Top Stories category, Page 1222
Senate Dems sorting final details of $1.9T virus relief bill
WASHINGTON — Democrats sorted through lingering disagreements over emergency jobless benefits and other issues Tuesday and prepared to commence Senate debate on a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan that would deliver a major victory to President Joe Biden. With Democrats having no margin for error in the evenly split 50-50...
Police: 13 killed when big rig hits SUV carrying 25 people in California
HOLTVILLE, Calif. — Thirteen people were killed Tuesday when an SUV carrying 25 people and a big rig collided on a Southern California highway near the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said. Twelve people were found dead when first responders reached the highway, which winds through fields in the agricultural southeastern corner...
Gov. Wolf: Teachers, others can get Johnson & Johnson vaccine when it arrives
Educators in Pennsylvania will be able to receive the Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available, and shipments should start arriving in the state this week, state officials said Tuesday. “We have an unusual opportunity with (the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) because it’s a one-dose,” Gov. Tom Wolf...
Pa. reports 2,564 covid cases, 74 additional deaths
Pennsylvania on Tuesday reported 2,564 additional coronavirus cases and 74 additional deaths, according to the state Department of Health. Tuesday’s reported cases were designated 1,843 confirmed and 721 probable. Of the newly reported deaths, 69 are from February, three from January and one each in December and November. Health officials...
Former Jerry’s Records owner now selling vinyl from Swissvale spot
Jerry “Vinylman” Weber owns hundreds of thousands of records. He’s not a fan of acquiring music on digital platforms. “I have never downloaded a song,” Weber said. “I have a flip phone. I am what you call ‘eccentric.’ ” Weber loves to help others acquire music. He owned Jerry’s Records...
Latrobe police file new complaint against suspended therapist
A ninth former client of a Latrobe mental health therapist awaiting trial for rape and multiple sexual assault-related charges has accused him of sexually harassing her during counseling sessions about three years ago, according to Latrobe police. Police filed a new harassment charge this week against Gregory P. Miscik, 59,...
Westmoreland County has 47 additional covid cases, increase in hospitalizations
Westmoreland County had 47 additional covid cases Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health. The new reported cases were 25 confirmed and 22 probable. That marks the third day cases have been at or below 50. A similar two-day trend was seen last week, when on Feb. 21 (Sunday)...
Candidate’s old tweets touting Trump spur more turmoil among Democrats in Pittsburgh mayoral race
Old social media posts by Pittsburgh mayoral candidate Tony Moreno that support former President Donald Trump were condemned by the city’s Democratic Committee chairman less than a week before the party announces its slate of endorsed candidates. Moreno, 51, a retired city police officer from Brighton Heights, is one of...
Allegheny County covid hospitalizations drop by 25% in last week
The number of Allegheny County covid-19 patient hospitalizations has dropped by about 25% since last week, according to state Department of Health data. There were 152 hospitalizations as of Tuesday, down 54 from Thursday when 206 covid patients were in the hospital. Since hospitalizations peaked at 881 on Dec. 16,...
Latrobe woman’s tiny vacation house gets online magazine spreadVideo
For Jessica Hooper, part of the appeal of tiny house living is that “when you strip away the clutter and distractions in life, you are able to focus your energy on what is truly important.” That’s what the Latrobe resident told readers of Tiny House Magazine, an online publication that...
Lawsuit contends Allegheny County judge is illegally blocking access to virtual hearings
An Allegheny County court watch program filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Common Pleas Judge Anthony M. Mariani, accusing him of violating the public’s First Amendment rights by blocking virtual access to proceedings in his courtroom. The Abolitionist Law Center’s Court Watch program involves volunteers observing dozens of criminal court...
6 Dr. Seuss books won’t be published for racist images
BOSTON — Six Dr. Seuss books — including “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” and “If I Ran the Zoo” — will stop being published because of racist and insensitive imagery, the business that preserves and protects the author’s legacy said Tuesday. “These books portray people...
Censure of Sen. Toomey for Trump impeachment vote falls short
A sharply-split Republican State Committee in Pennsylvania voted Monday night to again express its displeasure with Sen. Pat Toomey’s vote last month to convict former President Donald Trump on an article of impeachment, but stopped short of voting to censure him. Committee members were given the choice of voting for...
Estranged wife charged with killing husband, stuffing body in trash bags outside Brighton Heights home
The estranged wife of a man whose body was found wrapped in plastic at a home in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood in December has been charged with stabbing him to death and hiding his corpse. Janet L. Winbush, 50, faces charges of criminal homicide and abuse of a corpse in...
Bettors have chance to give back at Live! Casino Pittsburgh
Winners at Live! Casino Pittsburgh have the chance to give back. Two donation boxes, known as The Giveback Box, are at the Hempfield casino, where guests can contribute slot tickets, cash or table game chips to support local charities. This quarter, benefiting organizations include United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania and...
City Theatre receives NEA grant to produce new play
Pittsburgh’s City Theatre is on the receiving end of a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the largest grant from the theater discipline in Pennsylvania. The grant will support City Theatre’s commissioned play, “The Rivers Don’t Know,” about immigration in Pittsburgh. It is part of the first...
Police: Man shot before wrecking SUV into utility pole in South Side dies at hospital
A man who crashed his SUV into a pole in the South Side after being shot early this morning has died from his injuries, according to authorities. Emergency personnel responding to a 911 call at around 1:10 a.m. for a vehicle crash at the American Natural gas station near the...
States easing coronavirus restrictions despite experts’ warningsVideo
MISSION, Kan. — With the U.S. vaccination drive picking up speed and a third formula on the way, states eager to reopen for business are easing coronavirus restrictions despite warnings from health experts that the outbreak is far from over and that moving too quickly could prolong the misery. Massachusetts...
Dozens of Pine-Richland parents rally for more in-person learningVideo
Pine-Richland School District officials plan to gather more parental data as they work to offer five-day in-person learning to more grade levels in the next several weeks. A survey is will be posted today asking parents of students in grades 4-12 if they want full online learning, five-day in-person instruction...
Senate confirms Miguel Cardona as Biden’s education secretary
The Senate voted Monday to confirm Miguel Cardona as education secretary, clearing his way to lead President Joe Biden’s effort to reopen the nation’s schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cardona, 45, a former public school teacher who went on to become Connecticut’s education chief, was approved on a 64-33 vote....
2 hospitalized after SUV crashes into Derry Township creekVideo
Two people were “lucky” to avoid more serious injury Monday when the SUV they were in veered off Route 30 and into the rain swollen waters of Loyalhanna Creek in Derry Township, according to firefighters. The pair were transported by Mutual Aid Ambulance to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville after...
Ed Gainey campaign chief, Pittsburgh political activist nearly come to blows at political event
Pittsburgh mayoral candidate Ed Gainey’s campaign manager and a Democratic activist who is critical of Gainey nearly came to blows during a dispute Saturday at a Duquesne Heights union hall parking lot. The activist, Kierran Young, 28, of Stanton Heights, said he is considering whether to pursue criminal charges after...
Biden tries to reset relationship with Mexican presidentVideo
WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden looks to dismantle the last administration’s hardline immigration agenda, he worked Monday to build a partnership with someone who found an unexpected understanding with Donald Trump: Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Biden and López Obrador met for a virtual bilateral meeting, with immigration,...
United Steelworkers to seek strike authorization at ATI
The United Steelworkers union is preparing for a strike authorization at Allegheny Technologies Inc., the union’s international vice president confirmed Monday. Although the contract that expired Sunday was extended and employees were told to continue to report to work, “the locals have returned home with instructions to begin setting up...
Troopers charge Unity man after confrontation over wearing mask in Giant Eagle
A Unity man accused of refusing to wear a mask while shopping at a grocery store and threatening to fight the manager before fleeing was charged with disorderly conduct and harassment, state police said. William A. Muir, 41, also received four traffic citations from troopers as he fled the Giant...
