Top Stories category, Page 1308
TV Talk: Eleanor Schano pioneered roles for women in Pittsburgh TV news
Pioneering Pittsburgh broadcaster Eleanor Schano accumulated many firsts – Pittsburgh’s first female commercial announcer and weathercaster at what is now KDKA-TV in 1952; the city’s first female general assignment news reporter at WTAE-TV in 1959 and first solo woman anchor at what is now WPXI-TV in 1970 – and she...
Pa. medical marijuana advisory board nixes new qualifying conditions as industry booms
Medical marijuana in Pennsylvania is more popular than ever, this month surpassing $1 billion in all-time sales from dispensaries to patients. The state’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board noted the landmark at its quarterly meeting Tuesday before debating whether to add new medical conditions to the list of reasons Pennsylvanians can...
Experts: Trump lawsuit targeting Allegheny County election not legally sound
The Trump campaign’s most recent attempt to discredit Pennsylvania’s election results is more of the same, experts said — unfounded allegations with no proof to back them up. “There’s no proof of widespread fraud (or even a little bit of fraud),” wrote Rick Hasen, an expert in election law who...
U.S. Supreme Court seems likely to leave health care law in place
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed likely Tuesday to leave in place the bulk of the Affordable Care Act, including key protections for pre-existing health conditions and subsidized insurance premiums that affect tens of millions of Americans. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, among the conservative justices, appeared...
Pennsylvania breaks record again for most new covid-19 cases
Pennsylvania broke a record again for most new reported covid-19 cases Tuesday with 4,361 cases. The new case record was previously 4,035 cases set by Saturday’s figures. Prior to November, daily case numbers in the state had never reached 3,000 new cases. So far this month, there have been two...
Westmoreland County adds 5 new covid-19 deaths, 119 new cases
Westmoreland County has 119 new covid-19 cases Tuesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Five new coronavirus-related deaths were reported, as well. Total cases now stand at 5,293 and total deaths are 123. Westmoreland County coronavirus by dayInfogram In the county, there are currently 56 covid-19 patients hospitalized, with...
Allegheny County reports 317 new covid-19 cases, says many attended parties, gatherings
Allegheny County reported 317 new covid-19 cases Tuesday, the second most the county has seen. One new coronavirus-related death was reported, as well. Total cases now stand at 17,973 and the death toll increased to 448. Allegheny County coronavirus by dayInfogram In Allegheny County, there are currently 214 covid-19 patients...
Pittsburgh police investigate 2nd port-a-potty explosion in a week
Someone blew up a port-a-potty on Pittsburgh’s North Side sometime overnight into Tuesday morning, according to city police. A construction crew on Itin Street in the city’s East Allegheny neighborhood reported the blown-up portable toilet to authorities around 7 a.m., according to Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews. The bomb squad...
GOP unveils $1.4T spending bill amid post-election turmoil
WASHINGTON — Republicans controlling the Senate unveiled a government-wide, $1.4 trillion spending bill Tuesday, a mostly bipartisan measure that faces uncertain odds during this period of post-election tumult in Washington. The GOP-drafted measure contains funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall and other provisions opposed by Democrats, but top leaders...
Sheetz offers free meal, car wash on Veterans Day
In honor of those who have served and are currently serving our country, Sheetz wants to pay its respect. On Wednesday — Veterans Day — all Sheetz locations will offer a free meal and car wash to veterans and active duty military personnel. “Sheetz, a family owned and operated restaurant...
Pitt students react to shifting guidelines, shelter-in-place
As the University of Pittsburgh tightens covid-19 restrictions amid rising infection levels, some students say they aren’t all that surprised. “All of this is unfortunate but not completely unexpected,” said Eric Macadangdang, a senior Pitt student and president of the student government. “But it’s completely necessary.” The university moved its...
Cash 5 winning ticket worth $100,000 sold at Kuhn’s
A winning Cash 5 ticket worth $100,000 was sold at a North Hills area grocery store, state lottery officials said Monday. The jackpot-winning ticket sold for the Nov. 7 drawing and matched all five balls drawn. It was purchased at Kuhn’s Quality Foods along West Ingomar Road. The winning numbers...
Giant Eagle hiring 600 people for holiday season
Giant Eagle plans to add 600 jobs this holiday season, company leaders announced this week. A hiring fair will run 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at 28 sites across the Pittsburgh area, company spokesman Dick Roberts said. The jobs will be both full-time and part-time positions at Giant...
Biden’s new coronavirus advisers debate mandating masks across the countryVideo
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden’s first act as president-elect was to urge all Americans to wear masks, announcing Monday the formation of a new coronavirus advisory board that will consider a national mask mandate amid rising cases and deaths. “It doesn’t matter your party, your point of view,” Biden said after...
Police: 1 person dead after shooting at Brighton Heights
One person was killed in a shooting in Brighton Heights Monday afternoon, according to Pittsburgh police. Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert at the intersection of Brighton Road and Davis Avenue around 3:30 p.m. On scene, officers found a man in the street with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper...
U.S. allows 1st emergency use of a covid-19 antibody drugVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials have allowed emergency use of the first antibody drug to help the immune system fight covid-19, an experimental approach against the virus that has killed more than 238,000 Americans. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday cleared the experimental drug from Eli Lilly for people...
AG William Barr OKs election probes despite little evidence of fraud
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors across the U.S. to pursue “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities, if they exist, before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite no evidence of widespread fraud. Barr’s action comes days after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump and raises...
Lawsuits’ threat looms as Pennsylvania vote count grinds on
HARRISBURG — President Donald Trump’s campaign launched a lawsuit to stop the certification of the election results in Pennsylvania, suing Monday as counties continued to sort through provisional ballots and late-arriving mail-in ballots nearly a week after the election. The Associated Press on Saturday called the presidential contest for former...
As race intensifies, Pitt remains committed to developing a covid vaccine
While a coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer appears promising and highly effective, the interim analysis released Monday only tells part of the story, said Paul Duprex, director of the Center for Vaccine Research at the University of Pittsburgh, which is working on several vaccine candidates. He said to think of...
Do Trump’s legal challenges have any hope of changing Pa.’s election results? A look at the lawsuits
PHILADELPHIA — Even before Election Day, President Donald Trump had been vowing to swarm Pennsylvania, and its largest city, with lawyers to contest the results in a state that has proven decisive to the outcome of the election. Those threats have only been amplified in the days since the president’s...
African American-owned art gallery Blaqk House Collections in Pittsburgh vandalized
The windows in the front of Blaqk House Collections art gallery in Downtown Pittsburgh, including the front door, were shattered in the early morning hours Monday. “I got a call at 3:30 a.m. that the alarm went off,” said Cynthia Kenderson, who co-owns the art gallery with Nicky Jo Dawson....
Steelers TE Vance McDonald tests positive for coronavirus, team’s 1st since season began
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Vance McDonald became the team’s first player to test positive for coronavirus since the regular season began. McDonald will be subject to the NFL’s intensive protocol for covid-19 after his positive test, according to a statement the Steelers released late Monday afternoon attributed to spokesman Burt...
UPMC study: No clear benefit using hydroxychloroquine to treat covid
Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug pushed by President Trump to treat covid-19, has again shown to be ineffective in treating people hospitalized with covid-19, according to results of a study published Monday. The study “puts to rest any lingering hope that hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment against covid-19,” said co-author Dr....
Pa. Health Secretary: Fall coronavirus surge likely is not over
Covid-19 continues to surge across Pennsylvania and the United States as a whole, with the percent positivity rate rising along with the case count. The state’s top health officials said Monday the fall resurgence likely isn’t over. “I don’t think we have peaked,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine....
Western Pa. ‘Jeopardy!’ contestants have fond memories of Alex Trebek
Connellsville native Lindsey Shultz will never forget the day Alex Trebek showed up in the “Jeopardy!” contestant’s green room just before taping episodes for the Tournament of Champions. It was early September 2019, just six months after Trebek had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. “He came back just...
