Top Stories category, Page 1397
Westmoreland adds 13 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County added 13 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The county’s total grew to 1,422 positive covid-19 cases. They include 1,384 confirmed case and 38 probable. There were no new deaths added to the county’s toll, so deaths attributed to coronavirus remain at...
Resident of Bellevue apartment house accused of setting fire that destroyed building
A resident of a five-unit apartment house that was destroyed by fire last week has been charged with intentionally setting the blaze, according to Allegheny County Police. Investigators have issued an arrest warrant for Michael Holleran, 44, who is accused of setting fire to the apartment house along Grant Avenue...
Pennsylvania reports 888 coronavirus cases, 15 deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 888 new positive cases of covid-19 and 15 deaths on Saturday. The new cases bring the state’s total to 112,936, with all 67 counties having reported cases, and 7,204 deaths. The state health department reported increases in deaths related to covid-19 in only nine...
Allegheny County reports 66 new coronavirus cases, fewest since June
Allegheny County reported its lowest new number of coronavirus cases since late June. The county’s health department added 66 new cases, 12 new hospitalizations and one death on Saturday. The new cases bring the total to 8,160 since the first cases were reported in March when the pandemic began. Saturday’s...
Texas developer buys Chestnut Ridge resort
A Houston developer who bought the Chestnut Ridge Golf Resort and Conference Center in southern Indiana County in a July 25 auction wants to maintain the site as a golf course and conference center, the developer’s attorney said Friday. RRH Development also wants to market it more and possibly use...
Murrysville veteran organizes ‘Vets for Black Lives’ protest Downtown on Sunday
When Aryanna Hunter of Murrysville organized a protest in her hometown to speak out against the police killing of George Floyd, she wasn’t sure what to expect. More than 100 people showed up to the event and marched down Old William Penn Highway. “I was overwhelmed with the turnout,” said...
Trump says he’ll act to ban TikTok in U.S. as soon as Saturday
NEW YORK — President Trump said he will take action as soon as Saturday to ban TikTok, a popular Chinese-owned video app that has been a source of national security and censorship concerns. Trump’s comments were made after published reports that the administration is planning to order China’s ByteDance to...
Engel subpoenas Pompeo for records on Biden’s role in Ukraine
NEW YORK — The Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee subpoenaed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for State Department records already given to Republican-led Senate committees that are trying to tie former Vice President Joe Biden to wrongdoing in Ukraine. “Secretary Pompeo has turned the State Department into...
Pittsburgh rescue crew recovers body of man who fell into Allegheny RiverVideo
Divers recovered the body of a man in his mid-20s who either jumped or fell from a boat into the Allegheny River near the docks at Washington’s Landing, officials said. At 9:54 p.m., emergency dispatchers received a call about a man in the river under the 31st Street Bridge, Pittsburgh...
Police: Fight at Kennywood results in 7 arrests; 150 escorted out
Seven people were arrested after a large fight broke out Friday inside and outside of Kennywood, West Mifflin police reported. Officers said about 150 people were also escorted out of the amusement park, which closed about a half-hour early as a result of the incident. Kennywood spokesman Nick Paradise wrote...
Study: Children of all ages susceptible to coronavirus
WASHINGTON — Children of all ages are susceptible to the coronavirus, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that warned youngsters “might play an important role” in spreading the disease. The study released Friday comes amid an increasingly tense debate in the U.S. about reopening...
Pandemic prompts shortened Sept. 11 program at Flight 93 National Memorial
The annual Sept. 11 observance at Somerset County’s Flight 93 National Memorial will be abbreviated this year as park officials look to limit in-person attendance at the event because of covid-19 guidelines. The event will be shown virtually, as will other programs sponsored by the memorial Friends group. In past...
Midair collision kills state legislator, 6 others in Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Seven people, including an Alaska state lawmaker, died Friday when two small airplanes collided in midair near the airport in Soldotna, a small community on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. Alaska State Troopers said state Rep. Gary Knopp, 67, of Kenai was the sole occupant of one plane. The...
Bridge work will close Pa. Turnpike between Allegheny Valley, Pittsburgh exits early Sunday
The placement of beams for the Unity-Trestle Road bridge in Plum will require a five-hour closure of the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s eastbound lanes beginning late Saturday night. The Turnpike will be closed between the Allegheny Valley (Exit 48) in Harmar and Pittsburgh (Exit 57) exit in Monroeville, from 11:49 p.m. on...
U.S. astronauts pack up for rare splashdown in SpaceX capsule
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Two U.S. astronauts about to make the first splashdown return in 45 years said Friday they’ll have seasick bags ready to use if needed. SpaceX and NASA plan to bring Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken back Sunday afternoon in the company’s Dragon capsule, aiming for the...
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ‘doing well’ after checking out of hospital
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was released from a Manhattan hospital Friday and is “doing well” at home, according to a spokeswoman. The 87-year-old justice, who’s been in and out of hospitals all year, was discharged from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on the Upper East Side after undergoing...
Former Westmoreland sheriff’s deputy ordered to stand trial in sexual assault case
Two former female inmates at the Westmoreland County prison testified Friday that a county sheriff’s deputy frequently asked inmates to expose themselves or grope him over his uniform in exchange for cigarettes during van rides to court hearings. After listening to two hours of testimony from the women, District Judge...
Pittsburgh Public Schools to delay classroom instruction for first quarter
Pittsburgh Public Schools will officially use remote instruction for the first quarter of the school year, the board of directors voted Friday afternoon in a virtual meeting. The vote came in response to a resolution made last week by Board Member Kevin Carter, who proposed the district stay online for...
Westmoreland judge, staff being tested for covid-19 after inmate tests positive
A Westmoreland County judge and four members of his courtroom staff will be tested this weekend for the coronavirus after they were potentially exposed this week through a jail inmate. The inmate’s positive diagnosis was disclosed Friday morning. Court officials said the inmate had been in quarantine at the county...
Allegheny Valley School District investigating Zoom bombing of public meeting
District officials are investigating the “Zoom-bombing” of a recent Allegheny Valley School Board meeting via the Zoom internet platform. During the coronavirus pandemic, video conferencing platforms such as Zoom have gained popularity with everyone — including hackers. Known as Zoom-bombing, people with fake identities enter virtual public meetings to disrupt...
Earlier census deadline could cause W.Pa. officials to accelerate counts
In an unprecedented move, leaders with the Census Bureau are cutting short in-person counting efforts for the 2020 census, efforts that largely impact hard-to-count populations. The decision, reported by NPR, moves the deadline for in-person census surveys from Oct. 31 to Sept. 30, potentially leaving some communities with uncounted residents...
Union probes Port Authority dress policy, barring political statements on masks
Port Authority of Allegheny County updated its staff dress code to prohibit the wearing of masks containing political or social justice messages, including those supporting Black Lives Matter and other movements. The update has reportedly sparked some controversy among drivers. Stephen Palonis, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85, whose...
Retiring Natrona Heights letter carrier lauded for dependability, cheerfulnessVideo
As he puts a cancel stamp on a nearly 40-year career as a letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service, one of Kevin Griffith’s concerns going into retirement is about putting on weight. Walking 25,000 steps a day has had its benefits. “I loved getting paid for getting exercise,” Griffith...
Trump’s handling of coronavirus, economy to sway Pennsylvania voters most, pollster says
President Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has not appeared to change registered voters’ overall perception of him much in Pennsylvania, a new poll shows. A Franklin & Marshall College Poll released Thursday said 29% of registered voters think the Trump administration is doing an excellent or very good job...
Pennsylvania to cover cost of stamps for ballots in election
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania will foot the cost of postage for voters to mail in ballots in November’s general election, officials said Friday, a move that Gov. Tom Wolf has made a priority as the coronavirus pandemic unexpectedly fueled high interest in voting by mail under a new state law. The...
