Top Stories category, Page 1217
As food insecurity continues for millions, Pa. now taking SNAP applications by phone
Pennsylvanians can now apply for food assistance via phone, state officials said Tuesday. Applications to the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are now taken on 1-866-550-4355, in addition to the established methods of mailing in a paper form or going online. The state has seen an uptick in applications...
Ex-Mt. Pleasant Township church treasurer accused of stealing $150K, spending funds on porn site
The longtime treasurer of a Mt. Pleasant Township church was arrested this week after admitting to state troopers he stole at least $150,000 from church coffers and spent a large portion of the money on a pornographic website, according to court records. Glenn E. Yothers, 56, of Unity, is charged...
White House: States get 900K more covid vaccine doses this week
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is making an additional 900,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines available to states and pharmacy partners this week. White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced that states and territories will receive 15.8 million doses of the two-shot vaccines, up from 15.2 million last week. Another...
Ashley Lynn Priore: A chess strategy may help unify Pa.
I’m a proud Pittsburgher. How could I not be? I was born and raised in the Steel City and attended the University of Pittsburgh down the street from my home. In 2014, I founded a nonprofit organization, Queen’s Gambit Chess Institute. I have taught chess in Pittsburgh’s nine districts ever...
Thousands receive covid-19 vaccine at Monroeville Convention CenterVideo
Jeannie Hall-Harris did a lot of praying going into Tuesday’s mass-vaccination event in Monroeville. “I was hesitant at first,” she said, moments after receiving her first dose of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine. She was one of 5,100 people who received the shot at the Monroeville Convention Center, which partnered with Allegheny...
Allegheny, Westmoreland counties see largest increase in covid cases in month
Allegheny and Westmoreland counties on Tuesday saw the most additional covid cases in about a month, according to state and local health departments. There were 348 additional covid-19 cases (166 confirmed, 182 probable) reported in Allegheny County, the first time there were more than 300 additional cases reported this month....
2,500 Westmoreland teachers, school-related employees to get coronavirus vaccineVideo
Nearly 2,500 Westmoreland County teachers and other school employees will get coronavirus vaccinations starting this weekend. Registration emails should be sent shortly to those whose identities and employment were verified by schools, said Jason Conway, executive director of the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit. Clinics will be held over several days. “It...
McCandless residents caught feeding deer could face fines, jail time
Finding ways to keep deer from devouring expensive landscape, causing vehicle crashes and spreading disease received overwhelming support from McCandless residents who were surveyed about the town’s growing deer population. On Monday, council took the first step toward fixing the problem. McCandless residents who put food out for deer could...
5 things to know about the next round of stimulus checks
The third round of stimulus checks is on the way — and it’s the biggest one yet. Here are five things to expect about your check: How big are the stimulus payments? The base payment is $1,400 for individuals or $2,800 per couple, plus an additional $1,400 for each dependent...
Pop-up miniature golf course comes to streets of Oakland
Mini-golfers are invited to play at a free pop-up course beginning Thursday in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section. Presented by the Pittsburgh Innovation District, the nine-hole Oakland Open will welcome duffers from noon-8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays through April. The ADA-compliant course, located on Oakland Avenue between Forbes Avenue and...
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s campaign GoodEat$ offers discounts to city diners
Tuesdays and Wednesdays are traditionally slower days in the restaurant business. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is trying to help change that a bit. It’s helping nearly 30 Downtown restaurants to offer 25% off food and drinks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in March through the “GoodEat$” program. Restaurants will be reimbursed...
Teen killed in single-vehicle crash in Ross
Ross Township police are investigating a crash that killed a 17-year-old boy Sunday. Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the deceased at Jacob Weiland of Pittsburgh. The crash occurred shortly after 9 p.m. along the 300 block of McIntyre Road. Weiland was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the...
Report: Aggressive incident results in Biden’s dogs being sent back to Delaware
Joe Biden’s dogs just got a time out. Approximately 110 miles away. According to a report from CNN, the president’s German shepherds were sent back last week to Wilmington, Del., because of an aggressive incident at the White House. Major, the 3-year-old that was adopted by the Biden family in...
Westmoreland officials press state to improve vaccine distributionVideo
Westmoreland elected officials on Monday said they remain concerned over a lack of response to calls to improve the state’s vaccine distribution effort and to correct a shortage of doses allocated to the county. During a news conference conducted after county commissioners met privately for about 90 minutes with members...
Greene County went from bust to boom times with natural gas. Now it’s nearly broke.
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. WAYNESBURG — Greene County is going broke. Despite receiving millions in payouts from the natural gas industry to compensate counties like...
Security review recommends more authority for Capitol Police chief, D.C. National GuardVideo
WASHINGTON — As part of the review of Capitol security after the Jan. 6 attack, retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré and his task force are recommending a boost to the Capitol Police chief’s authority in times of crisis, the deployment of a mobile fencing option and an upgrade...
Pennsylvania agrees to settle gas drilling royalties lawsuit
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania reached a settlement in a lawsuit against natural gas driller Chesapeake Energy Corp. for its handling of royalty payments to property owners, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Monday. Speaking in Tunkhannock, a northeastern Pennsylvania town in the heart of heavy Marcellus Shale natural gas production, Shapiro...
Western Pa. health experts cautious about CDC’s mask-shedding guidance
Western Pennsylvania health professionals say the newest public health guidelines about maskless gatherings are a “measured step toward normalcy” — but they also come with some concerns. “I worry a little bit, frankly, that people will maybe misinterpret this particular guidance, and think it gives more freedoms than it really...
Stimulus check calculator tells you how much your 3rd payment will be
Curious how much — if anything — you will be getting if the third stimulus checks go out? Well, there are several online calculators set up to tell you just that. On Saturday, the U.S. Senate passed the $1.9 trillion covid relief bill. Now, it’s headed to the House for...
Medical marijuana dispensary could be up and running by early summer in Ross
A medical marijuana dispensary that will be housed in a former woodworking supply shop along McKnight Road in Ross could be ready to open by early summer, according to the company’s president. Organic Remedies Inc., which operates dispensaries in Chamberburg, Enola and York in South Central Pennsylvania received conditional use...
TSA catches 8th gun this year at Pittsburgh International
Transportation Security Administration officers caught another gun at the Pittsburgh International Airport checkpoint over the weekend — the eighth this year, officials said. A Verona woman was stopped at the checkpoint just before 7 a.m. Saturday when TSA officers spotted the gun in the woman’s carry-on bags on the X-ray...
Judge tosses lawsuit by former Steelers over ‘race-norming’ in NFL dementia tests
PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit that challenged “race-norming” in dementia tests for retired NFL players, a practice that some say makes it harder for Black athletes to show injury and qualify for awards. A hearing had been set for Thursday. The judge instead ordered the...
Police accuse man ordered to leave Greensburg bar of stealing car, crashing at end of chase
A man told to leave a downtown Greensburg bar early Saturday because he appeared intoxicated was arrested later on charges of stealing another customer’s car, leading police on a 4-mile pursuit and attempting to fight officers, according to court documents. Darrell D. Carr, 29, of Pitcairn was arraigned on charges...
Hempfield man charged in police chase through 4 municipalities
A Hempfield man is accused by Jeannette police of leading officers on a chase through four municipalities last month until he crashed and the car caught fire, according to court papers. Tyler David Varriano-Milan, 25, is charged with numerous offenses, including fleeing from police, driving under the influence and reckless...
4 big Pennsylvania counties unhappy over vaccine share
HARRISBURG — Four of Pennsylvania’s seven most-heavily populated counties are airing their unhappiness over the size of their allotment of coronavirus vaccines, saying Monday that a meeting with Gov. Tom Wolf’s top health official did not resolve their concerns. Leaders of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties — home to...
