Top Stories category, Page 1164
Pennsylvania’s largest teachers union in favor of in-person return
HARRISBURG — The president of Pennsylvania’s largest teachers union expressed support Monday for in-person instruction in the fall, calling it a “top priority” now that many teachers have been vaccinated and older children have become eligible for the covid-19 shot. “As more students are vaccinated over the summer, we believe...
Supreme Court abortion case: Here’s what it all means
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide a major abortion case that could dramatically alter decades of rulings on abortion rights and eventually lead to dramatic restrictions on abortion access. It’s been nearly 50 years since the court announced in its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision...
Confused about CDC’s guidance about masks? Here’s what you need to know
The government’s new guidance on masks for vaccinated people has left some Americans confused and sent businesses and states scrambling to adjust their rules. Target and CVS on Monday became the latest retailers to say vaccinated shoppers and workers don’t have to wear masks in stores. New York said it...
‘It’s a personal choice’: Western Pa. residents have mixed reactions to mask guidelinesVideo
Since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, some have embraced face masks while others resisted them. Even now that the CDC says fully vaccinated people can go mask-free in many public settings, masks remain the topic of much debate. In Pennsylvania, the mask mandate now requires fully vaccinated people wear...
Coronavirus vaccines for homebound individuals underway in WestmorelandVideo
It was as if a higher power had something to do with getting a coronavirus vaccine into Greg McNaughton’s New Alexandria home on Monday. “Ave Maria” played on the television in McNaughton’s room while his left arm was injected with the vaccine by Lorenzo Garino, director of operations with Mutual...
Springdale High School baseball coach enters batterer’s intervention program
Springdale High School baseball coach Brett Burger on Monday agreed in court to enter a batterer’s intervention program in exchange for dismissal of criminal charges connected to an April incident involving a woman. At a preliminary hearing before Harmar District Judge David Sosovicka, Burger’s attorney David Chontos said Burger has...
Teen testifies to sexual relationship with ex-Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, says initial contact was ‘super cool’
A 17-year-old girl testified Monday she thought it was “super cool” when Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Felipe Vazquez responded to her social media message in which she wished him a happy birthday in July 2017. Six weeks later, with her parents away for the day, Vazquez had sex with her...
Pennsylvania’s covid report dips under 1,000 for 1st time in over 7 months
It hasn’t happened since Oct. 5. That’s the last time Pennsylvania’s daily covid report showed fewer than 1,000 new cases. On Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health added just 872 new cases. It’s been 225 days since the state posted such a low number — adding 672 on Oct. 5....
Victims ID’d in Penn Township double homicide, police find stolen vehicle 5 miles away
A man and woman were fatally shot at a Penn Township home Monday, and a Toyota Tacoma taken from the scene was found abandoned in Manor hours later, according to investigators. Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck identified the victims as Jacob R. Erdeljac, 41, and Mara Casale, 27. They...
Pittsburgh Fourth of July fireworks show returning
Pittsburgh’s Independence Day celebration will return this year, and other summertime events may also resume as coronavirus restrictions are eased, the city announced Monday. The traditional gathering at Point State Park will include patriotic music and food vendors from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., with the fireworks starting at dusk....
Supreme Court to weigh rollback of abortion rights
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Monday it would hear a major challenge to the reach of the landmark Roe vs. Wade abortion ruling and decide whether states may bar nearly all abortions after 15 weeks of a pregnancy. The justices said they had voted to hear an appeal from...
Covid relief continues: Here’s how parents can get a monthly tax payment this summer
WASHINGTON — Eligible parents can get up to $300 per child from Washington as a monthly tax payment starting July 15, the Treasury Department said Monday. That means the 2020 tax return that’s due to be filed by the end of Monday with the Internal Revenue Service now could determine...
Republican Lou Barletta to run for Pennsylvania governor
HARRISBURG — Lou Barletta, the Republican Party’s Donald Trump-endorsed nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018, is running for governor of Pennsylvania. Barletta, 65, becomes the most prominent figure to enter a 2022 governor’s race that Republicans have won every time in the past half-century when there is an outgoing Democratic...
Gun malfunction kills 1 at Pa. shooting range
One man is dead and another man has been injured after a handgun malfunction Saturday at a shooting range in Lackawanna County. Robert Hamm, 61, of Berwick handed his handgun to another man to shoot at the State Game Lands Shooting Range in Archbald, WNEP is reporting. The other man...
Western Pa. universities weigh covid vaccine requirements for fall
Leaders at colleges and universities in Western Pennsylvania are grappling with how to safely restart classes in the fall — specifically, if requiring covid vaccination should be part of that strategy. Carnegie Mellon University announced last week that it would require students to get a vaccine before returning to campus....
Highlands students rally behind English teacher battling brain cancer
Kurt Landsberg holds a long list of titles: husband, father, longtime soccer coach and beloved English teacher at Highlands High School. He recently added another: cancer patient. Landsberg, 47, of Springdale, was diagnosed in late March with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. After Landsberg began experiencing issues with...
Second Amendment sanctuaries facing 1st court test in Oregon
SALEM, Ore. — The first court test of whether local governments can ban police from enforcing certain gun laws is playing out in a rural Oregon county, one of a wave of U.S. counties declaring itself a Second Amendment sanctuary. The measure that voters in the logging area of Columbia...
AP’s top editor calls for independent investigation into Israeli airstrikeVideo
WASHINGTON — The Associated Press’ top editor on Sunday called for an independent investigation into the Israeli airstrike that targeted and destroyed a Gaza City building housing the AP, broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other media, saying the public deserves to know the facts. Separately, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders asked the...
Victim of Homewood fatal shooting identified as 17-year-old from Verona
Authorities have identified the victim of a fatal shooting in Homewood on Sunday afternoon. Police responded to a reported shooting at around 3:40 p.m. on the 7900 block of Frankstown Avenue on the border of the city’s Homewood and East Hills neighborhoods, according to a Tweet from Pittsburgh Public Safety....
New bishop presides at first maskless Mass at Saint Vincent Basilica
In yet another sign that the world is beginning to reopen from the covid-19 pandemic, Bishop Larry Kulick of the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg celebrated Mass without a mask Sunday for the first time in more than a year. The occasion was a visit to the Saint Vincent Basilica Parish...
As GOP restricts voting, Democrats move to expand access
Last year, for the first time in more than a quarter-century, Democrats in Virginia took control of the statehouse and the governor’s mansion. Since then, one priority has become clear: expanding voting rights. Once home to the capital of the Confederacy, Virginia has made Election Day a state holiday, repealed...
CDC’s big mask change went from science to secret to surprise
WASHINGTON — For a nation mired in a pandemic for more than a year, the biggest step toward a return to normal came suddenly, even to President Joe Biden. After warning the country on Monday to stay vigilant amid the threat of coronavirus variants, the president found himself three days...
Afghan cease-fire ends amid calls for fresh peace talks
KABUL, Afghanistan — A three-day cease-fire marked by violent attacks — most claimed by the Islamic State group — ended Sunday in Afghanistan amid calls for renewed peace talks between the government and Taliban. Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the negotiating teams of the government and the Islamic Emirate,...
Israel stages new round of heavy airstrikes on Gaza CityVideo
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli warplanes unleashed a series of heavy airstrikes at several locations of Gaza City early Monday, hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled the fourth war with Gaza’s Hamas rulers would rage on. Explosions rocked the city from north to south for 10 minutes...
Police: Coraopolis man falls to his death on West Carson Street
Pittsburgh police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a man’s fatal fall early Sunday morning on the South Side. Authorities say they responded to a report of a fall about 4:20 a.m. in the 1200 block of West Carson Street. The man was identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office...
