Top Stories category, Page 1116
‘Dormont called’: Pittsburgh residents may be able to use Dormont’s pool soon
The sunny skies and 88-degree weather Tuesday made for a perfect day for swimming. But in Pittsburgh, 10 of the city’s 18 pools are closed this year because of staffing and maintenance issues. It’s something that’s dogged council members through the Dog Days of summer. During the final city council...
Pittsburgh’s requirement for paid covid sick leave to last for a year
Pittsburgh businesses with more than 50 employees will be required to provide paid sick leave to workers who contract covid-19 or who are required to quarantine for at least the next year under legislation city council adopted Tuesday. The revised ordinance passed by a 7-1 vote, with Councilman Anthony Coghill...
Pennsylvania officials warn of uptick in hard-to-spot ticks as summer wears on
The state Department of Environmental Protection has collected twice as many small, immature ticks in Pennsylvania this year compared to last year, prompting warnings for residents to check themselves thoroughly after outdoor activities. Blacklegged tick nymphs, or ticks that are not fully grown, pose an even greater risk when it...
$15 wage becoming a norm as employers struggle to fill jobs
The signs and banners are dotted along suburban commercial strips and hanging in shop windows and restaurants, evidence of a new desperation among America’s service-industry employers: “Now Hiring, $15 an hour.” It is hardly the official federal minimum wage — at $7.25, that level hasn’t been raised since 2009 —...
Pittsburgh man serving life charged with smuggling synthetic drugs into prison as mail
A Lincoln-Lemington man serving life for first-degree murder was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he smuggled synthetic drugs into a state prison under the guise of legal mail addressed from the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Rodney Howard, 36, is currently incarcerated at the State...
Pittsburgh economy adds 9,300 jobs in June; jobless rate drops slightly
The Pittsburgh region’s economy continued to show signs of a slow recovery, adding 9,300 jobs in June, most of which were in the leisure and hospitality sector. “We are scuffling along, jobs wise. There’s still some of the labor force that’s deciding not to go back to work,” said Frank...
Latrobe wants to raze 3 dilapidated houses, eyes county funding program
Latrobe hopes to tap a Westmoreland County grant program to help demolish three vacant, dilapidated houses. The funding originates with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and is administered by the county redevelopment authority. If approved, it would require a $250 local match for demolishing a house the...
A police killing in Philadelphia could change Pa. use-of-force cases forever
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 — Philadelphia’s district attorney is challenging Pennsylvania’s use-of-force law ahead of a former police officer’s landmark murder trial, and the...
Fine line divides local public and private universities on vaccine requirements
A fine line is dividing public and private universities in the region with regard to vaccine mandates. While private universities including Carnegie Mellon, Chatham, Seton Hill and Duquesne are requiring vaccinations for those on campus this fall, public universities here are stopping short of adopting mandates that state lawmakers —...
CDC reverses course on indoor masks in some parts of U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges. Citing new information about the variant’s ability to spread among...
Georgia man gets life sentence in 4 of 8 Asian spa killings
CANTON, Ga. — A Georgia man accused of killing eight people at three Asian massage businesses was sentenced Tuesday to life without parole after a prosecutor said investigators saw no evidence of racial bias. Robert Aaron Long was given four life sentences after pleading guilty to all charges in the...
‘This is how I’m going to die’: Officers tell Jan. 6 stories
WASHINGTON — “This is how I’m going to die, defending this entrance.” Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell told House investigators Tuesday he could feel himself losing oxygen as he was crushed by rioters — supporters of then-President Donald Trump — as he was defending the Capitol during the Jan. 6...
As Jan. 6 probe begins, Democrat Bennie Thompson vows: ‘We have to get it right’
WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Bennie Thompson, didn’t realize the severity of the Jan. 6 insurrection until his wife called him. He was inside the Capitol, sitting in the upper gallery of the House, hoping for what he called a “bird’s-eye view of the process”...
Tradition, competition keep teams coming to Freeport International Baseball Tournament
Michael Perry knew all about the Freeport International Baseball Tournament when he worked in sports at the Butler Eagle newspaper through 2001. “I knew of the tradition, and that it always was a pretty cool tournament,” said Perry, who will bring his Lake Erie Warhawks 16U team from Cleveland to...
Former Ida’s restaurant in Arnold collapses a day before scheduled demolition
Crews on Monday were to begin demolishing the Arnold building that formerly housed Ida’s Place Italian restaurant. On Sunday, the building at 1605 Fifth Ave. collapsed on its own. No one was injured. “I’m glad that the eyesore is down,” Mayor Joseph Bia said. “Once it’s gone and cleaned up,...
Pa. law enforcement, lawyers, legislators try to raise awareness of human trafficking
A 22-year-old man from Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. A 46-year-old Chinese national from Mt. Pleasant. A 26-year-old man from Buffalo, N.Y. All three face charges of human trafficking in cases connected to the greater Pittsburgh area. And, on Monday, state police announced charges against three people accused of running a human...
Moderna expands child vaccine trial to get more safety data
Moderna Inc. said it would expand an ongoing trial of its coronavirus vaccine in children under 12 years old to gather more safety data amid worries that messenger RNA shots may trigger rare heart side effects. “The objective is to enroll a larger safety database which increases the likelihood of...
Biden: U.S combat mission in Iraq to conclude in 2021Video
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Monday the U.S. military’s combat mission in Iraq will conclude by the end of the year, setting out a more precise timeline for American forces to formally step back in their fight against the Islamic State organization in Iraq. The plan to shift the...
Veterans Affairs mandates covid-19 vaccination for health care workersVideo
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get covid-19 vaccines, as the aggressive delta variant spreads across the nation and some communities report troubling increases in hospitalizations among unvaccinated people. The VA’s move came on a...
Enough to make you go ‘Wawa’: Sheetz isn’t coming to Oakland as sign indicates
Not yet coming to Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood: A Sheetz store on Forbes Avenue. But a sign that appeared on chain link fencing surrounding a former Marathon gas station appeared to indicate otherwise over the weekend. It had the Sheetz logo on it and “Coming soon!” The site is set to...
Pittsburgh police identify teen charged in South Side shooting
Pittsburgh police on Monday identified the teenager charged in connection with a shooting last week on the city’s busy South Side. Taiden Harvey, 15, of Clairton, is charged with two counts of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, firearms violations and two counts each of criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. He is...
ATV driver arrested for DUI after crashing into state police vehicle following chase in Westmoreland, Indiana counties
The driver of an all-terrain vehicle accused of fleeing a traffic stop along the border of Indiana and Westmoreland counties is facing DUI and other charges after police say he crashed into a patrol car. An unidentified female passenger on the ATV driven by Jason E. Rittenour, 38, of Clarksburg,...
Empty South Side Burger King prompts police response
Pittsburgh police responded to a fast food restaurant Sunday night after they received reports there were no employees in the restaurant. Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews said police responded and found the Burger King on East Carson Street empty. He said police attempted to find someone to lock the door,...
Salem man accused of attempting to hit 6 people with SUV and pointing handgun, troopers say
A 36-year-old man who became angry after being told to leave a Salem home early Sunday was arrested by state troopers after other residents accused him of twice attempting to strike them in his SUV and pointing a handgun at them as he drove away. Joshawa Levi Nuttall of Salem...
UFCW, Giant Eagle announce new contract with wage increases
A new four-year contract that Giant Eagle employees ratified last week includes wage increases, continues no-cost health care benefits and provides new protections for LGBTQ+ workers, according to a joint statement released Monday by the company and union. The agreement covers about 5,300 employees who are members of United Food...
