumped to a record Wednesday, topping $66,000 for the first time, as it rides a wave of excitement about getting further accepted by the financial establishment. Bitcoin was trading at $66,901.30, up 7.6%, as of 10:52 a.m. It’s roared back after sinking below $30,000 during the...
Penn State expands employee vaccine mandate to 6 branch campuses
Penn State is extending a covid-19 vaccination mandate to all faculty and staff at University Park to six of its regional campuses. The mandate is an effort to comply with President Joe Biden’s executive order requiring federal contractors to vaccinate employees. Penn State has a number of contracts and research...
White House details plans to vaccinate children age 5-11Video
WASHINGTON — Children ages 5 to 11 will soon be able to get a COVID-19 shot at their pediatrician’s office, local pharmacy and potentially even their school, the White House said Wednesday as it detailed plans for the expected authorization of the Pfizer shot for elementary school youngsters in a...
Tiny wrists in cuffs: How police use force against children
CHICAGO — Royal Smart remembers every detail: the feeling of the handcuffs on his wrists. The panic as he was led outside into the cold March darkness, arms raised, to face a wall of police officers pointing their guns. He was 8 years old. Neither he nor anyone else at...
Queen accepts medical advice to rest, cancels North Ireland trip
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II has reluctantly accepted medical advice to rest for a few days and has canceled a trip to Northern Ireland, Buckingham Palace said Wednesday. The palace didn’t offer specifics on the decision, but says the 95-year-old monarch is “in good spirits,” and disappointed that she will...
Rape count dropped, sexual assault added against Somerset County prosecutor
State prosecutors dropped a rape charge against an elected district attorney in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday but added new felony charges of sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault. Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Lynn Thomas waived a preliminary hearing that had been scheduled for Tuesday. Thomas, 36, is accused of...
Jan. 6 panel votes to hold Steve Bannon in contempt
WASHINGTON — A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection voted unanimously to hold former White House aide Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress after the longtime ally of former President Donald Trump defied a subpoena for documents and testimony. Still defending his supporters who broke into the Capitol...
Pitt faculty members vote to join United Steelworkers
Faculty members across the University of Pittsburgh celebrated the end of a five-year organizing drive Tuesday with the announcement that they had won a vote to become members of the United Steelworkers union. Officials said preliminary vote results indicated 71% of the eligible faculty members who cast ballots in the...
Crash along Route 56 in Lower Burrell injures 3
Three people were hospitalized with minor injuries in a two-car crash in Lower Burrell late Tuesday afternoon. The crash occurred near Hillcrest Volkswagen, by the intersection of Route 56 and Claremont Drive, shortly before 4:30 p.m. Lower Burrell No. 3 Fire Chief Mark Marmo said a Tesla sedan and a...
