Top Stories category, Page 1173
Allegheny County reports 2nd-lowest covid case total in past month
The Allegheny County Health Department on Wednesday reported its second-lowest covid-19 case total in the past month. The county added 158 new cases Wednesday. Only the 94 cases reported April 26 was lower. It’s also the second-lowest total dating back to March 15, when 124 were reported. The county’s coronavirus...
Woman who contracted covid, missed work sues nursing home for race and age discrimination
A 76-year-old nurse who had to miss work for more than three months after she contracted covid-19 is suing the Wilkinsburg nursing home that employed her for race and age discrimination. Yvonne Manns, who began working at Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on West Street in 2013, said in the...
Poll workers needed in some Allegheny County precincts as primary election prep continues
Election clerks are still needed in six municipalities and three of Pittsburgh’s wards, but most positions at polling places are filled and workers have been trained, Allegheny County Administrative Services Deputy Director Jessica Garofolo told the elections board Tuesday. Allegheny County Councilman Sam DeMarco said Tuesday he is concerned that...
Covid restrictions to lift, but businesses still finding hiring workers difficult
Businesses across the region welcomed Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement Tuesday lifting covid-19 restrictions by Memorial Day, but they expressed cautious optimism alongside frustration as they now face the challenge of filling job openings. “It should be great, but on the other hand, we’re all in the same boat looking for...
Canada authorizes Pfizer vaccine for age 12 to 16
TORONTO — Canada’s health regulator has authorized Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine for ages 12 and older. Dr. Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser at Health Canada, on Wednesday confirmed the decision for the ages to 12 to 15 and said it will help children return to a normal life. The vaccine was...
Covid vaccine appointments available today at Heinz Field
People seeking a covid-19 vaccination can get one Wednesday through a Giant Eagle-sponsored clinic at Heinz Field. Dick Roberts, spokesman for the O’Hara-based company, said appointments remain available at the event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Giant Eagle partnered with Pittsburgh Public Schools for the clinic, with a specific...
Safe at home: Pierogies will once again race inside PNC Park
The racing pierogies are back where many fans believe they belong. Cheese Chester, Sauerkraut Saul, Jalapeno Hannah, Bacon Burt and Oliver Onion will once again be participating in the “The Great Pittsburgh Pierogy Race” inside PNC Park starting Monday. Brian Warecki, Pirates senior vice president for communications, confirmed the races...
Facebook board upholds former President Trump’s suspension
SAN FRANCISCO — Former President Donald Trump won’t return to Facebook — for now. The social network’s quasi-independent Oversight Board voted to uphold his ban from the platform after his account was suspended four months ago for inciting violence that led to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. While upholding...
U.S. birth rate falls to lowest point in more than a century
NEW YORK — The U.S. birth rate fell 4% last year, the largest single-year decrease in nearly 50 years, according to a government report being released Wednesday. The rate dropped for moms of every major race and ethnicity, and in nearly age group, falling to the lowest point since federal...
Police: Boy shot in hand in McKees Rocks
A boy is recovering at a hospital after being shot in the hand in McKees Rocks. Allegheny County Police said they were notified of a shooting along Locust Street near McKee Street in the borough shortly after 9:15 p.m. Tuesday. First responders found the juvenile with a gunshot wound to...
Pittsburgh Planning Commission OKs plans for new FNB headquarters in Lower Hill District
The development of the former Civic Arena site in the Lower Hill District cleared another hurdle in approvals for its $1 billion plan. But it took more than five hours of testimony Tuesday at the Pittsburgh Planning Commission before the vote to approve the first phase of the project. It...
Derek Chauvin files for new trial, alleging prosecutorial and judicial misconduct
MINNEAPOLIS — Derek Chauvin’s defense on Tuesday moved to have the former Minneapolis police officer receive a new murder trial, alleging misconduct by prosecutors and the judge before guilty verdicts on murder and manslaughter charges were handed down two weeks ago. Defense attorney Eric Nelson said in the filing in...
North Allegheny employee cleans up in annual Custodian of the Year contestVideo
Creating a clean environment for school students and staff to learn and work is every custodian’s job. North Allegheny Intermediate School custodian Mike Heiry really knows how to clean up. He emerged from a field of 10 candidates to win this year’s Custodian of the Year title from Cintas, a...
North Allegheny teacher placed on leave; accused of dragging 6-year-old girl with Down syndrome
A teacher at North Allegheny’s Hosack Elementary School has been placed on administrative leave while McCandless police investigate allegations that a young girl with Down syndrome was dragged across the floor during an adaptive gym class. The district has not released details about the alleged incident or the teacher and...
Judge orders Justice Department to release Trump obstruction memo
WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ordered the release of a legal memorandum the Trump-era Justice Department prepared for then-Attorney General William Barr before he announced his conclusion that President Donald Trump had not obstructed justice during the Russia investigation. The Justice Department had refused to give the March 24,...
Pittsburgh man guilty of sharing child sex abuse videos online
A Pittsburgh-area man nabbed by the FBI pleaded guilty to distributing videos of child sex abuse and exploitation, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. George Goodwin, 49, is serving home detention pending his sentencing hearing after paying a $50,000 bond, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman said. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Ranjan...
Local bookstore White Whale and Strip District Terminal developer dispute failed deal for lease
A small crowd rallied outside White Whale Bookstore in Bloomfield on Tuesday, supporting the Pittsburgh shop’s dispute with a developer over a failed plan for a second location. In a series of tweets Monday afternoon, the independent, family-owned bookstore said that until recently, it had been planning to expand with...
House GOP leader amps up pressure on Liz Cheney over Trump barbsVideo
WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy stepped up pressure on No. 3 House Republican Liz Cheney on Tuesday, claiming rank-and-file concerns about “her ability to carry out her job” as she trades insults with former President Donald Trump. McCarthy’s comments on the Fox News Channel underscored the continued, if...
Black state trooper alleges racism at Greensburg barracks in federal lawsuit
A Black Pennsylvania State Police trooper said in a federal lawsuit Monday that the department’s Greensburg barracks is rife with racism — toward its employees and the public it serves — and that its leaders have done nothing to stop it. Among his experiences, Trooper Tavin Davis said a garden...
Pirates call Gov. Wolf lifting restrictions ‘exciting, welcomed news’ for fans at PNC Park
The Pittsburgh Pirates called Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement that the state’s covid-19 mitigation orders will be lifted on Memorial Day “exciting and welcomed news” for their fans and community. The Pirates, who weren’t permitted to have fans in attendance for their 30 home games last season, are following Wolf’s orders...
Scientists scramble to see why, in rare cases, even the vaccinated can get covid-19
Carey Alexander Washington, 80, a practicing clinical psychologist, called his daughter in January as soon as he received his first dose of the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine. “He was just so excited that he had gotten it,” said Tanya Washington, 49, a resident of Atlanta who works at an investment firm....
West Newton police, county detectives probe shooting
An area man was seriously injured when he was shot in the face during a confrontation early Tuesday at a home in West Newton, according to borough police and Westmoreland County detectives. The shooting occurred at a residence off of North 2nd Street just after midnight, according to police Chief...
Biden aims for vaccinating 70% of adult Americans by July 4Video
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday set a new vaccination goal to deliver at least one dose to 70% of adult Americans by July Fourth, focusing on easing access to shots as his administration tackles the vexing problem of winning over those reluctant to get inoculated. The new goal...
Wolf: Covid restrictions end Memorial Day; mask mandate ends when 70% of Pa. adults fully vaccinated
Pennsylvania plans to lift its covid-19 mitigation orders on Memorial Day, and Gov. Tom Wolf said the state’s masking order will be dropped once 70% of Pennsylvanians 18 and older are fully vaccinated. Mitigation measures that remain in effect until Memorial Day include capacity limits on restaurants, theaters, indoor and...
Declining covid hospitalization streak ends in Pa., Allegheny County
Recent covid hospitalization numbers have been declining for several straight days in the state and Allegheny County. But those streaks ended Tuesday, when both saw increases to its current covid hospitalization total. The state saw its first increase to its current covid hospitalization total after having 12 consecutive days of...
