Top Stories category, Page 1428
Carl Reiner, beloved creator of ‘Dick Van Dyke Show,’ dies
NEW YORK — Carl Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a “second banana” to Sid Caesar and rose to comedy’s front ranks as creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and straight man to Mel Brooks’ “2000 Year Old Man,” has died, according...
Lawsuit alleges sex abuse by priest in Greensburg diocese in 1990s
The Diocese of Greensburg and Bishop Edward Malesic are being sued by a man who claims he was sexually abused by a priest who has since died. The lawsuit, filed June 22, claims the Rev. Joseph L. Sredzinski began abusing the victim in 1991 when he was 11 years old...
Pennsylvania extends jobless benefits for 13 weeks
Pennsylvania’s unemployed will become eligible for an extension of their jobless benefits by the end of this week, state officials said Monday. Those who exhausted their regular unemployment compensation benefits — a maximum of 26 weeks — and exhausted their 13-week federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation assistance will be eligible...
Shotspotter leads Pittsburgh police to wounded man in Homewood
Pittsburgh police responding to a pair of Shotspotter alerts late Monday in the city’s Homewood neighborhood found a wounded man lying on the ground, according to authorities. Officers from the city’s Zone 5 station discovered the man in a parking lot near a business in the 7000 block of Frankstown...
3-alarm fire damages Carrick apartment building
A fire caused heavy damage to a three-story apartment building in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood on Monday night. City firefighters responding to the two-alarm fire in the 200 block of Spencer Avenue around 7:45 p.m. encountered flames shooting from the front of the building and heavy smoke inside the building, according...
AP sources: White House aware of Russian bounties in 2019
Top officials in the White House were aware in early 2019 of classified intelligence indicating Russia was secretly offering bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, a full year earlier than has been previously reported, according to U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the intelligence. The assessment was...
Police: Man wanted for 3 stabbings in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood apprehended
A Pittsburgh man wanted in connection with three stabbings in the city’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood is in custody. City police report Melvin Banks, 35, was arrested Monday. He’s charged with aggravated assault, providing false identification to law enforcement, homicide and attempted homicide, according to online court documents. Charges stem from a...
Greensburg Salem keeps taxes flat, cuts librarians and band teacher
Parents, students and alumni who advocated for the preservation of programs at Greensburg Salem School District say they’re disappointed by the district’s decision to keep property taxes flat while cutting library and band positions. “A one-mill tax increase could have fixed so much,” said Sara Deegan, a parent of two...
GOP lawmakers urge action after Russia-Afghanistan briefingVideo
WASHINGTON — Eight Republican lawmakers attended a White House briefing Monday about explosive allegations that Russia secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops in Afghanistan — intelligence the president himself was said to have not been fully read in on. Members of Congress in both parties called...
Allegheny County bar and restaurant owners say new alcohol restrictions will hurt
Mark Phillippi, owner of Phillippi’s Family Dining and Pizzeria in Harrison, suddenly feels hamstrung by geography. Come this evening, his restaurant at the northern tip of Allegheny County will be barred from serving alcohol to customers by order of the county. “It makes absolutely zero sense,” Phillippi said Monday. “Tell...
Pittsburgh Council proposes ban on use of chokeholds by police
Pittsburgh City Council plans to introduce legislation today that would ban police officers from using chokeholds and neck restraints on suspects. The Pittsburgh Police Bureau Policy Manual now bans such restraints except when an officer’s life is threatened: “PBP personnel are not authorized to use neck restraints or similar control...
Westmoreland considers coronavirus tests for all new county jail inmates
Westmoreland officials will consider testing all new inmates at the county lockup to help guard against coronavirus at the facility. Warden John Walton, during a meeting of the county’s prison board Monday, said although no case of covid-19 has breached the facility, the existing screening method to prevent spread of...
Trump campaign sues over mail-in drop-off sites for ballots in Pa.
HARRISBURG — President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, the national Republican Party and four Western Pennsylvania members of Congress sued Monday to force changes to how the state collects and counts mail-in ballots under revamped rules. The federal lawsuit filed in Pittsburgh claims that as voters jumped to make use of...
Billions of dollars in aid for small businesses go unclaimed
NEW YORK — Billions of dollars offered by Congress as a lifeline to small businesses struggling to survive the pandemic are about to be left on the table when a key government program stops accepting applications for loans. Business owners and advocacy groups complain that the money in the Paycheck...
Bethel Bakery, Spoonwood Brewing team again, this time for a lemony brew
When life hands you lemons, it doesn’t always have to turn into lemonade. Bethel Bakery in Bethel Park and nearby Spoonwood Brewing Co. decided on a new brew instead. They’ve teamed for a fourth time — this time to create the lemony, cake-infused Lemon Glaze Ale. The beer will be...
Goose, shot with arrow, on its way to recovery at Youngwood-based Wildlife Works
Crews with the nonprofit organization Wildlife in Need earlier this month rescued a goose that had an arrow lodged in its body. The goose was captured at a pond near the Unity Township Municipal Building. The practice arrow was lodged millimeters from the goose’s spine, said Beth Shoaf, executive director...
Westmoreland County reports 20 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Monday reported 20 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The countywide case total is now 640, with 38 deaths. There have been no reported coronavirus deaths in the county since May 18. Of the total number of covid-19 cases...
Police: Pittsburgh man shot girlfriend at South Park party
Allegheny County Police said a Pittsburgh man shot his girlfriend Sunday while attending a party in South Park. Police said they responded to the shooting at 8:40 p.m. and found a 22-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to the arm at the Diana Grove picnic shelter. Investigators said the woman,...
Pennsylvania reports 492 new coronavirus cases, 8 new deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Monday reported 492 new coronavirus cases and eight new deaths. That brings the statewide total to 85,988 cases and 6,614 deaths. The state considers 2,414 patients as probable cases, but they are not confirmed. More than half of coronavirus cases in the state are...
Penn Hills School District to replace middle school security guards with youth engagement specialists
Penn Hills School District officials believe a change in security measures may help improve student behavior at Linton Middle School. Superintendent Nancy Hines announced youth engagement specialists may replace security guards at the sixth through eighth grade school. The specialists are expected to come from Pressley Ridge, a Pittsburgh-based organization...
83 new cases of coronavirus in Allegheny County, no new deaths
Allegheny County health officials reported 83 new cases of covid-19 Monday, following a pattern of high case counts in the last week. Officials reported four new hospitalizations, but no new deaths. The new cases involved people ranging in age from 9 to 89, with the median age being 26, county...
‘Nowhere to run to’: Lawsuit filed against Mayor Peduto, Pittsburgh police in wake of East Liberty protest
Christopher Juring said he was trying to leave, trying to follow orders. In a cloud of tear gas and smoke, Juring was walking on Centre Avenue sometime after 6:30 p.m. June 1, unable to see in front of him and unable to see the wall of Pittsburgh SWAT officers moving...
Gilead’s $2,340 price for coronavirus drug draws criticismVideo
The maker of a drug shown to shorten recovery time for severely ill covid-19 patients says it will charge $2,340 for a typical treatment course for people covered by government health programs in the United States and other developed countries. Gilead Sciences announced the price Monday for remdesivir, and said...
Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana abortion clinic law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting conservative justices in the first big abortion case of the Trump era. Chief Justice John Roberts joined with his four more liberal colleagues in...
Etna welcomes Wild Child chef Jamilka Borges and her restaurant
Chef Jamilka Borges will put her bravery and culinary prowess on display in Etna as she opens her first restaurant, mid-pandemic, appropriately named Wild Child. Etna’s business district will welcome the new concept, inspired by Borges’ passion for international, coastal foods, in the space formerly occupied by Seasons restaurant on...
