Top Stories category, Page 1249
Congress poised for quick action on Biden’s Pentagon nominee Lloyd Austin
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled Congress easily passed legislation Thursday required to confirm retired Gen. Lloyd Austin as President Joe Biden’s secretary of defense, brushing aside concerns that his retirement occurred inside the seven-year window that safeguards civilian leadership of the military. It would be the first measure to be signed...
Biden signs burst of coronavirus orders, vows ‘Help is on the way’Video
WASHINGTON — With a burst of executive orders, President Joe Biden served notice Thursday that America’s war on covid-19 is under new command, promising an anxious nation progress to reduce infections and lift the siege it has endured for nearly a year. At the same time, he tried to manage...
Police in Pa. investigate shots fired into Democratic Party office
NORRISTOWN — Police are investigating after gunshots were apparently fired through the front window of a Democratic Party office in a suburban Philadelphia county, officials said. No one was reported injured. The city of Norristown said the executive director of the Montgomery County Democratic Party discovered the bullet holes in...
Pittsburgh’s Peduto among mayors asking new administration for financial relief
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is among the more than 280 mayors calling on congressional leaders to “take immediate action” on coronavirus relief legislation proposed by President Joe Biden. The legislation, called the American Rescue Plan, would provide $350 billion to state and local governments. “Providing direct, flexible aid to cities...
New Kensington police say man seen driving stolen car threatened to kill officers, their families
A man from Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood was sent to Westmoreland County Prison without bail Wednesday because police said he threatened to kill police officers and their families as soon as he gets out of jail. New Kensington police said they arrested Daevar Lamont Stevens, 21, about 7 p.m. Tuesday after...
Pennsylvania tops 20,000 covid deaths
Pennsylvania on Thursday added 260 coronavirus deaths, bringing its total number of deaths to 20,128 since the pandemic began in March. The state becomes the seventh to top 20,000 deaths. California has the most covid deaths (34,433), followed by New York (33,415), Texas (32,844), Florida (24,965), New Jersey (20,664) and...
Westmoreland County adds 107 covid cases, 4 deaths
Westmoreland County on Thursday added 107 additional covid cases and four deaths, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The newly-reported deaths now bring the county’s death toll to 557. There have been 134 deaths attributed to the disease reported this month in the county. The total number of cases in...
Wendy Bell headed back to radio on WJAS Pittsburgh
Wendy Bell, the radio host let go by KDKA last fall, is joining WJAS Pittsburgh. She announced her new position in a Facebook post Wednesday. “America needs common-sense conservatism,” she wrote. JD Turco, senior vice president at St. Barnabas Broadcasting, which bought WJAS in November, confirmed Thursday that Bell will...
As covid crisis deepens, opioid crisis continues in the background
As President Joe Biden settles into office amid the coronavirus pandemic, nonprofits and organizations battling drug addiction are urging the new administration not to lose sight of the national opioid crisis that predates covid-19 and has not slowed. “At the same time the coronavirus death toll grows, there is another...
Shapiro: Stimulus payments delayed for those who used tax preparation companies
Pennsylvania residents who had their federal income tax returns prepared by a company may see a delay in receiving their stimulus checks. Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Thursday that when companies like H&R Block and Intuit prepare a person’s taxes, they use temporary bank accounts. This caused a problem in...
Bernie Sanders memes take over the internet during, after inauguration
Bernie Sanders may not have stolen the show during Wednesday’s presidential inauguration. But he clearly won the internet. At President Joe Biden’s inauguration, a few moments stood out among the festivities: the poem recited by 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, the collage of colorful coats worn by all the women involved in...
Allegheny County reports 425 additional covid cases, 4 deaths
Allegheny County on Thursday reported four new coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total number for the county to 1,249. The county also reported 425 new coronavirus cases. The health department said that the dates of death ranged from Jan. 12 to Tuesday. The ages of the deceased were listed as one...
Jeannette man arrested on drug charges after foot chase in city
A Jeannette man under investigation by police for dealing drugs was arrested Wednesday after a foot chase in the city, according to court papers. Rashaad Ricardo Shepard, 41, is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond. City police and agents from the state Attorney General’s office said they...
Biden puts forth virus strategy, requires mask use to travel
WASHINGTON — As the U.S. enters “what may well be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus,” President Joe Biden is putting forth a national covid-19 strategy to ramp up vaccinations and testing, reopen schools and businesses and increase the use of masks — including a requirement that they...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh TV production bounces back; CMU grad stars in ‘Bridge and Tunnel’Video
Netflix’s horror series “Archive 81” has been filming in and around Pittsburgh since November and will be joined in a couple of weeks by another Netflix program, “The Chair.” Showtime’s “Rust” expects to film in March. Beyond these three series, 2021 local big-budget TV/film production is in a holding pattern....
‘Just move on’: Republicans grapple with post-Trump future
For the first time in more than a decade, Republicans are waking up to a Washington where Democrats control the White House and Congress, adjusting to an era of diminished power, deep uncertainty and internal feuding. The shift to minority status is always difficult, prompting debates over who is to...
Harrisburg woman accused of helping steal Pelosi laptop freed from jail
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania woman facing charges that she helped steal a laptop from the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the attack on the U.S. Capitol will be released from jail, a federal judge decided Thursday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin Carlson directed that Riley June Williams be released...
Powerball jackpot winner worth $731.1M sold in Maryland
DES MOINES, Iowa — A single Powerball ticket sold in Maryland is the winner of an estimated $731.1 million jackpot, the first to get the top prize in months. Thanks to math and bad luck, lottery players had another shot at a giant jackpot Wednesday night that earlier had been...
Where to eat during Greensburg Restaurant Week
This time around, you won’t have to wait until dinner to enjoy a Greensburg Restaurant Week deal. For the first time, there will be breakfast and lunch options, courtesy of first-time participants Yumzio Bistro and South Greensburg Restaurant. Olives and Peppers at the Greensburg Train Station is the third new...
Military helicopter crash kills 3 in training exercise in New York
MENDON, N.Y. — Three National Guard members on a training flight were killed Wednesday when their helicopter crashed in a farmer’s field in western New York. The craft, a UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter, crashed around 6:30 p.m. in Mendon, N.Y., a rural town south of Rochester, officials said....
Arconic donates more than $80K to local nonprofits for sustainability and social equity
Pittsburgh-area nonprofits were among organizations worldwide benefiting from $360,000 in grants from the Arconic Foundation promoting environmental sustainability and social equity. Arconic, an Alcoa spinoff with roots in the Alle-Kiski Valley, is headquartered in Pittsburgh. It has a research center in Upper Burrell and a building and systems business site...
Ted Cruz brings back Paris vs. Pittsburgh in criticism of Biden; Peduto scoffs
“Are you kidding me? Here we go again…” That was Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s reply to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, after the senator evoked a familiar refrain Wednesday during criticism of President Joe Biden’s signing of an executive order to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord. Are you kidding me? Here...
Confederate Soldiers, Richard Nixon and Chelsea Manning: a look back at famous presidential pardonsVideo
The list of pardons and commutations issued Wednesday by President Donald Trump includes some household names, like rapper Lil Wayne and political strategist Steve Bannon. They’re not the only notable people to receive clemency from the president. Here’s a look back at some famous examples of pardons past: Every Confederate...
Pittsburgh Public Schools Board expected to push in-person learning back to April
Pittsburgh Public Schools Board members are expected to make the “tough decision” next week to postpone the return of in-person learning until April 6, after the district’s spring break, board president Sylvia Wilson said Wednesday. “No one wants students back in school more than I do,” Wilson said. With covid-19...
Presidential pardons have roots in Southwestern Pennsylvania
When former President Donal Trump issued more than 140 acts of clemency in his final hours in the White House, he was exercising a presidential power that has its roots in Southwestern Pennsylvania. “George Washington, his first pardons were — ironically enough — two individuals that participated in the Pennsylvania...
