Top Stories category, Page 1382
Allegheny County posts lowest new covid case count since June
On Tuesday, Allegheny County continued its trend of lower daily covid-19 case numbers in August. The county Department of Health reported 45 new cases — the lowest number of new cases since June 25. In the month of August, the county has added 1,455 covid-19 cases, as compared to 3,365...
State’s health secretary says Gov. Wolf won’t mandate cancellation of high school sports
If the PIAA ignores Gov. Tom Wolf’s advice and allows fall sports to continue, his administration won’t turn his strong recommendation into a mandate. “The governor has been very clear about that: There are no plans to do that,” state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said Tuesday. Wolf’s administration wants...
Greensburg’s Lynch mansion, with 38 rooms and carriage house, on market for $900KVideo
A historic three-story brick Greensburg mansion built by an associate of industrialist Henry Clay Frick, replete with seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, parlor room and a brick carriage house, is on the market for a mere $895,000. The 38-room, 6,000-square-foot stately manor was built for Thomas Lynch between 1905 and 1907...
Former Latrobe firefighters sue city, allege misconduct by fire chief
Five former Latrobe volunteer firefighters filed a federal lawsuit alleging they were kicked out of the department after speaking out against Chief John Brasile. The suit accuses Brasile of routinely showing up late to emergency scenes, falsely claiming to have responded to scenes where he wasn’t present, attempting to manage...
Plan to replace Abraham Lincoln statue in Wilkinsburg moving along
Abraham Lincoln could be back on his Wilkinsburg perch in time for his Feb. 12 birthday next year. For the past 18 months, a group of Wilkinsburg residents have been working to raise $70,000 to build a new bronze, life-size statue of the 16th president of the United States. The...
Owners of Live! Casino Pittsburgh release online gaming site prior to casino opening
A new online gaming site will give a “sneak peek” into two casinos being built on opposite ends of Pennsylvania, including one under construction at Westmoreland Mall. PlayLive!, which launched this week, features more than 100 gaming options, including classic slots and table games, along with online-only titles and jackpot...
Editorial: Low-visibility arrest a high-visibility failure
It was supposed to be a low-visibility arrest. That didn’t really work out. On Saturday afternoon, Matthew Cartier, 24, was in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh as part of the weekly protests for racial justice. Pittsburgh plainclothes police officers apprehended him and hustled him into an unmarked white van, which...
Police: Woman grazed by bullet in Garfield
A woman was in stable condition after being found with a bullet wound in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood Monday night, according to city police. Officers responded shortly after 9 p.m. to an alert of shots fired in the 5300 block of Hillcrest Street, where police said they found evidence of a...
Westmoreland leaders mull solutions to accommodate expected volume of mail-in ballots
Additional opportunities for Westmoreland County’s mail-in voters this fall are being considered as local officials plan for potential slowdowns related to budget cuts at the U.S. Postal Service. Commissioners said Monday no plans have been finalized, but they might consider creating satellite elections bureau locations to allow voters another option...
Michelle Obama assails Trump as Democrats open conventionVideo
NEW YORK — Michelle Obama delivered a passionate broadside against President Donald Trump during Monday’s opening night of the Democratic National Convention, assailing the Republican president as unfit for the job and warning that the nation’s mounting crises would only get worse if he’s reelected. The former first lady issued...
Conor Lamb among 17 ‘rising stars’ to deliver Tuesday’s keynote speech for Democratic National Convention
U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb is among 17 Democrats deemed “rising stars” who will take turns delivering the 2020 national convention’s keynote address Tuesday night. “It’s a great honor,” Lamb, 36, of Mt. Lebanon told the Tribune-Review by phone Monday afternoon. “I do think that it matters because I have heard...
Latrobe centenarian surprised with birthday paradeVideo
Audrey Spangler found several birthday surprises waiting for her Monday evening when she stepped outside her apartment at Laurel Highlands Village, an independent senior living community in Latrobe. Family and friends geared up to celebrate the Philadelphia native’s 100th birthday in a big way, despite pandemic-related restrictions on social activities....
Democratic National Convention strives to build enthusiasm despite going all-virtual
Pennsylvania’s political leaders, power brokers and delegates kicked off the Democratic National Convention as they usually do, with a breakfast event peppered with calls to action aimed at galvanizing support and momentum leading up to the presidential election. But the breakfast, like everything about the convention this year, was virtual....
Pennsylvania increases contact tracing staff
Pennsylvania has increased its contact tracing staff to 1,205 people, the Department of Health announced Monday. Of that number, 955 are already working, while an additional 250 are being hired and trained through a partnership with the private firm Insight Global, according to a news release. “Pennsylvania has prioritized and...
Virtual teaching: Be improvisational, engage students, experts say
As teachers get ready to return to a school format in which many will have to do virtual instruction, area experts in online teaching offer some advice. Connect with students, offer rigorous instruction, be a bit improvisational and refrain from simply providing students at home with the same lesson as...
Can Trump win without winning the most votes? Yes. Pennsylvania shows how
PHILADELPHIA — Few people think President Donald Trump will win the most votes in the 2020 election. But he could still become the first president to serve two terms without ever winning a majority of the country’s support. And Pennsylvania is a big reason why. It’s older and whiter than...
‘Low profile’ arrest creates firestorm as officials, experts blast Pittsburgh police tactic
More Pittsburgh city leaders on Monday added their voices to a growing chorus of concern and alarm over tactics used by city police in the weekend arrest of a protester in Oakland, with Mayor Bill Peduto decrying the arrest as “disturbing” and barring the tactic from use during peaceful protests....
Pa. to spend $10M on surplus produce, milk, more from farmers for struggling familiesVideo
The demand to get nutritious food to struggling families may have slowed slightly since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, but not much: At its Aug. 10 distribution day, Westmoreland County Food Bank officials estimate they served about 1,000 families. To continue that effort — and to lend a hand...
Police: Intoxicated man had heroin, Xanax in backpack when crashing into Greensburg parked cars
An Allegheny County man is being held without bail after police said he crashed into several parked cars in Greensburg, according to court papers. Dajon Anthony Smith, 26, was wearing a backpack that police said had 150 stamp bags of heroin and a “large amount” of suspected Xanax bars. Officers...
Mayor Peduto decries tactics used by Pittsburgh police during protest
The arrest tactics used when a protester was whisked into an unmarked van Saturday in Oakland won’t be used again in Pittsburgh, Mayor Bill Peduto said Monday. “It is hard to find the words for how livid I was after seeing the online videos of the disturbing arrest at Saturday’s...
Pumpkin spice lovers, rejoice – tasty blend returns early this year
Is mid-August too early for pumpkin spice flavors to make their annual appearance? Not according to Dunkin’ and Starbucks. Fall products from Dunkin’ will be on the menu beginning Wednesday, their earliest-ever rollout. The Starbucks pumpkin spice latte will return Aug. 25, according to Business Insider. Are people craving cooler...
Q&A: What’s happening at the U.S. Postal Service, and why?
The U.S. Postal Service is warning states it cannot guarantee that all ballots cast by mail for the Nov. 3 election will arrive in time to be counted, even if ballots are mailed by state deadlines. That’s raising the possibility that millions of voters could be disenfranchised. It’s the latest...
Pennsylvania adds 2nd lowest new covid case count in 2 months
The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced its lowest number of new coronavirus cases in more than a month on Monday. The department added 384 new cases, the lowest since it posted 328 on July 13. It’s also only the second time since June 17 — exactly two months ago —...
Pennsylvania prepares to launch virus-tracing app next month
Pennsylvania plans to launch a coronavirus exposure-notification app in early September in an effort to more quickly break chains of transmission by using the new technology to notify people who may have been exposed, officials said Monday. The state has a $1.9 million contract to deploy and maintain the app...
Allegheny County posts lower new covid case count for 4th straight day
For the fourth straight day, the Allegheny County Health Department posted a lower new covid-19 case count. The county added 71 new cases on Monday, making it the third consecutive day the number was in the 70s. The results come from 944 tests administered from Aug. 11-16. All of the...
