Top Stories category, Page 1223
Steel City Con postponed again, this time to June
Maybe the third time will be the charm for the Steel City Con. The pop culture convention, originally scheduled for December, had been rescheduled for April. But now it’s been postponed again, this time until June 11-13 at the Monroeville Convention Center. Organizers cited the state’s current indoor capacity of...
Pennsylvania adds 2,577 covid cases, 69 deaths
Pennsylvania added 2,577 more coronavirus cases on Wednesday, its highest total in the past four days. The additional cases bring the state’s total to 938,411, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The state also added 69 deaths to increase that total to 24,169. Philadelphia had the most new cases...
Westmoreland County covid hospitalizations rise, sit at 5th highest in state
Westmoreland County covid-19 hospitalizations increased for the second straight day on Wednesday, with the county having the fifth-most coronavirus patients hospitalized in the state. The county added four more patients to bring its total to 120, rising from 116 Tuesday and 111 on Monday. Westmoreland sits behind Philadelphia (249), Allegheny...
Churchill Valley Greenway project nearing finish line with $630,000 funding gap
The Allegheny Land Trust has until March 31 to raise another $630,000 in order to close on a deal to preserve 148 acres of vacant land at the defunct Churchill Valley Country Club. Despite nearly two years of raising money to reach the $3 million price tag, crossing the finish...
Police uncover ‘possible plot’ by militia to breach Capitol again
WASHINGTON — Capitol Police say they have intelligence showing a “possible plot” by a militia group to breach the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, nearly two months after a mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the iconic building to try to stop Congress from certifying now-President Joe Biden’s victory....
Official: Dems OK tighter income limits for covid relief
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Democrats agreed Wednesday to tighten the upper income limits at which people could qualify for stimulus checks, a Democratic official said, a major concession to moderates as party leaders prepared to move their $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill through the Senate. The covid-19 relief...
Dormont Pool to reopen this summer
Get ready to splash around again in the Dormont Pool. One of the more depressing aspects of the pandemic has been the limits put on recreational activities. The Dormont Pool was one of last summer’s casualties, sitting empty for all of 2020 because of the covid-19 pandemic. But that will...
Pet store Petagogy grows customer base, plans move to downtown Greensburg
Owners of a local pet supply store found a paws-itively purr-fect new location to set up shop, in downtown Greensburg. Petagogy will wrap up business April 18 at its Hempfield location, on Route 30 across from Ferrante’s Lakeview banquet facility, with plans to reopen on April 21 on Greensburg’s East...
Gov. Wolf: Teachers, school staff move to front of line for Johnson & Johnson covid vaccine
Most teachers across Pennsylvania could be vaccinated and ready to return to classrooms by the end of March, state officials said Wednesday as they announced that educators and school staff will receive priority for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Gov. Tom Wolf said giving educators the first shot at the...
Fundraising efforts strong to repair fire-damaged ArtHouse in Homewood
As the fire was burning on Valentine’s Day, Vanessa German walked toward the house. Firefighters stopped her. “They said, ‘You can’t go in there,’ ” said German this week, standing outside the house — the ArtHouse on Hamilton Avenue in Homewood. This was the place she founded. The place for...
Top Pa. senator appoints colleague’s wife to lucrative Gaming Control Board seat
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 top Republican in the Pennsylvania Senate has quietly appointed the spouse of a colleague to a coveted spot...
Editorial: A good step for Penguins fans, but caution is on deck
The Pittsburgh Penguins took their shot two weeks ago when they asked the state for a little more freedom. PPG Paints Arena was only allowed to have 500 people at games — including the players, the coaches, the guy who drives the Zamboni, the workers who run the lights, the...
Abortion concerns prompt archdiocese warning on vaccine
NEW ORLEANS — Roman Catholic leaders in St. Louis and New Orleans are advising Catholics that the covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, newly approved for use in the U.S., is “morally compromised” because it is produced using a cell line derived from an aborted fetus. The New Orleans archdiocese...
U.S. forces: Rockets hit airbase in Iraq hosting U.S. troops
BAGHDAD — At least 10 rockets targeted a military base in western Iraq that hosts U.S.-led coalition troops on Wednesday, the coalition and the Iraqi military said. It was not immediately known if there were any casualties. The rockets struck Ain al-Asad airbase in Anbar province at 7:20 a.m., coalition...
Woman claims she was bitten by rat at Allegheny County Jail
Chavail Futrell got picked up on a bench warrant for missing court and was held at Allegheny County Jail on Feb. 8. Even though there were holds on her for minor drug charges out of Allegheny and Fayette counties, both were lifted by Feb. 10. Still, Futrell, 35, wasn’t released....
Pittsburgh police cracking down on off-road vehicles riding on city streets, tip line set up
Pittsburgh public safety officials have created a tip line to crack down on people riding off-road vehicles on city streets and sidewalks. Authorities said the increase in so-called “flash mobs” and “ride-outs” that involve groups of people riding all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles on city streets and...
Coroner: Mt. Pleasant man killed after rear-ending a truck in East Huntingdon
A Mt. Pleastant Township man died Tuesday when his car rear-ended a tractor-trailer in East Huntingdon. The crash occurred as Lawrence L. Savage, 46, was driving on Route 31, near Old Route 119, before 2:30 p.m., according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. Savage failed to slow down for an...
As virus-era attacks on Asians rise, past victims look back
Nearly a year after they were almost stabbed to death inside a Midland, Texas, Sam’s Club, Bawi Cung and his two sons all have visible scars. It’s the unseen ones though that are harder to get over. Cung can’t walk through any store without constantly looking in all directions. His...
Penguins fans eager to return to PPG Paints Arena
It was a great day for hockey — especially for Pittsburgh Penguins fans returning to PPG Paints Arena to enjoy the game in person. Tuesday night’s matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers marked the first hockey night in Pittsburgh with fans in attendance since last March. Gov. Tom Wolf eased some...
Budget nominee Tanden withdraws nomination amid opposition
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s pick to head the Office of Management and Budget, Neera Tanden, has withdrawn her nomination after she faced opposition from key Democratic and Republican senators for her controversial tweets. Her withdrawal marks the first high-profile defeat of one of Biden’s nominees. Eleven of the 23...
2 motorists flown to hospitals after truck-SUV collide on Route 22 in SalemVideo
A woman driving an SUV and a man driving a tractor-trailer were flown to area hospitals after their vehicles collided Tuesday evening on Route 22 in Salem Township. The crash was reported before 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Route 119. All lanes of Route 22 in the vicinity were...
Brackenridge steelworkers to vote on ATI strike authorization
The United Steelworkers local representing employees at Allegheny Technologies Inc. facilities in Harrison has scheduled a strike authorization vote. The union’s 10 locals with ATI are scheduling the votes this week after its contract with ATI expired on Sunday without the sides agreeing on a new one. Locals 1196 and...
Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Arts Festival returns in a new format
The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival will return this June in a hybrid format, featuring both in-person and virtual events. But none of the real-life events will take place in Point State Park or Gateway Center, where the festival is traditionally held. Organized by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the...
Biden vows enough vaccine for all U.S. adults by end of May
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the U.S. expects to take delivery of enough coronavirus vaccines for all adult Americans by the end of May, two months earlier than anticipated, as his administration announced that drugmaker Merck & Co. will help produce rival Johnson & Johnson’s newly approved...
People rally at Rep. Conor Lamb’s Penn Hills office in support of $15 minimum wage increaseVideo
Joy Darden-Pipkins has been taking care of her godmother for around 20 years without being paid. “It’s a labor of love,” she said, adding she is grateful to be married to a man who makes enough money to pay the bills and the mortgage. Darden-Pipkins was one of around 30...
