Top Stories category, Page 1210
TV Talk: Mister Rogers gets a new statue at his alma mater
The late Fred Rogers carried the words found on a plaque at his alma mater, Rollins College, in his wallet: “Life is for Service.” Now Rogers’ life of service to children through PBS’s “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” will be honored with a sculpture to be unveiled on the Rollins campus in...
Biden agrees Putin is a killer, says he’ll pay price for meddling
President Joe Biden agreed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “killer,” and said in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday that Russia would pay for alleged interference in U.S. elections. His comments, recorded Tuesday, came the same day as a U.S. intelligence community report that said Putin ordered...
Ohio attorney general sues Biden administration over federal pandemic relief law
The Ohio attorney general is taking the Biden administration to court over federal “American Rescue Plan.” A.G. Dave Yost is suing the administration over rules in the stimulus bill that prevent states from using the billions of dollars in funding for tax cuts, Cleveland.com reported Wednesday. Yost told Cleveland.com that...
Republicans seize on immigration as border crossings surge
WASHINGTON — Delegation trips to the border. Apocalyptic warnings. A flurry of press conferences. Republicans still divided over former President Donald Trump’s legacy are seizing on his signature campaign issue, turning their focus to immigration as they try to regain the political upper hand. Faced with President Joe Biden’s early...
IRS will delay tax filing due date until May
The Internal Revenue Service is delaying the traditional tax filing deadline from April 15 until May 17, according to the House Ways and Means Committee. The IRS and Treasury Department didn’t immediately comment Wednesday or provide further details. But the committee confirmed and applauded the move, which provides added time...
Vaccine eligibility to expand in Allegheny County, but on certain conditionsVideo
The Allegheny County Health Department will expand eligibility for its vaccine distribution — starting Friday — to include people 50 and older who have certain health conditions. Up to this point, the department has only been vaccinating people 65 and older, citing vaccine supply constraints. Dr. Debra Bogen, the county’s...
Pennsylvania sets out to tackle disparities highlighted by pandemic
Health and social services officials hope a data-driven approach — one focused not on equality, but equity – will help begin to move the life-expectancy needle higher in some of Pennsylvania’s most disparate areas. The goal of the region-based coalitions, called Regional Accountable Health Councils, is in essence to lift...
Excela Health to open North Huntingdon vaccine clinic; to give 2K shots daily by appointment
Excela Health is upping its capacity to provide coronavirus vaccine by opening a clinic at an empty building in North Huntingdon. The clinic will begin operations Thursday at the former Galaxy Fitness building near Excela Square at Norwin, Chief Medical Officer Carol Fox said. Staff members will be able to...
Covid cases hit Allegheny County court records division, causing procedural changes
At least six employees from the Allegheny County Department of Court Records criminal division office are out this week after testing positive for covid-19, and 16 more are being quarantined, according to several sources in the courthouse. No one in county administration, which oversees the office, or court administration, which...
In a first for UPMC, this drive-thru clinic treated 500 vaccine seekers eager to roll up their sleeves
Five hundred people got their first dose of the Moderna vaccine at the launch of a drive-thru clinic Wednesday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. The hospital system is partnering with the Pittsburgh Penguins to continue a covid-19 community vaccination event series. On Monday, the two teamed up...
Police investigate suspect’s motive in Atlanta-area killings
ATLANTA — A white gunman accused of killing eight people, most of them women of Asian descent, at three Atlanta-area massage parlors was charged with murder Wednesday in an attack that sent terror through the Asian American community that’s increasingly been targeted during the coronavirus pandemic. Robert Aaron Long, 21,...
New covid cases for Allegheny, Westmoreland, Pa. remain above 7-day average
Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, as well as Pennsylvania, all reported new coronavirus cases higher than their seven-day averages on Wednesday. Allegheny added 285 cases, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, 38 higher than its seven-day average of 247. Westmoreland’s 73 additional cases are above its average of 65, while...
Pitt, Carnegie Mellon launch joint center to combat extremist hate
Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh are joining forces in a new research center designed to study and seek ways to halt the proliferation of extremist hate. The announcement comes amid rising fears about ethnic violence against Asian Americans. On Tuesday night in Atlanta, a gunman killed eight people,...
Zebra, camel OK’d for Victory Stables in Washington Township
Things are about to get exotic in Washington Township. Township supervisors on Thursday approved a request by Victory Stables on Camp Nancy Road to house two exotic animals. Victory Stables manager Jessica Corbin, 31, said she plans to acquire a zebra and a camel within the next few months and...
Beaver federal credit union head charged with embezzling $2 million
The former president and CEO for the credit union at International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union No. 712 in Beaver was charged in federal court this week with embezzling more than $2 million. Stacey Shaw, of Industry, is charged by criminal information with embezzlement and willful failure to file...
Wall Street closes higher after Fed says will keep rates low
Stock closed higher Wednesday, reversing an early slide after the Federal Reserve reassured Wall Street that it expects to keep its key interest rate near zero through 2023. The central bank’s renewed commitment to keeping rates at rock bottom lows comes even as its latest economic forecast calls for growth...
Editorial: A smart, phased-in return to more restaurant and bar service
Cautious optimism. That may be the best path to tread going forward in the coronavirus pandemic. Cautious optimism puts the idea of being careful first, but anchors it to a positive outlook. It focuses on the goal without being reckless. That is what Gov. Tom Wolf promoted Monday when he...
Child border crossings are surging, straining U.S. facilities
WASHINGTON (AP) — A surge of migrants on the Southwest border has the Biden administration on the defensive, with the head of Homeland Security acknowledging the depth of the problem but insisting it’s under control and saying he won’t revive a Trump-era practice of immediately expelling teens and children. The...
Despite pandemic, these Western Pa. lawmakers cashed in on taxpayers’ dime
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. Despite the coronavirus pandemic and a lengthy statewide shutdown, Pennsylvania state lawmakers — led by Democrats in the House — still...
On verge of strike, United Steelworkers rally outside ATI’s Brackenridge facility
Leisa Brothers held up a rubber chicken in one hand, and in her other, a handwritten sign against the management of Allegheny Technologies Inc.: “Corporate greed is killing the American dream.” “We’re fighting for a fair contract,” said Brothers of Sarver, a United Steelworkers janitor who has worked at the...
State Rep. Jeff Pyle retires for health reasons, says hardest part is ‘I didn’t think I was done yet’
Nine-term state Rep. Jeff Pyle, R-Ford City, retired Tuesday because of health issues. Pyle, 56, is in his second round of battling cancer. He first was diagnosed with kidney cancer less than two months into his first term as a state representative in early 2005. Pyle beat the disease then,...
Police: Beaver County man killed by son in connection with alleged Publishers Clearing House scam
A Massachusetts man accused of killing his father in Beaver County’s New Sewickley Township told authorities he did so to spare his father humiliation over being duped in a Publishers Clearing House scam, court records show. Michael Miklaucic, 57, of Plymouth, Mass., is charged with homicide in the death of...
Pa. health official says all Phase 1A appointments should be scheduled by March 31
Vaccine providers across the state should have all appointments for people in Phase 1A scheduled by the end of the month, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said in a new order Monday. The order amends a previous one from February, adding a subsection requiring providers to “use best efforts”...
Many Pa. indoor venue owners say Wolf’s easing of restrictions isn’t enough
While many in the hospitality industry cautiously celebrated the coming return of bar service and 2 a.m. last calls, others in the entertainment industry expressed dismay at the comparatively low capacity levels covid-19 restrictions keep them at. Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday announced he would roll back a slew of...
Moderna begins testing its covid-19 vaccine in children as young as 6 monthsVideo
Moderna Inc. said it has begun delivering experimental doses of its covid-19 vaccine to children as part of a study to determine whether it is safe and effective in those as young as 6 months. The trial aims to enroll about 6,750 volunteers in the United States and Canada. The...
