Top Stories category, Page 1418
Flash flood warning canceled for Pittsburgh and surrounding communities
The National Weather Service has canceled a flash flood warning issued Thursday evening for central Allegheny County. The warning, which included Pittsburgh, Crafton, Dormont, McKees Rocks, Millvale, Etna, Bellevue, West View and Glenshaw, was canceled at about 6:45 p.m. If there's any flooding in the Pittsburgh metro, please let us...
Magda Brown, Auschwitz survivor who visited Pittsburgh after Tree of Life massacre, dies at 93
Magda (Perlstein) Brown, an Auschwitz survivor who spoke in Pittsburgh the day after 11 people were shot to death at the Tree of Life Synagogue, died Tuesday at her daughter’s home in Morton Grove, Ill. She was 93. Brown, who was known to many as “Grandma Magda,” was a young...
Don’t want to mask up? Try a face shield
It’s become the mantra of government leaders and health officials and it’s a flash point for others who refuse to abide by it: Wear a mask. Now, there is an alternative to the face masks that have become a part of life in the age of the coronavirus pandemic: A...
Pittsburgh Public Schools to offer online-only option to students in the fall
There is still no concrete plan for how Pittsburgh Public Schools will reopen in the fall — or what brick-and-mortar learning will look like — but administrators on Thursday said parents will have the option of all-online learning for the 2020-21 school year. Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said during a virtual...
Pennsylvania to date distributes nearly $25B in unemployment claims
Pennsylvania has distributed nearly $25 billion in unemployment compensation as of this week, state officials said Thursday. However, the week ending July 25, however, will mark the final claim week for additional $600 payments through the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program. “Unless further action comes from Congress and the federal...
Investigators widen scope of drug smuggling scheme at Westmoreland prison
Investigators are looking at more potential suspects in a scheme authorities said used legal mail to deliver drugs into the Westmoreland County Prison. County Detective James Williams said Thursday his investigation, which already has resulted in 14 arrests, could expand. He declined to elaborate. “There’s other individuals I’m looking at...
Ban on evictions, foreclosures in Pa. extended until Aug. 31
Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday extended a moratorium on evictions amid the covid-19 pandemic until Aug. 31, protecting renters and homeowners who are unable to pay their rent or mortgage from losing their homes. Wolf originally signed an executive order pausing evictions earlier this year as millions of Pennsylvanians lost...
UPMC doctors say latest coronavirus cases less severe in Western Pa.
The surge in covid-19 cases in Southwestern Pennsylvania is infecting a younger, less vulnerable demographic, and thus far the most recent cases appear to be less severe, doctors at UPMC said Thursday. The latest cases are mainly linked to younger people who contracted covid-19 after traveling out-of-state or while socializing,...
Westmoreland County sees 21 new covid-19 cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday reported 21 new covid-19 cases and no new deaths in Westmoreland County, bringing the countywide case total to 917 and death total to 39. That includes 27 probable cases. Probable cases are “patients who have a positive serology test and either covid-19 symptoms...
Pennsylvania reports 36 new covid-19 deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 719 new cases and 36 new deaths from covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the totals to 92,867 cases and 6,848 deaths statewide. Allegheny County reported 158 new coronavirus cases Thursday and Philadelphia County reported 161 coronavirus cases, accounting for almost 45% of the state’s total...
Somerset County woman jailed on $200K bond after shooting, standoff with troopers
A 36-year-old Somerset County accused of shooting another woman during an argument surrendered early Thursday after a five-hour standoff woman with police. Shirley M. Owens, 36, of Friedens, was arraigned on multiple charges, including attempted homicide, aggravated assault, illegal possession of a firearm, possessing instruments of crime and reckless endangerment....
Allegheny County reports 158 new coronavirus cases, 12 hospitalizations
Allegheny County Health Department Officials reported 158 new covid-19 cases, 12 new hospitalizations and no new deaths on Thursday. This is the second time this week that new covid-19 case numbers have dipped below 200. New covid-19 case numbers have been fluctuating since the county experienced a record-setting 233 cases...
Penn State, Carnegie Mellon join lawsuit to halt deportation of international students if colleges go totally online
Penn State and Carnegie Mellon universities have joined MIT and Harvard in a legal battle to halt implementation of a new policy from the Trump administration that could result in the deportation of international students. Leaders at the Pennsylvania two research universities were quick to condemn the policy announced this...
Pittsburgh joins Philadelphia, anti-gun groups in support of Harrisburg firearm regulations
Pittsburgh is joining Philadelphia and anti-gun groups in a legal brief supporting Harrisburg’s gun control ordinances. Firearm Owners Against Crime, a Second Amendment rights organization, and several of its members sued Harrisburg in 2015, contending the city’s ordinances were preempted by a state law that prohibits municipalities from regulating firearms....
Supreme Court rulings keep Trump’s financial records private for now
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court issued a mixed verdict Thursday on demands for President Donald Trump’s financial records that will keep his tax returns, banking and other documents out of the public eye for the time being. The court rejected broad arguments by Trump’s lawyers and the Justice Department that...
Food service director accused of misusing $12K in subsidies from Hill District Catholic school
A 48-year-old North Versailles woman accused of spending more than $12,000 of federal school lunch subsidies on personal expenses between 2014 and 2016 turned herself in to authorities Thursday, according to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office. Rebecca L. Moore was food service director for St. Benedict the Moor School...
Layoffs stuck at high level as 1.3 million seek jobless aid
WASHINGTON — More than 1.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a historically high pace that shows that many employers are still laying people off in the face of a resurgent coronavirus. The persistently elevated level of layoffs are occurring as a spike in virus cases has forced...
Greensburg Craft Beer Week planning digital, takeout events
Organizers of Greensburg Craft Beer Week are following the coronavirus-driven trend of planning a series of digital and takeout events. Dates for the fourth annual celebration of local beers are Sept. 18-26. “We are encouraging takeout events where people can register and receive maybe a beer tasting or pairing of...
Schools or bars? Opening classrooms may mean hard choices
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — President Donald Trump insists that schools reopen this fall. Many parents, educators, doctors and economists want the same thing. But getting children back to school safely could mean keeping high-risk spots like bars and gyms closed. A growing chorus of public health experts is urging federal, state...
1 hurt in Unity crash after vehicle catches fireVideo
A woman was airlifted to a hospital Thursday following a crash in Unity, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Firefighters were called to the 7:30 a.m. crash after a vehicle collided with a tree and reportedly caught fire near the intersection of Marguerite and Anna Goodman roads, the dispatcher said....
Teams search for ‘Glee’ star Naya Rivera at California lake
LOS ANGELES — Authorities were searching a Southern California lake Thursday for “Glee” star Naya Rivera a day after her 4-year-old son was found alone on a rented boat. More than 80 people using helicopters, drones, and all-terrain vehicles, including divers, were involved in the search, the Ventura County Sheriff’s...
Two teenagers accused of arson in blaze that destroyed facilities at Buena Vista pool in Elizabeth
Two 13-year-old teenagers were arrested Thursday by Elizabeth Township police for allegedly setting an early morning fire that severely damaged facilities at a township swimming pool. The fire started around 3:30 a.m. at the Buena Vista pool, which is owned and operated by the fire department. It destroyed a building...
Car-truck crash claims 1 in Pitcairn
A 28-year-old man was killed when his sedan collided with a utility truck Wednesday in Pitcairn. According to Allegheny County Police, who are helping to investigate the crash, the man was driving in the 300 block of Broadway Avenue at about 5:45 p.m. when his Mazda 6 crossed the center...
Wedding interrupted: Aviary offers tropical rain forest room for small weddings
Calling it a “Destination Elopement Close to Home,” the National Aviary is opening up its newly renovated tropical rain forest room for small weddings featuring a waterfall, lush greenery and a few extra guests — the resident birds. “Couples with summer wedding plans interrupted by Coronavirus can still have an...
Kennywood, Sandcastle to begin delayed seasons on Friday
Kennywood Park is scheduled to open to visitors on Friday, July 10 after its season start was delayed twice because of the covid-19 pandemic. Season pass-holders will be able to visit beginning Friday and others may visit beginning on Monday, July 13, park officials said. Sandcastle Waterpark will be open...
