Top Stories category, Page 1328
Crews clear scene of fire at abandoned house in Oakland
Crews battled a working house fire in Oakland early Tuesday morning, according to an Allegheny 911 dispatcher. Firefighters responded to the abandoned row house along Bates Street around 4:40 a.m., said Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Battalion Chief Ron Dunlap. The house is located at the Boulevard of the Allies intersection....
Driver killed in wrong-way crash on Interstate 279 North in Pittsburgh
One person was killed following a wrong-way crash along Interstate 279 North early Tuesday morning, according to state police. The crash, which happened around midnight near Chestnut Street, occurred when a vehicle traveling south in the northbound lane collided head on with a tractor trailer that was driving in the...
3 Baldwin-Whitehall buildings closed after staffer tests positive for covid-19
Three Baldwin-Whitehall schools are closed for the remainder of the week after a substitute teacher tested positive for covid-19, district officials announced Monday night. McAnnulty Elementary School, Whitehall Elementary School and J.E. Harrison Education Center are temporarily shuttered Tuesday through Friday after the substitute teacher worked in all three schools,...
Presidential debate commission adopts new rules to mute micsVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will have their microphones turned off during parts of the final presidential debate on Thursday, the Commission on Presidential Debates said Monday night. Each candidate will have an uninterrupted two minutes to speak at the beginning of each of the...
Supreme Court allows 3-day extension for Pennsylvania ballots
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will allow Pennsylvania to count mailed-in ballots received up to three days after the Nov. 3 election, rejecting a Republican plea in the presidential battleground state. The justices divided 4-4 on Monday, an outcome that upholds a state Supreme Court ruling that required county election...
Greensburg firefighters show off upgraded drill towerVideo
What started as an effort to replace cracking concrete blocks at The Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department’s drill tower at Lynch Field has culminated in a major renovation that adds numerous training tools for firefighters. “It’s become useful again,” said department President Rick Steele. New features at the five-story tower include...
More ballot delays in Westmoreland County
More delays in the mailing of ballots to Westmoreland voters ahead of the Nov. 3 general election could prompt county commissioners to take back control over the process that was shipped out-of-state last month. Commissioner Sean Kertes said Monday internal discussions are underway to have elections bureau staff at the...
Pittsburgh Mills mall complex under boil water notice after water main break
The Pittsburgh Mills mall complex in Frazer is under a boil water notice because of a water main break, the Fawn-Frazer Joint Water Authority said Monday. Authority Chairman Ed Adams said the water break was caused by a damaged hydrant behind the former Best Buy store at the Village At...
Task force issues recommendations for reforming Pittsburgh police
A task force charged with coming up with avenues for meaningful change in the way Pittsburgh polices its residents released a slew of recommendations Monday, choosing eight main topics and offering dozens of pages worth of ideas and data to back them up. “There were a lot of different ideas...
At Oakmont Bakery, the presidential ‘cookie poll’ tradition continues (just for fun)
In what might be the most appetizing part of the 2020 presidential election, Oakmont Bakery is producing patriotic cookies emblazoned with portraits of candidates Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. A dozen runs $24. The sugar cookies are iced with an image of either Biden surrounded by blue stars or...
Federal lawsuit challenges Pa. age requirement to be 21 to obtain a license to carry
Three young adults, including one from Verona, are suing the Pennsylvania State Police commissioner because they say state statutes prevent them from legally carrying and transporting firearms. The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Pittsburgh with the support of two national nonprofits, asks that statutes requiring a person to...
Covid resurgence is here, Pa. officials say after 14 days of new cases topping 1,000
Pennsylvania’s statewide percentage of positive covid-19 cases has risen to 4.3%, the highest it’s been since August, state officials said Monday, and nearly a third of the state’s 67 counties have a percent positivity of more than 5%. “We all knew there was … going to be an upsurge in...
6 Russian intelligence officers indicted by U.S. for alleged cyber attacksVideo
The Justice Department on Monday indicted six Russian intelligence agency officers for their alleged roles in what prosecutors called some of the most destructive cyber attacks in history. One attack targeting more than 300 victims worldwide impacted the Sewickley-based Heritage Valley Health System, while others targeted the Ukrainian power grid...
Orionid meteor shower peaks Tuesday night — probably behind clouds
One of autumn’s best meteor showers will reach its peak Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. The annual Orionid meteor shower will light the night sky with around 20 meteors per hour visible across much of the globe, from after midnight until daybreak, according to AccuWeather. Don’t plan to stay...
Trump goes after Dr. Fauci, tries to buck up his campaign teamVideo
PRESCOTT, Ariz. — President Donald Trump came out swinging Monday against Dr. Anthony Fauci and polls that show Trump trailing Democrat Joe Biden in key battleground states, as he tried to buck up his campaign team two weeks out from Election Day. Back on the trail after his covid-19 infection,...
Westmoreland County gets respite from triple-digit new covid cases
Westmoreland County added 63 new covid-19 cases on Monday, according to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. In addition, 73 new cases were added on Sunday. It’s the first time since Wednesday the county has not had consecutive days of triple-digit new cases. Compared with other counties, the...
Allegheny County adds 215 new covid cases over 2 days, no new deaths
The Allegheny County Health Department announced 99 new cases of covid-19 on Monday. In addition, the department said 116 cases were added Sunday. The latest cases, which come from tests conducted between Oct. 12-18, range in age from 3 to 99 years old, with a median age of 41 years....
Allegheny County election phone lines jammed with more than 7,000 calls a day
If you have a question about voting in Allegheny County and want to talk to someone on the phone, be prepared to get a busy signal or wait a while. “We have expanded phone lines, are utilizing a call center and a queue, but the demand is still greater. We...
Hempfield casino ready for Nov. 24 opening
The $150 million casino under construction at Westmoreland Mall is slated to open Nov. 24, pending approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, officials announced Monday. The casino, located in the former Bon-Ton department store at the Hempfield facility, will feature 750 slot machines and 30 table games along with...
Emergency plans fail to consider complexity of Mariner East pipelines, and those most at risk in an accident
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan 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 weekly newsletter. Editor’s note: This story is Part 2 of a two-part series about the Mariner East pipeline system. Just after 7:30...
As virus flares globally, new strategies target hot spots
NEW YORK — After entire nations were shut down during the first surge of the coronavirus earlier this year, some countries and U.S. states are trying more targeted measures as cases rise again around the world, especially in Europe and the Americas. New York’s new round of virus shutdowns zeroes...
Eastbound lanes of I-70 in Washington County reopen following crash
Eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 in Washington County were closed Monday morning for more than two hours following a crash involving a tractor trailer. Crews responded to the incident around 6:30 a.m. in South Strabane near the Interstate 79 South Junction, according to a Washington 911 dispatcher. Tribune-Review news partners...
Hempfield Area High School to remain closed early this week
Hempfield Area High School will remain closed early this week after two more students tested positive for covid-19, officials said. Students who were originally scheduled to return to in-person classes Monday following a five day closure after three students tested positive for the virus last week will now continue with...
Editorial: Registered to vote? Today’s the day
This is your last chance. If you want to vote in the November general election, Monday is the last day to register. Pennsylvania is not one of the handful of states that allow you to just decide that you want to participate in your government with five minutes to spare...
$462.8 million in bets made in Pennsylvania in September
Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbook generated a record $462.8 million in bets in September but failed to bring in record taxable revenue. The commonwealth joins New Jersey and Nevada in surpassing $450 million in wagers in a single month, according to PlayPennsylvania. However, because of heavy promotion and some “unlucky...
