Top Stories category, Page 1277
Westmoreland County adds 397 new covid cases, 9 deaths
Westmoreland County added 397 additional covid cases and 9 new deaths Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The additional deaths bring the county’s death toll to 326. There have been 122 deaths attributed to the disease this month in the county. The county ranks as the 12th-highest death toll...
Pennsylvania reports 224 new coronavirus deaths, adds 9,966 cases
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health on Thursday reported 224 new deaths attributed to the coronavirus. The death toll for the state stands at 13,392. There have been 1,967 deaths already this month. Of the 224 deaths newly reported, 220 are from December, three are from November and one is from July....
Allegheny County reports record 55 new covid deaths
Allegheny County on Thursday reported 55 new coronavirus deaths, a record number that topped the previous high of 34 set on Dec. 9. The death toll for the county now stands at 743. There have been 229 deaths reported this month. The Allegheny County Health Department said that the new...
East Huntingdon couple crafts Christmas village, spreads cheerVideo
An East Huntingdon couple put this spring’s stay-at-home orders to good use — greatly expanding their wooden Christmas yard display. Robert and Marilyn Greenawalt used the extra time to design, cut and paint a gingerbread house village that now sits in their yard and an adjacent property on Route 31...
Close but not yet: Deal near on covid economic aid bill
WASHINGTON — Congressional negotiators on the long-delayed $900 billion covid-19 economic relief package worked through a handful of remaining holdups Thursday as they labored to seal a final agreement for more help to businesses and the unemployed and new stimulus payments to most Americans. Top congressional leaders also finally acknowledged...
Pittsburgh region sees record day for snow
It was a record day for snow Wednesday across the Pittsburgh region, with a total of 9.3 inches making it the fifth highest December calendar-day total, officials at the National Weather Service said. The No. 1 spot still belongs to a storm that dumped 22 inches of snow in 1890....
Pandemic drives Pittsburgh region’s food insecurity to new heights, reshapes assistance efforts
Food insecurity is an ongoing problem in the Pittsburgh region, made much worse by the covid-19 pandemic. Area food banks have responded by redoubling their efforts while facing new challenges. With pandemic restrictions putting many American breadwinners out of work or reducing their hours, food banks this year have been...
North Versailles man dies after being hit by township snowplow truck
Authorities have identified a North Versailles man struck and killed by a snowplow truck in the midst of Wednesday’s storm. The victim is John Vichie, 63, of North Versailles, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. Vichie was walking with a snow blower when he was struck by a...
Body found in Allegheny River in Shaler identified
Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified a body that was recovered from the Allegheny River on Wednesday morning. Officials said it was David Lesser, 54, of Shaler. Allegheny County homicide detectives were notified shortly before 8:30 a.m. of a body in the river near Pine Creek. Lt. Venerando Costa...
He came to Baltimore from rural Pennsylvania to buy drugs. Now he’s dead and a 13-year-old boy is charged with murder
BALTIMORE — A Pennsylvania man who police said was gunned down by a 13-year-old boy in Southwest Baltimore struggled with addiction and was in the city to buy heroin to bring back home, the man’s family said. Chad Michael Jordan, 40, of Jefferson, Pa., was shot and killed Friday after...
Alaska health care worker hospitalized after receiving covid-19 vaccine
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A Juneau health care worker was hospitalized and treated for a serious allergic reaction after receiving the covid-19 vaccine Tuesday, hospital and health officials said Wednesday. The worker felt flush and took an antihistamine around 10 minutes after receiving the vaccine Tuesday afternoon, authorities said. She felt...
Wolf administration says help available for people dealing with isolation, depression
The holidays can be stressful and depressing under normal circumstances. But this year’s pandemic has only added to people’s anxiety, particularly for seniors who may be experiencing extreme isolation and loneliness. On Wednesday, members of the Wolf administration hosted a video conference to discuss resources for older Pennsylvanians and others...
Advocates demand virtual access to Allegheny County criminal courts: ‘It’s not difficult’Video
Two advocacy groups called an Allegheny County court policy requiring the public to attend hearings in person even though proceedings are being held virtually “unlawful,” and threatened to file a federal lawsuit. A letter sent Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy...
Allegheny County’s covid rates still rising as some businesses ignore restrictionsVideo
Allegheny County’s current seven-day average for new infections is 1,000 new cases per day – an increase of about 150 cases from last week, officials said Wednesday. The percent of covid-19 cases returning with positive results has also climbed by 2% from last week – now at 14.6% positivity. County...
As covid-19 surges, Pennsylvania colleges urged to delay students’ return
Citing “an alarming increase in covid-19 cases” and yet another surge expected to peak in January, Pennsylvania acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega on Wednesday urged colleges and universities to delay the start of their spring semester. Ortega also suggested colleges and universities use virtual instruction as much as possible....
Man ordered to stand trial in shooting outside Leechburg tattoo parlor
An Allegheny Township man accused of shooting two men outside a Leechburg tattoo shop last month was ordered to stand trial after pleading not guilty during a preliminary hearing Wednesday. Chad Robert Goldstrom, 37, was charged last month with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment in connection...
Carnegie Museum workers vote to join United Steelworkers union
Workers across the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh system have voted by a substantial margin to join the Pittsburgh-based United Steelworkers union. Out of the 529 employees eligible to vote, a total of 353 votes were counted. Of that number, there were 278 yes votes. The workers will become part of...
Westmoreland covid hospitalizations up but Excela officials say they can handle it
The number of patients hospitalized in Westmoreland County because of the coronavirus jumped 27% in the last few days — from 131 patients on Saturday to 166 on Wednesday, according to state data. That’s a 55% increase from Nov. 30, when the county reported its first triple-digit patient count. Excela...
Duquesne University cutting faculty to reduce costs
Duquesne University is moving forward with faculty cuts, informing some non-tenured instructors this week that their contracts would not be renewed. The university had announced measures to reduce faculty as early as Dec. 4, according to an email shared with the Tribune-Review. “As a first step, Duquesne has offered a...
Marijuana milestone: more than 100 dispensaries open in Pa.
Most Pennsylvanians don’t have far to travel to buy medical marijuana. The state’s 100th dispensary opened last week in Chester, quickly followed by the 101st in York and 102nd in Hazelton, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Patients have spent more than $1.1 billion at dispensaries across the state...
U.S. plans new charges in 1988 Lockerbie airline bombing
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department plans to unseal new charges in the coming days in connection with the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people, according to a person familiar with the case. The bombing of Flight 103, whose victims included dozens...
Pittsburgh council on track to adopt 2021 budget that doesn’t cut police fundingVideo
Pittsburgh City Council is set to vote Monday on a 2021 budget that doesn’t make any of the cuts to police funding that some residents have repeatedly requested. The $564 million spending plan introduced Nov. 9 by Mayor Bill Peduto doesn’t increase taxes. However, if federal coronavirus relief packages are...
Winter storm pounds Pittsburgh region, officials ask residents to refrain from travelVideo
As heavy snow continues to fall across southwest Pennsylvania, transportation officials slapped restrictions on some area highways, including reduced speed limits, and asked residents to stay at home if possible. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission enacted restrictions that began at 1 p.m. on several portions of the toll road, including a...
2 men arrested after multiple altercations at Jeannette home
Two Jeannette men were arrested by city police on multiple criminal charges after, police say, they got into two altercations Monday with residents on the 400 block of Guy Street. Caleb N. Hall and Jaiden Crosby-Anderson, both 18, were arrested on multiple counts of simple assault and disorderly conduct and...
Westmoreland County surpasses 15K coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County became the state’s 11th county to reach 15,000 coronavirus cases on Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 346 new cases, bringing the county’s total to 15,148. Of those new cases, 210 are confirmed and 136 are probable. In the past month, coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County have...
