Top Stories category, Page 1385
States can’t afford Trump’s jobless aid plan, Gov. Wolf says
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania does not have the money to provide $100 a week as President Donald Trump pushes states to help pay for a new round of federal unemployment assistance, Gov. Tom Wolf told the state’s members of Congress. In a Thursday letter, Wolf, a Democrat, urged Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation...
The Coop Chicken & Waffles opens brick-and-mortar spot in Pittsburgh
The Coop Chicken & Waffles, which operates a local food truck, on Friday opened a brick-and-mortar location in Pittsburgh’s North Side. Nicki Cardilli and her partner started with a food truck about four years ago. Business steadily increased every year, Cardilli said, prompting them to open their new location at...
Westmoreland County adds 7 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Friday reported single-digit new coronavirus cases for the fourth time this month. The seven new cases bring the county’s total reported cases to 1,593, with 1,549 of those confirmed and 44 probable. Westmoreland County coronavirus by dayInfogram There were no new deaths attributed to covid-19 in the...
Pennsylvania reports 829 new coronavirus cases, 36 new deaths
Pennsylvania on Friday reported 829 new coronavirus cases, just slightly above the seven-day average of 810. The Department of Health reported 36 new deaths attributed to coronavirus. That’s the most in more than a week. One of those deaths was from June and one from July. The rest were in...
Slippery Rock, McKeesport school districts contend in lawsuits that Juul created ‘youth vaping epidemic’
Slippery Rock and McKeesport Area school districts have filed lawsuits against the makers of Juul vape products, alleging their marketing tactics have created an epidemic of harmful e-cigarette use among students. The districts are the fifth and sixth area districts to file federal lawsuits against the company. Lawsuits filed by...
Allegheny County reports 90 new coronavirus cases, 5 additional deaths
Allegheny County on Friday recorded 90 new coronavirus cases and five additional deaths. The Allegheny County Health Department raised its case total to 9,282 since March 14. Of the 90 new cases, 49 are confirmed and 41 probable. The positive test results came from tests from July 31 through Aug....
Latrobe sex offender who served time for 2009 sex assault accused in new rape
A Latrobe man who previously was jailed for sexual assault is accused of raping a woman last year after she requested his help to move a piece of furniture, police say. Jonathan Michael Pollard, 31, was arrested this week on charges of rape, sexual assault, stalking and related offenses. He...
Tim Benz: Gov. Wolf’s latest high school sports quotes are even more absurd and dismissive than last week’s
Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf made an out-of-nowhere recommendation that scholastic sports be postponed until at least Jan. 1. The PIAA didn’t know that statement was coming. Wolf provided no context for how his office came to that decision. And he put forth no explanation for the logic behind the...
Inbound lane of Parkway East reopened following crash
One lane of the Parkway East was blocked early Friday morning due to a vehicle crash. The crash blocked the left inbound lane near the Forest Hills ramp, Tribune-Review news partners WPXI-TV reported. It was reported around 4:40 a.m. Traffic was still able to flow through the right lane, but...
Man transported to hospital after shooting in Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood
One person was transported to the hospital after a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood, officials said. Pittsburgh police responded to a home in the 700 block of Lorenz Avenue around 10 p.m. Thursday where they found a man who was shot in the hip. He was alert and conscious. The...
Pittsburgh police: Man shot multiple times in Hazelwood
A man was hospitalized in stable condition Thursday after being shot multiple times in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, according to police. Authorities said officers responded to a Shotspotter alert and 911 calls for a man shot along the 100 block of Alluvian Street around 10:30 a.m. The found the victim suffering...
Highmark CEO: Covid-19 pandemic has not deterred growth across Pa., neighboring states
Despite recent plunges in hospital revenues statewide, the covid-19 pandemic has not thwarted Highmark Health from strengthening its overall financial position and increasing its reach across Pennsylvania and neighboring states, Highmark CEO David Holmberg said Thursday. “We believe that we are very well-positioned for the long term,” Holmberg told reporters...
More U.S. churches sue to challenge covid-19 restrictions
Churches in California and Minnesota, backed by a conservative legal group, filed lawsuits this week against the governors of their states challenging restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak that they contend are violations of religious liberty. They’re the latest in a long series of legal challenges, many of them...
As deadline approaches, restaurants vary on defying Wolf’s capacity order, other restrictionsVideo
Push has come to shove, and some restaurant and bar owners in the region are ready to shove a little harder than others. “To make a blanket ruling for everybody just doesn’t make sense,” said Joseph Tambellini, owner of the eponymous restaurant in Highland Park. “We’re cornered. Tell me what...
Fawn police email account hacked, recipients should disregard messages
No, Fawn police are not asking anyone if they have an Amazon account. The Comcast email account used by the township’s police department has somehow been hacked, and was being used to send phishing emails on Thursday, Supervisor David Montanari confirmed. It comes less than two months after the township’s...
Dozens of clergy sex abuse lawsuits filed in Allegheny, Westmoreland courts as possible deadline looms
More than two dozen lawsuits that allege sexual abuses by priests were filed Thursday ahead of what lawyers suggest could be a deadline to file legal action two years after the release of a grand jury report that detailed claims involving Catholic dioceses throughout Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh lawyer Alan Perer filed...
Allergy season plagues Western Pennsylvania, thanks to grass, ragweed, pollution
Seasonal allergies are plaguing Western Pennsylvania again this year with ragweed pollen on the rise. Dr. Thomas Mertz, an allergist at Allergy and Asthma Associates of Pittsburgh, said this allergy season seems to be severe as mid-August arrives. Mertz blamed poor air quality and lots of pollen for the severe...
Diocese of Pittsburgh to delay elementary school reopening
The first day of elementary school for the Diocese of Pittsburgh will be Tuesday, Sept. 8, school administrators announced . The diocese said the change is in response to some elementary school teachers requesting more time to implement new health and safety protocols. High schools in the diocese will reopen...
EPA relaxes greenhouse gas emission limits on oil and gas industry
HARRISBURG — President Trump’s administration is undoing Obama-era rules designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas fields and pipelines, formalizing the changes Thursday in the heart of the nation’s most prolific natural gas reservoir and in the premier presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania. Andrew Wheeler, the Environmental...
Large crowds taking toll on Pennsylvania state parks
In the late 1800s, Ohiopyle State Park’s 100-acre Ferncliff Peninsula was home to a boardwalk, bowling alley and hotel along the Youghiogheny River. The small resort eventually closed as automobiles replaced rail transportation to the small Fayette County town, allowing the natural landscape to return. Decades later, Ferncliff Peninsula Natural...
Gov. Wolf stands behind fall sports shutdown but says ‘I’m just one person’Video
Gov. Tom Wolf said he’s unlikely to change his recommendation to delay youth sports, no matter what the PIAA says, but described his role as “one person that has an opinion.” Wolf, speaking Thursday at a news conference, said he hadn’t read the letter PIAA administrators sent him earlier in...
Trump opposes postal money that would help vote-by-mail
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared Thursday that he opposes additional funding for the U.S. Postal Service, acknowledging that his position would starve the agency of money Democrats say it needs to process an anticipated surge in mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump also claimed anew — falsely —...
United Airlines to offer more direct flights from Pittsburgh to Florida
United Airlines soon will add more direct flights from Pittsburgh and other cities to four popular Florida destinations. Airline officials said the move is part of a “continuing strategy to aggressively and opportunistically manage the impact of covid-19 by increasing service to destinations where customers most want to fly.” Beginning...
There’s still time to see the Perseids — and more summer celestial sightsVideo
The bad news is that peak viewing of the annual Perseid meteor shower ended Wednesday. The good news is that you’ll still be able to see it for at least another week. “It’s past its peak, but the moon is waning, so there’s less light in the night sky, giving...
Pennsylvania posts near-1,000 covid-19 case increase, largest thus far in August
Pennsylvania reported 991 new covid-19 cases Thursday, according to the state Department of Health. The new coronavirus cases mark the largest increase thus far in August and bring the case total to 122,121 in the state. In addition, 24 deaths were reported, bringing Pennsylvania’s death toll to 7,409. Of the...
