Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1300
Ross OKs using community center gym for covid vaccination clinic; no opening date announced
The Ross Township commissioners on Tuesday approved an agreement with Allegheny County to operate a covid-19 vaccination clinic at the municipal building. No date was announced for when the people can begin receiving shots. The board’s unanimous vote to OK the agreement with the county came with no discussion or...
Trump slams Mitch McConnell as GOP divide deepens post-impeachmentVideo
WASHINGTON — In the most caustic sign yet of deepening GOP divisions, former President Donald Trump blistered Mitch McConnell as a “political hack” on Tuesday, days after the Senate’s top Republican denounced him as the inciter of U.S. Capitol attack. “The Republican Party can never again be respected or strong...
Western Pa. GOP focuses ire on Pat Toomey, as Republicans battle for control of the party
The border separating Allegheny County from the surrounding metro area is beginning to look more like the fault lines shaking a Republican Party trying to come to terms with the aftermath of a second impeachment trial of former President Trump. County GOP chairs in Westmoreland, Washington, Fayette, Lawrence, York and...
Global vaccine gaps could leave Americans vulnerableVideo
WASHINGTON — Over and over, President Joe Biden has emphasized the need to inoculate as many Americans as quickly as possible, all but staking his presidency on successfully shielding the country from covid-19. Yet the uneven vaccination effort globally is expected to leave large swaths of the planet unprotected for...
Police: Man who fired at Braddock officers shot himself during standoff, in grave condition
A man suspected of firing at Braddock police was taken into custody Tuesday evening after police say he shot himself in the head. The unidentified man was alive but listed in grave condition following a standoff in an abandoned house along the 500 block of Lobinger Avenue. Allegheny County Police...
Pa. jobless benefit scams at $2.5M; Arnold woman pleads guilty to defrauding system
While many jobless Pennsylvanians have struggled to get unemployment benefits during the covid pandemic, the state has paid out at least $2.5 million in fraudulent claims, state officials said Tuesday. That might be just the tip of the iceberg, the officials said. The $2.5 million was siphoned off by just...
Westmoreland DA says accused Ruffs Dale shooter has violent history with boyfriends
Just hours before Andrew Pristas was gunned down, the woman charged with shooting him — his former girlfriend — had a similar violent confrontation with her current boyfriend, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said on Tuesday. Meghan West, 30, of Ruffs Dale, is accused of killing Pristas but contends there is...
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 20 dead across U.S.Video
OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. — A winter storm that left millions without power in record-breaking cold weather claimed more lives Tuesday, including three people found dead after a tornado hit a seaside town in North Carolina and four family members who perished in a Houston-area house fire while using a...
Delay in census data could put transparency in Pa.’s redistricting process at risk
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members, including TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — The data needed to redraw Pennsylvania’s political...
Pittsburgh mayoral endorsements start to roll in as candidates begin drive for signatures
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has the support of four City Council members and several labor unions in his bid for a third term. But Peduto, 56, will not be seeking the endorsement of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee. Two of the candidates challenging Peduto will seek the party’s endorsement, state...
Covid deaths reported in Westmoreland County rival October numbers
Westmoreland County on Tuesday reported no additional covid-related deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. With no new deaths reported, the seven-day death total in the county is six, which is the lowest it has been since October. In the last seven days, there have been no deaths reported...
For just 2nd time in 2021, Pa. reports new covid deaths in single digits
Pennsylvania reported seven additional covid-19 deaths Tuesday, per the state Department of Health. The deaths reported Tuesday increase the state’s death total to 23,126, with 1,465 deaths reported in February. Only once before this year have health officials reported such a low number of new covid-related deaths: Feb. 8 when...
For those facing eviction in Pittsburgh, hope might be on the way
Pittsburgh leaders on Tuesday said they want to help residents who are facing eviction because they can’t pay their rent during the pandemic. But they don’t want to give “false hope” by enacting something that won’t withstand legal challenges, city council President Theresa Kail-Smith said. “We all want to help...
5 Republicans seek party nod for special election in 59th state House district
Five Republicans — four from Westmoreland County and one from Somerset County — are seeking the party’s nod to run in the May 18 special election to fill the vacancy in the 59th District State House seat created by the death of Mike Reese. The 42-year-old Republican from Mt. Pleasant...
Suspected Bethel Park shoplifters caught after dozing in car full of stolen goods
Two suspected serial shoplifters in Bethel Park were caught after one of them fell asleep in the car alongside $1,300 in stolen merchandise, authorities said. Police responded Feb. 9 to the parking lot of the Bethel Park Home Depot for a report of a woman passed out in a car,...
Allegheny County reports 1 new covid death; trend continues of low deaths reported
Allegheny County reported one additional covid-related death Tuesday, according to the county Health Department. The individual was in their 80s and died Sunday. That continues a trend in recent days where no or few covid-19 deaths have been reported. In the past four days, four deaths have been reported, with...
Lawsuit: Man says Raccoon Township cop terrorized him with gun during false arrestVideo
A Beaver County man claims in a federal lawsuit that a Raccoon Township officer pulled a gun on him, punched him repeatedly, used racial epithets and then discharged his gun inches from the man’s body. The lawsuit contends that the state police then helped to try to cover it up....
Derry Township man jailed on charges of child assault
A Derry Township man is accused by state police of giving a child a bloody nose and bruises in a beating before school last week, according to court papers. Christopher Dominic Hilty Sr., 33, is being held without bond at the Westmoreland County Prison. He is charged with strangulation, harassment,...
Democrat’s lawsuit accuses Trump of inciting deadly Capitol riotVideo
WASHINGTON — The House Homeland Security chairman accused Donald Trump in a federal lawsuit Tuesday of inciting the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and conspiring with his lawyer and extremist groups to try to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election he lost to Joe Biden....
Highlands community rallies to help 2 Tarentum families burned out of homesVideo
The Highlands community is rallying to support two Tarentum families whose homes were destroyed by fire on Monday. A GoFundMe campaign to help the Lott family had exceeded its $10,000 goal by Tuesday afternoon. The fire is believed to have started in the Lott family’s home in the 200 block...
Crews respond to house fire in McCandless
Crews battled a house fire in McCandless early Tuesday morning, according to the Peebles District Volunteer Fire Co. The two-alarm fire on Windmill Lane near McIntyre Square and Peebles Road was reported just before 4 a.m. No injuries were reported. One firefighter was treated for dehydration, according to Tribune-Review news...
Fat Tuesday is here: Western Pa. bakeries celebrate with paczki, other traditional treatsVideo
It’s Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fat Tuesday in some places. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, that means it’s time for paczki. Local bakeries make thousands of paczki, a traditional Polish doughnut that is filled and fried. Oakmont Bakery expects to sell about 8,000 paczki (pronounced “ponch-key”) on Tuesday. It offers 14...
Police: McKees Rocks teen shot multiple times in the borough
A boy was shot multiple times Monday afternoon in McKees Rocks. Allegheny County police said they were called for the shooting around 2:30 p.m. along the 300 block of Russellwood Avenue. Police said the victim, a 16 year old from McKees Rocks, sustained multiple non-life threatening injuries as a result...
PennDOT lifts travel restrictions as winter storm ends
Speed limits and commercial vehicle travel are back to normal on Pennsylvania highways Tuesday morning following the previous evening’s winter storm. PennDOT reduced speed limits to 45 mph on many Pennsylvania highways as the state was belted with snow and ice. All speeds had been restored to their usual limits...
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and PennDOT officials try to keep up with wintry weather
After being spoiled by a lack of snow last winter, Western Pennsylvania residents have been confronted by multiple snow events since November. The total with Monday’s 1.5 inch snowfall is now 51.2 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Moon, putting it in the Top 10 snow accumulations through...
