Top Stories category, Page 1448
Monroeville protest marks 11th day of demonstrations in wake of George Floyd’s deathVideo
A Black Lives Matter protest was held Tuesday afternoon in Monroeville. 1 p.m. About 1:30 p.m., protesters made their way onto William Penn Highway / Route 22, blocking the road. The group moved toward the Pennsylvania Turnpike about 1:35 p.m., but were directed away from it by police. At 1:40...
Municipalities across Pittsburgh region face bleak budget forecasts in wake of coronavirus
Buffeted by stay-at-home orders and growing unemployment, Pennsylvania municipalities are facing a revenue hole that could result in fewer police and firefighters, more potholes and crumbling highways, as well as shuttered parks and pools. As many as 249 municipalities across the state, including 112 in the 10-county southwestern region, will not...
State officials: Westmoreland adds 6 new covid cases, no new deaths
Westmoreland County on Tuesday reported six new covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases to 467, according to Pennsylvania health officials. No new deaths from the virus were reported in Westmoreland. State officials continued to report 38 deaths, while county coroner Kenneth Bacha reports 33 deaths as of...
Pennsylvania coronavirus death toll tops 6,000; 493 new cases reported
Pennsylvania officials on Tuesday reported 61 more covid-19 deaths and 493 additional cases, bringing the state’s total number of cases to 76,436, according to health officials. A total of 6,014 people have died from the virus. Nearly 460,000 people have tested negative. Of the total cases, 71% have recovered. Approximately...
Derry man arrested after handgun found in bag at Arnold Palmer airport
A Derry man was arrested after being caught with a 9 mm handgun in a carry-on bag Sunday at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Westmoreland County Park Police charged Brandon Edward Emeigh, 31, with prohibited possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm without a permit. He faces a preliminary hearing...
Allegheny County reports 19 new coronavirus cases, 1 death
Allegheny County health officials on Tuesday reported one new coronavirus-related death, 19 new cases, and no new hospitalizations. County data show that of the 2,027 cases, 1,889 are confirmed and 128 are probable. Of the county’s 169 deaths, 157 are confirmed and 12 are probable. All deaths occurred in people...
Pitt to reopen this fall with ‘compressed’ schedule during pandemic
The University of Pittsburgh will reopen this fall under an adjusted calendar and classroom capacity restrictions. Students will not return to campus after Thanksgiving break, making their last day on campus Nov. 20. The move makes Pitt one of many universities to choose an adjusted calendar amid the covid-19 pandemic....
Allegheny Health Network to allow limited visitors at hospitals
Effective immediately, inpatient, observation, surgery and emergency department patients at Allegheny Health Network hospitals are permitted to have one healthy support person on site during visitation hours. As phased measures are implemented by state and local governments to adapt to evolving conditions of the covid-19 outbreak, AHN on Tuesday announced...
USPS seeking to hire rural carriers at $18.56 an hour
The United States Postal Service has numerous openings for rural carrier associate positions throughout Western Pennsylvania . The positions pay $18.56 an hour and are paid bi-weekly, according to postal service spokeswoman Jill Walters. Interested applicants can only apply online at usps.com/careers. From the website, applicants can click “Search Jobs,”...
With casinos reopening, Trafford native Jimmy Vaccaro discusses an unusual time in the gambling business
A 74-year-old Trafford native who has been in the casino business since 1975, Jimmy Vaccaro has seen pretty much everything the gambling industry has to offer. Then the casino floor fell silent in March. And people started online wagering on Russian pingpong matches because all North American sports went dark....
17 temporarily laid off at Elliott Group’s Rostraver location
Seventeen workers at Elliott Group’s Rostraver center were temporarily laid off in light of the coronavirus pandemic’s impacts on the oil and gas industry, according to a company spokeswoman. The employees work at a center that does unit packaging and manufacturing of auxiliary systems for oil and gas industry clients,...
Pittsburgh playgrounds, courts and ballfields to reopen
City of Pittsburgh playgrounds, basketball courts, ballfields and spray parks are opening for the first time in nearly three months. With Allegheny County having entered the green phase of response to the covid-19 pandemic, organized sports will be allowed to resume as long as organizers follow safety guidelines, officials said....
Man arrested for alleged involvement in destroying Pittsburgh police vehicle during protest
Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a Stowe man Monday evening, accusing him of participating in the destruction of a Pittsburgh police vehicle during a protest outside PPG Paints Arena. Dajon Lengyel, 22, is charged with criminal mischief, institutional vandalism and riot for the May 30 incident that started as a...
Missing Pittsburgh man found safe
A man who went missing in Pittsburgh Monday evening has been found safe, according to the city Department of Public Safety. Authorities Monday evening asked the public to be on the lookout for Leslie Lampkin, 74, who was last seen Monday around 4 p.m. leaving the Saloon in the 1600...
Jobless benefits to come via debit card to help prevent identity theft
Pennsylvania will distribute jobless benefits through a debit card sent in the mail over the next few weeks rather than a direct deposit into recipients’ bank accounts in an effort to counter identity theft attempts, state officials said Monday. The state Department of Labor & Industry has been issuing paper...
Sneak peek: Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino set to reopen after ‘eerie’ 3-month closureVideo
After nearly 90 days of darkness, the Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh’s North Shore will open again Tuesday, though the floor will look a little different and be a lot less crowded. Shuttered since March because of the state’s coronavirus pandemic response, casinos in areas that have reached the green phase...
State giving small businesses $225M to offset covid-19 losses
The state plans to provide $225 million in grants to small businesses that lost money during the government-ordered shutdowns from March through May and had to spend money to adapt their operations to prevent the spread of covid-19. “The shutdown has had a terrible negative effect. We hope we can...
Legislators commandeer House to demand action on policingVideo
HARRISBURG — Black Democrats in the state House preempted the day’s business in an effort to force action on changes to police, displaying a Black Lives Matter banner and commandeering the podium for about 90 minutes at the start of voting session Monday. The dramatic takeover went on pause when...
Allegheny County officials propose banning tear gas, rubber bullets
Allegheny County and Pittsburgh officials plan to introduce separate police reform ordinances Tuesday that include measures limiting the use of force by police in nonviolent protest situations. A bill sponsored by Allegheny County Councilwomen Bethany Hallam and Olivia Bennett would ban the use of so-called less-lethal force, including tear gas...
Union demands Pittsburgh Post-Gazette rescind ban on some journalists covering protests
The union representing Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporters demanded Monday management rescind their ban on two black journalists covering protests over the death of George Floyd. The situation began to unfold a week ago, according to Michael Fuoco, president of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, which represents most newsroom employees at the...
Downtown ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural welcomed by Pittsburgh officialsVideo
The Black Lives Matter message that’s spurred daily gatherings in Western Pennsylvania since May 30 is now painted on a highly visible retaining wall along the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh. “BLACK LIVES MATTER” is written in giant white block letters that are outlined in red on the retaining wall...
Pa. Health Department to require universal coronavirus testing at nursing homes
Universal testing for the novel coronavirus is now required at all Pennsylvania nursing homes, according to an order issued Monday by Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine. The order requires nursing homes to test all residents and staff for the coronavirus by July 24. “Our goal with implementing this testing...
DA’s office drops charges filed against 39 Pittsburgh protesters
Criminal charges filed by Pittsburgh police against 39 people in connection with protests over the death of George Floyd will be withdrawn by prosecutors, officials said Monday. “We do not have the evidence in these cases to suitably conduct a preliminary hearing,” the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office said in...
Seattle council members protest after tear gas used on crowdVideo
SEATTLE — Just days after Seattle’s mayor and police chief promised a month-long moratorium on using a type of tear gas to disperse protesters, the department used it again during an overnight protest — bringing severe criticism Monday from City Council members, vows to overhaul the department and an additional...
Washington County native wins big on ‘Press Your Luck’Video
When Emily Dowler was in kindergarten, she thought she wanted to be a game show host when she grew up. Well, the Washington County native and Pittsburgh resident became a big winner on a game show instead. Dowler brought home more than $400,000 in cash and prizes on the season...
