Top Stories category, Page 1199
Police: Attempted fake drug test leads to new charges against New Stanton man
A New Stanton man was charged Thursday after police said he used a homemade device to simulate urination as part of a botched attempt to falsify a drug test at the Westmoreland County Courthouse. Dennis Shank, 43, was charged by Park Police with a misdemeanor count of furnishing drug-free urine...
Jeannette woman’s turnaround not enough to avoid jail time in overdose death
A former Hempfield woman told a judge on Thursday she never really knew the man who died from the drugs she sold him in 2019, but, in the two years since his overdose, she got sober, got married, gave birth to a daughter and has turned her life around. Hollie...
Allegheny County’s new vaccine registration system opens
The Allegheny County Health Department’s new vaccine registration system, designed to make registering for an appointment easier, is officially open to the public. The department announced the new system was on the way last week and began a “soft launch” earlier this week. Individuals seeking a vaccine appointment through the...
‘Hang on and do what works’: Excela’s top doctor talks vaccines, safety as covid restrictions are set to easeVideo
New coronavirus cases are on the rise once again in Westmoreland County, and with more reopenings statewide coming Sunday, Excela Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carol Fox is on edge. Some alcohol-related restrictions will be lifted by state officials this weekend and restaurants and other businesses can increase their capacity...
Latrobe woman arrested on new drug counts after city detective serves warrant
A Latrobe woman wanted on charges of selling a small amount of methamphetamine to a police informant last month was apprehended walking downtown this week as she carried more than a brick of heroin and suspected cocaine, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, according to court documents. Megan M. Ashbaugh, 26, was...
Pennsylvania saw upswing in covid cases, hospitalizations in March
Covid-19 cases in Pennsylvania took an upswing in March, though nothing like what was experienced last fall through the beginning of this year. The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday reported 3,893 additional cases; and the seven-day average of cases in the state ticked up to 4,073. The seven-day total...
Pizzaiolo Primo to reopen in Market Square
A popular Downtown Pittsburgh restaurant that closed during the pandemic is reopening. Pizzaiolo Primo, an Italian eatery in Market Square, will reopen with takeout food available by mid-April. In-house dining is scheduled to begin May 1. The restaurant, which closed last December, has been purchased by the Ron Sofranko Group....
Defense in Tree of Life case asks whether government knew about Bowers’ online rhetoric prior to shootingVideo
Defense attorneys for the man charged with the Tree of Life killings are asking federal prosecutors to produce any evidence that the government monitored their client’s anti-Semitic online activity in the months leading up to the 2018 mass shooting. In a motion filed Tuesday, lawyers for Robert Bowers wrote that...
How much is your town slated to get from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan?
The American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion stimulus package signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, includes funding for counties and local municipalities. The money, which will be sent in two batches, must be spent by the end of 2024 on projects that include reimbursement and expenses...
Pfizer shot remains more than 91% effective after 6 months
Pfizer Inc.’s covid-19 vaccine remained highly effective after six months, according to new long-term results that the company said could be used to seek an expansion of its regulatory status. Follow-up data from a final-stage trial of 46,307 people showed the vaccine was 91.3% effective in preventing symptomatic cases starting...
Gunman in Southern California mass shooting knew his victims
ORANGE, Calif. — The gunman who killed four people and critically wounded a fifth at a Southern California office building knew all the victims and apparently before opening fire chained shut the gates to two entrances, delaying police from getting inside, authorities said Thursday. Among the victims of the “horrific...
Apollo couple accused of repeatedly abusing child, sometimes with Taser shocks
A couple is accused by Apollo police of abusing a young teen with a Taser. On Monday, Apollo police charged suspects Dawn Marie Callender, 33, of Chicora, and Joshua Michael Hetrick, 41, of Bethel Township, with felony charges including aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and use of...
Pittsburgh man charged in death of Carnegie Mellon classmate in Hawaii
Three men embroiled in a manslaughter case in Hawaii — including the victim, the man accused of killing him, and another charged and released — all graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business last year. Benjamin P. Fleming, 37, of Pittsburgh, is charged with manslaughter and is being...
Brackenridge couple without insurance lose home, pets to fire
Regina Strobel stood outside what was left of her Brackenridge home in a misty rain Wednesday, a day after it was destroyed by fire. She had been inside looking for anything she could salvage. She found a few pieces of much-needed clothing and a couple mementos. She wasn’t able to...
Pittsburgh tourist charged in fatal Hawaii vacation rental fight
HONOLULU — A tourist from Pittsburgh has been charged with manslaughter after a deadly fight in a Hawaii vacation rental, police said. A second tourist from Boston who had been arrested was released with no charges filed, police on the Big Island said Wednesday. Police were called to a Kailua-Kona...
Covid-19 pushed total U.S. deaths beyond 3.3 million last year
The covid-19 pandemic pushed total U.S. deaths last year beyond 3.3 million, the nation’s highest annual death toll, the government reported Wednesday. The coronavirus caused about 375,000 deaths, and was the third leading cause of death in 2020, after heart disease and cancer. Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. now top...
Extended hours announced for Westmoreland, Monroeville malls
More than a year after the covid-19 pandemic first impacted Westmoreland and Monroeville malls, both locations are set to return to more normal hours. Starting Thursday, hours at both malls will be extended to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, mall officials announced. The malls are currently open...
Braddock Mayor Chardae Jones spurns John Fetterman, endorses Rep. Kenyatta for SenateVideo
Braddock Mayor Chardae Jones on Wednesday endorsed state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta in next year’s U.S. Senate race over her predecessor and fellow resident, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. “When it comes to his beliefs against fracking and his involvement in mental health policy it was a no-brainer to endorse Rep. Malcolm...
In Pittsburgh visit, Biden unveils $2 trillion American Jobs Plan
President Joe Biden traveled to suburban Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon to unveil a $2.3 trillion plan intended to revive the nation’s pandemic-battered economy through new infrastructure and transportation-related projects around the country. Biden deemed his newly released American Jobs Plan to be the greatest American investment “since we built the...
Bogen: Allegheny County has the ‘foundation for a surge’
A significant increase in people ignoring mitigation strategies coupled with more covid-19 variant cases has left Allegheny County with a “foundation for a surge,” said Dr. Debra Bogen, Health Department director. “We are back to where we were in mid-January,” she said. During a virtual news briefing Wednesday, Bogen said...
Pitt issues shelter-in-place order amid covid surge
The University of Pittsburgh will increase public health restrictions to its Oakland campus today at 9 p.m., following several days of high covid-19 case numbers. In posts on social media, the university instituted a shelter-in-place period beginning at 9 p.m., which will remain in place “until the (Covid-19 Medical Response...
Allegheny County surpasses 1,000 covid deaths linked to nursing homes
Allegheny County surpassed 1,000 covid deaths associated with long-term care facilities, according to data updated Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Data shows three additional deaths in nursing homes or personal care homes, bringing the county’s total to 1,002 since the pandemic began last March. Allegheny County has the...
Tarentum Bridge, Route 28 projects could cause headaches for motorists
Motorists using the Tarentum Bridge can expect 15-minute rolling closures later this spring and a 16-day closure of the bridge in the summer as part of a $3.2 million project to improve the intersection with Freeport Road, PennDOT officials said Wednesday. PennDOT is working with local officials to ease the...
Pandemic increased pace of I-579 cap project in Pittsburgh, officials say
Building a cap on top of a highway in Downtown Pittsburgh presented its own set of challenges, PennDOT officials said Wednesday. But the $30 million cap project over Interstate 579, commonly called the Crosstown Expressway, that will link the Hill District to Downtown Pittsburgh actually benefited from the decreased traffic...
Pennsylvania reports 4,000+ covid cases for 4th time in a week
Pennsylvania on Wednesday reported its fourth day in the past week with covid-19 case totals above 4,000. The state health department reported 4,557 cases, bringing the state’s total to 1,024,857. Allegheny County added 418 newly reported cases to climb to 85,680, while Westmoreland’s 126 additional cases bumped its total to...
