Top Stories category, Page 1157
Pennsylvania will lift mask mandate by June 28 at latest
Pennsylvania’s mask mandate will be lifted no later than June 28, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said Thursday. Gov. Tom Wolf earlier this month set a benchmark for the state: 70% of adults fully vaccinated. Beam said if the state reaches that threshold before June 28, the mask mandate...
Rock on: WDVE’s Memorial Day 500 has begun
In Pittsburgh, it’s the unofficial start of summer — not just the Memorial Day holiday weekend but the accompanying WDVE radio countdown of 500 classic rock tunes. The station calls it “The Memorial Day 500,” and it’s beloved by fans throughout Western Pennsylvania. “Yes, we are doing the countdown again,...
U.S. jobless claims fall to 406,000, a new pandemic low
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped last week to 406,000, a new pandemic low and more evidence that the job market is strengthening as the virus wanes and economy further reopens. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that applications declined 38,000 from 444,000 a week...
GOP set to block Jan. 6 commission, stoking Senate filibuster fight
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans are ready to deploy the filibuster to block a commission on the Jan. 6 insurrection, shattering hopes for a bipartisan probe of the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol and reviving pressure on Democrats to do away with the procedural tactic that critics say has lost...
Shoppers go back to stores, but retailers face challenges
NEW YORK — Americans are going back to one of their favorite past times: store shopping. With more people getting vaccinated and dropping their face masks, retailers from Walmart to Macy’s are seeing an eager return to their stores after more than a year of their customers migrating online during...
New housing development proposed in Bethel Park
A 65-unit townhouse development has been proposed in Bethel Park. Penn Cove Group Capital would like to develop the properties off of Hamilton and Baptist roads in what is proposed as The Enclave at Cool Springs. It is unclear how big the homes would be or how much they may...
Penn Hills property owners could see about 1.35% tax hike for next school yearVideo
Penn Hills property owners should expect to pay a little more in school real estate taxes. The school directors voted 7-2 Wednesday night to advertise the district’s preliminary 2021-22 spending plan with a 0.4-mill tax hike, which is an increase of about 1.35%. It equates to a property owner with...
Pittsburgh police arrest suspect in Downtown bank robbery
Pittsburgh police have arrested man in connection with a Downtown bank robbery Wednesday afternoon. Dante Engram, 33, address unknown, was arrested following the robbery, reported around noon on the 900 block of Fifth Avenue. A witness told police a man had walked into the bank with a note, then left...
As some Hill District residents remain skeptical, URA to vote on plans for Civic Arena site
The team behind the plans to redevelop the former Civic Arena site in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District made their case again Wednesday as the long-awaited project awaits further regulatory approvals, this time to the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority. The URA board will vote on the plans when it meets at...
Body of Punxsutawney man who had been missing in Gilpin found in Allegheny River
The body of a Punxsutawney man missing since Saturday in Gilpin was found Wednesday afternoon in the Allegheny River, according to the Armstrong County coroner. Coroner Brian Myers confirmed that the body of Nathan “Nate” Lauer, 38, of Punxsutawney, was found near the same area he was reported missing over...
Strong storm causes damage, outages; Memorial Day forecast calls for more rain
Rain and cool temperatures may put a damper on the first half of Memorial Day weekend, but bad weather wasn’t waiting for the holiday to rear its ugly head. A strong storm system moving through the region Wednesday evening downed trees and electrical wires and caused power outages. The National...
Child sex abuse survivors, supporters pressure Pa. Senate leader Kim Ward to bring bill to vote
Survivors of clergy child sexual abuse turned up the heat this week on state Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, depositing a pouch of silver coins on the Hempfield Republican’s desk and labeling her a “Judas.” Ward’s failure to schedule a Senate vote on a bill that would provide a day...
Former Pagans leader Katona granted 1 month delay to report to county prison
The former national leader of the Pagans motorcycle club will have an additional period of freedom before he must report to the Westmoreland County Prison to serve out the remaining months of his sentence on prior drug offenses. Dennis “Rooster” Katona, 54, of Hempfield was expected to turn himself in...
Mother of Capitol Police officer who died after Jan. 6 urges 1/6 commissionVideo
WASHINGTON — Republicans are poised to block legislation that would create a commission on the Jan. 6 insurrection, despite both a bipartisan effort to salvage the bill and a last-minute push by the mother of a Capitol Police officer who collapsed and died after the siege. Senate Majority Leader Chuck...
Officials: 70% of Pa. adults have received at least 1 dose of covid vaccine
The next phase of the pandemic — one with no restrictions save for masks — could be the last phase if people continue to get vaccinated throughout the summer, officials said Wednesday. “Now with the impending lifting of mitigation orders — except the masking order — we are entering a...
$3.4M to fight blight coming to Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
Communities in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are receiving about a quarter of the combined $12 million in state grants to combat blight, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced. In Allegheny County, 23 municipalities and organizations are receiving about $2.1 million, while five in Westmoreland County are getting about $1.3 million. Projects...
Will Tony Moreno run as a Republican in Pittsburgh mayoral race?
Democratic Pittsburgh mayoral candidate Ed Gainey may face a Republican opponent in the fall, based on early results of write-in votes released Tuesday. Retired Pittsburgh police officer Tony Moreno, 51, of Brighton Heights, has received 1,379 Republican write-in votes thus far. Moreno ran a populist campaign as a Democrat, but...
South Park woman sues Dollar Bank, says it failed to protect her from multimillion dollar scam
A 79-year-old South Park woman is suing Dollar Bank for negligence, alleging that it failed to stop her from wiring millions of dollars to scammers. Mary Clayton made four wire transfers totaling $4.3 million to a cryptocurrency account in the summer of 2019 from a Dollar Bank branch, according to...
Biden asks U.S. intelligence officials to investigate covid-19 origin
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday asked U.S. intelligence officials to “redouble” their efforts to investigate the origins of the covid-19 pandemic, including the unlikely possibility that the origins of the virus trace to a Chinese lab. After months of minimizing the possibility as a fringe theory, the Biden...
8 dead in shooting at rail yard serving Silicon ValleyVideo
SAN JOSE, Calif. — An employee opened fire Wednesday at a California rail yard serving Silicon Valley, killing eight people before ending his own life, authorities said. The shooting took place around 6:30 a.m. in two buildings that are part of a light rail facility for the Valley Transportation Authority,...
Bethel Park couple contends in lawsuit that physical therapist infected them with covid
A Bethel Park couple is suing Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy Association and a therapist there, alleging that she failed to properly wear a mask when she visited their home in the fall and infected them with covid-19. John Boyle and Cheryl McKinney became so ill, they were both hospitalized,...
Allegheny County reports 5th straight day of covid cases under 100
Allegheny County on Wednesday reported its fifth straight day of double-digit covid cases — a streak the county hasn’t seen since October. According to the Allegheny County Health Department, there were 72 additional cases reported to raise the county’s total to 101,056. Totals for the previous four days were 62,...
Man gets 2 to 4 years for fatal McKeesport crash that killed his friend
A McKeesport man who was driving under the influence of marijuana in 2019 when he crashed and killed his friend in the passenger seat will spend two to four years in state prison. Jerry Hardy, 25, entered the plea agreement with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office on Wednesday —...
UPMC touts antibody treatment for covid-19
People who test positive for covid-19 should ask their health care providers about receiving monoclonal antibody treatment as soon as they are diagnosed, UPMC doctors said Wednesday. “Earlier is better. It is important for high-risk patients,” said Dr. Meredith Chuk, allocation, distribution and administration lead for the federal department of...
Cool temperatures, rain expected over Memorial Day weekend
Rain and cool temperatures may put a damper on the first half of Memorial Day weekend, before temperatures rise to the mid-70s by Monday. Pittsburgh has seen warm weather recently, with the high temperature Wednesday reaching 83 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. But those temperatures will drop for...
