Top Stories category, Page 1356
Who is Alwyn Cashe and why did Alejandro Villanueva choose to honor him?
Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva is being both criticized and praised for taping the name Alwyn Cashe — an Army sergeant who died from injuries he received fighting in Iraq in 2005 — over the name of Antwon Rose Jr. on the back of his helmet for Monday night’s...
Westmoreland County surpasses 2,000 coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Wednesday surpassed 2,000 total coronavirus cases. The county saw 10 new confirmed cases added, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, bringing the total to 2,003 since the first cases were recorded in the county in March. The county’s death toll remained at 49, where it’s been...
Allegheny County adds 73 new coronavirus cases, 36 new hospitalizations
Allegheny County reported 73 new coronavirus cases, 36 new hospitalizations and no new deaths Wednesday. The county’s case total grew to 11,431, according to the Allegheny County Health Department. The state is reporting 341 deaths in Allegheny County, which differs from the county health department’s report of 363 deaths. The...
Hempfield band sub sales on hold as officials weed through pandemic ordersVideo
A popular fundraiser in the Hempfield community and a major fundraiser for the high school marching band is on hold, waiting for approval from school leaders. Sub sales have been suspended after Hempfield Area officials said proposed health and safety plans to make the subs did not adhere to Gov....
State lawmakers urge Gov. Wolf to sign bill, let schools set spectator limits for sports
A bipartisan group of state lawmakers gathered Wednesday and urged Gov. Tom Wolf to sign House Bill 2787, legislation that lets individual schools set spectator limits for sports. The governor received the bill Friday. “You’ve said at press conferences that you want to work with the Legislature. Here’s a golden...
Cam Heyward, Ben Roethlisberger unaware that Alejandro Villanueva chose not to honor Antwon Rose
Cameron Heyward, a team captain and a leader on the Pittsburgh Steelers social justice committee, was “surprised” that tackle Alejandro Villanueva did not display Antwon Rose Jr.’s name on the back of his helmet like the rest of his teammates in the season opener Monday night. Steelers players voted to...
Big Ten changes course, aims for October start to football
The Big Ten is going to give fall football a shot after all. Less than five weeks after pushing football and other fall sports to spring in the name of player safety during the covid-19 pandemic, the conference changed course Wednesday and said it plans to begin its season the...
Greenfield Bridge to close for a month, starting Monday
The Greenfield Bridge will be closed for a month for maintenance and repair, the Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure announced. The bridge, which spans the Parkway East to link the city’s Greenfield neighborhood to Schenley Park, will close at 7 a.m. Monday. The contractor that built the bridge, Mosites...
U.S. introduces broad vaccine plan — but no quick rolloutVideo
WASHINGTON — The government outlined a sweeping plan Wednesday to make vaccines for covid-19 available for free to all Americans when proven safe and effective, though a top public health official made clear that widespread vaccination of millions of Americans couldn’t come until well into next year. In a report...
Hurricane Sally unleashes flooding, hundreds rescuedVideo
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Hurricane Sally lumbered ashore near the Florida-Alabama line Wednesday with 105 mph wind and rain measured in feet, not inches, swamping homes and forcing the rescue of hundreds of people as it pushed inland for what could be a slow and disastrous drenching across the Deep South....
Man hospitalized after Point Breeze shooting
A man was transported to a local hospital in stable condition following a shooting in Point Breeze Tuesday, Pittsburgh police said. Officers and medics responded to the 7300 block of Penn Avenue around 12:20 p.m.. On scene, officers found a man with a gunshot wound to the upper thigh. Police...
Pittsburgh police arrest 3rd suspect in shooting of 1-year-old Zykier Young
Pittsburgh police have arrested Devon Thompson, 37, of McKees Rocks in connection with last months’ shooting death of 1-year-old Zykier Young. Thompson was one of three men allegedly involved in the Aug. 24 shootout on Rhine Place in the city’s Spring Hill neighborhood. He turned himself into police Tuesday on...
Penn State adds more than 450 covid-19 cases since Friday, as in-person instruction continues
Penn State’s total number of covid-19 cases at University Park increased by 458 on Tuesday, boosting the total number of positives to 1,146. According to data from the university’s dashboard, 100 students tested positive between Friday and Monday while another 358 students tested positive from pending results that were updated...
McKees Rocks man paralyzed in 2016 Wilkinsburg massacre dies of complications
A McKees Rocks man paralyzed ever since he became one of the victims of a 2016 massacre in Wilkinsburg that left six people dead died Tuesday from complications of his condition, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. John Ellis, 51, was pronounced dead at UPMC Mercy hospital in...
Smoke from Western wildfires intensifies in the region
The first plumes of smoke from the massive wildfires burning on the West Coast began reaching Pittsburgh on Aug. 25, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. But Tuesday was the day people began to notice, as the massive smoke plume from some of California’s largest-ever wildfires, along with...
State House votes to bar shutting down churches in disasters
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House on Tuesday passed a bill that would prevent governors from applying their disease control powers to shut down gatherings at churches or other houses of worship. The chamber voted 149 to 53 for the proposal, which the Democratic leader called a solution in search of...
Massive bird migration over Pittsburgh was spectacular — if you had binoculars
Waves of tens of thousands of birds passed through the region Monday night, as they do each fall on big migration days, delivering a variety of species that are heading south after summering in the northern United States and Canada. But the trees weren’t dripping with birds as they would...
Pittsburgh researchers unveil new drug that could treat and prevent covid-19
Pittsburgh scientists as soon as next year could begin testing in humans a breakthrough drug they say has the potential to stop the pandemic by treating — and even preventing — the virus that causes covid-19. The drug’s foundation is a tiny but potent antibody that can block the virus...
Pittsburgh Bishop Zubik to stream 1 Mass a week as seminarians return
With 22 seminarians now studying at St. Paul Seminary, Pittsburgh Catholic Bishop David A. Zubik is ending daily livestreams of Mass and instead will be streaming one weekly service, on Sundays at 10 a.m. Zubik has been livestreaming Mass daily from Boyle Hall Chapel at the seminary. With the return...
Chabad Jewish Center hands out more than 1,000 free masks in 2 hours in Monroeville
The Chabad Jewish Center in Monroeville handed out 1,100 free face masks on Sept. 13, according to one of the event’s organizers. The cloth face masks were handed out in packages of five from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2700 Monroeville Blvd., the municipal building. Cars lined up in...
Authorities identify man found in Allegheny River near Kittanning
Authorities have identified a man whose body was found in the Allegheny River near Kittanning on Sunday. The man was identified as Clifton H. McHenry, 67, of Kittanning and formerly New Kensington, Coroner Brian Myers said in a statement Tuesday. Myers said McHenry was identified by “obvious markings” on his...
Seeping under doors, bad air from West’s fires won’t ease upVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — Putrid, dangerous air spewing from massive wildfires on the West Coast is seeping into homes and businesses, sneaking into cars through air conditioning vents and keeping people already shut away by the coronavirus pandemic from enjoying even a walk outside or trip to the park. People in...
Woman in prison for threatening to kill Westmoreland judge pleads guilty to doing it again
A woman already serving up to four years in prison for threatening to kill a Westmoreland County judge two years ago pleaded guilty Tuesday to again issuing a similar threat to the same judge last year. Rebecca Elizabeth Gardner, 31, is expected to be sentenced this year under terms of...
Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkin Pop-Up carves out a new face this year
The Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkin Festival has turned into the Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkin Pop-Up. The pandemic won’t allow for the traditional event along Pittsburgh’s North Shore, but organizers have devised another way. Not far from the usual spot, they will create a “mammoth, pumpkin-carved and painted scene of Pittsburgh’s mythical river...
Westmoreland sheriff: ‘I have not left the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party has left me’Video
Declaring that he feels disenfranchised by the Democratic Party, Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert announced he changed his affiliation to Republican. “It was a really difficult decision and I’ve thought long and hard about it, but I feel I stand for the ideals of the Republican Party platform more than...
