Top Stories category, Page 1361
Police: 2 Allegheny County plumbing inspectors fudged their reports
Two Allegheny County plumbing inspectors have been arrested and charged with multiple felony counts of tampering with public records. Michael O’Toole, 57, of Pittsburgh and Timothy Chelosky, 53, of McKeesport were taken into custody and taken to the Allegheny County Jail on Thursday, Allegheny County Police reported. The arrests are...
Judges: Trump can’t exclude people from district drawings
NEW YORK — Saying the president had exceeded his authority, a panel of three federal judges on Thursday blocked an order from President Donald Trump that tried to exclude people in the country illegally from being counted when congressional districts are redrawn. The federal judges in New York, in granting...
Lori Falce: The people we were on 9/11
Why aren’t we the people we were 19 years ago? On Sept. 11, 2001, we were broken and bleeding, grieving and groaning in pain. The terrorist attacks that brought down the World Trade Center and shredded the Pentagon and cratered a field in Shanksville stole thousands of lives and left...
Appeals court upholds conviction of former state trooper from Plum
A former Pennsylvania State Police trooper’s appeal of his conviction for assaulting and threatening his wife was denied Thursday. A three-judge panel of the state’s Superior Court upheld the guilty verdicts issued by an Allegheny County judge against Scott Richard Mang, 34, on charges of simple assault and making terroristic...
With Pittsburgh’s 2021 budget facing $100 million shortfall, city seeks input from residents
Pittsburgh residents have several ways to provide input about the city’s 2021 budget, which will be introduced later this year because of uncertainties surrounding the covid-19 pandemic. “It is obviously going to be challenging budget year for the city, with estimates of a $100 million shortfall, so we are greatly...
Former Excela Health Latrobe medical education coordinator accused in thefts
The former coordinator of Excela Latrobe Hospital’s student programs was accused this week of stealing more than $75,000 from the medical residency program and the Andrew Bagby Memorial Scholarship Fund. Suzanne N. Strickler, 37, of New Stanton was charged with 31 counts of theft, 11 counts of forgery and one...
FNB Corp. works with Pittsburgh Penguins as plans for new headquarters continue
In a post-covid-19 future, executives with FNB Corp. meet with clients at its 24-story headquarters Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District and walk across the street to PPG Arena, entering through the FNB Gate to seats in the FNB Club section in time for the puck drop at a Penguins game. Now...
Russian hackers target U.S. campaigns, parties, Microsoft says
BOSTON — The same Russian military intelligence outfit that hacked the Democrats in 2016 has attempted similar intrusions into the computer systems of more than 200 organizations including political parties and consultants, Microsoft said Thursday. Those efforts appear to be part of a broader increase in targeting of U.S. political...
South Side man indicted for suspected role in May 30 Pittsburgh protest mayhem
A South Side Slopes man surrendered to federal authorities Thursday on charges that he threw bricks and more at Pittsburgh police officers during a spring protest in Downtown Pittsburgh, officials said. Jordan Coyne, 25, was indicted Aug. 26 on one count of obstructing law enforcement, according to U.S. Attorney Scott...
TSA catches 3 guns in 8 days at Pittsburgh International
Security officials caught three travelers trying to get guns through the checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport in the past eight days, officials said. The guns mark a continuing trend Transportation Security Administration officials noted last month: fewer travelers passing through airport security but more guns being caught by agents. On...
Republican coronavirus relief bill blocked in SenateVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate rejected Republicans’ latest coronavirus relief proposal Thursday, though Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may have strengthened their hand in bipartisan negotiations with a display of GOP unity. The vote to end debate on the roughly $650 billion package was 52-47, falling short of the necessary 60 votes....
Tako restaurant coming to Bakery Square in Pittsburgh’s East End
Taco lovers can soon get their fix at a new East End location. A second Tako restaurant is opening in Bakery Square in Pittsburgh. It joins the Downtown venue owned by the Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group. “We are really excited to have a Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group restaurant,” said Gregg...
Eric Trump rallies his father’s base in Washington County appearanceVideo
Eric Trump played the hits Thursday in Washington County, giving a 20-minute speech to an enthusiastic audience that touched on many of the campaign topics favored by his father — President Donald Trump. The rally, attended by about 300 people, was the second of three Trump campaign appearances happening in...
Public opinion could guide whether Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue will remain
The fate of a 62-year-old statue of Christopher Columbus that towers over Schenley Drive near Phipps Conservatory in Oakland will be decided Sept. 23 by the Pittsburgh Art Commission. Before the commission meets, it is working to gauge public sentiment about the statue, one of Pittsburgh-based Italian artist Frank Vittor’s...
‘Fat’ hummingbird migration in full force, keep those feeders up
Their bags are packed for a 1,000-plus-mile flight to Mexico and Central America. The essential luggage for a ruby-throated hummingbird? Up to an extra gram of fat. Yes, fat on the smallest breeding bird in the eastern United States is discernible, desirable for migration and definitely measured at the banding...
Carnegie Mellon delays spring semester to avoid flu season during pandemic
Carnegie Mellon University officials Thursday said they will delay the start of the 2021 spring semester, originally scheduled to begin Jan. 11, to Feb. 1. The new start date is an attempt to reduce the time the campus will be open during flu season, given indications that flu season will...
Pennsylvania reports 587 new covid-19 cases, 15 new deaths
Pennsylvania reported 587 new covid-19 cases Thursday, according to the state Department of Health. In addition, 15 new coronavirus-related deaths were reported. Of the state’s newly reported deaths, one is from April, five are from August and nine are from September. The state’s case count rises to 141,877 and death...
Allegheny County reports no new covid-19 deaths, 54 new cases
Allegheny County on Thursday reported 54 new coronavirus cases, according to the county health department. Cases in the county are now up to 10,969. No additional deaths were reported. The death total remains at 358. The additional covid-19 cases come from 859 tests, with tests from Sept. 2-9. Positivity rate...
Hempfield high school student tests positive for covid-19
A Hempfield Area High School student recently tested positive for the coronavirus, the district announced. The student, who was not identified, was last in school Sept. 1, according to a letter from Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. The district was notified Tuesday of the positive test results. District officials worked with the...
CMU’s Heinz College announces layoffs
Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy will lay off a number of staff members, school officials said this week. The affected staff were notified Tuesday morning. In an email to Heinz College faculty and staff, Dean Ramayya Krishnan said the financial impact of the covid-19...
Plum School District employee quarantined after testing positive for covid-19
A Plum Borough School District employee has tested positive for covid-19, according to district officials. The employee, who has not been at work since Sept. 3, tested positive for the virus on Sept. 4, according to a notice sent to parents from Lisa Pace, a registered nurse who serves as...
Fayette County woman killed in New Stanton crash
A 44-year-old woman was killed in a one-vehicle crash in New Stanton early Thursday, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s office. Deputy Coroner Sean Hribal pronounced Susan M. Clawson of Uniontown dead at the scene of the 1 a.m. crash in the roundabout off Rachel Drive, the coroner’s office reported....
California wildfires growing bigger, moving faster than ever
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When it comes to California wildfires, it now takes days, not decades, to produce what had been seen as a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Last weekend, a fire burning in California’s Sierra National Forest exploded in size, trapping hundreds of Labor Day holiday campers who could only be rescued...
Hackers hit virtual-learning lessons with porn, racial slurs in Pittsburgh Public, Trinity Area districts
Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Trinity Area School District were targeted by hackers who exposed students to pornography and racial slurs during remote learning sessions on Wednesday. “This morning, we took immediate action upon notification of an inappropriate video that was embedded in the link of an educational video on...
Serra Catholic High School temporarily closes after 2 students test positive for covid-19
Serra Catholic High School has moved all students to online learning after two students tested positive for covid-19, the school confirmed Thursday. The school building will remain closed through Monday, and all sports programs will be suspended through the weekend. Administrators at the McKeesport school had sent an email to...
