Top Stories category, Page 1107
FDA set to clear 3rd covid-19 shot for immunocompromised patientsVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. drug regulators are set to clear a third dose of covid-19 vaccines for people with weak immune systems as a new study showed the benefits of an extra shot in transplant patients. A third dose of Moderna Inc.’s vaccine significantly raised antibody levels against the coronavirus in...
Blairsville man acquitted for threats after wife recants allegations
A Blairsville man was found not guilty of making threats to kill his wife after she told a Westmoreland County jury she lied to police. Police claimed James Leroy Trout Jr., 45, pointed a gun at a Latrobe home on Oct. 15, 2019 where his wife fled to after the...
Ex-Latrobe wrestling coach testifies in alleged hazing case
A former junior high school wrestling coach testified he didn’t originally believe any crimes were committed or students were hurt when he saw one of his team leaders brandish a stick before practice last year. But Cary James Lydic admitted Wednesday that video of the incident suggested wrongdoing. Responding to...
U.S. Amateur Championship brings welcome business to area establishments
Like many area businesses, restaurants and hotels in Oakmont and Harmar have suffered during the pandemic. It’s going to take time to make up the losses they’ve incurred, but weeks such as this one definitely are helping their economic recovery. The 121st U.S. Amateur golf championship is being held this...
Driver killed when tree falls as his vehicle passes by in Washington County
A driver in Washington County was killed when a tree fell on his vehicle during a severe storm Wednesday afternoon, officials said. Floyd Gregory Stephen, 53, of Follansbee, W.Va., was dead at the scene in Canton Township. According to the Washington County Coroner’s Office, the wreck occurred shortly before 2:30...
Child safety advocates launch billboard campaign against Sen. Kim Ward
Child sexual abuse prevention advocates are making good on their promise to keep the heat on state Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward for her refusal to advance a bill giving adult survivors of child sexual abuse their day in court. This week, they took their battle to the Hempfield Republican’s...
Return to classroom still recommended by experts despite uptick in pediatric covid hospitalizations
Despite a slight increase in pediatric covid-19 hospitalizations at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, health experts said they think students can safely return to the classroom for the upcoming school year. Pediatric covid-19 hospitalizations have increased slightly over the past month, although the number of children admitted to UPMC Children’s...
Allegheny County officials implore adults to get vaccinated as cases among children rise
As covid-19 cases among young children climb, Allegheny County officials again implored the public to get vaccinated — if not for themselves, then for the children who don’t have a choice in the matter. “We know the delta variant, combined with the still significant number of unvaccinated people, is driving...
Pittsburgh buys 14 new pickups that will help come winter, councilman says
Amid muggy, stormy weather Wednesday, Pittsburgh officials announced they were buying 13 pickup trucks and a dump truck that will bolster the city’s public works fleet and aid in snow removal come winter. “We’re always thinking about winter,” said Molly Onufer, Mayor Bill Peduto’s spokeswoman. The city received a reimbursement...
Philadelphia requiring masks at businesses indoors and large outdoor gatheringsVideo
The city of Philadelphia announced it will be requiring masks for businesses indoors and for many large outdoor gatherings. The new mask policy goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. In a news release issued Wednesday, the city cites the rise of the delta variant of the coronavirus, as cases...
Wine Store at Vallozzi’s Restaurant in Hempfield offers unique varieties
While other folks were learning to crochet or bake bread during quarantine, restaurateur Ernie Vallozzi turned his attention to wine. The results of his study are on display — and for sale — in the new Wine Store at Vallozzi’s Restaurant in Hempfield. “We had a realization (during pandemic restrictions)...
Court tosses ruling against Pennsylvania covid-19 measures
PHILADELPHIA — A federal appeals court has dismissed a judge’s ruling that threw out Gov. Tom Wolf’s sweeping covid-19 restrictions, saying the case is now moot because statewide mitigation measures have expired and Pennsylvania voters have since constrained a governor’s emergency powers. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled...
CDC urges covid vaccines during pregnancy as delta surges
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all pregnant women Wednesday to get the covid-19 vaccine as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus. Expectant women run a higher risk of severe illness and pregnancy complications from the...
Duquesne University invokes mask mandate as students head to campusVideo
Citing a troubling increase in covid-19 infections regionally, Duquesne University announced Wednesday it is invoking a temporary mask mandate, effective Friday. The Pittsburgh university, which has required covid-19 vaccines as a condition of attendance this fall, said officials are requiring all individuals on campus to mask indoors, both in public...
Oakmont Country Club to be anchor site for U.S. Open, with 8 more USGA championships scheduled
Western Pennsylvania golf fans will have plenty of chances to see some of the world’s top golfers. The USGA named Oakmont Country Club its second “anchor site” for future USGA championships Wednesday, and the famed course will host the U.S. Open in 2025, 2034, 2042 and 2049, as well as...
Cuomo dynasty sputters out as scandal ends in lonely resignation
Andrew Cuomo’s resignation as governor of New York this week brought to an end a political dynasty stretching back to the 1980s, as a once-towering presence in Democratic politics was forced off stage for sexual misconduct ahead of a possible impeachment trial. It was an ignominious ending to the once-bright...
U.S. consumer prices keep rising, up 5.4% from a year ago
WASHINGTON — Prices for U.S. consumers rose last month but at the slowest pace since February, a sign that Americans may gain some relief after four months of sharp increases that have imposed a financial burden on the nation’s households. Wednesday’s report from the Labor Department showed that consumer prices...
Heinz Field Kickoff and Rib Festival returns for 5 days next month
Labor Day. Football. Ribs. The Heinz Field Kickoff and Rib Festival returns Sept. 2-6 at Heinz Field. Hours will be 4 to 9 p.m. Sept. 2, noon to 11 p.m. Sept. 3-5 and noon to 9 p.m. Sept. 6. The event was canceled last year because of the pandemic. Solomon...
Democrats renew push on elections bill that Republicans vows to block
WASHINGTON — Democrats are renewing their push to enact their marquee voting bill, pledging to make it the first order of business when the Senate returns in the fall even though they don’t have a clear strategy for overcoming steadfast Republican opposition. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced early Wednesday...
Senate nears OK of Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget, despite GOP attacks
WASHINGTON — Democrats pushed their expansive $3.5 trillion framework for bolstering family services, health, and environment programs toward Senate passage early Wednesday, as Republicans unleashed an avalanche of amendments aimed at making their rivals pay a price in next year’s elections. Congressional approval of the budget resolution, which seems assured,...
Woman in critical condition following Manchester shooting
A woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition after being shot Tuesday evening in the city’s Manchester neighborhood, according to Pittsburgh police. Officers from Zone 1 responded to a report of shots fired along Bidwell Street near Pennsylvania Avenue around 6:15 p.m., and arrived to find a woman...
Man charged in arson damage to D’s Six Pax & Dogz in Swissvale
Wheeling Police arrested a Pittsburgh man on Wednesday wanted on charges he started a fire that damaged a Swissvale bar over the weekend, according to police and West Virginia news reports. Joseph Pepp, 28, is charged with three counts of aggravated arson. Pepp is accused of setting fire to a...
Latrobe wrestling coach on trial, accused of failing to stop and report alleged hazing incidents
Ritual hazing among members of the Greater Latrobe Area Junior High School wrestling team was ongoing as the boys’ coach stood feet away, a district administrator told a Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday. That testimony came during the first day in the nonjury trial of former wrestling head coach Cary...
Pa. is trying county fairs, text messages and door-knocking to raise the vaccination rate. Success is slow coming.
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. Nicole Diehl attended the Wayne County Fair in northeastern Pennsylvania last weekend, not for the livestock exhibitions, carnival games, demolition derbies,...
Unvaccinated students will have to pay $750 at West Virginia Wesleyan
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — West Virginia Wesleyan College says it will charge a $750 fee to students who aren’t vaccinated for covid-19 for the fall semester. The school in Buckhannon also said in its campus arrival guidance for the upcoming semester that students who come down with the virus and can’t...
