Top Stories category, Page 1179
Pine-Richland taps former Brentwood school director now living in district to fill board vacancy
The Pine-Richland School Board on Tuesday selected a former Brentwood school director who moved into the district 1 1/2 years ago to fill a vacancy created when a school director resigned amid the recent community uproar over the district’s decision to fire its championship winning football coach. The board spent...
Allegheny County Council creates police review board
A divided Allegheny County Council on Tuesday approved creating an independent police review board. The board won’t be created until 2022 and it will only have jurisdiction over Allegheny County Police Department. Other municipalities with police departments in the county can opt-in to the board’s oversight, but that move would...
Democrats pressing Biden to go even bigger with families planVideo
Democratic lawmakers are clamoring to add to President Joe Biden’s package of social spending even before he rolls it out on Wednesday, risking a ballooning price tag and adding to the complications already facing the White House in getting it through Congress. From taxes to expanding Medicare to subsidizing child...
Man charged with duping Western Pennsylvanians in online puppy scam
A Cameroonian man has been extradited to Pittsburgh to answer charges that he was running an online scam purporting to sell puppies. Desmond Fodje Bobga had an initial appearance on the charges on Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maureen Kelly. He is being held in the Allegheny County Jail and...
Pennsylvania’s ‘Move Over’ law now in effect for motorists
It’s a familiar situation for drivers: They see a stopped vehicle in the emergency lane on the right side of the road, with a police officer or first responder providing aid. For safety reasons, drivers in the right-hand lane have been encouraged to slow down or, ideally, to move to...
Western Pa. health experts: Relaxed mask rules ‘long overdue’
Health experts in Western Pennsylvania said it’s no surprise outdoor mask-wearing is no longer part of federal health guidance. From the beginning of the pandemic, data has shown outdoor transmission of covid-19 to be a rare event. “I think that this was a long overdue step, but it was completely...
Real ID deadline extended again
The Real ID has again been postponed — until 2023. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced the extension of Real ID enforcement from Oct. 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023. The decision was based on “circumstances resulting from the ongoing covid-19 pandemic,” the DHS said in a statement....
Pittsburgh police release 2020 annual report; chief pledges transparency, accountability
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police released the department’s annual report on Tuesday, a 169-page document giving a breakdown of everything from the race and gender of the city’s victims and offenders to the number of lawsuits filed and settled against the department and individual officers. Chief Scott Schubert called 2020...
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro condemns Vandergrift police officer’s conduct
Pennsylvania’s top law enforcement official condemned Vandergrift police Officer William Moore’s conduct during a police call this month, saying the officer “should not be trusted” to carry out the duties of his job. Footage of the April 17 incident that started inside G&G Restaurant was taken by a Black patron...
Pittsburgh officials seek authority to set lower speed limits
Finding ways to get motorists to slow down on residential streets has been a longtime issue in Pittsburgh. City council members Tuesday took action to lobby for more authority to decrease speed limits in some neighborhoods. It’s something they’re not allowed to do under state law. “We know that slower...
ATI changes contract proposal following expiration of offer to United Steelworkers
As promised, Allegheny Technologies Inc. has changed its contract offer to the United Steelworkers after the striking union did not accept the company’s proposal by a Monday deadline. ATI had given the union until 5 p.m. Monday to accept the four-year offer made April 20 or else it would replace...
Pittsburgh council introduces legislation to help LGBTQIA+ businesses
Pittsburgh’s LGBTQIA+ business owners will be able to register on the city’s online procurement platform and will gain access to business development and trainings under legislation introduced Tuesday by city council members Erika Strassburger and Bruce Kraus. “This bill represents one more step in our march toward equity here in...
CDC says many Americans can now go outside without a mask
NEW YORK — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its guidelines Tuesday on the wearing of masks outdoors, saying fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to cover their faces anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers. And those who are unvaccinated can go outside without masks...
Covid vaccine clinic held at Westmoreland courthouseVideo
As many as 600 coronavirus vaccines were administered Tuesday at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg. The clinic, open to county employees, their families and the general public, was held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Hayden’s Pharmacy in Youngwood oversaw the operation. Hayden’s owner Ed Christofano said about 200...
Allegheny, Westmoreland covid hospitalizations down more than 15% from last week
Covid hospitalizations have been trending in a positive direction recently for the state and local counties. New covid data show that from last week to Tuesday, hospitalizations in Pennsylvania as well as Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have decreased somewhat significantly. Hospitalizations Pennsylvania saw a sixth consecutive day of decrease to...
UPS stock hits all-time high on soaring demand for delivery
NEW YORK — Small businesses in the U.S. fueled demand for delivery, helping UPS post better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the first quarter of the year. That sent the company’s stock to an all-time high Tuesday morning. UPS is one of the few companies that benefited from the pandemic as...
Police say Irwin woman stabbed man after he took her vodka
An Irwin woman is accused by police of stabbing a man with a kitchen knife after he took her bottle of vodka. Donna L. Rich, 55, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment in the incident at an apartment in the 500 block of Walnut Street in the...
Mike Lange to make temporary return to Penguins broadcast
Mike Lange had homework to do Monday night. For a few nights, in fact. Having been on hiatus as a precaution because of the pandemic, Lange listened to his temporary replacement, Josh Getzoff, aptly handle the duties as the play-by-play radio broadcaster for the Penguins’ first 49 games of the...
Hempfield casino and restaurant owners deny discrimination allegations
A spokesman for the owners of Live! Casino and Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar denied a former employee’s allegations of racial discrimination at the restaurant located inside the Hempfield casino at Westmoreland Mall. “Live! Casino Pittsburgh and Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar are proud of the jobs we...
Here come the 80s: Wild weather not unusual for April, experts say
The tail end of April has been both lion and lamb in terms of weather. A little less than a week ago, Southwestern Pennsylvania recorded more than an inch of snowfall and a low temperature of a balmy 32 degrees. About 1.6 inches fell, according to the National Weather Service,...
Gypsy moth spraying set for gamelands in eastern Westmoreland
Parts of a 2,472-acre piece of game lands in eastern Westmoreland County likely will be sprayed sometime between the middle-to-the-end of next week to prevent the infestation of leaf-eating gypsy moths, which damage trees and impact wildlife habitat, the state said Monday. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is targeting blocks of...
In fight against covid, Biden looks for path back to normal
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden spent his first 100 days in office encouraging Americans to mask up and stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus. His task for the next 100 days will be to lay out the path back to normal. When he entered office, Biden moved...
Biden signs $15 minimum wage for federal contract workers
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for federal contractors, providing a pay bump to hundreds of thousands of workers. Biden administration officials said that the higher wages would lead to greater worker productivity, offsetting any additional costs...
2 grants boost plans for Westmoreland County War on Terror memorial plaza
Two grants totaling $285,000 brought a local nonprofit closer to developing the Westmoreland County War on Terror Healing Garden and Memorial Plaza at Twin Lakes Park. Westmoreland County Veterans of the War on Terror Inc. announced Monday it received a $10,000 Green Gift to Celebrate Earth Day grant from Noble...
Winning Powerball ticket sold at Braddock market
Someone is a little richer after a Powerball ticket worth $150,000 was sold at an Allegheny County market, according to lottery officials. The winning ticket sold at Al’s Market in Braddock matched four of the five numbers drawn Saturday as well as the Powerball number. The Braddock Avenue market gets...
