Top Stories category, Page 1162
Technical issue, ballot reviews cause reporting delay of Westmoreland election results
It took more than 22 hours after Westmoreland County polls closed Tuesday night before complete unofficial results from the hundreds of primary races were posted to the county’s website. Updated results to reflect totals from all 307 precincts and the nearly 13,000 mail-in ballots that arrived at the courthouse by...
‘Better and better’: Allegheny County officials hopeful as covid numbers dropVideo
Allegheny County officials took an optimistic tone during a virtual news conference Wednesday, as they predicted the county is “near the end of the pandemic.” “We’re seeing better and better results,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. Dr. Debra Bogen, health director, said Allegheny County is now averaging less than 130...
Here’s why some experts believe Bill Peduto lost Pittsburgh’s mayoral primary
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto may have been too complacent in his bid for a third term leading the city, political analysts say, as he fell short in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. The mayor also was hurt by a national trend against incumbents that played out locally during the primary election. State...
Pennsylvania casinos top $400 million for 2nd consecutive month
For the second consecutive month, revenue streams at Pennsylvania casinos topped $400 million, according to a report from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Combined gambling revenues totaled more than $404.1 million in April. That’s up significantly from the $46.1 million seen in April 2020, when non-life-sustaining businesses were forced to...
35 Republicans buck Trump, back commission of Jan. 6 Capitol riotVideo
WASHINGTON — Thirty-five House Republicans joined Democrats Wednesday in voting to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, risking the wrath of former President Donald Trump and flouting GOP leaders who condemned the proposal as unfairly partisan and unneeded. The Republican mavericks were led...
Incumbent Pittsburgh council members edge challengers in Democratic primary
Two of the four Pittsburgh City Council races were contested in Tuesday’s primary election. Unlike the mayoral race, where Bill Peduto failed in a re-election bid, the council races saw the incumbents move on with two-to-one support. Council President Theresa Kail-Smith defeated challenger Jacob Williamson in the District 2 race...
Wife of former Pagans gang leader denies knowing Penn Township double murder suspect
The wife of Dennis “Rooster” Katona, the former national president of the Pagans Motorcycle Club, said Wednesday neither she nor her husband knows why Victor F. Steban repeatedly mentioned Rooster’s name as Steban was arraigned Tuesday in the shooting deaths of a Penn Township couple. “We don’t know Victor Steban,...
Activists praise vote that bans solitary at Allegheny County Jail
Over just 10 weeks, volunteers working with a consortium of groups and Alliance for Police Accountability collected more than 45,000 signatures to get a question on Allegheny County’s ballot: Should jail officials be prohibited from using solitary confinement, the restraint chair and chemical agents on those incarcerated there? The answer,...
Pa. woman charged in Capitol riot recorded saying she wanted to ‘hang’ Nancy PelosiVideo
Two McKean County residents were charged Tuesday in connection with their participation in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Pauline Bauer, of Kane, organized a bus trip to the “Stop the Steal” rally that day in Washington, D.C., according to the FBI. She then illegally entered the Capitol,...
$1 million scratch-off ticket sold in UPMC Mercy Gift Shop
A scratch-off ticket winning $1 million was sold in the UPMC Mercy Gift Shop, the Pennsylvania Lottery said Wednesday. The ticket was for Mining for Millions, a $20 game that offers five top prizes of $1 million. So far, four $1 million prizes remain, according to the state lottery website....
‘You can’t stop progress’: Black residents see Ed Gainey’s win as one for all of PittsburghVideo
In 2013, the day after Mayor Bill Peduto was elected in a lopsided general election, Jerome Jackson said he was optimistic. That optimism came in part from Peduto’s promises to Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. Jackson, the head of the nonprofit Operation Better Block, said at the time that if Peduto didn’t...
Pennsylvania surpasses 9,000 covid deaths in 2021, as new cases continue to drop
As new covid cases throughout Pennsylvania continued to decrease, the state on Wednesday surpassed 9,000 deaths recorded in 2021. The Allegheny County Health Department reported 93 additional covid cases Wednesday, bringing its total to 100,460. The county’s seven-day average of new cases dropped to 128, its lowest since 118 on...
Leslie Rossi, creator of Trump House, holds 2-1 margin in 59th District special election
Unofficial returns Wednesday showed Republican Leslie Rossi holding a 2-1 lead in the special election to fill a vacancy in the 59th legislative district, even as the final count for four of 41 precincts in Westmoreland County remained unreported. Unofficial returns from the district that spans 42 precincts in eastern...
Pa. voters backed curtailing Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency powers in a win for Republican lawmakers
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan 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 — Pennsylvania voters have approved two ballot questions that would curtail the governor’s emergency powers, a victory for Republican lawmakers...
The Carlton Restaurant in Downtown Pittsburgh to close
After nearly four decades, The Carlton Restaurant in Downtown Pittsburgh will close. “I offer my deepest and most heartful appreciation to the city of Pittsburgh, and the patrons who made the last 37 years so memorable,” owner Kevin Joyce said in a statement. “Our customers are our family, and we...
5-alarm Gulf Tower fire under control; no injuries reported
A basement fire forced the evacuation of Downtown Pittsburgh’s Gulf Tower on Wednesday. Callers reported smoke and fire to 911 about 9:23 a.m., said Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Chief Darryl Jones, and fire crews were on the scene five minutes later. The call rose to five alarms because of the...
How to ease out of mortgage forbearance, avoid foreclosure
American homeowners were given more opportunity to hit pause on their mortgage payments because of the financial ravages of the pandemic, but that relief is slowly coming to an end. About 3 million people are behind on their mortgage, the most at any time since the Great Recession, according to...
Israel’s Netanyahu ‘determined’ to continue Gaza offensive
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to press ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, pushing back against calls from the United States to wind down the operation that has left hundreds dead. Netanyahu’s tough comments marked the first public rift...
TV Q&A: What is going on at KDKA-TV?
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Q: What is going on with KDKA-TV? All these young women newscasters — and a few young men, too. There are so many. The good ones...
Victim of early morning fatal shooting in Mt. Oliver identified; tips on suspects sought
Allegheny County police are seeking information from the public in connection with a fatal shooting in Mt. Oliver early Wednesday morning. The shooting was reported to Allegheny County 911 at 12:13 a.m. in the 500 block of Brownsville Road. First responders found a 29-year-old man dead at the scene. The...
15 candidates to square off in November for 9 seats on Allegheny County Common Pleas Court
Fifteen people will face each other in November’s general election to win a seat on Allegheny County’s Court of Common Pleas, according to unofficial election results reported late Tuesday. With nine vacancies out of 43 positions on the bench, this year’s judicial election has a chance to change the makeup...
New York attorney general says Trump Organization probe is now criminal
NEW YORK — The New York attorney general’s office said Tuesday that it is conducting a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump’s business empire, expanding what had previously been a civil probe. “We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the company is no longer purely civil...
Mylant leads Murphy in GOP balloting for Unity supervisor
Republican voters appeared to favor incumbent John Mylant over challenger Doug Murphy in Tuesday’s primary battle for Unity supervisor. Mylant had about 64% of the vote, with all precincts reporting. He had received 1,929 votes to 1,071 for Murphy, according to unofficial returns. Mylant, 58, is completing his second six-year...
Ed Gainey defeats Bill Peduto as incumbent concedes in Pittsburgh mayoral primaryVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto conceded defeat to state Rep. Ed Gainey in a four-way Democratic primary race for mayor, positioning Gainey to become the first Black mayor in the city’s history. With 393 of the city’s 402 voting precincts reporting results around 1:15 a.m., Gainey had received about 46.2% of...
Giant Eagle to allow fully vaccinated customers, staff to go maskless
Giant Eagle will not require fully vaccinated shoppers or workers to wear masks at its supermarkets and GetGo locations starting Monday, company officials announced. Company spokesman Dick Roberts explained the move via press release Tuesday evening. “Throughout the covid-19 pandemic, we have taken every opportunity to safeguard the health and...
