Top Stories category, Page 1283
Despite Trump’s venting and threats, Biden’s win is sealed
WASHINGTON — There’s plenty of noise but no cause for confusion as President Donald Trump vents about how the election turned out and vows to subvert it even still. This truth is self-evident: Joe Biden is on track to become president Jan. 20. The machinery of government and democracy is...
Man dead in St. Clair Township ATV crash
A 69-year-old New Florence man died when his ATV flipped in St. Clair Township Wednesday, according to state police. Joseph Bucceri was pronounced dead at the scene. Bucceri was driving his Yamaha Grizzly ATV on Robb Run Road just before noon when he lost control, according to police. The vehicle...
Ex-Greensburg doctor sentenced to 1 year in prison for selling scripts
A former Greensburg physician with a gambling habit who operated an addiction treatment practice was sentenced to one year and a day in federal prison, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Dr. Nabil Jabbour, 69, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh on three counts of distributing buprenorphine and single counts...
U.S. surpasses grim milestone of more than 3,000 covid deaths in a day, a new record
For the first time during the coronavirus pandemic, the United States surpassed 3,000 deaths in one day, according to data compiled by the Covid Tracking Project. The project, which tallies state-level coronavirus data, reported 3,054 covid-19 related deaths on Wednesday night— a significant jump from the previous single-day record of...
Pittsburgh woman gets probation in multi-million dollar home health care fraudVideo
A Pittsburgh woman involved in a multi-million dollar fraud home health care fraud scheme was sentenced to four years of probation and ordered to pay more than $94,000 in restitution to the state’s Medicaid program, federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh said Wednesday. The sentencing of Terra Dean, 46, in U.S. District...
U.S. ranks behind EU, Australia and U.K. in vaccine buys but says it will meet goalVideo
Thirty-one countries around the globe have reserved more covid-19 vaccine per capita than the United States, according to a Bloomberg analysis of country vaccine agreements. The U.S. Operation Warp Speed program is credited with shaving years off the typical development timeline for vaccines that are now on the brink of...
Virtual menorah lighting, scaled-back parade set in Pittsburgh to celebrate Hanukkah
Dark times need illumination. At 5 p.m. Thursday, 1,000 homes in the Pittsburgh area will light the first candle on their menorah celebrating the opening of Hanukkah, the festival of lights. They will do it virtually because of the pandemic. “It is so important that people stay connected,” said Adam...
Allegheny County officials: State covid restrictions are neededVideo
Allegheny County officials again said they are expecting new covid-19 restrictions from the state to be announced soon. “We thought today there were going to be some announcements around mitigating strategies,” County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said during a virtual news conference Wednesday. “Obviously they are needed. … These numbers are...
Peoples natural gas customers getting bill credit after utility’s $4.3B acquisition
Most residential customers of Peoples Gas in Pennsylvania saw a discount on their recent bills as a result of the natural gas company being acquired in a $4.3 billion deal earlier this year. Essential Utilities announced in mid-March that it had completed its acquisition of Peoples. That followed the state...
Pa. appellate court delivers another loss to Trump’s GOP allies seeking to void state’s election results
PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania appellate court on Wednesday denied the latest in a string of legal challenges seeking to roll back certification of the election results, ending the last active court battle in the state over the outcome of the race. In a four-page opinion, Commonwealth Court President Judge Mary...
Plans for Target in Downtown Pittsburgh set for January hearing
Plans for a downsize Target that will be located in the iconic Kaufmann’s building Downtown are set for a January hearing before the Pittsburgh Planning Commission. Christine Mondor, the commission’s chairwoman, said Target presented the plans for review and a hearing is set for next month. The commission doesn’t comment...
Hunter Biden tax probe examining Chinese business dealingsVideo
WILMINGTON, Del. — The Justice Department is investigating the finances of President-elect Joe Biden’s son, including scrutinizing some of his Chinese business dealings and other transactions, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The revelations put a renewed spotlight on questions about Hunter Biden’s financial...
Report: Pittsburgh spends more on police than other cities
On the heels of a Pittsburgh City Council meeting where dozens of residents called for drastic reductions to the $111 million in spending proposed for police in the 2021 budget, the local arm of a Harrisburg-based think tank released a report Wednesday that recommends the city rework its spending priorities....
Feds charge 30 as part of investigation into drugs and weapons in Pittsburgh-area Pagans Motorcycle ClubVideo
As part of a long-term investigation into the Pagans Motorcycle Club in Western Pennsylvania, FBI agents got permission to tap 10 phones. Over a period of several weeks, they said they heard members of the Pagans, their suppliers and sources talk about the kind of heroin they were selling; where...
Gov. Tom Wolf tests positive for covid
Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday his covid-19 diagnosis is a reminder that no one is immune from the virus that has infected more than 445,000 people in Pennsylvania. Wolf, 72, said he tested positive for the virus during a routine test and he has no symptoms. His wife, Frances, is...
North Allegheny schools going back to full remote instruction
North Allegheny students returned to an online-only form of instruction Dec. 16 and will continue until at least Jan. 18 to help slow the spike in covid-19 cases gripping the region, district officials announced. The district informed families by letter that the change back to remote instruction is being made...
Pa. cites Western Pa. bars for violating covid restrictions
More than a dozen bars in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties received citations from the state’s Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement in November for violating covid-19 mitigation measures, ranging from not requiring masks to serving alcohol without food. In addition, an East Carson Street bar was hit with a weeklong closure...
Man arrested in connection with 3 dogs found dead in East Huntingdon home after eviction
A Mt. Pleasant Township man was arrested Wednesday on animal cruelty charges after he allegedly left five dogs and two cats at an East Huntingdon home after he was evicted last month, according to court papers. A dog and two puppies were found dead and partially decomposed inside the Reservoir...
Westmoreland County records 15 new covid deaths, tying a record
Westmoreland County added 15 new coronavirus-related deaths Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported, tying a previous record from last week for most reported deaths on a single day. The additional deaths now bring the county’s death toll to 265. There have been 61 deaths attributed to the disease this...
Pennsylvania reports 220 new coronavirus deaths, 8,703 new cases
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health on Wednesday reported 220 new deaths attributed to the coronavirus, its highest increase since May. The death toll for the state stands at 11,762. There have been 1,199 deaths reported this month. The state also reported 8,703 new coronavirus cases, a slight decline from Tuesday’s report....
O Cannoli Tree, O Cannoli Tree: Harmar baker has new holiday confection
Forget about those sugar plums dancing in heads this holiday season and make way for a new Yuletide treat: the Cannoli Christmas Tree. A cannoli tree may seem like something out of a debaucherous dessert dream. But Char Hixson, proprietor of Char’s Creative Confections in Harmar, is baking them up...
Holiday window display competition in Pittsburgh to support artists, causes
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is adding a twist to holiday window displays with a contest this season. “As a retail store, your window displays are one of the most important marketing tools you have,” said Suzanne Mauro, a Pittsburgh-based retail consultant. “They can make someone passing by, enter your store...
Allegheny County reports 34 new coronavirus deaths, passes 35,000 cases
Allegheny County on Wednesday reported 34 new coronavirus deaths, a record for a single day, and 727 additional coronavirus cases. The death toll for the county stands at 619. There have been 105 deaths this month. The Allegheny County Health Department said the new deaths occurred between Nov. 20 and...
First critical segment of 9/11 National Memorial Trail complete in Somerset County
The first 1.4 miles section of a special, off-road recreational trail for the September 11th National Memorial Trail in Garrett, Somerset County, is complete. It’s a milestone for trail organizers, who cobbled together a 1,300-mile network of existing bicycle, pedestrian trails and roads connecting the three 9/11 memorial sites in...
New White House offer adds $600 checks to covid-19 relief
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration dived back into Capitol Hill’s confusing covid-19 negotiations, offering a $916 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators. Treasury Secretary...
