Top Stories category, Page 1067
In quiet debut, Alzheimer’s drug finds questions, skepticism
The first new Alzheimer’s treatment in more than 20 years was hailed as a breakthrough when regulators approved it more than four months ago, but its rollout has been slowed by questions about its price and how well it works. Several major medical centers remain undecided on whether to use...
Gang with past abductions blamed for kidnapping missionaries
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A notorious Haitian gang known for brazen kidnappings and killings was accused by police Sunday of abducting 17 missionaries from a U.S.-based organization. Five children were believed to be among those kidnapped, including a 2-year-old. The 400 Mawozo gang kidnapped the group in Ganthier, a community that...
Risky business: Some Capitol riot defendants forgo lawyers
Some of the defendants charged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol are turning away defense lawyers and electing to represent themselves, undeterred by their lack of legal training or repeated warnings from judges. That choice already has led to some curious legal maneuvers and awkward exchanges in court. A...
Greensburg man faces theft charges by local, state police
A Greensburg man wanted by both city and state police on multiple theft charges has been arrested. Chad E. Carlton, 34, of Greensburg, was arrested Oct. 7 by Greensburg police and charged with one count of theft by deception following his arraignment Saturday. Police said Carlton fraudulently leased a Southwest...
Police: Man dies after being struck, dragged by car on North Shore
A pedestrian who police said was struck and then dragged by a car died from his injuries late Saturday night. Pittsburgh Police responded to the intersection of Allegheny Avenue and Casino Drive on the North Shore for reports of a man who had been hit around 10:40 p.m. Responding units...
Nursing homes fall short of vaccine mandates for staff
Nursing homes are struggling to meet vaccination mandates for workers despite the likelihood of federal sanctions. In Pennsylvania, about 28% of the state’s 688 skilled care nursing facilities had met an 80% threshold for staff vaccination rates as of Oct. 3, according to the state Department of Health. Even fewer...
Amid sports program cuts nationwide, local colleges played on during pandemic despite millions of dollars in losses
As college football stadiums, basketball arenas and hockey facilities sat idle during the coronavirus pandemic, Western Pennsylvania universities did not waver. They continued to field their teams. From Pitt and Penn State to Slippery Rock and Duquesne, local colleges bucked a nationwide trend of cutting athletic programs to offset crippling...
Strike dodged with deal between film and TV crews, studios
LOS ANGELES — An 11th-hour deal was reached Saturday, averting a strike of film and television crews that would have seen some 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers walk off their jobs and would have frozen productions in Hollywood and across the U.S. After days of marathon negotiations, representatives from the International Alliance...
Lawsuits demand unproven ivermectin for covid patients
NEW YORK — Mask rules, vaccination mandates and business shutdowns have all landed in the courts during the covid-19 outbreak, confronting judges with questions of science and government authority. Now they are increasingly being asked to weigh in on the deworming drug ivermectin. At least two dozen lawsuits have been...
AHN doctor pushes for better support, resources for grieving families who lose a baby
During National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, one doctor is pushing for broader access to support and resources for families experiencing pregnancy or infant loss. It’s something Dr. Marta Kolthoff emphasizes through AHN’s Perinatal Palliative Care Program. Kolthoff leads the program, which supports grieving families by providing palliative, hospice,...
Damp weather can’t dampen spirits at Pink Ribbon Walk in HempfieldVideo
The damp weather had zero chance of dampening Kelly White’s spirits on Saturday morning. The Ligonier resident, who is a breast cancer survivor who underwent a mastectomy in May, was attending her first Westmoreland Walks Pink Ribbon Walk. The event is hosted by the nonprofit of the same name that...
Man in stable condition following Homewood South shooting
An early-morning shooting Saturday in Pittsburgh’s Homewood South neighborhood sent a man to the hospital after he was shot in the leg multiple times, according to police. Zone 5 officers were called to the 7000 block of Kelly Street just before 5 a.m. Saturday morning, for a ShotSpotter alert. They...
Man in stable condition after being rescued from hillside in South Side
A man is in stable condition after police say he was dragged over a hillside with his vehicle Friday evening. First responders received reports of the incident in the 3400 block of E. Carson Street shortly before 5 p.m., according to Pittsburgh Public spokeswoman Cara Cruz. Witnesses told members police...
Mount Oliver man’s body pulled from Monongahela River in Pittsburgh
First responders recovered a Mount Oliver man’s body from the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh on Friday evening, according to Pittsburgh police. Officers responded to the river near the Liberty Bridge around 6:15 p.m. after they received reports that a body was spotted in the water, according to Pittsburgh Public spokeswoman...
Former Istanbul Sofra restaurant owner testifies on his own behalf in sexual assault trial
Shortly after Adnan Pehlivan entered Kopy’s Bar on the South Side on May 15, 2018, he bought shots for himself and the women next to him. Then he bought another round. And another. Each time, video surveillance from inside the bar showed, the group would say “cheers.” While the women...
UPMC doctors offer perspective as more covid booster shots near approval
As federal regulators move closer to approving booster shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccines, UPMC doctors remain focused on the unvaccinated — those they called most vulnerable people. “I want to make sure we do not put the cart in front of the horse,” said Dr....
Investigation continues into man’s death after he was tasered by Pittsburgh police officer
Allegheny County Police continue to investigate an incident in which a Pittsburgh police officer tasered a man who died a day later. Pittsburgh police did not identify the officer who deployed a Taser at least once against Jim Rogers, who died shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday. About 24 hours earlier,...
Pa. lawmakers hand out millions in public contracts to law firms that fill their campaign coffers
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 — A host of politically connected law firms are pouring millions of dollars into the campaigns of Pennsylvania legislators, who...
Long detours in store for 5-hour turnpike closure between Allegheny Valley and Pittsburgh exits
Motorists who need to travel the Pennsylvania Turnpike between the Allegheny Valley and Pittsburgh exits overnight on Saturday will face long detours to get around a bridge construction project. The turnpike will be closed in both directions between Allegheny Valley (Exit 47) and Pittsburgh (Exit 57) for five hours starting...
Defendant testifies he feared for his life when he fired fatal shots outside Club Erotica in McKees RocksVideo
Charles Becher said he thought he was going to die outside a McKees Rocks strip club in January. Becher, testifying Friday in his own defense in an Allegheny County homicide trial, told a jury that he had been inside Club Erotica when he heard his sister and cousin were involved...
FDA panel endorses booster shot for J&J covid vaccine
WASHINGTON — A panel of U.S. health advisers endorsed booster doses of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot covid-19 vaccine Friday, saying they should be offered at least two months after immunization. J&J has asked the Food and Drug Administration for flexibility with its booster, arguing the extra dose adds important protection...
Shuttered North Huntingdon haunted house had to clear local, state hurdles
The North Huntingdon couple who had hoped to give people a Halloween treat by visiting their “home haunt” in a neighborhood would have had to satisfy both state and local regulations. Jeff Silka, township manager, told commissioners Thursday that a desist order was issued Oct. 7 based on the fact...
Arrest warrant issued in connection with fight that left Allegheny Township man severely injured
An arrest warrant was issued for a man accused of beating an Allegheny Township resident so severely that he was hospitalized with a collapsed lung, a brain bleed and several broken bones, according to authorities. District Judge Cheryl Peck Yackopec issued the warrant on Friday for William Gregory Goldberg, whose...
Medical marijuana dispensary to open in Southwest Greensburg
A medical marijuana dispensary is coming to Southwest Greensburg. Maitri Medicinals will open in a strip mall located at 1075 S. Main St., near the intersection of Route 30 and Route 119. A ribbon cutting is planned Monday. This will be the third medical marijuana dispensary opened by Maitri Medicinals,...
Any day now, really: Fall leaf colors to pop soon in Western Pa.
There wasn’t much peeping going on for the long-planned and sold-out Gateway Clipper fall leaf-peeping tour last weekend on the Allegheny River in Armstrong County. Although the boat ride was spectacular in its own right, “it was disappointing we could not control Mother Nature,” said Chris Ziegler, president of the...
