Top Stories category, Page 1282
Governor’s shutdown of inside dining another blow to restaurants, barsVideo
Restaurant and bar owners in Westmoreland County who were hoping to cash in any way they could during the Christmas and New Year holidays — typically one of the busiest times of the year, when not in a pandemic — suffered another blow Thursday with the announcement of another round...
Congress stuck as McConnell torpedoes emerging covid relief dealVideo
WASHINGTON — An emerging $900 billion covid-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers all but collapsed Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won’t support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal. McConnell’s staff conveyed to...
Holiday Market in Downtown Pittsburgh to close in response to Gov. Wolf’s covid orders
The Peoples Gas Holiday Market and Santa Zoom Experience in Market Square are closing Friday night, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership announced. The Merry Market Pop-Up scheduled to open this weekend will not take place. News of the cancellations came after Thursday’s announcement by Gov. Tom Wolf. His orders amid the...
Pennsylvania blasts Texas’ bid in Supreme Court to overturn Biden’s election
HARRISBURG — Lawyers for Pennsylvania responded in the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to Texas’ effort to overturn the election result in four states for President-elect Joe Biden, calling it a “seditious abuse” of the courts that rests on conspiracy theories and falsehoods. Texas lacks standing to bring the challenge,...
FDA panel endorses widespread use of Pfizer covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — A government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Thursday, putting the country just one step away from launching an epic vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans. Shots could begin within days, depending on how quickly the Food and Drug...
Western Pa. hospitals rush to buy massive, ultra-cold freezers for covid vaccine
Preparing for the covid-19 vaccine is like no other immunization, said Dr. Brian Parker, chief quality learning officer at Allegheny Health Network. In recent weeks, the network has acquired several massive ultra-cold freezers in expectation of the Pfizer vaccine, which requires an environment of minus 70 degrees below Celsius —...
Irwin man accused of bilking Lowe’s in $3,200 paint return scam
A 58-year-old Irwin man was arrested by state police Thursday in connection with a month-long paint return scheme that bilked an area hardware store out of more than $3,200. Terry S. Good was charged by troopers with seven counts of receiving stolen property and one count of theft by deception...
Gov. Tom Wolf halts indoor dining, suspends school sports as part of new restrictionsVideo
After weeks spent imploring Pennsylvanians to stay home as much as possible, limit their in-person interactions and wear a mask, Gov. Tom Wolf and the state secretary of Health issued new orders shutting down indoor dining, gyms, school sports and more as cases and deaths across the commonwealth continue to...
Watchdog faults VA Secretary Robert Wilkie over handling of sex assault report
WASHINGTON — Confronted with a sexual assault allegation at a veterans hospital, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie repeatedly sought to discredit the congressional aide who made the complaint and his staff worked to spread negative information about her while ignoring known problems of harassment at the facility, according to an...
CDC official says she was ordered to destroy emails to alter scientific reportVideo
WASHINGTON — A senior manager with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told congressional investigators she was ordered to delete an email suggesting attempted political interference by the Trump administration in coronavirus reports to the public, according to a transcript released Thursday. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., who released the...
Watch: Wolf, Levine outline new coronavirus mitigation steps in Pa.
Gov. Tom Wolf and state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine are addressing the current status of the covid-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania during a 4 p.m. news conference. Watch the livestream of the news conference here. On Wednesday, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said he expected new covid-related restrictions from the...
13 companies awarded funds to expand broadband across Pennsylvania
More than 2,600 households and businesses in rural parts of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties soon will have access to high-speed internet after the Federal Communication Commission auctioned about $9.2 billion to companies across the country with the goal of closing the digital divide in rural America. The first phase of...
Port Authority leadership urges prioritizing transit workers for covid-19 vaccine
Port Authority of Allegheny County leaders have asked Pennsylvania’s governor and Secretary of Health to prioritize transit workers when the covid-19 vaccine becomes available, according to a letter sent earlier this week. The letter, addressed to Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, comes days after the Port Authority...
Some local Pa. judges enjoy light workloads as taxpayers pay millions for salaries, benefits
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. Greg Johnson has a pretty good job — and even better benefits. The Dauphin County magisterial district judge and his colleagues...
1-day U.S. deaths top 3,000, more than D-Day or 9/11
MISSION, Kan. — Just when the U.S. appears on the verge of rolling out a covid-19 vaccine, the numbers have become gloomier than ever: Over 3,000 American deaths in a single day, more than on D-Day or 9/11. One million new cases in the span of five days. More than...
Penguins say project at former Civic Arena site remains on track
The latest snag in the delayed project to redevelop the former Civic Arena site in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District shouldn’t impact plans to start construction on the site next year, Pittsburgh Penguins Vice President and General Counsel Kevin Acklin said Thursday. “This is a technicality related to the interruptions all...
Pa. First Lady Frances Wolf negative for covid after Gov. Wolf tests positive
Pennsylvania First Lady Frances Wolf has tested negative for covid-19 a day after her husband, Gov. Tom Wolf, announced he had contracted the virus. Per guidance from state and federal health agencies, she will continue to quarantine at home. She said in a statement that she and the governor are...
Westmoreland County sees record jump in covid cases with 505
Westmoreland County on Thursday added 505 new cases of coronavirus to break its daily record by 68 cases. Of the new cases, 483 are confirmed out of 1,005 new tests. The county has now had 12,369 cases of covid-19 with 9,918 of those confirmed and 1,307 recorded as probable, according...
Pennsylvania reports 2nd-highest daily covid case count
Pennsylvania on Thursday reported 11,972 additional cases of coronavirus, the second-highest single-day increase. The previous record was 12,884 cases reported on Dec. 5. The state’s seven-day new case average hit its highest level at 10,065, joined by the seven-day total of 70,452 new cases. Of Thursday’s additional cases, 11,066 are...
Revised plans for building at former Wholey’s warehouse approved by Pittsburgh Planning CommissionVideo
Plans for a new tower on Penn Avenue at the former Wholey’s cold storage warehouse between Pittsburgh’s Strip District and Downtown areas were given approval this week by the Pittsburgh Planning Commission. New York-based JMC Holdings is developing the site at 1501 Penn Ave., which it bought in 2018 for...
Allegheny County reports 1,166 new covid cases, 2nd-highest daily tally
Allegheny County on Thursday reported its second-highest number of cases recorded in a single day with 1,166. This raises the total cases since March to 36,707. The county’s seven-day case average climbed to a record 881, and the seven-day case total recorded a new high of 6,164. Of the new...
Pedestrian killed in crash involving Washington County detective
A Washington County detective was “involved in an accident with a pedestrian” Wednesday night, authorities said. Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone did not identify the detective involved but noted that he was on duty at the time. The incident happened shortly before 8 p.m. along National Pike, or Route...
FDA panel endorses widespread use of Pfizer covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — A government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Thursday, putting the country just one step away from launching an epic vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans. Shots could begin within days, depending on how quickly the Food and Drug...
Pittsburgh playwright August Wilson to be honored with Forever Stamp
Stamp collectors soon can grab a piece of Pittsburgh history with a new Forever Stamp honoring legendary playwright August Wilson. The U.S. Postal Service will dedicate the stamp Jan. 28, the first day of its release, with a virtual ceremony on its Twitter and Facebook pages. The stamp will be...
Tensions rise over masks as virus grips smaller U.S. cities
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Arguments over mask requirements and other restrictions have turned ugly in recent days as the deadly coronavirus surge across the U.S. engulfs small and medium-size cities that once seemed safely removed from the outbreak. In Boise, Idaho, public health officials about to vote on a four-county...
