Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1293
Parliamentarian: Covid-19 bill must omit minimum wage hike
WASHINGTON — The Senate parliamentarian dealt a potentially lethal blow Thursday to Democrats’ drive to hike the minimum wage, deciding that the cherished progressive goal must fall from a massive covid-19 relief bill the party is trying to speed through Congress. The finding by Elizabeth MacDonough, the chamber’s nonpartisan arbiter...
Militia official: US strike in Syria kills 1, wounds several
WASHINGTON — A U.S. airstrike in Syria targeted facilities belonging to a powerful Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, killing one fighter and wounding several others, an Iraqi militia official said Friday, signaling the first military action undertaken by U.S. President Joe Biden. The Pentagon said the strikes were retaliation for a...
Giant Eagle fills online appointments for Heinz Field covid vaccination clinic
All online appointments have been booked for a multi-day mass covid vaccination clinic at Heinz Field in March. Giant Eagle announced the clinic late Thursday afternoon, in partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Appointments could be made starting Friday morning for the clinic days: March 2-5, with a “significant number of...
House votes to expand legal safeguards for LGBTQ people
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-led House passed a bill Thursday that would enshrine LGBTQ protections in the nation’s labor and civil rights laws, a top priority of President Joe Biden, though the legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate. The bill passed by a vote of 224-206 with three Republicans...
Biden marks 50 million vaccine doses in first 5 weeks in officeVideo
WASHINGTON — Days after marking a solemn milestone in the pandemic, President Joe Biden is celebrating the pace of his efforts to end it. On Thursday, Biden marked the administration of the 50 millionth dose of covid-19 vaccine since his swearing-in. The moment came days after the nation reached the...
Bob Kudzma, legendary KDKA-TV meteorologist, dies at 81
Former KDKA-TV meteorologist Bob Kudzma, who retired from the station in 2002 after 34 years on the air, died from cancer Thursday at age 81. A New Hampshire native, Kudzma earned a degree in mathematics from the University of New Hampshire and entered the Air Force, which sent him to...
TV Talk: ‘Lost’ George Romero movie ‘Amusement Park’ to stream on Shudder
Streaming service Shudder will stream the “lost” George A. Romero film “The Amusement Park” this summer. Restored by the Pittsburgh-based George A. Romero Foundation, the 1973 film was commissioned by the Pittsburgh-based Lutheran Society as a PSA about being helpful to the elderly, but it was never released publicly. Romero’s...
Penn State aims to return to full in-person instruction for fall semester; here’s the plan
Penn State is planning to return to a “full on-campus learning environment” by the fall with expanded in-person classes, in another notable step toward normalcy. The university announced Wednesday that it will phase in its return by transitioning to more in-person classes over the summer, using event spaces and outdoor...
Allegheny County to administer Pfizer vaccine at Castle Shannon site
The Allegheny County Health Department will start administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at its Castle Shannon distribution site next week. County officials said the health department received four trays of the Pfizer vaccine to be used for first doses. Appointments are required to receive a dose — and individuals must be...
Ex-Pitt football player says he never knew about concussion lawsuit, withdraws claim
Craig Bokor remembers talking to an attorney about seven years ago when lawsuits were being filed regarding the likeness of college football players being used in video games. “There were a handful of us who were interviewed,” he said. Bokor, a defensive lineman at Pitt from 2005-09, said afterward that...
New Kensington CVS among 6 in state getting limited covid vaccine shots
The New Kensington CVS was one of six of the pharmacy chain’s Pennsylvania locations administering covid-19 vaccinations in Pennsylvania beginning Thursday. The vaccinations were by appointment only for those eligible at this time. All six Pennsylvania stores were fully booked. Other CVS locations were in Chambersburg, Franklin County; Enola, Cumberland...
New coronavirus grants for small Pa. businesses aim for inclusivity, but can’t track success
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. HARRISBURG — Applications open next month for $145 million in state grants for small hospitality businesses, with a significant change by lawmakers intended to ensure the money...
Pennsylvania adds fewer than 3,000 covid cases 7 days in a row
Pennsylvania has reported fewer than 3,000 additional cases of covid-19 each day for a week. The state on Thursday added 2,356 coronavirus cases to bring its total to 922,990 since the start of the pandemic, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The seven-day average of new cases in the...
Chief: Capitol assault much bigger than intel suggested
WASHINGTON — The acting U.S. Capitol Police chief was pressed to explain Thursday why the agency hadn’t been prepared to fend off a violent mob of insurrectionists, including white supremacists, who were trying to halt the certification of the presidential election last month, even though officials had compelling advance intelligence....
Westmoreland County adds fewer than 100 daily covid cases for 3 weeks
Westmoreland County on Thursday reported fewer than 100 new covid-19 cases for the 22nd straight day. The county reported 53 additional cases to bring its case total to 26,550 since the pandemic began nearly a year ago, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Of the new cases, 39 are...
West Mifflin women honored for talking woman off Homestead Grays Bridge
Tanikka Pinnix and her daughter weren’t actually supposed to be on the Homestead Grays Bridge on a chilly Thursday morning last month. Pinnix and her teenage daughter, Layla Gooden, took an unplanned detour across the bridge on Jan. 28. There they saw a woman beginning to climb over the rail...
Former Mt. Lebanon nursing home administrator indicted on health care fraud charges
As part of an ongoing state and federal investigation into the activities at long-term care facilities owned by Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC, the former administrator at its Mt. Lebanon skilled nursing home was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury. Susan Gilbert, 60, of Lawrence, is the only defendant....
Latrobe police: 9-year-old believed to have made prank call reporting school shooting
Latrobe police say they identified a 9-year-old who is accused of making a prank 911 call Wednesday, causing a lockdown at Latrobe Elementary School and prompting a response by multiple emergency and police units. “We were able to positively identify the juvenile who made the call, but, unfortunately at this...
Disease expert Dr. Paul Offit talks about vaccines, variants and a year of pandemicVideo
The U.S. is approaching one year since the covid-19 pandemic became a nationwide problem, shutting down almost all of American society as we know it. The covid-19 vaccines that have been developed are giving people hope that things may soon return to normal. But coronavirus variants are creating uncertainty about...
Allegheny County adds fewer than 300 covid cases for 12th day in a row
Allegheny County on Thursday reported fewer than 300 additional cases of covid-19 for the 12th consecutive day. The county added 224 cases to bring its total to 75,724 since the pandemic began last March. Of the additional cases, 174 are confirmed via 1,065 new PCR tests and 50 are recorded...
Sun Dawg Cafe owners plan new Greensburg nanobrewery
The owners of Sun Dawg Cafe in Greensburg are planning to enter the nanobrewery business. Ray and Rachel Flowers have purchased a building at 503 New Alexandria Road in Greensburg that formerly housed the Underground Grappling sports training facility. The new El Diablo Brewing Co. & Wood-Fired Kitchen is planned...
Straight outta Vandergrift, ‘Banshee’ comes to HBO Max
It’s time to go back to Banshee, Pa. — if you dare. The Cinemax action series, which filmed its fourth and final season in the Alle-Kiski Valley and Pittsburgh area, is now available for streaming on HBO Max. “We are home,” actor Matt Servitto, who portrayed Banshee sheriff Deputy Brock...
Republicans rally solidly against Democrats’ coronavirus relief package
WASHINGTON — Republicans rallied solidly against Democrats’ proposed $1.9 trillion covid-19 relief bill as lawmakers awaited a decision by the Senate’s parliamentarian that could bolster or potentially kill a pivotal provision hiking the federal minimum wage. Despite their paper-thin congressional majorities, Democratic leaders were poised to push the sweeping package...
Pfizer studying effects of 3rd vaccine dose
NEW YORK — Pfizer announced Thursday that it has begun studying a third dose of its covid-19 vaccine, part of a strategy to guard against mutated versions of the coronavirus. Health authorities say first-generation covid-19 vaccines still protect against variants that are emerging in different parts of the world. But...
Cash 5 winning ticket worth $825,298 sold in Bridgeville
Someone who bought a Pennsylvania Lottery ticket in Bridgeville is going home richer. A winning Cash 5 ticket worth $825,298 was sold Feb. 20 at CoGo’s along Station Street, according to Lottery officials. The ticket matched all five numbers — 8-24-34-39-43. Store owners will get a $5,000 bonus for selling...
