Top Stories category, Page 1158
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...
Former Sen. John Warner dies at 94, married Elizabeth Taylor
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Former Sen. John W. Warner of Virginia, a centrist Republican who served as Navy secretary and one of the Senate’s most influential military experts, has died at 94, his longtime chief of staff said Wednesday. Warner died Tuesday of heart failure at home in Alexandria, Virginia, with...
Earth’s shadow creeps across moon ahead of super blood moon
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Earth’s shadow crept across the moon on Wednesday night as people in New Zealand and around the world waited for a cosmic event known as a super blood moon. As the eclipse deepened, it appeared as though half the moon had vanished. The other half looked...
Rallies, moments of silence honor George Floyd a year later
MINNEAPOLIS — A family-friendly street festival, musical performances and moments of silence were held Tuesday to honor George Floyd and mark the year since he died at the hands of Minneapolis police, a death captured on wrenching bystander video that galvanized the racial justice movement and continues to bring calls...
On track: Pittsburgh’s Great Race returns
The Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race is back on course. The 44th annual running of the Richard Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race will be held in person this year. As is customary, the run occurs on the last Sunday of September. This year, that date is...
Arrest warrant issued for man charged in 2013 shooting of 15-month-old boy in East Hills
A second man faces charges for the deadly 2013 shooting that killed an infant at a family picnic in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, court records show. Marcus White Jr., whose nickname Baby Marcus became a rallying cry against gun violence after his killing, was 15 months old when multiple people...
Wind, hail risks with afternoon, evening storms
Damaging wind and large hail are the main risks with storms expected in the Pittsburgh area Wednesday afternoon into the early evening, according to the National Weather Service. Storms are expected to reach the general Pittsburgh area between 3 and 4 p.m., and move out by around 7 p.m., meteorologist...
Tarentum Bridge falcons a model of peregrine breeding success in Western Pa.
It’s been a good year for the state-endangered peregrine falcon in Southwestern Pennsylvania, with more nesting sites and chicks across the region. While there has been turbulence for the peregrines at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning, with mates being ousted by stronger competitors and some falcons going missing,...
St. Benedict the Moor moves to remote learning due to covid cases
Saint Benedict the Moor Elementary School in Pittsburgh’s Hill District will close through Memorial Day because of five positive covid cases in the past eight days. School families were notified of the situation and will be updated through the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. “With the unpredictable nature of covid-19 and...
Pittsburghers rally to remember George Floyd, others, 1 year after slayingVideo
They gathered in Pittsburgh to remember George Floyd one year after those nine agonizing minutes that changed the trajectory of a nation. By 6 p.m. Tuesday, between 50 and 60 people had assembled in Westinghouse Park in the city’s Point Breeze neighborhood for what would become a candlelight vigil for...
