Top Stories category, Page 1363
Girl, 8, among 10 dead in Chicago’s holiday weekend gunfireVideo
CHICAGO — An 8-year-old girl shot in the back was among 10 people killed in gunfire over the Labor Day weekend, police said Tuesday, marking the latest deadly holiday weekend in Chicago. More than 50 people were shot from Friday until just before midnight Tuesday during a year where violent...
Son of former Steelers player, Cal (Pa.) football player Jamain Stephens dies
Editor’s Note: On Wednesday afternoon, Central Catholic High School said in an amended statement that the school does not have an official confirmation on the cause of Jamain Stephens’ death. Previously, the high school reported that Stephens died of complications from covid-19. Here is a portion of Central Catholic’s statement:...
Route 22 traffic advisory issued in Murrysville for VP Mike Pence’s visit Wednesday
Murrysville police say travelers on Route 22 should expect minor traffic delays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday during Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Cornerstone Ministries. The vice president is scheduled to land in Air Force Two at 10:30 a.m. at the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Moon...
Allegheny County judge accused of racist remarks argues suspension unnecessary
The Allegheny County Common Pleas judge suspended for misconduct last month without pay has asked the state Court of Judicial Discipline to reverse its decision, saying it was made without due process. The Judicial Conduct Board referred six misconduct charges against Mark V. Tranquilli alleging, among other claims, that he...
Greensburg man jailed for assaulting, choking woman, cops say
A 29-year-old Greensburg man was ordered held in the county jail after assaulting a woman and threatening harm to her 1-year-old infant early Monday. Kevin M. Reese, of Eastmont Drive, was charged with endangering the welfare of children, flight to avoid apprehension, harassment, simple assault and strangulation after the 4:37...
Pittsburgh officials denounce weekend disturbances during Downtown protests
Pittsburgh Public Safety officials Tuesday condemned “the actions of a few protesters” during weekend protests, reiterating a pledge to protect the First Amendment and prosecute those who break the law. “People have the right to dine in public without being accosted and without vulgarities being thrown at them,” Public Safety...
Proposed Senate bill could toughen, revamp Pa.’s ‘steer clear’ law
Revisions to the state’s steer clear law could make it safer for first responders assisting at calls along roadways, two Republican senators said. State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, and Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Adams County, propose changes to the law that will clarify how drivers should act when passing emergency response...
Pennsylvania reports 496 new coronavirus cases, 11 new deaths
Pennsylvania on Tuesday reported 496 new coronavirus cases and 11 additional deaths — deaths that occurred in April but were only reported now. That brings the total cases to 140,359 and the total number of covid-19 deaths in Pennsylvania to 7,791. The state Department of Health said 147,207 tests were...
Southwest Pennsylvania again takes center stage in presidential campaigns this week
Pennsylvania’s importance in the Nov. 3 election is apparent again this week in a series of stops planned in the Pittsburgh region by the Trump and Biden campaigns. Former Vice President Joe Biden stopped in Harrisburg on Monday for Labor Day. The week will ramp up Wednesday with Vice President...
Pittsburgh Public Schools have technical difficulties on 1st school day
The first day of classes at Pittsburgh Public Schools on Tuesday morning was marred by technical difficulties. Parents took to social media to inform the district of their technology’s shortcomings. Some parents said their students couldn’t log in on the laptops the district provided. Others cited issues with specific platforms...
South Side bar closed by Allegheny Co. for crowd of ‘too many to count’
The Allegheny County Health Department last week ordered the South Side bar Oddballs to close for seven days after it was found violating covid-19 mitigation orders. Officials observed more than 200 people inside the East Carson Street establishment, according to a Food Safety Assessment Report. There were “too many to...
Neighborhood dispute over football in yard leads to Hempfield man’s arrest, police say
A backyard family reunion Sunday in Hempfield turned sour when state police said neighbors refused to return a football to children at the party after it was thrown on their property. The situation escalated from a neighborhood dispute to an alleged assault when Joseph Martino, 60, fought with state troopers...
President Trump calls Pittsburgh protesters ‘anarchists,’ ‘thugs’
President Donald Trump responded to viral videos showing apparent clashes in Pittsburgh between protesters and the public over the weekend, using Twitter to take aim at Democratic challenger Joe Biden while calling the demonstrators “anarchists” and “thugs.” “BLM Protesters horribly harass elderly Pittsburgh diners, scaring them with loud taunts while...
Allegheny County adds 37 new coronavirus cases, records 4th straight day with no covid deaths
Allegheny County on Tuesday reported 37 new coronavirus cases and no new deaths. This is the fourth day in a row that the county has not registered a death attributed to the coronavirus. With no additional deaths announced, the total stands at 349, according to the county health department. There...
Mitch McConnell: Senate to vote on ‘targeted’ virus aid
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, under pressure from GOP senators in tough reelection races, said Tuesday the Senate would vote on a trimmed-down Republican coronavirus relief package, though it has a slim chance of passage in the face of Democrats’ insistence for more sweeping aid. “The Senate Republican...
Gov. Wolf expands indoor dining capacity to 50%
Pennsylvania restaurants can increase their indoor dining capacity to 50% later this month, Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday. The increase — double the 25% limit that has been in place since July — can begin Sept. 21, according to Wolf’s announcement. He said restaurants must complete a self-certification process showing...
Tech sell-off resumes; Nasdaq down more than 8% in 3 days
NEW YORK — Big tech stocks are continuing their Icarus-like flight path, and more sharp declines for them are pulling Wall Street lower in early Tuesday trading. The S&P 500 was down 1.9%, highlighted by the 2.7% tumble for tech stocks within the index. Apple sank 2.9% and Microsoft fell...
Living with Children: Don’t ask them, tell them
A grandmother in Arkansas says her adult children have great difficulty telling their children what to do. They turn instructions — more accurately, what they think are instructions — into questions and then wonder why their kids don’t seem to appreciate their timidity. Grandma’s email made me think of a...
Driver critical after pickup hits utility pole in Downtown Pittsburgh
The driver of a pickup truck suffered critical injuries when the vehicle struck a utility pole early this morning in Downtown Pittsburgh, according to authorities. The crash occurred shortly before 1:30 a.m. at the intersection of Commonwealth Boulevard and Liberty Avenue. Emergency responders found the driver unconscious and pinned inside...
Pennsylvania to send 5 weeks of $300 checks to eligible jobless
Pennsylvania will start distributing $1,500 in federal unemployment compensation to those without a job since the beginning of August because of the covid-19 pandemic. “Everybody who is currently receiving unemployment (compensation), with very few exceptions, will qualify for that benefit,” state Labor & Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak said Tuesday. Unemployed...
Millvale man hit, killed by train near Shaler Township
A Millvale man died when he was struck by a train on Monday afternoon in Shaler, according to authorities. The incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. on the northbound Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks near the 3-mile marker of Route 28, according to emergency dispatchers. The site is near the entrance...
In battleground states, absentee ballot rejections could triple
ATLANTA — Thousands of absentee ballots get rejected in every presidential election. This year, that problem could be much worse and potentially pivotal in hotly contested battleground states. With the coronavirus creating a surge in mail-in balloting and postal delays reported across the country, the number of rejected ballots in...
Analysis: Trump made a promise to save coal in 2016. He couldn’t keep it
President Donald Trump spent more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds, rolled back environmental rules and tried to stop power plant closings to fulfill a vow he made to West Virginia coal miners in the 2016 campaign. But nothing he’s done is rescuing the coal industry. Since Trump’s inauguration, U.S....
Trump questions Pentagon leaders’ motives
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that top Defense Department leaders want to keep waging wars in order to keep defense contractors “happy.” Trump continues to fight allegations that he made offensive comments about fallen U.S. service-members, including calling World War I dead at an American military cemetery in...
California sets record with 2 million acres burned so far this yearVideo
SHAVER LAKE, Calif. — Wildfires have burned more than 2 million acres in California this year, setting a state record even as crews battled dozens of growing blazes in sweltering temperatures Monday that strained the electrical grid and threatened power outages for millions. The most striking thing about the record...
