Top Stories category, Page 1286
U.S. Supreme Court moves up deadline in congressman’s bid to upend Pa. election results
PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. Supreme Court moved up a key deadline Sunday for Pennsylvania officials to respond to a last-minute bid by one of Trump’s top boosters in Congress to decertify the state’s elections results. Previously, Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who oversees emergency matters arising out of Pennsylvania...
Biden picks California AG Xavier Becerra to lead HHS, pandemic response
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his health secretary, putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration’s coronavirus response. If confirmed by the Senate, Becerra, 62, will be the first Latino to head the...
South Hills boy among those honored as superhero by Harrison-based groupVideo
A Harrison-based nonprofit rolled out the red carpet for a South Hills hero Sunday, one who has stared death in the face twice and whose crusade earned him a spot in the 2021 Superheroes Believe in Miracles calendar. Sean Rovers, at 12, has gone through two brain surgeries to remove...
Experts say given pandemic malaise, flat holiday spending in region is not bad
Most Southwestern Pennsylvania consumers say they will spend what they did last year for holiday shopping, which is good news given the pandemic and tough economics, local experts say. According to a regional survey, 57% of consumers said they planned to spend about the same as they did last year...
Health officials warn Americans not to let their guard downVideo
With a covid-19 vaccine perhaps just days away in the U.S., most of California headed into another lockdown Sunday because of the surging outbreak and top health officials warned Americans that this is no time to let their guard down. “The vaccine’s critical,” Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus...
Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani tests positive for covidVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Sunday his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for the coronavirus, making him the latest in Trump’s inner circle to contract the disease that is now surging across the country. Giuliani was admitted Sunday to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, according to...
How phones can alert you to covid-19 exposure
More than 8.1 million people in the U.S. have turned their iPhones and Android devices into pandemic contact-tracing tools, but it hasn’t been of much use when their neighbors, classmates and coworkers aren’t on the same system. Apple and Google co-created “exposure notification” technology to alert phone users if they...
The story behind Pittsburgh’s mysterious monolith in the Strip DistrictVideo
Chris Beers is no stranger to going viral. It’s exactly what he expected would happen after a mysterious monolith showed up in front of his Strip District candy shop last week. The shiny, silver monolith first appeared at Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop early Thursday morning. Beers took a 32-minute Facebook...
Double Dragons: SpaceX launches space station supplies
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched a newer, bigger version of its Dragon supply ship to the International Space Station on Sunday, marking the first time the company has two capsules in orbit at the same time. The Dragon — packed with Christmas treats and presents — should reach the...
Seven Springs prepping for ‘mid-December’ opening amid new covid restrictions
Despite 10 inches of natural snow falling on the slopes last week, Seven Springs Mountain Resort is not quite ready to open for skiing. “It’s too bad, but we feel we don’t have enough snow to open yet. With social distancing, we’re not comfortable opening with just two lifts and...
Despite promise, few in U.S. adopting covid-19 exposure apps
RALEIGH, N.C. — Six months ago, Apple and Google introduced a new smartphone tool designed to notify people who might have been exposed to the coronavirus, without disclosing any personal information. But for the most part, Americans haven’t been all that interested. Fewer than half of U.S. states and territories...
Will U.S. ever have a national covid-19 testing strategy?
NEW YORK — As the coronavirus epidemic worsens, U.S. health experts hope Joe Biden’s administration will put in place something Donald Trump’s has not — a comprehensive national testing strategy. Such a strategy, they say, could systematically check more people for infections and spot surges before they take off. The...
David L. Lander, Squiggy of ‘Laverne & Shirley,’ dies at 73
LOS ANGELES — Actor David L. Lander — the unforgettable Squiggy on ABC’s “Laverne & Shirley” — has died, his family confirmed to the Los Angeles Times. Lander passed away Friday evening at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after having battled multiple sclerosis for 37 years. His wife, Kathy Fields...
Prantl’s has new owner, plans new location in North Huntingdon
The last five years have been quite a ride for those baking Prantl’s famous Burnt Almond Torte — also known as “the greatest cake America has ever made.” The Huffington Post made that declaration in 2014, a year before a string of new developments at the business, which now has...
A Daughter’s Promise: An unbreakable bond that withstood the test of a lifetimeVideo
Officials from the Jewish Association on Aging announced last month the Charles Morris Nursing & Rehabilitation Center will close Jan. 12, leaving its remaining 50 residents two months to relocate. Among those residents is Rosie Wyner, who plays a prominent role in this story. The association cited rising costs and...
Gene-editing treatment shows promise for sickle cell disease
Scientists are seeing promising early results from the first studies testing gene editing for painful, inherited blood disorders that plague millions worldwide, especially Black people. Doctors hope the one-time treatment, which involves permanently altering DNA in blood cells with a tool called CRISPR, may treat and possibly cure sickle cell...
Nashville nurse, a Butler County native, shot and killed along Tennessee highway
A Butler County native was shot and killed in Nashville on Thursday as she drove to her shift as an intensive care nurse, authorities and family members said. Caitlyn Marie Kaufman, 26, was found dead in her SUV along the shoulder of I-440 west shortly before 9 p.m., according to...
GOP leaders ask Congress to reject Pa.’s electors for Joe Biden
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. This article is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan reporting project covering local election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — More than 60 Republicans, including the top...
Ramada auction draws crowd as longtime Hempfield hotel is set for demolition
Jeff Pollick got to the Ramada by Wyndham Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center just in time Saturday. The owner of Wooden Door Winery walked into the Hempfield hotel moments before the draft system he was hoping to get went up for auction. After a short bidding war, he won it...
Pandemic, partisan attacks exposed gaps in Pa.’s new mail-in voting law
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. This article is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan reporting project covering local election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — Before any threat of a deadly, fast-spreading...
Westmoreland County posts record covid-19 cases for 3rd-straight day. This time 437.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported a record 437 new cases of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County. It is the third-straight day the county reported at least 400 cases and the third-consecutive day it broke its own record. On Thursday, 400 cases were posted, followed by 412 on...
Pennsylvania sets daily record of 12,884 new covid-19 cases, cruises past 400,000 total
Pennsylvania on Saturday reported 12,884 new coronavirus cases, hurdling the Keystone State’s total past 400,000 cases. The new data bring the total cases to 411,484; a nearly 60,000-case jump from this time last week (351,667). Officials said 31,219 of total cases are considered probable. Health officials define a probable case...
Allegheny County reports record 1,197 new coronavirus cases; 5 deaths
Allegheny County on Saturday recorded 1,197 new coronavirus cases as the community continues to rack up covid-19 infections during the holiday season. The report is a 169-case jump from Thursday’s previous record of 1,028 and the second day the county has surpassed 1,000 cases. Officials reported 911 cases Friday. Five...
3 escape after blaze spreads to 3 Hazelwood homes
Three Hazelwood residents escaped uninjured early Saturday after a neighboring home caught fire, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews. Firefighters were called to Cust Street about 2:15 a.m., according to authorities. The flames spread to two adjacent homes, forcing the residents out. The house where the flames originated...
Coronavirus safe: Online sales of fishing licenses double, 2021 licenses now available
Buoyed by a 20% increase in fishing license purchases this year over 2019, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is offering fishing licenses for 2021, which are also valid for this month. Although fishing licenses are still available through local bait and sporting goods stores, the commission is promoting the...
