Top Stories category, Page 1174
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...
Pittsburgh to consider restrictions on plastic bags
Pittsburgh City Council will be considering legislation to restrict single-use plastic bags under a resolution introduced Tuesday by Councilwoman Erika Strassburger. “It’s not the kind of product that should be used once and then thrown away,” Strassburger said. “If we’re truly going to have a circular economy, we have to...
Cash 5 ticket worth $200K sold at Hempfield store
A jackpot-winning Pennsylvania Lottery Cash 5 ticket was sold Monday at Rick’s Tobacco Outlet along Route 30 in Hempfield, state lottery officials said. The winning ticket, sold along with a Quick Cash ticket, was for Monday’s drawing and matched all five balls drawn, 3-7-22-29-36. The winner won $200,000 less withholding,...
One ritzy fundraiser shows how tough selling lobbying reform in Pa. will be
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 — For the first time, the Pennsylvania legislature’s top leaders are expected to throw their weight behind reining in the...
1 killed, 1 hurt in Fayette crash
A Uniontown woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Fayette County Monday and a man was seriously injured, according to state police. Linda L. Lewis, 76, was pronounced dead at the scene on Morgantown Road in South Union. She was the passenger in a car being driven by Bernard...
Son of Holocaust survivors, designer of Berlin’s Jewish Museum chosen to lead Tree of Life rebuildVideo
The son of Holocaust survivors will help rebuild the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill, the congregation’s board of trustees announced Tuesday, 2½ years after the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in the country. Daniel Libeskind was selected unanimously by the Tree of Life - Or L’Simcha board of trustees to...
Mexico City metro overpass collapses onto road; 23 dead
MEXICO CITY — An elevated section of the Mexico City metro collapsed and sent a subway car plunging toward a busy boulevard late Monday, killing at least 23 people and injuring about 70, city officials said. Rescuers searched a car left dangling from the overpass for hours for anyone who...
FBI: Officers shoot armed man outside CIA headquarters
A man was shot Monday outside CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., after he “emerged from his vehicle with a weapon,” according to an FBI statement. The man attempted to drive into the campus without any access and was stopped by armed guards who operate the gates, according to reports. The...
Hundreds rally at Pine-Richland board meeting calling for fired coach to be reinstatedVideo
Hundreds of supporters of Pine-Richland’s ousted head football coach Eric Kasperowicz rallied outside the district’s administrative office, during Monday’s school board meeting, to call for his reinstatement. The sometimes boisterous crowd broke out in chants of “We Are P-R” and jeered as school directors arrived for the monthly planning session,...
Vandergrift gives no update on police conduct investigation
Vandergrift residents didn’t get an answer on whether a borough police officer accused of unprofessional conduct will remain on the force, nor did they get any update on the borough’s investigation Monday. Instead, borough officials adjourned to an executive session to speak about the matter privately, saying later only that...
FDA expected to OK Pfizer vaccine for teens within week
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine for young adults age 12 and older by next week, according to a federal official and a person familiar with the process, setting up shots for many before the beginning of the next school year....
‘Getting Pittsburgh Vaccinated’ and other Facebook groups offer neighborly resources
Leighann Bacher started the Facebook page “Getting Pittsburgh Vaccinated” with a few other women, thinking she might share some resources with other residents of Hampton. Four months later, the page has nearly 40,000 members. After making her own vaccine appointment and helping members of her family do the same, she...
Bill and Melinda Gates announce they are ending marriageVideo
SEATTLE — Bill and Melinda Gates announced Monday that they are divorcing. The Microsoft co-founder and his wife, who launched the world’s largest charitable foundation, said they would continue to work together at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In identical tweets, they said they had made the decision to...
Penn Township man to serve up to 40 years in prison for firing rifle at police
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday said he had no choice but to sentence a Penn Township man to serve up to 40 years in prison for shooting at police during a 2016 standoff. But, even without a state legislative mandatory minimum sentencing requirement in place, Judge Scott Mears said...
Biden lifts Trump refugee cap after delay backlashVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday formally raised the nation’s cap on refugee admissions to 62,500 this year, weeks after facing bipartisan blowback for his delay in replacing the record-low ceiling set by former President Donald Trump. Refugee resettlement agencies have waited for Biden to quadruple the number of...
Bethel Park School District employee charged with having guns on district property
A Bethel Park School District security guard was arrested Monday morning and charged with having firearms on school grounds, according to Bethel Park police Chief Timothy O’Connor. Bernard Switala, 43, of Bethel Park was taken into custody at the high school on a separate Allegheny County police warrant when officers...
Hempfield Area plans vaccine clinic for students 16 and older
Hempfield Area School District students may receive their first dose of the covid-19 vaccine during a clinic Tuesday at the high school field house. Other clinics are planned this month for students across the region. Shots of the Pfizer vaccine will be administered from 3 to 7 p.m. in Hempfield...
Pa. Supreme Court picks former Pitt chancellor to chair powerful redistricting commission
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — A former University of Pittsburgh chancellor will chair the committee...
Plans for redevelopment of Civic Arena site set for approval
The Pittsburgh Planning Commission on Tuesday will consider approving plans for the first phase of development of the former Civic Arena site in the city’s Hill District. The plans are centered on a 24-story, $200 million office tower that will be the new headquarters for FNB Corp. Construction on the...
Mother pushes child to safety as car slams into Hempfield homeVideo
A 2-year-old boy escaped injury Monday after his quick-thinking mother pushed him out of the path of a car barreling into the front of their Hempfield home. Amanda Clark said the boy was standing at the glass storm door looking out at Sells Lane around 12:30 p.m. while she was...
Pittsburgh council, activists to talk about ‘mass displacement’ of Black residents
A former Penn Plaza resident who was displaced when the East Liberty apartment building was razed in 2017 is part of a group seeking acknowledgement from Pittsburgh leaders that Black people are leaving the city in large numbers. “This is an injustice,” said Randall Taylor, who now lives in Homewood...
