Top Stories category, Page 1413
Whitehall man accused of making homemade explosives facing federal charges
A Whitehall man accused of making online threats and homemade bombs now faces federal weapons charges after a grand jury returned a five-count indictment against him. Kurt Cofano, 32, originally was wanted by Whitehall police last week in connection with a mental health warrant, according to police. Cofano said online...
New owners thrilled to purchase quirky Plum homeVideo
The couple that bought a unique house on Rainier Drive in Plum won’t change much about their new home. “It’s right up our alley,” said Nick Sarver, just days after he and his wife, Katelyn, moved into John Cope’s getaway house he rebuilt as Epoc I. The castle-starship-beach-hippie house in...
6 more Port Authority employees test positive for covid-19
Six Port Authority of Allegheny County employees have tested positive for covid-19 since last week’s update, bringing the total number of employee cases to 27, officials said Wednesday. Fifteen of these employees have been cleared to return to work. Eleven are at home recovering and one remains hospitalized. The six...
New poll shows Biden leading Trump by 13 points in Pennsylvania
A new poll shows Joe Biden leading Donald Trump by 13 points in Pennsylvania for November’s election. The Monmouth University poll of registered Pennsylvania voters shows Biden, the Democratic candidate, is supported by 53% while the incumbent Trump is favored by 40%. “Even taking into account any polling error from...
Game warden saves bald eagle mired in Lancaster County manure pit
The Pennsylvania Game Commission rescued a bald eagle stuck in a manure pit in Lancaster. The Game Commission said it received a report Saturday that a bald eagle was unable to fly out of a manure pit at a private farm in southern Lancaster County. The large mature male eagle...
Western Pennsylvanians sought to take part in coronavirus vaccine trials
Researchers are seeking at least 750 people in Western Pennsylvania to take part in trials for vaccines against the novel coronavirus that causes covid-19, UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh announced Wednesday. The trials are part of what is called Operation Warp Speed, a national push to rapidly develop a...
21 new covid-19 cases reported in Westmoreland County
There are 21 new coronavirus cases and no new deaths in Westmoreland County, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Wednesday. The new cases come from 527 tests, representing a 3.98% positivity rate for those cases. All of the new cases are confirmed. The county case total now stands at 1,054,...
Walmart to require customers to wear masks at all its stores
Walmart will require customers to wear face coverings at all of its stores, including Sam’s Club locations, beginning Monday. The move makes it the largest retailer to introduce such a policy that has otherwise proven difficult to enforce without state and federal requirements. The Bentonville, Ark.-based company said that about...
Greensburg lifts limits on food trucks, hopes more business rolls into city
Speal’s on Wheels was one of the first food trucks to operate in Greensburg, with owner Terry Speal serving late-night grub to college crowds in the city since 2016. High registration fees and limited hours kept most food truck operators out, but that just meant less competition for Speal. “The...
Allegheny County adds 246 new covid-19 cases, 5 new deaths
One day after it added a record number of new covid-19 cases, Allegheny County reported another huge tally of new coronavirus cases on Wednesday. The county reported 246 new cases, five new deaths and one new hospitalization on Wednesday. The latest batch of added cases come from tests that span...
The Westmoreland invites essential workers to reopening preview
Prior to reopening to the public on Aug. 5, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art will welcome members and essential workers to an exclusive reopening weekend Aug. 1-2. The special hours at the Greensburg facility are “a way to say thanks to members for supporting the Museum during the temporary...
Wolf grants 3rd extension for license to carry firearms permits
Gov. Tom Wolf has granted a third extension for licenses to carry firearms, state police announced Wednesday. Permits expiring on March 19 or later are now valid through Sept. 30. The previous extension was set to expire on July 31. The extensions were needed because some county courthouses and sheriff’s...
Pittsburgh area set to start another run of hot, humid weather
After a four-day break, the Pittsburgh area is set to enter another stretch of days with 90-degree temperatures, according to the National Weather Service. And it’s going to get muggy, too, with dew points rising to oppressive levels in the lower 70s, meteorologist Bill Modzelewski said. While the high Wednesday...
2 women hurt, storefront damaged in Coraopolis crash
Two women were taken to a hospital after a crash in Coraopolis early Wednesday morning. The women were in a car that crashed into a storefront on Fifth Avenue around 2 a.m., the Trib’s news partner, WPXI-TV, reported. They were trapped in the car by debris and had to be...
Police: 4-year-old swept under by current in Butler creek
A 4-year-old boy was flown to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh after a “serious incident” in Connoquenessing Creek in Butler Monday evening, according to police. Police, medics and firefighters responded to a swimming hole near Kauffman Drive around 7:20 p.m. Monday. According to police, the boy was playing in the...
Pittsburgh Public Schools offering options for families concerned about students returning to in-person classes
Pittsburgh Public Schools families could have the option to send their students to school or continue online instruction this coming school year. Parental choice was one of several immediate actions proposed Tuesday for the 2020-21 school year, and among 407 recommendations for Pittsburgh schools moving forward. For those who return...
Apple ‘n Arts plans to scale back fall festival
While a final decision has not been made yet, organizers for the annual Apple ’n Arts Festival are considering paring it back to an apple cider drive-thru this year due to the covid-19 pandemic and the ever-evolving health and safety guidelines associated with it. Festival officials on Tuesday night laid...
First covid-19 vaccine tested in U.S. poised for final testingVideo
The first covid-19 vaccine tested in the United States revved up people’s immune systems just the way scientists had hoped, researchers reported Tuesday — as the shots are poised to begin key final testing. “No matter how you slice this, this is good news,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s...
State police seek whereabouts of woman last seen at Unity airport
State police continue to seek the whereabouts of an intellectually disabled Hempfield woman last seen at the Arnold Palmer Airport in Unity over Memorial Day weekend. Alexandra Cycyk, 26, was last seen at the airport boarding a bus for Pittsburgh on May 25. She is 5-foot-1-inch tall and 125 pounds...
Trump administration rescinds rule that could have deported thousands of international students
Lawyers for the Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded a new rule that would have forced international college students to leave the U.S., transfer to another college or face deportation if their schools held classes entirely online because of the covid-19 pandemic. In the week since it was issued, the rule...
Despite homeowners’ objection, Lawrenceville house likely gets historic designation without council action
A 180-year-old Greek revival house in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood is set to be designated a historic landmark, despite opposition from its present owners, Eric and Beth Rupert. Known as the Ewalt House, the property at 186 Home St. was inherited by Eric Rupert when his father died in 2016. Late...
Kennywood nixes no-mask zones
Kennywood’s mask-free break areas were short-lived, as the park has done away with them after its first weekend of the season, a spokesman for the park said Tuesday. “(The signs and areas) have been removed as the attention paid to them detracted from the intensive health and safety measures that...
Philadelphia cancels large events through February; Eagles’ games to have no fans
Large-scale events won’t be happening for the rest of the year in Philadelphia, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. On Tuesday, officials announced that big public events would not be permitted through February. Philadelphia health commissioner Thomas Farley said the decision and time frame came because a coronavirus vaccine would not...
Pittsburgh City Council passes bills designed to eliminate racial disparities
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday gave final approval for legislation that authorizes the creation of a racial equity commission and commits the city to a 10-point plan for erasing inequalities. Council approved both bills unanimously and Mayor Bill Peduto is expected to sign them. Councilman Ricky Burgess, one of the...
PWSA truck involved in chemical spill in Millvale
A Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority truck was involved in a chemical spill in Millvale on Tuesday, police said. The incident occurred around 1:15 p.m. on the 1000 block of Evergreen Road in Millvale, near a BP gas station. Police blocked off a portion of the road, as a Hazmat...
