Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1237
FDA expected to OK Pfizer vaccine for teens within week
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine for young adults age 12 and older by next week, according to a federal official and a person familiar with the process, setting up shots for many before the beginning of the next school year....
‘Getting Pittsburgh Vaccinated’ and other Facebook groups offer neighborly resources
Leighann Bacher started the Facebook page “Getting Pittsburgh Vaccinated” with a few other women, thinking she might share some resources with other residents of Hampton. Four months later, the page has nearly 40,000 members. After making her own vaccine appointment and helping members of her family do the same, she...
Bill and Melinda Gates announce they are ending marriageVideo
SEATTLE — Bill and Melinda Gates announced Monday that they are divorcing. The Microsoft co-founder and his wife, who launched the world’s largest charitable foundation, said they would continue to work together at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In identical tweets, they said they had made the decision to...
Penn Township man to serve up to 40 years in prison for firing rifle at police
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday said he had no choice but to sentence a Penn Township man to serve up to 40 years in prison for shooting at police during a 2016 standoff. But, even without a state legislative mandatory minimum sentencing requirement in place, Judge Scott Mears said...
Biden lifts Trump refugee cap after delay backlashVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday formally raised the nation’s cap on refugee admissions to 62,500 this year, weeks after facing bipartisan blowback for his delay in replacing the record-low ceiling set by former President Donald Trump. Refugee resettlement agencies have waited for Biden to quadruple the number of...
Bethel Park School District employee charged with having guns on district property
A Bethel Park School District security guard was arrested Monday morning and charged with having firearms on school grounds, according to Bethel Park police Chief Timothy O’Connor. Bernard Switala, 43, of Bethel Park was taken into custody at the high school on a separate Allegheny County police warrant when officers...
Hempfield Area plans vaccine clinic for students 16 and older
Hempfield Area School District students may receive their first dose of the covid-19 vaccine during a clinic Tuesday at the high school field house. Other clinics are planned this month for students across the region. Shots of the Pfizer vaccine will be administered from 3 to 7 p.m. in Hempfield...
Pa. Supreme Court picks former Pitt chancellor to chair powerful redistricting commission
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — A former University of Pittsburgh chancellor will chair the committee...
Plans for redevelopment of Civic Arena site set for approval
The Pittsburgh Planning Commission on Tuesday will consider approving plans for the first phase of development of the former Civic Arena site in the city’s Hill District. The plans are centered on a 24-story, $200 million office tower that will be the new headquarters for FNB Corp. Construction on the...
Mother pushes child to safety as car slams into Hempfield homeVideo
A 2-year-old boy escaped injury Monday after his quick-thinking mother pushed him out of the path of a car barreling into the front of their Hempfield home. Amanda Clark said the boy was standing at the glass storm door looking out at Sells Lane around 12:30 p.m. while she was...
Pittsburgh council, activists to talk about ‘mass displacement’ of Black residents
A former Penn Plaza resident who was displaced when the East Liberty apartment building was razed in 2017 is part of a group seeking acknowledgement from Pittsburgh leaders that Black people are leaving the city in large numbers. “This is an injustice,” said Randall Taylor, who now lives in Homewood...
GOP: Wolf should fire vendor that mishandled virus data
Pennsylvania should immediately terminate the no-bid state contract of a company that performed covid-19 contact tracing and exposed the private medical information of tens of thousands of residents, Republican state lawmakers said Monday. GOP leaders also called for state and federal probes into the Atlanta-based contractor’s mishandling of the data,...
Former Pitt player Rashad Weaver charged with assault in April incident on South Side
Former Pitt defensive end Rashad Weaver — drafted into NFL by the Tennessee Titans over the weekend — is facing assault charges related to an incident last month on Pittsburgh’s South Side. The alleged assault — an altercation with a woman on East Carson Street — happened April 18, according...
Youngwood man jailed after police said he led them on 22-mile chase
A Youngwood man is behind bars after state police said he led troopers on a 22-mile chase over the weekend that began in Pittsburgh and ended in Hempfield, according to court papers. Ryan E. McKnight, 36, did not have a valid drivers license, police said. Troopers were traveling east on...
New covid cases continue statewide drop, rise in Allegheny and Westmoreland
It was a mix of good and bad news in the latest coronavirus reports in the state and Western Pennsylvania region. For a fifth straight Monday, Pennsylvania’s two-day covid-19 case report has shown a decline week over week. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported a two-day count of 4,381 new...
Some Churchill residents oppose Amazon as neighbor despite potential for jobs, tax revenue
A group of Churchill residents are concerned about the impact of a potential Amazon distribution center in their small residential community. The former site of the George Westinghouse Research Park, a 133-acre parcel located within Churchill Borough, could be developed into an Amazon property. The potential buyer for the property...
Woman identified in fatal McCandless house fire
A woman died in a house fire Monday morning in McCandless, authorities said. Faye Poshard, 68, was found dead in the home, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Neighbors reported the fire at a house on Knoll Street around 6:30 a.m., police said. Authorities noted that a hoarding...
Are Pa.’s state House and Senate maps gerrymandered? Depends on how you measure them
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — When Amanda Holt was preparing to vote in 2010, she...
Luxury auction firm hits local high of $5M with Ligonier Township home sale
An owner looking to unload a multimillion-dollar home, in an area where such properties are the exception, might consider holding an auction to avoid taking a major loss on the investment. Several such palatial estates in the Ligonier Valley recently changed hands through the services of Platinum Luxury Auctions, a...
Victim of McKees Rocks shooting identified
A man is dead in McKees Rocks after being shot in the head early Monday, authorities said. The victim was identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office as Nathan Freeman, 24, of Sheraden. Emergency crews responded at about 1:30 a.m. to a shooting near Sarah and Vine Streets, according...
Homewood man dies after being rescued from fire
A Homewood man died after being pulled from his burning apartment early Monday, authorities said. Emergency crews responded at 3:40 a.m. to a blaze in the 500 block of Clawson Street and found flames shooting from the second story, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews. Firefighters were able...
Pittsburgh man charged with shooting Reserve woman in front of her children
A Reserve woman remained in critical condition Monday, a day after her on-again, off-again boyfriend allegedly forced his way into her home and shot her multiple times in front of her children, according to Allegheny County Police. Joseph Hogg, 35, called 911 just after 8:30 p.m. Sunday to report that...
Cyril Wecht’s memoir tells renowned forensic pathologist’s personal storyVideo
Cyril Wecht has never been one to hold his tongue. When the former Allegheny County coroner and county commissioner is bothered by something, he speaks his mind. The same holds true for his recently published memoir, “The Life and Deaths of Cyril Wecht: Memoirs of America’s Most Controversial Forensic Pathologist.”...
Team DetermiNation races through North Park in lieu of canceled Pittsburgh Marathon
The Pittsburgh Marathon may have been canceled Sunday but not runner Cathy O’Brien’s will to compete. The mother of four from Marshall Township joined an impromptu race at North Park in lieu of the 13-mile half-marathon she trained for. She was among 10 members of the American Cancer Society’s (ACS)...
Guardian Angels on earth: Highmark sponsored service dogs assist veterans
Charlie and Blue are more than a man’s best friend. The German shepherds are lifesavers. If Dan Smith’s blood sugar is approaching dangerous levels at night, Charlie, who sleeps on a cot next to Smith’s bed, wakes him up. Right before Shar’Ron Harris is about to have a seizure, Blue...
