Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1234
Valley High School teacher accused of sending inappropriate texts to another student
New Kensington police have filed additional charges against a New Kensington-Arnold School District music teacher who was accused last week of sending sexual text messages to a student. Police charged Sean Timothy O’Neil, 34, of Vandergrift, with corruption of minors and harassment in the latest case. In a criminal complaint...
PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh set to resume in October after pandemic pause
The PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series will take up where it left off, after “The Band’s Visit” was forced to close halfway through its 2020 run due to the pandemic. The Tony Award-winning production will return to the Benedum Center for six performances Oct. 28-31, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced....
ATI, United Steelworkers at odds over union’s latest contract offer
The United Steelworkers union on Thursday said it presented a new contract offer to Allegheny Technologies Inc. in an attempt to end their ongoing strike. Instead of bringing the two sides closer to a resolution, ATI said the union’s latest proposal is pushing them further apart. In a bargaining bulletin,...
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg promotes $2.3 trillion infrastructure package in PittsburghVideo
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spent Thursday morning on a two-hour ferry ride along the Ohio River, getting an up-close look at the dilapidated bridges and aging lock-and-dam systems the region depends on. “Beautiful structures,” Buttigieg said of the McKees Rocks and West End bridges. “But you could see nets...
Kiski Township storage company selling previously owned items from abandoned unitsVideo
Previously owned contents from abandoned storage units are lining the shelves of a new store in Kiski Township. OPS — Other People’s Stuff — opened May 1 at 2216 River Road. The new store’s inventory is composed exclusively of left-behind items from rented storage units at Nellie-Joe’s Self-Storing Units, which...
Couple charged with handcuffing children, locking them in basement of Mt. Oliver home
An Allegheny County couple faces a slew of assault charges for forcing their children to sleep in locked basement rooms, physically abusing them and handcuffing them, according to police. Richard Hayes, 37, of Mt. Oliver Borough, and his girlfriend, 26-year-old Natosha Bell, of Rankin, both face more than a dozen...
Holy Spirit Academy in New Castle to close
Holy Spirit Academy, the Catholic school serving students in pre-K through eighth grade in New Castle, will close at the end of the academic year, the Diocese of Pittsburgh said Thursday. The Rev. Joseph McCaffrey, pastor at Holy Spirit Parish, submitted his request to close the school to Bishop David...
Part of Fort Duquesne Boulevard to close for 5 months, host arts fest, markets
Part of Fort Duquesne Boulevard will close for five months to make room for more events in Downtown Pittsburgh, city officials said Thursday. The closure will begin Monday and run through Oct. 7. The boulevard’s westbound lane — the side closer to the river — will be blocked off from...
Covid cases in Allegheny, Westmoreland, state remain steady; vaccine efforts inch along
Allegheny County saw a second day of under 200 covid cases reported, while cases in Westmoreland County dropped after a data dump inflated cases for Wednesday. On Thursday, the Allegheny County Health Department reported 177 additional covid-19 cases — 148 confirmed and 22 probable. This is down 17.2% from last...
Lawsuit contends company and Pa. health department knew of contact tracing data breach for months
Officials in the company contracted to handle Pennsylvania’s covid-19 contact tracing efforts were aware in November of possible security breaches in their program and failed to take any action, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Harrisburg. The complaint, filed by Lisa Chapman of New Kensington, seeks class-action status. It...
U.S. unemployment claims fall to a pandemic low of 498,000
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to 498,000, the lowest point since the viral pandemic struck 14 months ago and a sign of the job market’s growing strength as businesses reopen and consumers step up spending. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that...
Suspect in Frazer Walmart thefts had drugs in car, police say
A Pittsburgh man was arrested by Frazer police last Saturday for five separate thefts of Walmart items valued at about $2,500, according to Police Chief Terry Kuhns. Albert Swoope, 48, of Pittsburgh, was taken to Allegheny County Jail after failing to post $10,000 bond. He is charged with retail theft,...
Duquesne-McKeesport Bridge reopens after possible strike by barge
The Duquesne-McKeesport Bridge reopened early Thursday after possibly being struck by a runaway barge, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. The bridge was closed for about six hours after authorities said a barge broke free just after midnight on the Monongahela River. BREAKING NEWS: After a Possible Barge Strike, the...
Federal judge strikes down CDC’s national moratorium on evictions
A federal judge in Washington blocked a nationwide eviction moratorium the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established as the covid-19 lockdowns put millions of renters out of work during the past year. In a ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich said the agency exceeded its authority by...
Police: Teen shot outside his Penn Hills home
A 17-year-old boy was shot during the evening hours May 5 as he walked out of his Penn Hills home, police reported. Chief Howard Burton said the shooting took place around 6:30 p.m. along the 200 block of Pelone Drive. Shots were fired from a vehicle outside the home. Burton...
Knives out: GOP leaders turn on Liz CheneyVideo
WASHINGTON — Key Republicans continue to signal their support for dumping House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney from her leadership spot, with momentum building as Cheney has held former President Donald Trump to account for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and stood firm that the...
2 men sentenced for distributing drugs in Pittsburgh’s South Side as part of DS44 gang
Two Pittsburgh men who police say were high-ranking members of a street gang that sold drugs in Pittsburgh’s South Side have been sentenced in federal court to long prison terms. Christopher Highsmith, 28, and Anthony Jetter, 32, pleaded guilty to related drug charges and were sentenced by U.S. District Judge...
Jobless want state to end backlog, pay benefits now
Jobless workers upset over the state’s delay in ruling on their unemployment compensation claim are expected to join forces with a group of state legislators in a protest Thursday in downtown Pittsburgh. They will gather outside the governor’s regional office to demand they get benefits while awaiting a decision on...
Sen. Toomey pledges in Pittsburgh to find out why U.S. Steel nixed $1B Mon Valley projectVideo
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey said Wednesday that he wants to get to the bottom of why U.S. Steel nixed its planned $1.2 billion Mon Valley Works project last week, even as indicators point to the pandemic-battered economy “roaring back” and bipartisan support builds for a nationwide infrastructure infusion. “Steel prices...
Republican Sen. Kim Ward endorses covid vaccine for return to normalcyVideo
State Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward is encouraging constituents to get the covid-19 vaccine. The Hempfield Republican, who has been at odds with Democratic leaders over the covid-19 shutdown for the past year, went public with her endorsement in a radio interview with 90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh’s NPR news station. “It’s...
Allegheny County officials cite equity and hesitancy as barriers to vaccinations
Vaccine hesitancy, equity and general access remain barriers to getting Allegheny County residents inoculated against covid-19, Dr. Debra Bogen, health director, said at a Board of Health meeting Wednesday. State data shows that 445,578 people in Allegheny County are fully vaccinated, but with around 1.2 million residents, Bogen said there...
Ex-West Penn employee pleads guilty to secretly recording patients, coworkers
A Canonsburg man pleaded guilty Wednesday to hiding video cameras inside West Penn Hospital and filming dozens of employees and female patients. Guy Caley, 53, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Bruce Beemer on Aug. 16. He pleaded guilty to 89 criminal counts. Caley was charged last...
Allegheny County officials support lifting of restrictions, tackle covid vaccine mythsVideo
A day after Gov. Tom Wolf announced the imminent removal of covid restrictions in Pennsylvania, Allegheny County officials said it was right move. “That’s really good news as we start to get back to normal,” County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said at a virtual news conference. “Everybody has been eligible for...
U.S. to back waiver of vaccine intellectual property protections at WTO
WASHINGTON — The U.S. will support a proposal to waive intellectual property protections for covid-19 vaccines, joining an effort to increase global supply and access to the life-saving shots as the gap between rich and poor nations widens. “We are for the waiver at the WTO, we are for what...
Prantl’s hit with health citations for opening Squirrel Hill bakery without permit
The Allegheny County Health Department has shut down and cited Prantl’s Bakery for opening a new location in Squirrel Hill without a health permit, department records show. The bakery’s new location on Forbes Avenue was shut down by health inspectors April 28 for operating with a health permit, failing to...
