Top Stories category, Page 1202

President Joe Biden is expected to name Baldwin native Susan Orsega as the nation’s acting surgeon general, according to a report from the Washington Post. Rear Adm. Orsega will hold down the position until Biden’s nominee, Dr. Vivek Murthy, can be confirmed by the Senate. Murthy served in the role...

Two hours after announcing additional covid-19 vaccination appointments for people age 65 and older in Allegheny County, the registration had been filled to capacity. The newest appointments were made available on Feb. 9 and 13 by the county Health Department. But at around 7 p.m., a Trib reporter logged into...

A Chicago-based developer Tuesday presented plans for a 10-story, 300-unit apartment building at the now-vacant site of a former gas station on Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. Pittsburgh Planning Commission members heard from Jessica Leo of CA Ventures, the developer of the project, and Jay Silverman of Dwell Design...

Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday called on President Biden to speed up the covid vaccine distribution process, which has frustrated residents statewide. Wolf blamed the Trump administration for asking states to add people 65 and older to their top covid-19 vaccine priority group when there weren’t enough available doses. “The...

Schools operating in person have experienced scant transmission of coronavirus, particularly when proper precautions are employed, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Tuesday. The CDC researchers, who wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association, said indoor athletics have led to infections and...

For the first time since air-quality standards were set more than 20 years ago, Allegheny County’s eight monitors have met federal air quality standards, the county said Tuesday. The accomplishment means that the region is now within the desired benchmarks for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, ozone and particulate matter (PM2.5,...

Netflix founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings is donating $3 million to underwrite 20 full scholarships at Robert Morris University, adding the Allegheny County school to a growing list of colleges and universities profiting from philanthropy aimed at boosting the future of minorities. The four-year scholarships —including money for room, board...

Vaccine allocations to Western Pennsylvania hospitals aren’t enough to inoculate all who are eligible, health care leaders said Tuesday. State officials last week expanded phase 1A of the distribution plan beyond health care workers and long-term care residents – to include people older than 65 and people with various health...

Overdose deaths in Pennsylvania will likely tick upward for the first time in several years when 2020 reports are finalized, according to state officials, showing the effects of a year marked by isolation and a cutoff of group and in-person services. Overdose drug deaths were higher month over month for...

There were 52 new covid-19 cases reported in Westmoreland County on Tuesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That number represents the lowest amount of new reported cases this month and the least since Oct. 11, when 52 cases were also reported. Tuesday’s figures bring the seven-day covid case...

The number of covid-19 patients hospitalized in Pennsylvania has decreased every day over the past six days, according to state Department of Health data. There were 3,790 covid-19 patients hospitalized in the state on Tuesday, dropping by almost 100 from 3,887 on Monday. The biggest drop came Jan. 22, when...

A Bridgeville man who livestreamed himself in the Crypt underneath the U.S. Capitol rotunda during the Jan. 6 attack there was arrested Tuesday morning. Kenneth Grayson, 51, is charged with five federal counts, including knowingly entering a restricted building; disorderly conduct that impedes government business; disruptive conduct in the Capitol...

Internet users across the northeast U.S. experienced widespread outages for several hours Tuesday, interrupting work and school because of an unspecified Verizon network issue. “An internet issue impacting the quality of our Fios service throughout the Northeast has been resolved,” said spokesman Rich Young in an emailed statement Tuesday afternoon....

Allegheny County on Tuesday reported 282 new covid-19 cases and one new death, according to the county Health Department. These new reported figures bring the seven-day case average (371) and seven-day case count (2,597) to the lowest the statistics have been since mid-November. Patients hospitalized for covid-19 in Allegheny County...

Pittsburgh officials were united Tuesday in formally condemning the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and affirmed there is no place in Pittsburgh for the views that led up to the Washington insurrection. Council members Erika Strassburger and Corey O’Connor sponsored the will of council that condemns what happened...

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is set to announce a wide-ranging moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on U.S. lands, as his administration moves quickly to reverse Trump administration policies on energy and the environment and address climate change. Two people with knowledge of Biden’s plans outlined the proposed...

A Bell woman was jailed Monday after state police said they found two children outside her home this month in cold weather. Police said Melissa Ann Chaya, 41, reportedly ingested prescription medication and yelled at the children, who fled outside to hide. She is charged with two felony counts of...

Twitter has permanently banned My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell’s account after he continued to perpetuate the baseless claim that Donald Trump won the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Twitter decided to ban Lindell, who founded bedding company My Pillow, due to “repeated violations” of its civic integrity policy, a spokesperson said...

Police responding to a 911 call for a shooting in Leetsdale late Monday night found the victim — a 19-year-old pregnant woman — several miles away after the car she was riding in crashed, according to authorities. The shooting was reported at 11:25 p.m. at the intersection of Route 65...

WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell backed off his demand that Senate Democrats preserve the procedural tool known as the filibuster, easing a standoff with new Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as the two negotiated a power-sharing agreement in the closely divided chamber. McConnell said late Monday he had essentially...

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey remained uncommitted Monday on whether he would vote to convict former President Donald Trump even as the House prepared to deliver the impeachment charge to the Senate. Toomey, who has said he will not seek reelection in 2022, has been a harsh critic of Trump in...

MINNEAPOLIS — A new Brazilian variant of the coronavirus has made its first known appearance in the United States in a person who recently returned to Minnesota after traveling to Brazil, state health officials announced Monday. The Brazil P.1 variant was found in a specimen from a patient who lives...