Top Stories category, Page 1460
113 new coronavirus deaths reported in Pennsylvania, state adds 780 cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday reported 113 new deaths and 780 additional cases of the coronavirus. The state has now had 69,417 total cases and 5,265 deaths. Deaths have been recorded in 54 of the state’s 67 counties, and every county has had a positive case. More than...
Disney plans to reopen parks beginning July 11Video
Looks like a lot of people are about to get a whole lot happier. Disney announced Wednesday it is hoping to reopen all four of its parks — the Happiest Place on Earth — in Orlando, Fla., by mid-July, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The phased reopening would begin July 11...
U.S. deaths from coronavirus surpass 100,000 milestoneVideo
HARTFORD, Conn. — The United States surpassed a jarring milestone Wednesday in the coronavirus pandemic: 100,000 deaths. That number is the best estimate and most assuredly an undercount. But it represents the stark reality that more Americans have died from the virus than from the Vietnam and Korea wars combined....
Allegheny county adds 12 new coronavirus cases, 1 death
Allegheny County on Wednesday reported 12 new cases of the coronavirus and one additional death. This brings the total number of confirmed and probable cases in the county to 1,828 and deaths to 151. The county previously reported three days in a row with no new deaths. The state reported...
Mail-in ballots expected to drive high turnout in Allegheny, Westmoreland
Allegheny County is on track to see high voter turnout as mail-in and absentee ballot applications for the June 2 primary exceeded expectations. The county has processed more than 280,000 ballot applications, with a little fewer than 5,000 applications coming in just before the deadline Tuesday, said Elections Division Manager...
Coroner IDs 15-year-old McKeesport boy found in South Huntingdon creek
A 15-year-old McKeesport boy drowned in Jacobs Creek, a Pennsylvania State Police spokesman confirmed Wednesday. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office identified the boy as NaDarrius W. Lundy, a resident of Mc-Keesport’s Crawford Village apartment complex. Lundy’s body was recovered in the Creek Falls section of South Huntingdon shortly after 10...
New requirements for dentists could raise prices for patients
PHILADELPHIA — When the dentist’s office called to cancel Laura Lizcano’s appointment for a crown and cavity filling in March because of the coronavirus, she wasn’t terribly worried. The 25-year-old freelance musician didn’t know at the time that the pandemic would keep medical offices closed for months — and prevent...
Historic SpaceX launch postponed because of stormy weather
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The launch of a SpaceX rocket ship with two NASA astronauts on a history-making flight into orbit has been called off with 16 minutes to go in the countdown because of the danger of lightning. Liftoff is rescheduled for Saturday. The spacecraft was set to blast...
Poll: Half of Americans would get a covid-19 vaccineVideo
Only about half of Americans say they would get a covid-19 vaccine if the scientists working furiously to create one succeed, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s surprisingly low considering the effort going into the global race for a vaccine against...
Trump threatens social media after Twitter fact-checks him
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened social media companies with new regulation or even shuttering after Twitter moved a day earlier to add fact checks to two of his tweets. Claiming tech giants “silence conservative voices,” Trump said, “We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we...
Woman dies in early morning fire in Munhall
A woman died early Wednesday morning when flames quickly spread through her Munhall home, according to authorities. Firefighters arriving at the home in the 1200 block of Ravine Street shortly after 1 a.m. encountered heavy smoke pouring from the windows of the one-story frame house, according to emergency dispatchers. Within...
Pennsylvania preps short-term budget amid coronavirus uncertainty
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state government began advancing a temporary, no-new-taxes budget plan Tuesday that maintains current spending levels while budget makers watch to see how badly coronavirus-related shutdowns damage tax collections and whether the federal government sends another aid package to states. Officials in the House and Senate Republican majorities...
Police: Missing girl from West Mifflin found safe
An 11-year-old girl who was reported missing on Tuesday afternoon has been found safe, according to West Mifflin police. Authorities said Haley Hanson was last seen in the area of the Auto Zone along Homeville Road Tuesday afternoon. The police department posted a notice on its Facebook page late Tuesday...
Greensburg pool to remain closed for season
Veterans’ Memorial Pool in Greensburg will not open this season. The city announced the decision on Facebook Tuesday. There are several reasons for the closure, all of them related to the coronavirus pandemic. CDC guidelines suggest swimmers should maintain 6 feet of social distancing even when in the water, which...
Hempfield supervisors ask Gov. Wolf to end phased plan and reopen economy
Hempfield supervisors are asking Gov. Tom Wolf to allow the township to reopen without mandated restrictions put into place because of the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, supervisors voted unanimously to send a letter asking Wolf to lift restrictions put in place in March. Supervisor Tom Logan was not present at...
Westmoreland County man found stabbed to death in Virginia
A Westmoreland County man was found over the weekend stabbed to death on the side of a road in Virginia, authorities said. Bruce M. Ritchie, 57, of Herminie, was found near his car Saturday afternoon in Bland County, Virginia, near the exit of I-77, according to Virginia State Police. A...
Food box delivery to bring U.S. agriculture secretary to Westmoreland Fairgrounds
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will visit the Westmoreland Fairgrounds on Wednesday morning as pantry staples are delivered to area food banks in response to the covid-19 pandemic. Perdue will be on hand as part of the federal Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The program is purchasing up...
In a first, Twitter adds fact-check warnings to Trump tweets
For the first time, Twitter has flagged some of President Donald Trump’s tweets with a fact-check warning. On Tuesday, Twitter added a warning phrase to two Trump tweets that called mail-in ballots “fraudulent” and predicted that “mail boxes will be robbed,” among other things. Under the tweets, there is now...
Federal funds available for farmers impacted by covid-19 pandemic
Pennsylvania’s farmers and ranchers who have lost revenue because of the covid-19 pandemic can apply for federal aid to compensate for their losses. The federal government is making $16 billion available for agricultural producers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. The direct payments to farmers and producers are limited to...
Allegheny Valley’s former Colfax school building on market for $1.9M
The former Colfax Upper Elementary School in Springdale is on the market for $1.9 million. Allegheny Valley School Board last week entered into a six-month contract with commercial real estate agent CBRE, Inc. to see if there is interest in the shuttered building. The school board agreed to sign an...
Aid to jobless workers in Pennsylvania reaches $10.6B
About $10.6 billion in unemployment compensation and special federal covid-19 funding has been distributed to Pennsylvania’s jobless workers since businesses deemed nonessential were shut down in mid-March, officials said Tuesday. Of that money, $6.2 billion came through regular unemployment compensation, while $3.8 billion comprised extra $600 weekly payments funded by...
Pittsburgh overpays police officers more than $250,000
Pittsburgh erroneously paid its police officers a total of more than $250,000 for uniforms and is now trying to recoup the money, according to the Mayor’s Office. The city’s Human Relations Department on Tuesday notified police management and officers of the error and said it was working with the police...
Niche survey finds most students want to resume in-person classes
Recent surveys show that the nation’s students – both high school and college – are itching to return to the classroom for in-person learning. A survey from Pittsburgh-based Niche, an online school search platform, received more than 21,000 responses from students across the country. The survey found that students want...
Police: Glassport man charged with assaulting woman who escaped out window
A Glassport man accused of tying up and assaulting a woman on Monday is wanted by authorities. Richard Joseph Sciubba III, 37, is charged with aggravated assault, strangulation, aggravated incident assault and unlawful restraint and false imprisonment, according to online court records. Sciubba was last seen earlier Tuesday in the...
FBI investigating vandalism of Pittsburgh war memorial
The FBI is investigating the Memorial Day vandalism of a landmark Pittsburgh veterans monument, officials said. The 99-year-old Doughboy Statue in Lawrenceville was doused with red paint between Sunday night and Memorial Day. Hammers and sickles were painted on the monument, along with the message “June 19, 1986! Glory to...
