Top Stories category, Page 1438
Pittsburgh-area protests commemorate Juneteenth, demand racial justice and equalityVideo
People across the Pittsburgh area took to the streets Friday to commemorate Juneteenth, a day marking the end of slavery 155 years ago. “This is our Independence Day,” Fawn Montgomery, co-founder of Take Action Mon Valley, told a crowd gathered along the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway in Wilkinsburg....
AP-NORC poll: Majority of Americans support police protestsVideo
NEW YORK — Ahead of the Juneteenth holiday weekend’s demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality, a majority of Americans say they approve of recent protests around the country. Many think they’ll bring positive change. And despite headline-making standoffs between law enforcement and protesters in cities nationwide, the poll from...
34 million criminal cases now removed from public view under Pa.’s Clean Slate law
More than 34 million criminal cases have been removed from public records under the Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate law, state court officials say. The law, the first of its kind in the United States, was implemented last June and provides for the automatic expungement of public records pertaining to low-level crimes...
Momentum builds for making Juneteenth a federal holiday
There is a growing movement afoot to declare June 19, or Juneteenth, a federal holiday. The date marks the day in 1865 when Union Gen. Gordon Granger read the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas, informing former slaves of their freedom provided by the order President Abraham Lincoln issued on Jan....
Pennsylvania reports 526 new covid-19 cases, 38 new deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Friday reported 526 new coronavirus cases and 38 new covid-19 deaths, bringing the total case count to 80,762 and 6,399 deaths. The state considers 630 patients as probable cases but not confirmed. More than half of coronavirus cases in the state are in patients...
Community gathers in East Pittsburgh to remember Antwon Rose II 2 years after his deathVideo
Michelle Kenney said being a mom is all she knows how to be. “I’m not a perfect mom. Lord knows sometimes I wasn’t even a good mom,” she told a crowd gathered in East Pittsburgh on Friday, two years to the day after a borough police officer shot and killed...
Allegheny County reports 16 new coronavirus cases, no additional deaths
Allegheny County health officials reported 16 additional cases of the coronavirus Friday, bringing the total case count to 2,138 since the first in the county was reported March 14. The 2,138 cases include 2,000 confirmed and 138 probable cases. The county reported no new cases Wednesday and nine new cases...
Pennsylvania’s jobless rate slides back from pandemic peak
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s unemployment began sliding down from its pandemic peak in May, even clocking in at below the national rate as payrolls grew by almost 200,000, the state said Friday. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was 13.1% in May, down 3 percentage points from April’s adjusted rate, the state Department of...
On this Juneteenth, black leaders in Western Pa. feel tangible change stirring
In the days leading up to Juneteenth — amid the protests and unrest, the uncertainty and the mourning of another black man dead at the hands of police — Tim Stevens felt something. A shift. A change. Some hope. Nearly four weeks after the world watched a Minneapolis police officer...
3 victims of Wilkinsburg shooting ID’d, fundraiser started for funeral expenses
An effort is underway to raise money for one of the three people who were shot and killed early Friday in Wilkinsburg. A Wilkinsburg police officer on patrol heard gunfire just before 1:30 a.m. in the area of Coal Street, Allegheny County Police said. Allegheny County 911 then received calls...
Man missing from Pittsburgh’s Hill District
Pittsburgh police seek public help in finding a missing man from the city’s Hill District neighborhood. Authorities said William Battle, 19, was last seen Wednesday wearing a blue jean jacket and black jeans. He’s described as a black man with medium-length dreadlocks with blonde tips, standing 5 feet 6 inches...
ATF agent shot at home involved in ’11 Hunnit’ gang investigation, 12 suspects indicted
The house in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood where an ATF agent was shot Thursday morning belongs to one of a dozen people charged with drug trafficking in a federal indictment unsealed Thursday. A dozen defendants from Allegheny, Westmoreland and Lawrence counties have been charged with drug trafficking following a lengthy wiretap...
Photos: Rally and march for Black Trans Lives held in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, Downtown
A Pittsburgh Action for Black Trans Lives rally and march was held Thursday. Members of the black transgender community and their allies met at Freedom Corner in the Hill District before marching to the Pittsburgh City-County Building where several speakers addressed the crowd with their own personal stories. The nearly...
Former KDKA meteorologist Jeff Verszyla returns to Pittsburgh TV with freelance gig at WTAE
Former KDKA-TV chief meteorologist Jeff Verszyla returns to Pittsburgh television with a new freelance weather gig. He announced Thursday on social media that he will begin working with WTAE-TV starting Sunday. He said he expects to be on mostly weekend nights into early August. He asked fans not to “call...
PNC commits $1 billion to programs, efforts to stem systemic racism
PNC Financial Services officials on Thursday announced a $1 billion commitment to programs and efforts that would “end systemic racism and support economic empowerment of African Americans and low- and moderate-income communities.” The commitment includes $50 million in charitable support for local and national work promoting social justice, expanding financial...
Consumer Advocate: Columbia Gas 18% rate hike request seeks ‘large profit margin’
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania’s 436,000 customers counties could be hit with a nearly 18% rate hike next year if the state agency overseeing utilities approves the requested increase. Columbia Gas said it is seeking to generate $100.4 million annually to pay for replacing and upgrading aging underground pipelines. The gas...
Moving truck takes down power lines in Lower Burrell, knocks out power to 3,500 customers
A 30-foot box truck took down power lines running across Puckety Church Road in Lower Burrell on Thursday afternoon, breaking two utility poles, igniting a transformer fire and knocking out power to about 3,500 customers. Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 3 responded about 2:40 p.m. and put out the...
Oakmont Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation evacuated due to chemical spill
Oakmont Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation was evacuated Thursday afternoon because of a chemical spill. Oakmont Fire Chief Dave Carroll said the spill occurred in a second-floor washroom, and there was a strong ammonia smell seeping down to the first floor. He said all patients were evacuated safely and no...
Charges dropped for 22 protesters arrested in East Liberty melee
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday dropped charges against 22 protesters arrested in the aftermath of protests in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood earlier this month. Office spokesman Mike Manko said none of the charges dropped involved allegations of violence or property damage. “Until such time as we have...
Waterworks Cinemas to reopen Friday, bringing silver screen back to Western Pa.
Buckets of buttered popcorn and silver screen flicks are back. MovieScoop Waterworks Cinemas near Aspinwall plans to reopen Friday, offering $5 tickets for a lineup of some classic and superhero movies. “It will be nice to have everyone together again,” said Liz Noullet, assistant manager at the MovieScoop Waterworks Cinemas,...
Facebook removes Trump ads with symbols once used by NazisVideo
WASHINGTON — Facebook has removed campaign ads by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence that featured an upside-down red triangle, a symbol once used by Nazis to designate political prisoners, communists and others in concentration camps. Nathaniel Gleicher, the company’s head of security policy, confirmed at a House...
Police: Hempfield man shot, killed woman’s ex-boyfriend outside hotel
A Hempfield man is in jail, accused of gunning down a man last month outside a Forest County hotel during a confrontation over a woman. Richard M. Gardner Jr., 36, of Country Estates Drive, is being held in the Warren County Prison without bail in connection with the May 22...
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto plans to create LGBTQ commission
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Thursday announced plans for an 11-member commission to help resolve problems faced by the city’s LGBTQIA+ residents and visitors. The commission would hold monthly public meetings and advise officials on ways to make Pittsburgh a welcoming place for the LGBTQIA+ community. Among other things, members...
Oakmont Greek Food fest goes on, with major changes
The annual Greek Food Festival in Oakmont will take place this month, but in a different way. The event is scheduled for 2 to 8 p.m. June 26-28 at the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church at 12 Washington Ave. Organizers said much had to change for the celebration’s...
Pa. Supreme Court: Counties can’t ban probationers from using medical marijuana
Counties may not ban people on probation or parole from using prescription cannabis if they are registered in Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court said that people holding a valid medical marijuana card are immune from “arrest, prosecution or...
