Top Stories category, Page 1068
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,...
Allegheny Health Network moves forward with vaccination requirement; UPMC, Excela await court ruling
Leaders with UPMC and Excela Health said Thursday they will back off of covid-19 vaccine requirements while the federal mandates are challenged in court, though Allegheny Health Network’s top doctor said the health system’s Jan. 4 vaccine deadline remains firm. Separate federal mandates affecting both health care workers and workers...
Police: Man stabbed co-worker at Jeannette plant
Jeannette police on Thursday arrested a Derry Township man after he was accused of stabbing a coworker during a discussion over manufacturing safety protocols. Scott Lee “Woody” Woodmancy, 57, of Bradenville was accompanied to an office inside Omnova Solutions, located at 1001 Chambers Ave., around 10:30 a.m. to discuss “possible...
Pittsburgh City Council tweaks proposed parking code changes
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday tweaked proposed amendments to the city’s parking code, including a provision that would allow for new types of non-resident parking permits. The proposed legislation, introduced by Councilman Bobby Wilson in October, would allow people to get a non-resident permit if they are administering medical care...
Chef Kevin Sousa leaves new restaurant venture in Mount Oliver
Kevin Sousa’s dream of running a restaurant focused on food rooted in his family’s Italian heritage appears to be short-lived. Less than two months after opening Mount Oliver Bodega restaurant, the iconic and nomadic chef is cutting ties with RE360, the real estate company Sousa partnered with to create the...
Omicron coronavirus variant found in multiple states
NEW YORK — The omicron variant of covid-19, which had been undetected in the United States before the middle of this week, had been discovered in at least five states by the end of Thursday, showing yet again how mutations of the virus can circumnavigate the globe with speed and...
Raising Cane’s chicken tenders coming to Pittsburgh region
Pittsburgh, like most cities, has its share of fried chicken chain restaurants — KFC, Chick-Fil-A and Popeyes, to name a few. But now another very specialized fried chicken entity is ready to flock to the Steel City. Raising Cane’s chicken tenders is planning to open its first restaurants in Pennsylvania...
Delmont neighborhood plans 2nd year of ‘Monticello Lights’ charity decorating competition
When residents of Delmont’s Monticello Drive replaced their annual Christmas party with a drive-thru decorating competition during the pandemic last year, they were looking for a way to bring the community together safely and perhaps raise a little money for charity. Instead they ended up with more than $15,000 to...
People who use Great Allegheny Passage pump about $120M into economy, study finds
People using the Great Allegheny Passage pumped $121 million into local economies in 2019, according to a new study that gauged the economic impact of tourism along the 150 miles of trail stretching between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Md. “I’m delighted that folks are using the Great Allegheny Passage and spending...
Citing revenue loss, state senator seeks to bring back Pa. Turnpike toll workers
A senator from northeastern Pennsylvania is spearheading efforts to bring back turnpike toll workers. Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Scranton, said his plan stems from the amount of tolls — $104 million – that went uncollected on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the past year. “Not coincidentally, that’s also when the PA Turnpike...
