Top Stories category, Page 1272
Power restored after wreck shears pole, closes road in Penn Hills
A multi-vehicle crash sheared a utility pole and brought down wires Wednesday night, closing a section of Universal Road in Penn Hills. The wreck was reported at about 8:45 p.m. and closed Universal between Stotler Road and North Joslyn Drive, according to Allegheny County officials. Penn Hills: Multi-vehicle crash with...
‘Historic milestone’: 1 million Americans have received a covid vaccine, CDC saysVideo
More than 1 million Americans have received their first doses of a covid-19 shot across the country since federal officials authorized two vaccines for emergency use, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. CDC Director Robert Redfield called it an “early but important milestone” in a media statement. “With...
Police: McKeesport man accused of robbing, shooting motorist on Pittsburgh’s South Side
Pittsburgh police have arrested a man on charges that include attempted homicide stemming from a Dec. 15 vehicle crash and shooting on East Carson Street. Ralph Omar Williams, 36, of McKeesport, also is charged with aggravated assault, robbery, reckless endangerment and gun violations. He’s awaiting a preliminary hearing. According to...
Trump pardons former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Roger Stone
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued pardons and sentence commutations for 29 people, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, in the latest burst of clemency in his final weeks at the White House. The actions bring to nearly 50 the...
Rewards for suspect in McKeesport police shooting total $15K
A combined $15,000 in reward money has been offered for information leading to the apprehension of Koby Lee Francis, the man wanted in the Sunday afternoon shooting of a McKeesport police officer. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced Wednesday it is offering a $10,000 reward for...
Christmas display vandals make difficult year even worse for Harrison woman, neighborVideo
The holiday season is a little less bright for two neighbors in Harrison. “I was vandalized,” said Maryann Farr, 65, of Burtner Road. “They ruined everything that I worked so hard for.” Farr’s illuminated front lawn decorations were destroyed on Monday. Her backyard bird feeders and other items were damaged,...
As elderly Greensburg couple battles covid in hospital, family asks public to ‘be smart’
Jim Kuhns had 30 cupcakes for his 91st birthday on Monday. He had balloons, gifts, cards and his favorite: scratch-off lottery tickets. But something was missing — his family. That’s because the Greensburg man celebrated in Westmoreland Hospital while battling covid. Betty Kuhns, his wife of 66 years, wasn’t by...
Allegheny County Health Department receives vaccine, finalizing distribution planVideo
About 4,000 Allegheny County residents have received their first dose of covid-19 vaccine so far, Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said Wednesday – the same day the health department received its first allocation of the vaccines. “Thousands more will receive it in the coming weeks or months,” Bogen said. Bogen...
Southmoreland grad killed in crash ‘brought a different kind of energy to the room’
No matter who is talking about him, one thing is clear about Brandon Peterson — he knew how to brighten anyone’s day. “As soon as he’d walk into a room, he put a smile on everyone’s face,” said Mason Neiderhiser, 16, of Mt. Pleasant. “He was such a good guy.”...
Wagging tails join ringing bells for Salvation Army kettle drive in HempfieldVideo
Area owners let the dogs out Wednesday to help attract attention to the Greensburg Salvation Army’s annual red kettle donation drive. Members of the Youngwood Dog Club, accompanied by their public-friendly therapy dogs, volunteered to augment the efforts of kettle bell-ringers at several Hempfield retail locations including Walmart and Macy’s...
Trump vetoes defense bill, setting up possible override voteVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday vetoed the annual defense policy bill, following through on threats to veto a measure that has broad bipartisan support in Congress and potentially setting up the first override vote of his presidency. The bill affirms 3% pay raises for U.S. troops and authorizes...
As he seeks to overturn Pa.’s election, Trump invites state’s GOP senators to White House lunch
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — As he seeks to overturn Pennsylvania’s election results in the courts, President Donald Trump invited Republican members of the...
Officials: 41K Pa. health care workers vaccinated; long-term care facilities up next week
About 41,400 health care workers have received covid-19 vaccinations since last week, Heath Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said Wednesday. Levine said hospitals are vaccinating their own workers, and are also responsible for administering doses to health care workers in their communities that are not affiliated with hospitals – including emergency...
Postal Service struggles with record demands as Christmas draws near
First it was the election and questions about whether the Post Office could be relied upon to deliver millions of mail-in ballots. Now, barely six weeks later, an unprecedented uptick in packages from online shoppers and staff shortages exacerbated by a rash of covid-19 outbreaks are combining to strain the...
Church services move to nontraditional measures for Christmas
Pastor Dan Borchert of the New Stanton Alliance Church knew he had to get creative if he wanted to include everybody in this year’s Christmas Eve service. Before Thursday’s traditional service, Borchert is hosting a drive-in service where people can pull up to the church, sing Christmas carols and discuss...
Pennsylvania reports 9,605 new coronavirus cases, 230 deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday reported 9,605 new coronavirus cases and 230 deaths in the state. The new positive tests bring the state’s total to 581,156 and the newly added deaths raise the state’s total to 14,442. Pennsylvania’s seven-day average of new cases dropped to 8,827 after hitting...
4 Allegheny County restaurants defy orders to close for violating covid restrictions
Four Allegheny County restaurants were ordered to close Tuesday for violating Gov. Tom Wolf’s latest covid-19 pandemic restrictions. As of Wednesday morning, none of them had shut their doors. David’s Diner in Springdale Township, Al’s Café in Bethel Park, Gianna Via’s in Whitehall and Il Pizzaiolo in Mt. Lebanon were...
Allegheny County adds 830 coronavirus cases, could hit 50K later this week
Allegheny County’s coronavirus case total grew by 830 on Wednesday, putting the county on pace to reach 50,000 later this week. At its current pace — after averaging 819 cases per day over the past week — the county’s total will hit 50,000 on Christmas Day. Only Philadelphia has reached...
Dad creates adventures in a box without leaving Beaver County home
Elliott Cramer was helping move a neighbor’s water heater when he had a revelation. Some might say it was out of the box — or, rather, inside a large cardboard box. “I thought, the cardboard box would make for a perfect rocket ship,” said Cramer, who was assisting a neighbor...
Pfizer to supply U.S. with additional 100M doses of vaccine
WASHINGTON — Pfizer and BioNTech will supply the U.S. with an additional 100 million doses of the covid-19 vaccine under a new agreement. The drugmakers said Wednesday that they expect to deliver all the doses by July 31 in the nearly $2 billion deal. Pfizer already has a contract to...
Scottdale man killed after getting out of disabled pickup on Route 119
A Scottdale man was killed Tuesday when state police said he got out of his disabled pickup truck on Route 119 and was hit by a tractor-trailer in East Huntingdon. Brandon C. Peterson, 18, was driving a Dodge Ram 2500 that became disabled on the southbound side of the highway...
Officials encourage out-of-work Pennsylvanians to seek assistance during pandemic hardship
Officials urged out-of-work Pennsylvanians to seek assistance through a variety of programs that can augment unemployment assistance as many face new economic challenges during the covid-19 pandemic. “The first thing that people think of when they lose their job or they have reduced hours at their place of employment is...
Dog rescued from Homewood house delivers 9 pups at shelter
There are now nine more animals that can be counted among those rescued from poor living conditions at a house in Homewood. One of the saved dogs had puppies. Officers from the city’s Zone 5 station were dispatched around 7 p.m. Monday to the house where they arrested a man...
Sharky’s Cafe, community help make, deliver 450 Christmas meals for Latrobe area families
Hundreds of Westmoreland County families will receive hot Christmas dinners thanks to the generosity of donors and volunteers. Sharky’s Cafe in Unity organized a donation drive and cooked the dinners, which will be delivered Wednesday. Cafe co-owner Jamie Huemme said she was overwhelmed by the community’s response. “I put a...
Body found wrapped in plastic in Brighton Heights identified as missing person
A body found wrapped in plastic outside of a home in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood has been identified as Deric Bryan Davis, authorities said Wednesday. Pittsburgh police said Davis, 53, of Brighton Heights, was last in contact with his family on Dec. 14. Police asked for the public’s help in...
