Top Stories category, Page 1091
UPMC gives $500 bonus to 92,000 employees
UPMC announced Tuesday that its 92,000 employees will receive a $500 bonus for their dedication during the coronavirus pandemic. “Over the past 20 months, you have risen in truly exceptional ways to meet challenges we could have never anticipated,” CEO and President Leslie C. Davis wrote in an email to...
Former Hampton doctor sentenced to home detention, probation for distributing painkillers
A former doctor from Hampton who pleaded guilty in July to health care fraud and money laundering for illegally writing prescriptions for painkillers has been sentenced to home detention and probation. Andrzej Kazimierz Zielke, 66, of Hampton, who was initially arrested in 2017, operated Medical Frontiers LLC, a pain management...
Bus drivers for North Hills School District reject contract offer, set to walk off the job
Bus drivers for the North Hills School District rejected a contract offer Monday evening and have authorized a strike. Drivers for district’s contracted transportation provider, ABC Transit, are represented by Teamsters Local 249. Bus service will not be available starting Wednesday morning for district students and students from private and...
Beaver County man arrested for fatal shooting in New Castle
A Beaver County man has been arrested and charged with criminal homicide in connection with the Oct. 24 shooting death of a man in New Castle. Daniel Lee Tweedlie, 19, of New Brighton, was taken into custody shortly after midnight on Tuesday after officers from the New Castle Police Department...
Officials in Allegheny County expect higher voter turnout, thanks to mail-in ballots
Allegheny County officials are anticipating voter participation to be higher than usual for a municipal election, thanks to an influx of mail-in ballots. As of Monday afternoon, the county said nearly 94,000 mail-ballots had been returned. Election officials expect voter turnout to reach about 28% — much less than during...
Pennsylvania state employees who get vaccinated to receive 5 paid days off
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration told more than 70,000 state employees on Monday that it is offering five days of paid leave for getting fully vaccinated against covid-19 by the end of the year, quickly drawing opposition from the state treasurer over the potential cost. The administration told employees...
Report: Armstrong High students led vulgar chants during hockey game against Mars Area
Armstrong School District students are no longer allowed at hockey games after high school students chanted vulgarly at a female goalie at a recent game against Mars Area. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League is investigating, and its executive committee will discuss the incident during a meeting Wednesday or Thursday night,...
Retired Pa. Superior Court Judge Justin Johnson dies at 88
Retired Judge Justin Morris Johnson, who served on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, has died. He was 88. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto confirmed the death in a statement. Mayor Peduto statement on the passing of Judge Justin Johnson pic.twitter.com/2U1aadGHru— Daniel Gilman (@danielgilman) November 2, 2021 Johnson, of Pittsburgh, had a...
Estranged wife of GOP U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell testifies he abused her and children
The estranged wife of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell testified during a child custody hearing Monday that his fits of rage toward her began within the first few months of their relationship, and the rage later turned into abuse. But she said under oath that it wasn’t until early...
Covid vaccine for younger children already being packed, shippedVideo
WASHINGTON — Anticipating a green light from vaccine advisers, the Biden administration is assembling and shipping millions of covid-19 shots for children ages 5-11, the White House said Monday. The first could go into kids’ arms by midweek. “We are not waiting on the operations and logistics,” said coronavirus coordinator...
Ballot error costly as Westmoreland officials scramble to fix 11th-hour mistake
Westmoreland County paid more than $8,100 for postage to correct errors that appeared on 151 mail-in and absentee ballots sent out to voters in two Mt. Pleasant Borough precincts. Officials on Monday confirmed the ballots erroneously instructed voters to choose one of two candidates seeking council seats in the borough’s...
Voter turnout projected to hit 30% in Westmoreland County
More than 200,000 Westmoreland County voters — or more than 80% of those registered — cast ballots during last fall’s Presidential Election. A year later, turnout for Tuesday’s election is expected to be just a fraction of that, election officials said. “We’re saying it will be be around 30%,” said...
Military weighs penalties for those who refuse covid vaccine
WASHINGTON — As deadlines loom for military and defense civilians to get mandated covid-19 vaccines, senior leaders must now wrestle with the fate of those who flatly refuse the shots or are seeking exemptions, and how to make sure they are treated fairly and equally. The vast majority of the...
W.Va. Sen. Joe Manchin wavers on Biden’s plan, rebuffs progressivesVideo
WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin wavered Monday on his support for President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.75 trillion domestic policy proposal, saying instead it’s “time to vote” on a slimmer $1 trillion infrastructure package that has stalled amid talks. The West Virginia Democrat’s announcement comes as Democrats want a signal from...
1 flown from water drilling rig fire in Mt. Pleasant Township
One person was severely burned after a fire started while crews were operating a water drilling rig in Mt. Pleasant Township Monday afternoon, officials said. According to Kecksburg Fire Chief Adam Krozel, a company was drilling a water well at a home along Freeman Falls Road when something ignited, causing...
Pitt will require covid-19 vaccination by Dec. 6
The University of Pittsburgh will require its students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated for covid-19, effective Dec. 6. The requirement applies to all Pitt campuses. Students, faculty and staff must be vaccinated or have received an approved vaccine exemption, university officials announced Monday. Those who fail to comply with...
Pittsburgh requiring city employees to be vaccinated against covid-19
Pittsburgh is requiring all city employees without medical or religious exemptions to be fully vaccinated against covid-19 by Dec. 22, officials announced Monday. Employees are considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two weeks after one dose of...
Hays Woods purchase gets final OK, to be Pittsburgh’s 2nd largest park
Hays Woods is set to become Pittsburgh’s next public park, after City Council voted Monday to authorize the city to take ownership of the 624-acre site. Pittsburgh will buy the property from the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority for $1, plus costs. The URA bought the site in the city’s Hays...
Supreme Court takes up Texas law banning most abortions
WASHINGTON — A majority of the Supreme Court signaled Monday they would allow abortion providers to pursue a court challenge to a Texas law that has virtually ended abortion in the nation’s second-largest state after six weeks of pregnancy. But it was unclear how quickly the court would rule and...
Phipps includes Pittsburgh’s sinkhole bus in garden railroad display
Trains, bridges, tunnels, plants and a sinkhole bus? Yes, the Pittsburgh sinkhole bus is one of the features in the new “Garden Railroad: Bridges and Tunnels” exhibit at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Oakland. “What I love about Pittsburgh is it is a city that rallies around the weirdest...
Sheraden man accused of dousing woman, child with lighter fluid during argument
Pittsburgh police accused a man of dousing a woman and a child with lighter fluid during an argument early Sunday morning in Sheraden. Officers from the Zone 6 station responding to a 911 for a domestic dispute at around 1 a.m. encountered a woman and a child who were sprayed...
State law requires life jackets for boaters through April to reduce cold-water deaths
A state law went into effect Monday that requires all boaters to wear a life jacket while on any watercraft that is 16 feet or shorter between Nov. 1 and April 30, the state Fish and Boat Commission announced. A U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket must be worn while a...
Carnegie Museum of Art holiday specials include Presepio, trees, new activities
Holiday happenings at the Carnegie Museum of Art include the return of two visitor favorites, along with activities and events presented for the first time this year. The Neapolitan Presepio, first presented in 1957, will have a new home this year in the Scaife galleries, while the Carnegie Trees, commemorating...
Election HQ: A Pennsylvania voter guide to 2021 general election
General election day in Pennsylvania is Tuesday. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. The state has an online tool to let voters find their polling place by entering their address here. For more information on...
Steelers vs. Browns: What they’re saying in Cleveland after loss
Sure, Pittsburgh Steelers fans are dumbfounded by coach Mike Tomlin’s fake field goal attempt that landed kicker Chris Boswell in concussion protocol. But the Steelers won and the Cleveland Browns are reeling. And Cleveland media is piling on the Browns as well. Here are some snippets. Enjoy. “They have much...
