Top Stories category, Page 1066
Defense leads Pitt to victory over Wake Forest in ACC championship game
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Through 12 games, Kenny Pickett made every throw, broke all the records and made the end zone his personal playground. When it came time for No. 13 Saturday night on the ACC’s biggest stage, Pitt’s defensive players all but shouted, “Make room for us. It’s our turn.”...
Tabernacle among cherished artifacts rescued from burning St. Vladimir in ArnoldVideo
Even as fire tore through an Arnold church Saturday evening, sending flames through the roof and into the sky, dozens of cherished artifacts made it out safely. The fire at Saint Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church on Kenneth Avenue was reported around 7:30 p.m., authorities said. Dozens of trucks from Arnold...
New Kensington holiday parade brings community together once againVideo
Hundreds of people packed the sunshine-lit streets of downtown New Kensington on Saturday for the return of the city’s holiday parade. It was a bigger turnout than pre-pandemic years, according to Carol Grunden. “I think people are just tired of being confined,” she said. The covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation...
Tours at Animal Friends Sanctuary benefit shelter, promote compassion
Two-year-old Blake Burkley dissolved into a fit of giggles when it came time to feed the cows. Perched on her mother’s hip, the girl laughed as cows named Mary and Jesus searched with their tongues for a tasty treat. For Alexa Burkley of Irwin, a tour at Animal Friends Sanctuary...
U.S. drugstores squeezed by vaccine demand, staff shortages
A rush of vaccine-seeking customers and staff shortages are squeezing drugstores around the U.S., leading to frazzled workers and temporary pharmacy closures. Drugstores are normally busy this time of year with flu shots and other vaccines, but now pharmacists are doling out a growing number of covid-19 shots and giving...
Westmoreland Manor vaccine mandate on hold as nearly a third of staff remains unprotected
More than a third of employees at Westmoreland Manor will remain on the job without coronavirus vaccinations after the county last week deferred a vaccine mandate following a federal appeals court ruling that temporarily halted the requirement. Manor administrator Abby Testa said Friday that just 64% of the more than...
Bond set at combined $1M after Michigan parents enter pleas
PONTIAC, Mich. — A judge imposed a combined $1 million bond Saturday for the parents of the Michigan teen charged with killing four students at Oxford High School, hours after police said they were caught hiding in a Detroit commercial building. James and Jennifer Crumbley entered not guilty pleas to...
Washington County man says he was treated ‘like an idiot’ during 2015 murder trial
A Washington County man serving a life prison sentence for the 2013 murder of his father-in-law in Donegal Township told a Westmoreland County judge his trial lawyer ignored his wishes when he failed to challenge a two-hour police confession and his desire to testify in his own defense. Michael Martin,...
Fired Harrison man highlights tension over vaccine exemption requests
The battle over covid-19 vaccine mandates has pulled religion into the spotlight as experts say more people than ever claim vaccines conflict with their religious beliefs, an assertion employers must try to evaluate amid a deep vaccination divide. Shane Chesher, 34, of Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood, was among a number of...
1st confirmed omicron case reported in Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA — Health officials reported the first confirmed case of the omicron variant in Pennsylvania on Friday, a man in his 30s from Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced the case in a news release. No other details were immediately available, including whether the man was vaccinated against...
Warrant issued for New Florence man acquitted in 2015 police officer killing
A Westmoreland County judge issued an arrest warrant Friday for a New Florence man who was acquitted in the 2015 killing of a St. Clair Township police officer. Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik- DeFazio signed the paperwork for the arrest of Ray A. Shetler Jr., 37, after he failed to...
Tree of Life receives $6.6 million to restore site
Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life/Or L’Simcha Congregation has been awarded a $6.6 million grant to help rebuild the site of the worst antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Gov. Tom Wolf’s office made the announcement Friday and the money is part of a $54.5 million package to support some 16 community, economic...
Pittsburgh designer Kiya Tomlin recognized in Oprah’s ‘Favorite Things’
Kiya Tomlin grew up watching “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” The crowd drew Tomlin’s attention. “I always marveled at her audience,” said Tomlin, a fashion designer and apparel manufacturer with a studio in Etna. “They were the best dressed. They always had their hair and makeup done. They looked great.” Now,...
Parents of Michigan boy charged in Oxford school shooting
PONTIAC, Mich. — A prosecutor filed involuntary manslaughter charges Friday against the parents of a teen accused of killing four students at a Michigan high school, saying they failed to intervene on the day of the tragedy despite being confronted with a drawing and chilling message — “blood everywhere” —...
Hearing to be held on proposed annexation of Wilkinsburg by Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh City Council is holding a public hearing Saturday to gather input on a proposal to annex neighboring Wilkinsburg and make it the city’s 91st neighborhood. The proposal has drawn mixed reactions in Wilkinsburg so far. The Wilkinsburg Community Development Corp. has led the effort to consider merging with Pittsburgh...
U.S. jobless rate sinks to 4.2% as many more people find jobs
WASHINGTON — America’s employers slowed the pace of their hiring in November, adding 210,000 jobs, the lowest monthly gain in nearly a year. But Friday’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the nation’s unemployment rate tumbled from 4.6% to 4.2%, evidence that many more people reported that they...
A secret cookie recipe: An important ingredient isn’t bought, it comes from the heart
Cookies are more than butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, baking powder and flour. There’s another essential ingredient — love. During the Christmas season, these sweet desserts are shared with friends and family. They often are made from grandma’s recipe files, torn and tattered with some illegible writing because of the...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 3-5
It’s the first weekend in December. Here are some ways to spend it. Andrea Bocelli Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will perform at 8 p.m. on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena, Uptown. Music will include material from his latest album, “Believe,” a personal collection of songs, along with a selection of...
Police: Girl admitted ‘making up’ threats against McKeesport Area, West Mifflin schools
McKeesport police say a girl is facing charges after allegedly admitting she made “violent threats” against a local middle school. Police said they were notified on Tuesday about an initial threat made via Snapchat against McKeesport Area School District’s Founders’ Hall Middle School. McKeesport detectives determined the threat wasn’t credible....
Death of driver who crashed into a Pittsburgh plasma clinic killing 2 employees inside is ruled a suicide
The death of a driver who crashed into plasma clinic in Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood in June killing two more people and injuring others, has been ruled a suicide, according to an Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office report released Thursday. Ronald Morgan, 50, of McKeesport died around noon on June 12...
Social media threats prompt modified lockdown Friday at Pittsburgh Public Schools
Recent social media threats of possible violence against schools has prompted a modified lockdown for Pittsburgh Public Schools on Friday. In a tweet and Facebook post, school officials said the lockdown will apply to all schools, center programs and early childhood and Early Head Start classrooms. Under a modified lockdown,...
Wolf draws fire, praise for veto of bill to allow concealed weapons without a permit
Pennsylvania’s gun owners still need to obtain a license-to-carry permit to carry a concealed weapon in the state after Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a Republican-passed bill Thursday that would have allowed gun owners to carry that concealed gun without the permit. Wolf said he vetoed the bill as a matter...
GOP gubernatorial candidate Jake Corman lays out platform in Pittsburgh campaign stopVideo
State Sen. Jake Corman, a Republican candidate for governor, made a campaign stop in Pittsburgh on Thursday, using a former Pittsburgh mill site being redeveloped as a tech hub as a backdrop. Corman, 57, of Centre County, is in his sixth term in the state Senate, where he serves as...
Heinz Endowments awards $5.4 million in grants to local cultural organizations
The Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Hill Dance Academy Theatre and Afro American Music Institute were the big winners among 16 cultural organizations chosen Thursday to receive grant money from the Heinz Endowments. The 16 groups are the first grant recipients through the Pittsburgh’s Cultural Treasures program the Endowments launched last summer....
Senate passes stopgap funding bill, avoiding shutdown
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill Thursday that avoids a short-term shutdown and funds the federal government through Feb. 18 after leaders defused a partisan standoff over federal vaccine mandates. The measure now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Earlier in the day,...
