Top Stories category, Page 1115
Allegheny County officials won’t rule out local mask mandate
Covid-19 cases in Allegheny County remain below the threshold that would trigger the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated mask guidance, but county leaders did not rule out the need for a countywide mask mandate. “We’re not there yet but, again, stay tuned,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, noting...
Infrastructure deal: Senate votes to start work on $1T billVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted Wednesday night to begin work on a nearly $1 trillion national infrastructure plan after President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of senators reached agreement on major provisions of the package that is a key part of his presidential agenda. Biden welcomed the accord as...
Lawsuit against Sewickley Academy alleges race discrimination
The former director of admissions and financial aid at Sewickley Academy is suing the private school in federal court alleging race discrimination in a recent purge of administrators there. Douglas Leek, who holds a doctoral degree in education and is Black, said that, despite a strong performance evaluation earlier this...
Pa. Turnpike Commission makes last $450M payment to PennDOT
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission on Wednesday made its last $450 million payment to PennDOT for transit systems around the state, bringing the total amount paid out over the past 15 years to $7.9 billion, the commission announced. However, that doesn’t mean there will be a drop in tolls or an...
Why masks are again advised for everyone indoors
NEW YORK — Wait, we’re supposed to wear masks again? Even if we are vaccinated? For a large part of the U.S., that’s the latest advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC this week revisited and revised its guidance for wearing masks indoors to stop the...
Weekend night restrictions coming to busy East Carson Street on South Side
Traffic and other restrictions are coming to the South Side on weekend nights, Pittsburgh officials said Wednesday. The move is meant to curb pedestrian and traffic congestion after weeks of overflowing sidewalks, gridlock and violence. Between 7 p.m. and 4 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, East Carson Street will allow only...
Pfizer: Vaccine protective for at least 6 months
WASHINGTON — The effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine wanes slightly over time but it remains strongly protective for at least six months after the second dose, according to company data released Wednesday. The findings are one piece of evidence that U.S. health authorities will consider in deciding if and when...
How UPMC’s new CEO Leslie Davis plans to lead the health giant
Forward motion is the ultimate goal for Leslie Davis as she takes over as chief executive of health care giant UPMC, whether it be in patient services, insurance or academics. Davis, 62, becomes the first woman to head the multibillion-dollar operation. She takes over officially on Sunday, though outgoing CEO...
Tarentum burglary suspect arrested after bitten by police dog
A burglary suspect was arrested in Tarentum after being tracked down and bitten by a police dog, police said. Tarentum police charged David Weston, 34, with flight to avoid apprehension and loitering and prowling at nighttime. In a criminal complaint against Weston, police said they were dispatched to a Negley...
New CDC guidelines set off rush to reimpose mask mandates
States and businesses scrambled Wednesday to change course after the federal government issued new guidance calling for the return of mask wearing in virus hot spots amid a dramatic spike in covid-19 cases and hospitalizations nationwide. Nevada and Kansas City were among the locations that moved swiftly to re-impose indoor...
Covid cases, hospitalizations rise in Pennsylvania and Allegheny County
After starting July with low numbers, covid cases and hospitalizations have crept up this past week in Pennsylvania and Allegheny County. In Westmoreland County, there’s a different story as those numbers have not changed much at all. Cases As of Wednesday’s covid report, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has seen...
Pittsburgh council sets community meetings on federal covid relief cash
A series of community meetings will be held in August to get more input about how Pittsburgh should spend the $335 million allotted to the city in the federal American Rescue Plan. Last week, city council approved a four-year plan to allocate the money, amid criticism by some residents and...
Police arrest New Jersey man after 90 mph chase through Greensburg
A New Jersey man is behind bars after Greensburg police said he fled a traffic stop at 90 mph before crashing and being apprehended, according to court papers. Nicholas Michael Tedesco, 27, of Newton, N.J., is charged with flight to avoid apprehension, resisting arrest, escape and related offenses. City police...
UPMC President Jeffrey Romoff to retire
Jeffrey Romoff, the architect of UPMC’s vast empire of hospitals in Western Pennsylvania and beyond, is set to retire Aug. 1, officials announced Wednesday. Romoff will be succeeded by Leslie C. Davis, who most recently served as executive vice president of UPMC and president of the health services division, where...
West Mifflin home catches fire for second time in as many days
Firefighters battled a fire on West Mifflin’s Outlook Drive on Wednesday morning, according to an Allegheny 911 shift supervisor. Crews responded to the fire in the 4400 block of Outlook around 6 a.m. Wednesday. It was the second time in two days that the house caught fire, according to Tribune-Review...
Allegheny County officials won’t rule out local mask mandate
Covid-19 cases in Allegheny County remain below the threshold that would trigger the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated mask guidance, but county leaders did not rule out the need for a countywide mask mandate. “We’re not there yet but, again, stay tuned,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, noting...
Route 136 bridge reopens in West Newton following 2-car crash
The Route 136 bridge over the Youghiogheny River was closed for a little over an hour Tuesday night, following a head-on collision between two vehicles in West Newton, according to emergency officials. A Westmoreland County 911 supervisor said occupants of both vehicles were trapped following the crash, which was reported...
White House considering vaccine mandate for federal workersVideo
WASHINGTON — The White House is strongly considering requiring federal employees to show proof they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or otherwise submit to regular testing and wear a mask — a potentially major shift in policy that reflects growing concerns about the spread of the more infectious delta variant....
East Pittsburgh fentanyl dealer, 7-time felon gets 15 years in federal prison
An East Pittsburgh man with seven prior felony convictions will spend 15 years behind bars for using a gun while dealing large amounts of synthetic fentanyl he ordered by mail from South Korea. James Folks, 47, who also has ties to Homestead, was sentenced in federal court in Pittsburgh for...
What the CDC mask recommendations mean for Western Pennsylvanians
As expected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where coronavirus cases are surging. The CDC made the announcement Tuesday, adding vaccinated people with vulnerable household members, including young children and those who are immunocompromised,...
Fox Chapel police charge man living in vacant home that’s on the market for $700K
A man who belongs to a group that describes itself as a private tribal association for indigenous peoples is accused of squatting in a large Fox Chapel home listed for sale for nearly $700,000. Noble Prince Kamoory El, 28, faces two counts of criminal trespassing in the case that police...
Full FDA approval of covid-19 vaccines might lead more people to get them. What’s the holdup?Video
PHILADELPHIA — More than eight months ago, large studies found that both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna covid-19 vaccines reduced the risk of illness by more than 90%. Yet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet granted them full approval, to the dismay of public-health officials eager to boost...
Police arrest carjacking suspect on Route 28; U-Haul employee shot when truck stolen
A carjacking and shooting near a U-Haul facility in Pittsburgh spurred a police chase that culminated in an arrest made on Route 28 during rush-hour traffic Tuesday evening, initial reports indicate. A Pittsburgh officer was injured when the suspect’s stolen rental truck struck him in the leg during the pursuit,...
Demolition continues at Ida’s restaurant in Arnold; city looking for money to pay for work
As a contractor continues to remove debris from the remains of a fire-ravaged former restaurant on Fifth Avenue, Arnold officials are trying to finalize how to pay for the work. The building at 1605 Fifth Ave. that once housed Ida’s Place collapsed Sunday — a day before its demolition was...
Pennsylvania transportation funding report could propel years of debate
HARRISBURG — A transportation funding commission is preparing to recommend how to raise billions more dollars in Pennsylvania for a 21st-century highway system, a report that will land at a politically touchy time and is expected to kick off a debate that could last years. The report, expected this week...
