Top Stories category, Page 1211
U.S.: Putin approved operations to help Trump against Biden
WASHINGTON — Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized influence operations to help Donald Trump in last November’s presidential election, according to a declassified intelligence assessment that found broad efforts by the Kremlin and Iran to shape the outcome of the race but ultimately no evidence that any foreign actor changed votes...
86-mile stretch of Pa. Turnpike to close this weekend for bridge project
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is scheduled to close in both directions for several hours this weekend between New Stanton and Breezewood. Turnpike officials said the closure will begin at 11 p.m. Saturday and reopen to traffic by 6 a.m. Sunday as part of a bridge removal project. The closure is necessary...
FBI says Pennsylvania woman filmed inside Capitol on Jan. 6
SCRANTON — A Pennsylvania woman allegedly cheered on rioters as they stormed into the U.S. Capitol in early January and was photographed in a trashed conference room inside the building, the FBI said in a newly unsealed affidavit. Annie C. Howell of Swoyersville was charged earlier this month with trespassing,...
Homeland Security chief defends handling of border surge; attempted crossings on pace to hit 20-year peak
WASHINGTON — Faced with a rising number of migrants at the southwest border and criticism from all sides, the Biden administration’s head of Homeland Security insisted Tuesday that the situation is under control as he defended a policy of allowing children crossing by themselves to remain in the country. Homeland...
McKees Rocks sues Alcosan, saying construction will ruin boroughVideo
McKees Rocks borough officials believe that a tunnel project being proposed by Allegheny County Sanitary Authority will result in economic, environmental and social injustice in their community. They filed a lawsuit Tuesday to stop it. The complaint, filed against Alcosan, includes multiple claims for public nuisance, alleging that the construction...
Allegheny County’s covid hospitalization number drops to October level
Allegheny County has its fewest number of covid-19 patients hospitalized since October, according to the latest state Department of Health data. On Tuesday, there were 135 covid patients hospitalized, down from 153 on Monday. That number has decreased since 172 were hospitalized on Thursday. Tuesday’s number was the lowest since...
Voter outreach led to big drop in rejected mail ballots
The coronavirus pandemic triggered an unprecedented surge in mailed ballots last year, raising concerns that a flood of first-time absentee voters would lead to another record: more ballots tossed out for missing deadlines, signatures or other reasons. Those fears never materialized. An analysis by The Associated Press found that the...
Ohio lowers age limit for vaccine to 16 years old and up
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The coronavirus vaccine will be available to anyone in Ohio 16 years and older by the end of the month, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Tuesday. A significant increase in vaccine supplies expected in the state warrants the eligibility expansion, the governor said. Currently, Ohioans 50 and older...
Fitzgerald vetoes Allegheny County paid sick leave bill
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald on Tuesday vetoed the paid sick leave legislation passed last week by county council, saying it did not follow the correct process laid out by county law. Council on March 10 voted 10 to 4 to approve the legislation, which orders businesses in the county...
Advocates seek Biden push on gun bills, but prospects iffy
WASHINGTON — After President Joe Biden’s giant covid-19 relief bill passed Congress, he made a prime-time address to the nation and presided over a Rose Garden ceremony. But there wasn’t so much as a statement from the White House after the House passed legislation that would require background checks for...
Allegheny County Health Department adds new vaccination sites
The Allegheny County Health Department announced Tuesday that it will be opening three new covid-19 vaccine locations before the end of March. The sites will include a temporary site in Oakland, a site for targeted outreach in the Central Hill District and a community vaccine location in Ross, according to...
Southwestern Pa. gas prices stabilizing; remain well above national average
After weeks of sharp price spikes, analysts say gasoline price increases in Southwestern Pennsylvania appear to be stabilizing. Regular unleaded gasoline increased only a penny per gallon last week following increases of 25 cents per gallon here over the last month. There were multiple factors behind the increases that drove...
‘I don’t need the vaccine’: GOP worries threaten virus fight
FRONT ROYAL, Va. — In this rural swath of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, former President Donald Trump remains deeply admired, with lawn signs and campaign flags still dotting the landscape. The vaccines aimed at taming the coronavirus, however, aren’t so popular. Laura Biggs, a 56-year-old who has already recovered from the...
5 things to know about the expanded Child Tax Credit
While hefty stimulus payments have been the focus of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, parents can expect to see even more money over the course of the next year. The plan expands the Child Tax Credit to ensure more parents get more cash and get it sooner than they...
Man burned in Wilkinsburg apartment fire
A man was burned in a fire at a Wilkinsburg apartment early Tuesday morning. The fire in the 900 block of Wood Street was reported shortly after 2 a.m., an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said. It was reported under control just over an hour later, but Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV...
Conor Lamb, Democrats’ 2018 Trump Country hero, faces hard political path
HARRISBURG — In 2018, Conor Lamb wasn’t just a candidate — he was a symbol. Barely a year into Donald Trump’s presidency, Democrats were desperate to show they could reconnect with the white, working-class voters who had turned against them. By eking out victory in a congressional district stretching across...
Deb Haaland confirmed at Interior, 1st Native American Cabinet head
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Monday confirmed New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary, making her the first Native American to lead a Cabinet department and the first to lead the federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation’s tribes for nearly two centuries. Haaland was confirmed by...
Still green and mean, Mr. Yuk turns 50Video
Mr. Yuk is still Mean. Mr. Yuk is still Green. Mr. Yuk still can be seen. He’s turning 50. That fluorescent green face inside the circle means: Stay away. Created by Dr. Richard Moriarty in Pittsburgh, Mr. Yuk’s menacing mug continues to be placed on the outside of bottles and...
Pa. House spends $445,000 for 2 meeting rooms, but conservatives said it was needed
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives spent nearly $500,000 to allow it to do more of what government does a lot: hold meetings. That money was used to renovate two old courtrooms that had been sitting vacant for over a decade and transform them into large meeting rooms to accommodate more...
Westmoreland DA candidate Ziccarelli a no-show for jury duty
Nicole Ziccarelli, a candidate for Westmoreland County District Attorney, was a no-show Monday morning for jury duty at the courthouse. Court officials confirmed Ziccarelli, a lawyer from New Kensington, was one of 160 prospective jurors summoned to appear the first day of the March criminal trial term. Ziccarelli, a Republican,...
3 die when car hits 9 people in San Diego; driver in custodyVideo
SAN DIEGO — A driver plowed through a crowd on a sidewalk under an overpass with homeless tents on a rainy Monday morning in downtown San Diego, killing three people and injuring six others, including two who are hospitalized in critical condition, police said. The driver — whom authorities identified...
Pa. lawmakers launch new push for child sex abuse lawsuit window
Pennsylvania lawmakers on Monday launched a rarely used emergency process to amend the state constitution, advancing a proposal that would give victims of child sexual abuse a two-year window to file otherwise outdated civil lawsuits. The House Judiciary Committee voted for the amendment, drafted because the Department of State under...
Partisan Pa. websites masquerading as local news threaten trust in journalism, new report finds
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. HARRISBURG — The majority of news outlets in Pennsylvania rank high on trustworthiness, but there is a growing crop of digital...
Peduto endorses bill to provide pathway to citizenship for ‘dreamers’
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is joining more than 1,400 mayors in supporting legislation to help DACA recipients — non-citizens brought by their parents to the U.S. as children — become citizens. The bill, called the American Dream and Promise Act, includes provisions of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), a...
Wolf: Bar service in Pa. to return, alcohol curfew to lift on Easter
Pennsylvania bars and restaurants can resume bar service, sell alcohol without a food purchase and operate at 75% capacity beginning April 4, Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday. The curfew on alcohol sales also will be lifted. Currently, bars and restaurants must stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. and clear tables...
