Top Stories category, Page 1344

The woman who shot and killed an FBI agent as he attempted to serve an arrest warrant at her home in Indiana Township in 2008 is asking for compassionate release from prison because she is still recovering from a covid-19 infection. Christina Korbe, who is serving a 15-year sentence at...

Pittsburgh Police Special Response Teams trained in traditional crowd-control tactics will no longer be the first line of response during protests, Mayor Bill Peduto announced Friday, two days after police clashed with protesters just blocks from his front door. It’s one of a number of changes Peduto laid out in...

High school football season starts Monday, along with soccer, cross country, girls volleyball and all other PIAA fall sports. The PIAA board of directors ignored Gov. Tom Wolf’s strong recommendation and voted Friday to let fall sports start as scheduled, but the PIAA left the responsibility with individual school districts...

Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center blocked the state’s chief fiscal watchdog from examining the Beaver County nursing home’s financial records earlier this year, Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said . DePasquale disclosed Brighton Rehab’s refusal to cooperate — or even take an initial meeting to discuss the possibility of cooperating...

A Pittsburgh Public Schools board member learned the hard way Wednesday the mishaps that can happen in virtual meetings. Veronica Edwards was accidentally seen disrobing and stepping into the shower during the district’s public online agenda review meeting, which was streamed live. “Hopefully, someone can learn from my experience and...

Can you dig it? Judy Quick can. The 77-year-old Gilpin woman lives in a custom-built, subterranean home. “I mow my roof,” Quick said while giving a tour of her unorthodox three-bedroom, two-bathroom home that’s on more than 11 acres in rural Armstrong County. She said advantages of underground living include...

The PIAA voted to allow high school sports to proceed on schedule. Allegheny County schools got a double dose of good news. Allegheny County schools will be able to play games at home, the WPIAL and Allegheny County Health Department announced Friday in a joint statement. The county’s 50-person limit...

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 weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG — In early March, a little-known Pennsylvania nonprofit called the Growth and Opportunity Fund Inc. hosted a gathering of...

Pittsburgh’s restaurant scene continues to endure losses as Larder of East End and Mt. Lebanon’s The Fairlane will close their doors permanently this weekend. Larder is a collaborative venture between chef Justin Severino and his partner Hilary Prescott, and East End Brewing Co. owner and head brewer Scott Smith. The...

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 weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG — As students prepare to begin a highly unusual school year, Pennsylvania lawmakers on Wednesday told Wolf administration officials...

A mask mandate, a no-smoking policy and a suspension of indoor dining were among the measures Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh’s North Shore took to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus when it reopened in early July. That same week, the World Health Organization acknowledged airborne transmission of the virus, particularly...

Westmoreland County had 18 new cases of covid-19 Friday, according to the state Department of Health. The county’s total cases are now 1,696 with 1,643 confirmed and 53 probable. The seven-day average for the county is 15 cases. Westmoreland has reported 287 coronavirus cases so far in August. Westmoreland County...

Pennsylvania on Friday reported an additional 693 cases of covid-19, bringing total cases to 127,633, according to the state Department of Health. The seven-day average has dropped to 669 cases, its lowest since July 6. The state is reporting 510 patients currently hospitalized, 93 of which are on ventilators. Pa....

Allegheny County’s seven-day average of new covid-19 cases on Friday dropped to 68 as 80 new instances were reported. It’s the lowest average recorded since late June. The seven-day average peaked at 206 on July 17 and has been steadily dropping. The county’s total cases are now 9,756. Of those,...

Joe Biden aimed to rally American voters remotely during his address broadcast Thursday night, capping off the Democratic Party’s first all-virtual convention and four days of speeches equating voting for Biden as a vote to save democracy itself. “This is a life-changing election that will determine America’s future for a...

WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden vowed to unite an America torn by crisis and contempt Thursday night, accepting the Democratic presidential nomination in an unfinished personal quest that has spanned three decades and been marred by personal tragedy, political stumbles and more dynamic rivals. The past hurdles fell away as...

Unity’s supervisors on Thursday heard from more than 30 residents debating whether township zoning regulations should be changed to provide greater allowance for backyard chickens on smaller properties. Jeff and Kristin Kuhns are appealing a zoning violation notice stemming from the 20 chickens they’re raising on less than the minimum...

A lawsuit seeking class-action status contends that Chipotle stores in Pennsylvania are not giving proper change to customers and instead are lining their pockets with it. The complaint, filed Thursday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, alleges hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of dollars in consumer losses....

A White Oak man is charged with stealing from the North Versailles Fire Department, where he worked as business manager, to allegedly pay his child support. Ryan Marton, 48, of faces counts of theft, unlawful use of a computer, receiving stolen property and misapplication of entrusted property. He turned himself...

The offered sale of a $5 million Florida home as collateral to ensure future court appearances of suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez was not enough to convince a judge to release him from jail. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears on Thursday rejected a second request for...

A protester arrested Wednesday night after a protest outside Mayor Bill Peduto’s Point Breeze home is charged with aggravated assault and riot after police allege he pushed his bicycle against and struggled with officers. The arresting officer wrote in the complaint that his body-worn camera was knocked off while he...