Top Stories category, Page 1248
Son of Tree of Life victims sues NRA, alleging gun lobby spread ‘white supremacist’ conspiraciesVideo
A man whose parents were killed in the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue massacre has sued the National Rifle Association, claiming the gun lobby radicalized accused shooter Robert Bowers with “white supremacist conspiracy theories.” Marc Simon, the son of Bernice and Sylvan Simon, filed the lawsuit Thursday. It names as...
Judge orders evidentiary hearing in Crack’d Egg fight against Allegheny County
An Allegheny County judge on Friday ordered an evidentiary hearing in the county health department’s request for an immediate injunction against a Brentwood restaurant continuing to operate despite closure orders issued more than five months ago. Attorneys for the Allegheny County Health Department asked Judge John McVay to enforce an...
Allegheny Health Network suspends vaccine appointments as hospitals struggle with supply
Allegheny Health Network has paused scheduling covid-19 vaccine appointments because of a supply issue, hospital leaders said Friday, as other health systems in the region faced increased demand for the shots. Excela Health officials said they are unable to expand vaccine distribution to people who are not health care workers....
Pennsylvania casinos saw revenue drop by $759 million in 2020, state reports
Pennsylvania casinos saw total revenues decrease by $759 million in 2020, a year plagued by the coronavirus pandemic that forced the properties to shutter for several months. According to a new report from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, $2.65 billion was generated last year from the state’s 13 casinos through...
Pittsburgh doctor wants pregnant women included in covid vaccine trials
Dr. Kacie Kidd is doing her best to protect her unborn child. The 33-year-old mom-to-be decided to get the covid-19 Pfizer vaccine, despite lack of conclusive research concerning its safety for pregnant women. Kidd, an adolescent medicine fellow at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Lawrenceville, is 26 weeks pregnant....
Wolf announces nominations for Secretary of Health, appoints Acting Physician General
Gov. Tom Wolf will nominate his deputy chief of staff to lead the state Department of Health, taking the place of Dr. Rachel Levine, who was tapped earlier this week by President Joe Biden as his assistant secretary of health. Alison Beam, 34, will take over as Acting Secretary of...
New covid cases reported in Westmoreland County among fewest in a month
Westmoreland County on Friday reported 91 additional coronavirus cases and three additional deaths attributed to the virus, according to the latest data provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The newly reported cases marks only the second time in the past 25 days that the county recorded fewer than 100...
Pa. reports fewer hospitalizations, deaths, cases of covid-19 than in recent days
The number of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with covid-19 reportedly dropped dramatically Friday, according to the state Department of Health, although no reason was given. The newly reported number of people hospitalized with coronavirus in the state was 4,169 — almost 600 fewer than was reported the day before. At the same...
Nearly $1B Mega Millions prize because of long odds, slow sales
DES MOINES, Iowa — The jackpot for the Mega Millions lottery game has grown to nearly $1 billion ahead of Friday night’s drawing after more than four months without a winner thanks to bad luck, poor odds and reduced play partially blamed on the coronavirus pandemic. It’s only the third...
13 new covid deaths reported in Allegheny County, but cases continue downward trend
The number of new coronavirus cases reported in Allegheny County continues to fall despite 13 additional deaths being reported, according to the latest information provided by the state and county health departments. Allegheny County on Friday announced 343 additional cases of coronavirus and 13 newly reported deaths. The number of...
Schumer: Trump impeachment trial to begin week of Feb. 8
Opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial for Donald Trump on the charge of incitement of insurrection for the Capitol riot will begin the week of Feb. 8. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the schedule Friday evening after reaching an agreement with Republicans, who had pushed to delay the...
Seth Meyers calls Ted Cruz a ‘jagoff’ after Pittsburgh vs. Paris commentsVideo
Yinz are gonna love this. Late-night host Seth Meyers — whose father is a Pittsburgh native — took time on Thursday’s “Late Night” show on NBC to deliver a Pittsburgh-centric clap back at Sen. Ted Cruz’s recent comments. Cruz said that by rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, President Biden is...
Santa lookalike from Robinson vies for prizes on ‘Let’s Make a Deal’
Check out the Santa Claus lookalike on the Jan. 29 episode of “Let’s Make a Deal.” That’s Michael Murray of Robinson, vying for big prizes on the long-running game show, airing at 10 a.m. on CBS. Murray teaches health and physical education to Pittsburgh Public Schools students from kindergarten through...
10 movie favorites starring PittsburghVideo
What makes Pittsburgh such an attractive movie location? Tax credits for film companies are just the beginning, says Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office. “We have such a diversity of locations. Pittsburgh can look like any place in the world,” she says. “The only things we don’t have...
Pittsburgh company Astrobotic one step closer to 2021 moon missionVideo
For the first time since the last Apollo mission in 1972, the U.S. is going back to the moon this year. The Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic is an integral part of the mission. Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lander is carrying NASA payloads to the moon. The company recently completed successful testing with NASA’s...
Wine mystery boxes offered through Pennsylvania-owned Fine Wine and Good Spirits website
After a year of heightened liquor sales because of the coronavirus pandemic, state officials are offering a package that could help switch up those go-to quarantine drinks. Boxes of wine are available for purchase on the Fine Wine and Good Spirits website, which promotes the sale as “uncork a new...
Peduto challenger Ed Gainey: Fewer words, more action needed from next mayor of Pittsburgh
Ed Gainey says all the words a Pittsburgh mayoral candidate is expected to say. If elected, he’d like to engage with people who live in each of the city’s neighborhoods, increase affordable housing opportunities, enact meaningful police reform and improve the way Blacks and other minorities are treated in the...
Dr. Fauci feeling free to ‘let the science speak’Video
Dr. Anthony Fauci looks as if he got his groove back. Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, came out of his shell Thursday during a press conference, his first under the Biden administration. “I can tell you, I take no pleasure at all in being...
Japanese government: Tokyo Olympics on thin ice because of covidVideo
Japan’s government has privately agreed that the Tokyo Olympics will have to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, The (London) Times reported on Friday, citing an unnamed senior member of the ruling coalition. The government’s focus is now securing the Games for Tokyo in the next available spot, 2032,...
Man alleges disability discrimination against Ryan Homes
A man who relies on a wheelchair to get around filed a federal class-action lawsuit on Wednesday against Ryan Homes for failing to make its local sales offices accessible to people with limited mobility. John Egan, of Shaler, alleges in the complaint that the company is violating the federal Americans...
Pa. Secretary of State Boockvar implores state lawmakers to ‘stop the lies’ about the election
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar implored lawmakers in Harrisburg to “stop perpetuating lies” about the Nov. 3 election as members of a House Committee relentlessly grilled her Thursday in what they billed as the first of 14 hearings on the matter. Although President Biden’s victory of more than 80,000...
McConnell seeks to push impeachment trial to FebruaryVideo
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is proposing to push back the start of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial by a week or more to give the former president time to review the case. House Democrats who voted to impeach Trump last week for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riots...
Pittsburgh literary voices praise Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem
President Biden welcomed the youngest inaugural poet in history, 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, who earned widespread praise for her performance. Gorman, a Black woman from California, received rave reviews from local literary voices as well as celebrities such as Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and “Hamilton” playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda — for the...
Fatal stabbing victim in Clairton identified
Authorities have identified the victim of Thursday’s fatal stabbing in Clairton. Anthony Koontz, 55, died after being stabbed multiple times, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Emergency dispatchers were called shortly after 1:30 p.m. to the 400 block of Mendelssohn Avenue, according to the Allegheny County Police Department. Medics...
Vandals damage Biden, Black Lives Matter signs in GreensburgVideo
Barbara Mabry pulled back the curtain in the front window of her Greensburg home after a car stopped early Thursday and watched as someone vandalized a Black Lives Matter sign in her yard. The person used orange spray paint to mark Xs on both sides of the sign that has...
