Top Stories category, Page 1137
Pennsylvania mask mandate ends Monday
Pennsylvanians can go maskless starting next week unless it is required by the business or building they’re in. The state mask mandate will expire at 12:01 a.m. Monday as promised, Department of Health officials said Friday. “We are continuing to make progress toward stopping the spread of covid-19 throughout the...
Derek Chauvin gets 22 1/2 years in prison for George Floyd’s death
MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced Friday to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvin’s knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations. The punishment — which came after Chauvin broke...
Death toll in South Florida condo collapse rises to 4; 159 still missing
SURFSIDE, Fla. — About 160 people were still unaccounted for Friday a day after an oceanside condominium building collapsed into a pile of rubble, and searchers combing through a twisted, shifting pile of concrete and metal feared the death toll of at least four could go much higher. With scores...
Mike Pence: Idea of overturning election results is ‘un-American’
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Former Vice President Mike Pence has defended his role in certifying the results of the 2020 election, saying he’s “proud” of what he did on Jan. 6 and declaring there’s “almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American...
On border tour, VP Kamala Harris cites ‘progress’ in ‘tough’ situation
EL PASO, Texas — Vice President Kamala Harris asserted Friday that the Biden administration had made progress tackling a migration spike that’s drawn fire from Republicans and made fellow Democrats uncomfortable. Her first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border as head of the Biden administration’s response is being closely watched on...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 25-27
It’s the final weekend of June. Here are some ideas on how to spend it. Carrie Blast Drive-in Carrie Carpool Cinema at the Carrie Blast Furnaces will host baseball films this weekend. “A League of Their Own,” about women’s professional baseball, is being shown at 9:30 p.m. on Friday. “The...
Kiski Township explores regulations on exotic petsVideo
Kiski Township’s Dominic Hayward dotes on his pet alligators Diamond, Diva, Gisele, Ruby, Rebel, Chevelle, Speckles, Thor, Loki and Reece. A lover of alligators since he was a child, Hayward, 24, is as passionate about his gators as anyone with more traditional pets such as a German shepherd or labradoodle....
Stalemate breaks on mixed drinks to go for Pennsylvania bars, restaurants
It looks as if Pennsylvania’s bars and restaurants are inching closer to regaining the authority to sell take-out margaritas, screwdrivers, fuzzy navels or any other of a number of mixed drinks. The state House voted 170-31 on Thursday to pass a stripped-down version of a bill that dropped broader liquor...
Pittsburgh Public Schools cut 1,000 students from summer programs amid staffing problems
Staff shortages have led the Pittsburgh Public Schools to cut roughly 1,000 students from its Summer BOOST program, a program designed to mitigate covid-19 related learning loss. Some 2,500 students from kindergarten through 11th grade had signed up for the program. The district on Thursday said 1,500 will now participate...
‘This stuff has got to stop’: Pittsburgh police, community members plead for end to surging violenceVideo
Preeti Tuli wept Thursday, baring her pain to strangers, TV cameras and Pittsburgh as a whole, hoping the reality of her grief might help stem the surge of citywide shootings, like the one that took her son in February. “He was a good kid,” she said of her son, Ahmir...
4 injured in head-on crash on Route 31 in Donegal
Four people seriously injured in a head-on crash on Route 31 in Donegal Township Thursday were flown by emergency medical helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh, state police said. The collision occurred about 4:45 p.m. near the entrance to the Caddie Shak recreational complex when an eastbound Honda Civic...
Affidavit: FBI feared Pennsylvania would seize fabled gold
An FBI agent applied for a federal warrant in 2018 to seize a fabled cache of U.S. government gold he said was “stolen during the Civil War” and hidden in a Pennsylvania cave, saying the state might take the gold for itself if the feds asked for permission, according to...
Lawmakers OK letting Pa. students repeat year because of covid
HARRISBURG — Lawmakers made a final vote Thursday to approve a bill to let parents decide whether to have their children repeat a year of school, a measure designed to help children catch up after a year of schooling disrupted by the pandemic. The Senate voted 50-0 for the proposal,...
Second summer without Steelers another blow for Latrobe area
For a second year in a row, the Latrobe area will be on the sidelines during the Pittsburgh Steelers preseason, a fact that left local businesses and communities crestfallen. Team spokesman Burt Lauten announced Thursday the NFL’s covid-19 protocols will prevent the Steelers from holding a summer training camp at...
‘We have deal’: Biden, bipartisan senators on infrastructure
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that “we have a deal,” signaling a bipartisan agreement on a $953 billion infrastructure plan that would achieve his top legislative priority and validate his efforts to reach across the political aisle. Biden made a surprise appearance in front of the cameras...
Lawsuit filed on behalf of 2 men, including former A-K Valley standout, says NCAA didn’t protect players from CTE
Surviving family members of two men who played major-college football in the 1950s and ‘60s filed a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA on Wednesday, alleging that repeated blows to the head and concussions caused them to develop — and die from — chronic traumatic encephalopathy. One of the men, the...
Microsoft debuts Windows 11, first major update in 6 years
Microsoft has unveiled the next generation of its Windows software, called Windows 11, that has a new Start Menu and other features. The newest version of Microsoft’s flagship operating system announced Thursday will be a successor to today’s Windows 10, which the company introduced in 2015. In a challenge to...
Nearly all covid deaths in U.S. are now among unvaccinated
Nearly all covid-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the vaccine. An Associated...
Pelosi creates panel to ‘seek the truth’ on Capitol attack
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it official Thursday that she is creating a special committee to investigate the attack on the Capitol, saying it is “imperative that we seek the truth.” The new committee comes after Republican senators blocked legislation that would have set up a bipartisan commission...
New York court suspends Rudy Giuliani’s law license
NEW YORK — An appeals court suspended Rudy Giuliani from practicing law in New York Thursday because he made false statements while trying to get courts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the presidential race. An attorney disciplinary committee had asked the court to suspend Giuliani’s license on the grounds...
1 person taken to hospital after crash involving farm tractor and vehicle in Mt. Pleasant Township
At least one person was taken to the hospital after a crash involving a farm tractor and a vehicle in Mt. Pleasant Township, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Crews responded to 1785 Brinkerton Road shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday for reports of the crash. It was not immediately clear...
2 sisters accused in break-in, attack at Mt. Pleasant Township home
Two sisters were arrested this week because state police said they broke into a Mt. Pleasant Township home and attacked a woman. Authorities said the pair came back two days later in an apparent effort to repeat the attack but left as police were being called, according to court papers....
Pittsburgh Symphony plans return to Heinz Hall live audiences
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will return to Heinz Hall in September with a full orchestra in front of live audiences. “When we return in September, it will have been a shocking drought of 18 months since we’ve all been together at Heinz Hall,” said Melia Tourangeau, PSO president and CEO....
Former Franklin Regional school director charged with stealing campaign signs
Charges were filed Wednesday against a former Franklin Regional school director after state police said he stole campaign signs belonging to three candidates. Gary J. English, 65, is facing three misdemeanor counts of theft and a summary disorderly conduct offense. He denied the allegations. “I didn’t steal any signs,” English...
Butler Brew Works opens new location in Oakmont
Butler Brew Works has opened a new retail shop in Oakmont. The 600-square-foot facility located at 319 Maryland Ave., a little more than a half-hour drive from the brewery in downtown Butler, features many of the current cans and bottled brews along with a variety of beer-themed merchandise. Its grand...
