Top Stories category, Page 1100
Veterans are prized recruits as congressional candidates
NORFOLK, Va. — With midterm election season rapidly approaching, Republicans and Democrats have something in common when it comes to recruiting candidates they hope will deliver majorities in Congress: a preference for military veterans. Both parties anticipate a significant number of races where veterans will be opposing each other, using...
A higher calling: Catholic priest turns 90, continues to devote life in service to the churchVideo
The Rev. George T. DeVille fills the gold-plated container — called a pyx — with 15 consecrated Holy Communion hosts. He places it in his left jacket pocket. DeVille climbs into his car. After distributing Communion to members of St. Oscar Romero Parish inside Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Cecil...
Man stabbed after argument on Pittsburgh’s South Side, police say
A man was stabbed Sunday on Pittsburgh’s South Side, according to city police. First responders found the man around 2 a.m. in the 2200 block of East Carson Street with multiple stab wounds to his upper body. He taken by ambulance to a hospital and arrived in stable condition, police...
Biden says U.S.-led evacuation from Kabul is accelerating
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Sunday the U.S.-led evacuation of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others from the Kabul airport accelerated this weekend, although it remains vulnerable to threats posed by the Islamic State extremist group. One week after the Taliban completed its takeover of Afghanistan by capturing Kabul, Biden...
Moving inland, Tropical Storm Henri drenches Northeast
WESTERLY, R.I. — Tropical Storm Henri socked the Northeast with heavy wind and rain as it made landfall Sunday on the coast of Rhode Island, knocking out power to over 100,000 homes and causing deluges that closed bridges, swamped roads and left many people stranded in their vehicles. The storm...
Mask debates rage in Western Pa. as schools return to class
The debate over whether students should wear masks to school this fall shows no signs of cooling down at area districts, with the start of classes arriving as the covid-19 transmission rate rises across the region. Officials in Harrisburg have recommended that local districts follow guidance from the Centers for...
Nursing shortage spawns hefty sign-on bonuses in Western Pa.Video
A long-looming nursing shortage — exacerbated by the near-relentless toll of the covid-19 pandemic — means more hospitals and health systems are offering hefty sign-on bonuses and other incentives in an attempt to attract talent and fill in the gaps. Earlier this week, UPMC was advertising nearly 800 open nursing...
State troopers urge motorists to be alert for school buses, pedestrians, bus stopsVideo
As the new school year gets underway, Pennsylvania State Police are reminding motorists to be alert for the bright yellow buses, pedestrians and gatherings at bus stops. Motorists may have become used to fewer school buses on highways in the 2020-21 school year, when many districts adopted remote instruction because...
Hundreds of motorcyclists turn out for 4th annual Officer Brian Shaw benefit ride
When the driver of the lead car for the Officer Brian Shaw motorcycle run Saturday climbed the Route 28 hill near the Tarentum exit, he turned and saw nothing but cycles stretching for more than 2 miles. The run was a spectacle with close to 700 motorcycles traveling through more...
West Penn Hospital’s registered nurses ratify contract with Allegheny Health Network
Registered nurses at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh ratified their first-ever union contract Friday and began working under it immediately, according to a press release. The three-year pact with Allegheny Health Network will expire Aug. 20, 2024. Under the new pact, nurses get pay raises each year and more ability...
Hundreds from Murrysville church perform ‘uncommon’ community service in JeannetteVideo
Millie Warren’s backyard in West Jeannette is recognizable again, thanks to the hard work of volunteers from a Murrysville church. Within a couple hours Saturday morning, a crew from Cornerstone Ministries Church cleared several truckloads of brush and an old fence, leaving behind neatly trimmed trees and grassy space. They...
Biden sees dip in support amid new covid cases: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is facing a summer slump, with Americans taking a notably less positive view of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his job approval rating ticking down. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 54% of Americans approve...
As covid-19 vaccination mandates gain momentum, Pa. health care workers remain largely free to decide
Only one major Pennsylvania health care employer, Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine, has required employees to get vaccinated against covid-19. But mandates are under consideration at others. “We haven’t gotten to the mandate yet. We think about it and we assess where we’re at, but we haven’t made that decision yet,” said...
Coastal evacuations urged as Hurricane Henri heads north
Preparations for a storm grew more urgent Saturday as the newly upgraded Hurricane Henri closed in on the Northeast. The storm’s latest track put it on course to collide Sunday with a long stretch of coastline, with hurricane warnings extending from near the old whaling port of New Bedford, Mass.,...
1 hurt, 1 arrested in shooting at parking garage near Pittsburgh casino
A man was hurt Saturday after a shooting in a parking garage near Rivers Casino, according to Pittsburgh police. The man was found with a gunshot would to the leg around 1 a.m. in the upper level of the garage on Casino Drive, police said. He was hospitalized in stable...
Federal vaccine mandate threatens revenue, staffing at Westmoreland Manor
Westmoreland Manor potentially could forfeit tens of millions of dollars this fall under the new federal policy that requires nursing home employees to be vaccinated for coronavirus. County officials said they are assessing the impact of the vaccination mandate announced Aug. 18 that also carried a threat from President Biden...
Demolition of former New Kensington Kmart to clear way for development
Several new buildings are expected to be built at the site of the former Kmart on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington, a representative of the property manager said. Sam Rossi, a portfolio manager for Madison Acquisitions, said he was not yet at liberty to identify the retail tenants, of...
Man wounded in Hill District shooting
A man was shot in the arm Friday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, according to Pittsburgh police. Zone 2 officers responded to the 200 block of Dinwiddie Street in the Hill’s Crawford-Roberts neighborhood around 3:25 p.m. Friday, and applied a tourniquet to a man who’d suffered a gunshot wound to...
What to expect if you want a covid-19 booster shot
Western Pennsylvanians who want a covid-19 vaccine booster likely will have the chance to get one in the coming months. The Biden administration earlier this week recommended the extra protection for all Americans, starting as soon as Sept. 20 for those who were fully vaccinated by late January. In Pennsylvania,...
Gov. Tom Wolf reinstates mask mandate for Pa. state employees
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is reinstating a mask mandate for all state employees and contracted staff working under his jurisdiction regardless of their vaccination status, starting on Monday. State employees were notified on Friday about this change in policy that comes as cases of covid-19 infections are on the rise....
Senators question DOJ funding for AI-powered policing tech
CHICAGO — A Democratic senator said the U.S. Justice Department needs to look into whether the algorithm-powered police technologies it funds contribute to racial bias in law enforcement and lead to wrongful arrests. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, was responding to an investigation by The Associated Press published Thursday...
Oakmont police: 3 in custody for alleged assault, ethnic intimidation of borough resident in July
Three people have been charged with ethnic intimidation and other crimes in connection with an assault of an Oakmont resident. Richard Blake, 25, and Patrick McAndrew, 24, both of Oakmont, and Alexander Tomer, 27, of New Kensington, were charged with simple assault, stalking, ethnic intimidation, criminal conspiracy and three counts...
Police: McKeesport man dies after being shot in Pitcairn; 1 arrested, 3 others sought
A White Oak man was awaiting arraignment Saturday in connection with a fatal shooting in Pitcairn, according to Allegheny County Police. Johnathon Nathan Dawson, 18, is charged with homicide and conspiracy. Police said they are attempting to identify three additional suspects in the shooting death of Kaliq Dade, 20, of...
How many people in Pa. use cannabis for addiction? The Wolf admin won’t say
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 — In 2018, the Wolf administration endorsed cannabis as a treatment for opioid use disorder, despite an absence of research...
Riverview School District to require students, staff, visitors to wear masks to start school year
Riverview School District students and staffers will start the new school year Thursday wearing masks. The requirement is part of the district’s updated health and safety plan. Superintendent Neil English said multiple factors were considered when making the mask mandate. Among them are recommendations from the Allegheny County Health Department,...
