Top Stories category, Page 1255
No specific threats in Pa., but police in Harrisburg bolster security
Pennsylvania Capitol Police and state police said Thursday there are no specific threats against the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg, though the departments say they are prepared should rumors of attacks come to fruition. “We have no specific intelligence relative to the Capitol Complex,” state police Lt. Col. Scott Price said...
VA Pittsburgh to offer walk-up covid vaccinations to eligible veterans
Up to 2,000 eligible veterans across the region could be inoculated starting this weekend as the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section prepares for its first walk-in clinic to distribute the covid-19 vaccine. Two events are scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 16, and Monday, Jan. 18 from 8 a.m....
Pittsburgh expert: Covid variants are serious, same prevention methods workVideo
As the number of people dying from covid-19 continues to rise, the more infectious coronavirus variants could make things worse, exacerbating the death toll as well as the number of cases. On Wednesday, Ohio researchers discovered two new variants of the coronavirus, including one which has become the dominant strain...
Joanne Rogers, widow of Mister Rogers, dies at 92
Joanne Rogers, a concert duo pianist and wife of the late Fred Rogers, died at her Squirrel Hill home Thursday at age 92 surrounded by family and friends. Known for a boisterous laugh, Joanne Rogers became the face of her husband’s legacy after his death in 2003, appearing on news...
Gov. Wolf: Pa. will soon unveil plans to vaccinate older people
Pennsylvania health officials next week will detail their plans to vaccinate older people, Gov. Tom Wolf said. “We should have something specific next week,” he said regarding plans to vaccinate the 65+ demographic. Allegheny County health officials said Wednesday that people 75 and older may have to wait longer to...
Delaware man photographed with Confederate flag during Capitol siege arrestedVideo
A Delaware man photographed carrying a Confederate battle flag during a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol was arrested Thursday after authorities used the image to help identify him, federal prosecutors said. A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said that Kevin Seefried, who...
Corporate boycotts could ding coffers of Reschenthaler, Kelly campaigns
U.S. Reps. Guy Reschenthaler and Mike Kelly may have lost the financial support of several top corporate donors this week as a growing number of influential firms have announced they would withhold future cash from lawmakers who attempted to overturn the results of the presidential election. Super PACs associated with...
Environmental groups call on Gov. Tom Wolf to stop Plum oil and gas disposal well
Environmental groups have called on Gov. Tom Wolf to revoke a state-issued permit that allows an oil and gas company to dispose of fracking fluids at a site in Plum. “We again want to ask the governor of Pennsylvania to uphold our constitutional rights to clean air and pure water...
Pirates, medical partners could ‘potentially utilize’ PNC Park as a covid-19 vaccination center
The Pittsburgh Pirates are meeting with medical partners at Allegheny Health Network and Highmark to “potentially utilize” PNC Park as a covid-19 vaccination center, a team spokesman confirmed Thursday. “The ballpark can allow for mass vaccinations to be done in a safe and socially distanced manner,” team spokesman Brian Warecki...
Peduto makes it official, seeks 3rd term as Pittsburgh’s mayorVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto made it official Thursday: He will seek a third term as mayor. Peduto made the announcement in a video streamed on Facebook. During the video, which debuted at 1 p.m., 14 supporters from several of the city’s neighborhoods gave testimonials about the work that Peduto has...
Pennsylvania Capitol closing; more security being added
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday ordered the Pennsylvania Capitol closed for two days next week around the swearing-in of three statewide officials and the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. The complex is already closed to the general public because of the coronavirus pandemic, and most Capitol employees under...
Trump impeachment trial could begin on Inauguration Day
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial could begin on Inauguration Day, just as Democrat Joe Biden takes the oath of office in an extraordinary end to the defeated president’s tenure in the White House. The trial timeline and schedule are largely set by Senate procedures and will start as...
Pennsylvania records 313 additional covid deaths, 7,175 more cases
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health on Thursday reported 313 additional covid deaths and 7,175 cases. With the day’s report, there have been 2,764 deaths counted this month, though not all the deaths occurred this month. Of the deaths counted this month 1,201 are from January, 1,547 from December, 12 are from...
Westmoreland County adds 14 covid deaths
Westmoreland County on Thursday added 14 additional covid deaths and 203 cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The newly-reported deaths bring the county’s death toll to 516. The county passed 500 reported deaths on Wednesday. There have been 93 deaths attributed to the virus this month in the county....
Allegheny County reports 499 additional covid cases, 3 deaths
Allegheny County on Thursday reported three new coronavirus deaths, bringing the total number of deaths related to the virus for the county to 1,181. This comes after the county on Wednesday reported 74 deaths, but attributed the large number to a data backlog at the state level. The health department...
State police cite 8 restaurants for covid violations in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
Pennsylvania State Police cited eight restaurants in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties for allegedly violating covid-19 restrictions last month, and the Allegheny County Health Department has shut down several establishments in the first two weeks of the year. The number of violations issued by state police was down across the two...
5 things to know about your covid stimulus check
The $600 stimulus checks approved by Congress and President Trump last month were meant to provide much-needed economic relief to Americans battered by the coronavirus pandemic. Most already have received their money, but technical glitches and administrative challenges left millions wondering when theirs would arrive. Here’s what you need to...
U.S. unemployment claims jump to 965,000 as virus takes toll
WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs. The latest figures for jobless claims, issued Thursday by the Labor Department, remain at levels never seen until the...
Lady Gaga to sing anthem at Biden’s inauguration
Joe Biden’s Inaugural Committee announced today that Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez will appear during his Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol. Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem while Lopez will provide a musical performance. Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States...
34 House Democrats call for investigation into Jan. 5 tours by fellow members ahead of Capitol attackVideo
WASHINGTON — Rep. Mikie Sherrill and 33 other House members want an investigation into access given by fellow House lawmakers to visitors to the Capitol on Jan. 5 before the violent attacks on Congress the next day. The New Jersey Democrat alleged Tuesday night that members of Congress led guests...
Pennsylvania firearms background checks shatter record in 4th quarter 2020
Word that Pennsylvania State Police saw a record surge in firearm license background checks in 2020 didn’t surprise Mark Boerio, owner of Latrobe’s Army Navy & Indoor Pistol Range. Business soared last year — and has continued into 2021, he said. “It’s the same everywhere,” Boerio said. “First you had...
Burrell schools fight Arconic assessment appeal that would result in $500K hit
Burrell School District and Upper Burrell plan to fight a real estate assessment appeal filed in a Westmoreland County court by Arconic Inc. that could reduce tax revenue to the school district by almost $500,000 annually. “We plan to fight this vigorously,” said Anthony Giglio, an attorney with Andrews &...
Man killed in Wilkinsburg shooting
A man was shot and killed inside a Wilkinsburg home, according to Allegheny County Police. First responders were called to the 1900 block of Wright Street shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday for a report of shots fired. They arrived to find the victim inside a home. He was pronounced dead...
WHO team arrives in Wuhan to search for pandemic originsVideo
WUHAN, China — A global team of researchers arrived Thursday in the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic was first detected to conduct a politically sensitive investigation into its origins amid uncertainty about whether Beijing might try to prevent embarrassing discoveries. The 10-member team sent to Wuhan by the World...
Enduring 2nd impeachment, Trump stands largely silent, aloneVideo
WASHINGTON — His place in the history books rewritten, President Donald Trump endured his second impeachment largely alone and silent. For more than four years, Trump has dominated the national discourse like no one before him. Yet when his legacy was set in stone on Wednesday, he was stunningly left...
