Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1301
The inside story of how Pennsylvania failed to deliver millions in coronavirus rent relief
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. HARRISBURG — It was late August, just past noon, and time was running out. Bryce Maretzki was in charge of a...
Pennsylvania GOP may meet to discuss Toomey impeachment vote
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Republican Party is planning a meeting to potentially censure U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey amid a growing GOP backlash over his vote to convict Donald Trump during the former president’s second impeachment trial, county party officials said Monday. County party chairs said the state GOP chairman, Lawrence Tabas,...
Biden faces questions about commitment to minimum wage hike
WASHINGTON — Union activist Terrence Wise recalls being laughed at when he began pushing for a national $15 per hour minimum wage almost a decade ago. Nearly a year into the pandemic, the idea isn’t so funny. The coronavirus has renewed focus on challenges facing hourly employees who have continued...
Pitt, NCAA knew about dangers of football concussions, lawsuits claim
Two former University of Pittsburgh football players filed separate federal lawsuits against the university and the NCAA, as well as the Big East and Atlantic Coast conferences, alleging the organizations were aware of the potential health ramifications caused by concussions and repeated blows to the head but never took action...
Tarentum house fire spreads to neighboring homeVideo
Tiffany Lott stood on Tarentum’s Lock Street on Monday afternoon, a blanket draped over her, as smoke billowed from her home and firefighters pumped it full of water. A fire Lott said had started in her home had spread to another beside it, ultimately destroying both. “I am OK,” she...
New Pa. covid cases, deaths continue downward trend
As February hits its midpoint, Pennsylvania is continuing to see its cases of coronavirus decline — along with the number of those hospitalized and dying from the virus. Over the past two days, there were 4,516 new cases of coronavirus reported in Pennsylvania, according to data released Monday by the...
Westmoreland County sees over 60% drop in covid cases in past month
Westmoreland County’s coronavirus situation continues to improve — and dramatically when compared to just one month ago. Another 129 cases of coronavirus were reported over the past two days in the county, according to data released Monday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That total is 6% lower than a...
Monroeville doctor accused of writing illegal painkiller prescriptions
A Monroeville doctor was charged last week in federal court with nearly 100 counts of writing illegal oxycodone prescriptions, as well as Medicare fraud. An indictment returned Thursday by the federal grand jury said Joseph Dicroce, 64, wrote dozens of prescriptions for oxycodone to just three people from 2016 to...
New covid cases continue to decline in Allegheny County
Allegheny County continues to see a decline in the number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths associated with covid-19. The county added 394 new cases of coronavirus over the past two days, according to county’s Health Department. That’s more than 12% fewer new cases than a week ago (450) and...
Officials: 2 dead in Texas as subfreezing cold sweeps U.S.Video
AUSTIN, Texas — A sprawling blast of winter weather across the U.S. is likely to blame for the deaths of two people in Texas, where an unusually snowy emergency Monday knocked out power for more than four million people, shut down grocery stores and air travel and closed schools ahead...
Doctors’ groups disagree with Pennsylvania on limiting who can administer covid-19 vaccine
PHILADELPHIA — Physician groups say they are “deeply troubled” that the Pennsylvania Department of Health plans to remove primary care providers from the list of those permitted to administer the covid-19 vaccine. “This is a time when we need all hands on deck so we can get the majority of...
Old industrial sites along Great Allegheny Passage Trail to get historical markers
The sites of former steel mills and other long-gone vestiges of the region’s industrial might from Homestead to McKeesport will be emblazoned with historical markers along the Great Allegheny Passage trail. Rivers of Steel, a nonprofit focusing on the region’s industrial history, awarded an almost $4,000 grant to the Regional...
Support grows for Capitol riot inquiry after Trump acquittalVideo
WASHINGTON — After what one called a “heartbreaking” verdict, House prosecutors who argued for Donald Trump’s conviction of inciting the U.S. Capitol riot said Sunday they had proved their case and railed against the Senate’s Republican leader and most of his colleagues for “trying to have it both ways” in...
4 dead in Route 30 head-on collision in North Huntingdon
Three members of the Vietnamese community in Westmoreland County who were returning home from a Lunar New Year Mass at a church in Pittsburgh were killed Sunday in a head-on collision along Route 30 in North Huntingdon, a friend of the victims said. The three women died after their eastbound...
PennDot, Pa. Turnpike issue restrictions ahead of winter storm
A winter storm expected to dump several inches of snow across the region is spurring restrictions by PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, speed and vehicle restrictions will be mandated along the PA Turnpike in both directions from Breezewood to the Ohio border, the entire...
Winter storm won’t halt plans for covid-19 vaccines at Allegheny County sites
Allegheny County Health Department planned to continue dispensing covid-19 vaccinations Monday and Tuesday, despite a winter storm that is expected to drop snow and ice across the region. Clinics are expected to be open Monday in Monroeville and Tuesday in Monroeville and Castle Shannon — although the schedule of appointments...
Police investigate Brighton Heights stabbing
A man is in critical condition after a stabbing Sunday in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights section, authorities said. Police responded to a call just before 3:15 p.m. to the 3800 block of California Avenue. Officers found a man who had been stabbed in the neck. He was taken to the hospital...
2 women transform historic Buffalo Township barn into event venueVideo
Two local women are transforming a historic Buffalo Township barn into an event venue that will host weddings and other private events. Cathy Burnheimer and Jessica Krynicki are set to launch Avenue in Sarver in June, though couples can tour the venue and book event dates now. The barn, Krynicki...
Impeachment isn’t the final word on Capitol riot for Donald TrumpVideo
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s acquittal at his second impeachment trial may not be the final word on whether he’s to blame for the deadly Capitol riot. The next step for the former president could be the courts. Now a private citizen, Trump is stripped of his protection from legal liability...
Pa.’s lack of data prevents tracking of racial, ethnic disparities in vaccine distribution
Despite numerous studies predicting the likelihood of racial disparities and a supposed focus on equity in the rollout, Pennsylvania’s data tracking race and ethnicity in vaccine distribution currently is lacking. More than a month into the state’s vaccine rollout, about 34% of race data as it relates to distribution is...
Greensburg mom is among those who shortened hospital stay after giving birth because of pandemic
Francis Regis Johns IV was born at 8:50 a.m. Jan. 10. By 8 p.m. on Jan. 11, he was comfortably at his Greensburg home. “He was good, and I was feeling good, so the best option was to come home,” said Francis’ mother Sarah Johns. UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Oakland...
On Parkland anniversary, Biden calls for tougher gun lawsVideo
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Sorrow reverberated across the country Sunday as Americans, including President Joe Biden, joined a Florida community in remembering the 17 lives lost three years ago in the Parkland school shooting massacre. “In seconds, the lives of dozens of families, and the life of an American community, were...
Average U.S. virus cases dip below 100K for 1st time in months
ATLANTA — Average daily new coronavirus cases in the United States dipped below 100,000 in recent days for the first time in months, but experts cautioned Sunday that infections remain high and precautions to slow the pandemic must remain in place. The seven-day rolling average of new infections was well...
Updated winter storm forecast calls for less snow, more ice in Pittsburgh region
On Valentine’s Day, National Weather Service meteorologists predicted that the Pittsburgh region could once again be the victim of the dreaded “wintry mix,” when frigid air and heavy snow mix with warmer air and chilly rain to bring a coating of freezing rain. The Pittsburgh region can expect 2-4 inches...
Watch Dooker’s Hollow Bridge implosion in North BraddockVideo
Dooker’s Hollow Bridge stood for 80 years, but it barely took a minute for 96 expertly placed explosive charges to bring it down on Saturday. Placing the explosives for the bridge’s implosion is technical work done using a large crane, Allegheny County Public Works officials said. Recent snow and windy...
