Top Stories category, Page 1192

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will ask U.S. attorneys who were appointed by former President Donald Trump to resign from their posts, as the Biden administration moves to transition to its own nominees, a senior Justice Department official said Monday. But the U.S. attorney overseeing the federal tax probe involving...

Pittsburgh police are investigating the death of a woman in Lawrenceville Monday night. Officers responded to a report of a vehicle that struck a utility pole around 9 p.m. along the 4400 block of Davison Street, Public Safety spokesperson Maurice Matthews reported. It was there first responders discovered the driver...

The estate of a man who was run over by a bulldozer while being chased by Pennsylvania State Police for illegally growing a handful of pot plants is nearing settlement of its federal wrongful death lawsuit against the state. Gregory Longenecker, a 51-year-old short-order cook and Grateful Dead fan, had...

The number of Pennsylvanians hospitalized because of covid-19 continues to decline at a rapid pace. According to the latest data from OpenData PA, which tracks hospital numbers in the state, the number of patients hospitalized has dropped 12% in the past week and 46% in the past month. As of...

Some college students will be eligible for SNAP food benefits based on their family’s income, a change that is temporary but will open up the program for a swath of students who otherwise did not qualify for the support, Pennsylvania officials announced Monday. Under normal circumstances, federal rules dictate that...

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. A version of this story originally appeared in our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG — Members of Pennsylvania’s Gaming Control Board, whose responsibilities include meeting once or twice...

This is hardly an honor, but as of Monday Pennsylvania is in second place among the 50 states in terms of the number of its residents who are facing federal charges in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Texan ranked No. 1, with 21 defendants. Pennsylvania...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto issued a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday, calling for the state’s Department of Health to immediately prioritize the vaccination of teachers. His letter follows weeks of sluggishness in the state’s covid-19 vaccine rollout, including confusion and frustration from many educators in the region. Many...

A Ruffs Dale man was arrested on assault and robbery charges after police say he entered his 73-year-old grandmother’s home early Sunday and hit her with a cane after she refused to let him take her prescription pills. John S. Accipiter, 25, was arraigned on charges of harassment, resisting arrest,...

The owner of Brentwood’s Crack’d Egg restaurant has filed a motion for a stay pending an appeal to Commonwealth Court. The motion filed Friday said that a decision by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John McVay last week is contrary to a federal court ruling in September that found Gov....

Evidence is mounting that having covid-19 may not protect against getting infected again with some of the new variants. People also can get second infections with earlier versions of the coronavirus if they mounted a weak defense the first time, new research suggests. How long immunity lasts from natural infection...

Parents of schoolchildren learning from home shouldn’t necessarily count on reclaiming the dining room table any time soon. After seeing two academic years thrown off course by the pandemic, school leaders around the country are planning for the possibility of more distance learning next fall at the start of yet...

Never heard of Oram’s Donut Shop, you say? If you love doughnuts, you might want to acquaint yourself with it. The Beaver Falls bakery, which somehow often finds itself excluded from “best of” lists, landed on Food and Wine’s “The Best Doughnuts in Every State” rankings that were released Friday....

Only a fragment of Americans believe democracy is thriving in the U.S., even as broad majorities agree that representative government is one of the country’s bedrock principles, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Just 16% of Americans say democracy is working well...

GAINES TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A Michigan man who was fatally injured when a cannon exploded in a backyard during a baby shower was within 15 feet of the device when the blast occurred, police said. Evan Thomas Silva, 26, of Hartland, was struck by metal shrapnel in Saturday night’s explosion...

TAMPA, Fla. — So much for the mayor’s order requiring masks at Super Bowl parties. Videos went viral on social media, showing throngs of mostly maskless fans and packed sports bars as the clock inside Raymond James Stadium ticked down on a hometown Super Bowl win for the Tampa Bay...

Pennsylvania Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman officially launched his campaign for U.S. Senate on Monday. “Now, it’s my turn,” Fetterman said on Twitter early Monday morning. “Let’s get to work.” “This will be the most important Senate race in 2022, so we need to build as much early momentum as...

PennDOT reduced speed limits on several roads in the Pittsburgh region and urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel as snow made roads slick and treacherous Tuesday morning. PennDOT lifted speed limit restrictions shortly before 11 a.m. Speed limits had been reduced to 45 mph on all interstates and several other...

Pittsburgh singer Jimmy Sapienza – front-man of Jimmy Sapienza and Five Guys Named Moe – died Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. He was 71. “It is with the deepest regret to share with all of you that my husband Jimmy Sapienza unexpectedly passed away this afternoon with immediate family,” his wife,...

WPIAL football fans might recognize some familiar faces in the Super Bowl crowd at Raymond James Stadium. The NFL filled empty seats with cardboard cutouts Sunday night, and some featured football players who reached the WPIAL finals. Pine-Richland and Peters Township each tweeted to keep eyes open for cutouts of...