Top Stories category, Page 1099
Biden tells G-7 allies he aims to stick to Afghanistan withdrawal deadlineVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden appeared unwilling to bend to pressure, including from European allies, to continue a massive evacuation effort from Afghanistan, planning — for now — to stick to his Aug. 31 deadline for troop withdrawal. On a chaotic day at the White House, Biden delayed scheduled remarks...
Monessen man killed in Washington County motorcycle crash
A Monessen man died after a motorcycle crash Friday in Washington County, according to state police. Dennis Sepesy, 60, was headed north on Route 43 in California just after 8 p.m. when he drove his Harley-Davidson onto the side of the road near milepost 32, police said. After one-tenth of...
Editorial: A covid vaccine is fully approved — no excuses now
In December 2020, the first shots in the war against covid-19 were fired into the arms of health care workers with the emergency-use authorization of a vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech. Those were followed by another similar authorization for a Moderna vaccine two weeks later, and then in early 2021, Johnson &...
Man found with multiple gunshot wounds in Hill District
A man was critically wounded by multiple rounds of gunfire in the Hill District early Tuesday, according to Pittsburgh police. Officers from the city’s Zone 2 station responded to a ShotSpotter gunfire alert for five rounds fired in the 2200 block of Webster Avenue shortly after 12:30 a.m., according to...
Bethel Park man, Rostraver native competes in Paralympic Triathlon in Tokyo this week
Eric McElvenny never shied away from a challenge. This week, the 38-year-old Bethel Park father of three will face a new one. The Rostraver native will take to an international stage as a member the U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team in Tokyo. Like the Summer Olympic competitions that wrapped up there...
Bethel Park School Board requiring masks for 1st semesterVideo
Bethel Park School District officials voted on Aug. 23 to require masks for everyone through the first semester when classes began Aug. 24. The board voted 7-2 with Connie Ruhl and Russ Spicuzza dissenting. Spicuzza was the only one on stage not wearing a mask during the whole meeting. Ruhl...
Pedestrian struck by motorcycle, critically injured near Shadyside
A female pedestrian was taken to a local hospital in critical condition Monday after being struck by a motorcycle near Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood, according to a city public safety spokeswoman. The male driver of the motorcycle also was taken to a hospital, in stable condition with injuries to his jaw,...
Taliban warn of ‘consequences’ if U.S. extends evacuation past AugustVideo
KABUL — In the eight days since tens of thousands converged on Kabul’s airport to flee an Afghanistan under Taliban rule, critics and allies alike have blasted President Joe Biden’s insistence on the Aug. 31 deadline for U.S. and NATO troop withdrawal, urging him to delay so as to complete...
Westmoreland’s former elections director claims political coercion and scapegoating in federal lawsuit
JoAnn Sebastiani, former director of the Westmoreland County Election Bureau, claimed in a federal lawsuit filed Monday against all three county commissioners that she was “scapegoated,” belittled and discriminated against before she was fired without adequate cause. Sebastiani, 63, had been on the job for 10 months when she was...
Westmoreland controller questions approved raises in new union contract
Raises handed out to about 250 employees in Westmoreland County’s court-related offices appear to be double what was estimated when a new four-year labor contract was ratified in April, according to an analysis from Controller Jeffrey Balzer. Balzer said the deal with the Westmoreland County Court Related Employees Association, approved...
Hearings in Pennsylvania election ‘investigation’ to begin, senator says
HARRISBURG — The top Republican in Pennsylvania’s Senate said Monday that hearings will begin this week as he committed to carrying out a “full forensic investigation” of the state’s 2020 presidential election. Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Centre, said he has communicated with former President Donald Trump, whose baseless...
5 things to know about the Pfizer covid vaccine approvalVideo
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued its full approval of the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine Monday. The move comes eight months after the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for emergency use in the United States. Infectious disease experts hope the full approval will inspire those wary of the vaccine to now...
Shuman Juvenile Detention Center to close after state revokes license
Allegheny County’s juvenile detention center will close Sept. 18 after the state Department of Human Services revoked its license. The state notified county Manager William McKain the license for the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center was being revoked Friday. By Monday afternoon, McKain announced the closure of the 46-year-old facility in...
Federal judge reinstates mandatory masks at North Allegheny
Students in the North Allegheny School District returned to classes from summer break Monday morning for full, in-person instruction with only a recommendation that they wear face masks while in school buildings. By afternoon, the mask mandate was back following a federal court ruling. On Sunday, a group of parents...
U.S. regulators give full approval to Pfizer covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — The U.S. gave full approval to Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine on Monday, a milestone that may help lift public confidence in the shots as the nation battles the most contagious coronavirus mutant yet. The vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech now carries the strongest endorsement from the...
Poll: School mask, vaccine mandates supported in U.S.
As covid-19 cases surge around the country, a majority of Americans say they support mask mandates for students and teachers in K-12 schools, according to a new poll, but their views are sharply divided along political lines. About 6 in 10 Americans say students and teachers should be required to...
Overturned truck spills fuel along Route 65 near Downtown
A hazmat team responded to the scene of a tractor-trailer crash along Route 65 in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood early Monday morning after the vehicle overturned and began leaking diesel fuel onto the roadway, according to authorities. The crash was reported shortly after 2 a.m. Authorities said the driver was able...
Pittsburgh police trying to ID people involved in fight during Steelers preseason game
Pittsburgh Police are investigating after a fight that broke out in the stands Saturday during the Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions preseason game at Heinz Field. In a video that is circulating on social media, a woman slaps a man and he hits the woman back and another man in...
Pa. to hire 100 covid contact tracers to replace 1,000 — experts say it’s not enough
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. The Wolf administration will hire at least 100 contact tracers as it rebuilds its depleted team, a dramatic workforce reduction compared...
What’s wrong with Arizona’s 2020 audit? A lot, experts sayVideo
PHOENIX — A cybersecurity firm plucked from relative obscurity to conduct an unprecedented review of ballots in Arizona’s largest county is readying to present its findings to Republican lawmakers. Experts say there should be little anticipation about the revelations from the Maricopa County audit — and whatever those revelations are,...
4 takeaways from new Pa. census data and what it means for redistricting
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania became less white and more concentrated in and near...
How to get involved in Pa.’s pivotal redistricting process
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. It’s an event that comes just once every ten years. No, not...
Norwin alum Shasko Bonnett wins halftime kicking contest at Steelers game
The second kicker up in a three-person contest at Heinz Field on Saturday night — with 40,000-plus looking on — Ariel Shasko Bonnett lined up her field-goal try from the 5-yard line. A chip shot? Not for someone who had only began kicking a week ago. She is much more...
Pittsburgh serves as research site for new test to detect Lyme disease
The difficulty of diagnosing early acute Lyme disease makes things doubly frustrating for Pennsylvanians, who live in a state that has consistently ranked highest in the nation for Lyme cases. But Seattle-based Adaptive Biotechnologies is working with clinical researchers across the country — including in the Pittsburgh area — to...
22 dead, many missing after 17 inches of rain in Tennessee
McEWEN, Tenn. — At least 22 people were killed and rescue crews searched desperately Sunday amid shattered homes and tangled debris for dozens of people still missing after record-breaking rain sent floodwaters surging through Middle Tennessee. Saturday’s flooding in rural areas took out roads, cellphone towers and telephone lines, leaving...
