Top Stories category, Page 1426
2 North Hills School District students test positive for covid-19 following hockey tryouts
Two North Hills School District students who participated in hockey tryouts Saturday have tested positive for covid-19, district officials said Thursday. The North Hills Hockey Club held the tryouts at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center — tryouts that were not sanctioned by the school district, according to a...
Penn State student dies from coronavirus
A Penn State student died from covid-19 this week, the university’s first known student death connected to the coronavirus, according to officials. Juan Garcia, 21, of Allentown died Tuesday, 10 days after he tested positive for the virus, officials said in a statement. An earth and mineral sciences student, Garcia...
Westmoreland has another double-digit spike in coronavirus cases, commissioners issue warning
For the fourth time in five days, Westmoreland County experienced a double-digit increase in the number of new coronavirus cases, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and officials say if the numbers continue to rise, the county risks additional restrictions. “We cannot stress the importance of being safe this...
Pa. reports 832 new covid-19 cases, tells residents to quarantine if visiting these 15 states
As Pennsylvania registered 832 additional covid-19 cases, state officials are telling residents to quarantine for 14 days if they are returning from recent pandemic hot spots such as Texas and Florida. There were 25 new covid-19 deaths and 832 new cases reported in the state by the Pennsylvania Department of...
Allegheny County tops 230 new coronavirus cases
Local health officials on Thursday reported 233 new cases of covid-19 in Allegheny County — more than doubling Wednesday’s case count, which had been a record high. There were four new hospitalizations and no deaths reported. Ages among the newly infected individuals range from 6 months old to 99 years...
‘It’s getting ridiculous,’ bar owner says of alcohol ban during Allegheny County protestVideo
About 50 people rallied in front of the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon, protesting the newly imposed restriction on alcohol consumption in restaurants and bars. Many said the ban imposed by county Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen will cripple the industry. Three hours after the protest, the...
East Huntingdon couple accused of bilking $200K, house from Scottdale woman
An East Huntingdon couple is accused by police of bilking a relative out of $200,000 and her Scottdale home prior to her April 2019 death, according to court papers. Jane Ann Kiliany, 59, and John Eric Kiliany, 60, were arrested Wednesday by Westmoreland County detectives and released on their own...
U.S. adds 4.8 million jobs as unemployment falls to 11.1%Video
WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added a substantial 4.8 million jobs in June, and the unemployment rate fell to 11.1%, as the job market improved for a second straight month yet still remained far short of regaining the colossal losses it suffered this spring. The nation has now recovered roughly one-third...
Closing bars to stop coronavirus spread is backed by scienceVideo
Authorities are closing bars, honky tonks and other drinking establishments in some parts of the country to stem the surge of covid-19 infections — a move backed by sound science about risk factors that go beyond wearing or not wearing masks. In the words of one study, it comes down...
Pittsburgh SWAT team assists police in standoff with man barricaded in apartment
Pittsburgh police called a SWAT team for assistance Wednesday evening as they negotiated the surrender of a man who barricaded himself in his apartment and threatened to harm himself. Police responded just after 6 p.m. to the apartment in the 400 block of South Fairmount Street in the city’s Friendship...
Organizers cancel Fort Ligonier Days, plan virtual version of festival
The Fort Ligonier Days Board canceled its traditional fall festival, but plans are underway to hold a virtual version. The annual festival, which was scheduled for Oct. 9-11, typically brings thousands of visitors to Ligonier to view a parade, enjoy food and music, browse among vendors and attend battle re-enactments...
Trump, top officials defend response to Russia bounty threatVideo
WASHINGTON — Criticized for inaction, President Donald Trump and top officials on Wednesday stepped up their defense of the administration’s response to intelligence assessments that Russia offered bounties for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Trump’s national security adviser said he had prepared a list of retaliatory options if the intelligence...
‘Ask a Black Doctor About Covid-19’ Facebook event set for Thursday
Every other week an informal online chat known as “Ask a Black Doctor about Covid-19” attracts more than 24,000 views. But as covid-19 cases reach record highs in Allegheny County, a session scheduled for Thursday evening is expected to exceed previous viewership numbers. Presented by 1Hood Media and the Gateway...
Allegheny County officials say coronavirus is infecting more young people
More young people continue to test positive for covid-19, Allegheny County officials said Wednesday. Hospitalizations also have started to “creep up,” county Health Director Debra Bogen said, with 31 since June 20. Of the newly hospitalized, seven patients are in their 20s and 30s, she said. She expects to see...
Family of Brighton Rehab employee sues over covid-19 death; federal lawsuit dropped
The family of a longtime employee at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County is suing the facility over her death from covid-19. Elizabeth A. Wiles, of Rochester, Beaver County, worked as a Brighton housekeeper for nearly 30 years. She died May 10 at age 69 after a covid-19...
Pennsylvania high court turns down lawmakers’ bid to end shutdown
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s high court on Wednesday ruled against an effort by Republican state lawmakers to end Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic shutdown orders. A divided court ruled that a resolution passed with mostly GOP votes was a “legal nullity” because it was not sent to Wolf to sign or...
Pittsburgh council poised to create LGBTQ commission, address racial divide
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday advanced separate bills that would require an increased effort to rebuild business districts in minority-populated neighborhoods and create a commission to help resolve problems faced by the city’s LGBTQIA+ residents and visitors. Councilmen Ricky Burgess and R. Daniel Lavelle, the city’s only two Black council...
Another West Mifflin-based Port Authority driver diagnosed with covid-19
Another Port Authority of Allegheny County employee who works out of the authority’s West Mifflin garage has tested positive for covid-19, the authority said Wednesday. It is the 17th case involving a Port Authority employee. The employee has been in a medically directed self-quarantine since March 19, but they tested...
Pennsylvania makes masks mandatory — even outdoors
Face masks are now mandatory in Pennsylvania in public places and outside when social distancing is not possible, according to an order intended to slow the spread of covid-19. Gov. Tom Wolf said the mandate expands an order signed in April that requires the wearing of masks in businesses. The...
Diocese of Greensburg Catholic schools receives largest recorded donation, offering $4.1 million in tuition assistanceVideo
Diocese of Greensburg Catholic schools could see an uptick of about 250 students in the coming year thanks to $4.1 million in tuition assistance now available. The funds were made possible after the diocese received the single largest donation by a family, amounting to $2.4 million, along with smaller donations...
Jordan Brown sues for wrongful conviction after childhood in prison
A former Lawrence County man is suing a handful of retired state police investigators and officials alleging malicious prosecution after he spent most of his childhood in prison for the shotgun killing of his father’s pregnant fiance before the state Supreme Court overturned his conviction. Jordan Brown was 11 years...
Pennsylvania finishes year $3B behind because of pandemic
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state government finished its fiscal year about 9% short of its initial revenue estimate, a result of the state’s coronavirus-related shutdowns and delayed tax-filing deadlines, the Department of Revenue said Wednesday. The state collected $32.3 billion for the 12 months through Tuesday. That was about $3.2 billion...
Stocks rise as Wall Street heads for a 3rd straight gain
Communication companies helped lift U.S. stock indexes mostly higher Wednesday afternoon, placing the market on track for its third gain in a row. The S&P 500 was up 0.6%, coming off the heels of a whiplash start to the year where its worst quarterly performance since 2008 gave way to...
Hot, dry weather hitting Western Pennsylvania for holiday weekend
At Harbison Nursery in Harrison, keeping plants alive is the main concern during these hot July days. Andrew Scarborough tends to the nursery’s plants. With the weather forecast calling for more scorchers, he said it’s important to care for plants correctly. High temperatures will peak in the low 90s from...
$175M available soon to Pa. renters, mortgage holders struggling with payments
Applications will be accepted starting Monday for $175 million in assistance for Pennsylvania mortgage holders and renters who are struggling to make payments during the coronavirus pandemic as an end to a moratorium on evictions looms. Residents who have lost a job or saw at least a 30% decrease in...
