Top Stories category, Page 1468
610 new coronavirus cases, 119 additional deaths reported in Pa.
State health officials on Tuesday reported more than 100 new coronavirus deaths across Pennsylvania along with 610 new cases of the virus. The 119 newly reported deaths bring the statewide death toll to 4,624. The total number of cases across the state since March 6 now stands at 63,666. Those...
Pier 1 Imports to close down all stores
Pier 1 Imports, the home decor retailer, announced Tuesday that it will begin closing all of its company’s 540 stores once they are able to reopen following mandated shutdowns. The company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February, said it was forced to shutter stores because it was...
Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Weezer postpone Pittsburgh show, Hella Mega tour dates
One of the big U.S. rock tours of the summer will now happen in 2021. Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer were set to head out on the Hella Mega tour this summer, but the bands have postponed the North American dates of the summer trek until next year....
Allegheny County reports 1 new coronavirus death, 17 new cases
Allegheny County on Tuesday reported one new covid-19 death and 17 new cases. The latest figures bring the total number of deaths to 144 and total cases to 1,658. The total cases include 1,569 confirmed cases and 89 probable cases. Total hospitalizations rose by 10 since Monday, from 294 to...
Cops: Man jailed after being cited for drug possession, later breaking into Hempfield car wash
A Philadelphia man found in Westmoreland County passed out inside a vehicle reeking of marijuana and subsequently charged with drug possession over the weekend was arrested about 12 hours later following an alleged burglary at a local business, state police reported. Troopers first encountered Naasir N. Boyd, 19, around 9...
2 more state prison inmates, 1 staffer die of covid-19
Two more Pennsylvania state prison inmates and one prison employee have died from the coronavirus, according to data from the state Department of Corrections. The latest inmates to die from covid-19 were incarcerated at SCI-Huntingdon in Huntington County. The facility has seen 62 inmates test positive for the virus along...
Who’s the baby daddy? Love triangle drama at Pitt peregrine falcon nest
With two male suitors for one female, and two eggs to tend, uncertainties abound at the top of the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning, the region’s most popular nesting site for the peregrine falcon. The drama of peregrine falcon couples in Oakland, Downtown Pittsburgh, Tarentum and elsewhere is closely...
4 employees at Giant Eagle distribution center in Freedom test positive for coronavirus
Four employees at a manufacturing and distribution facility in Freedom, Beaver County, have tested positive for coronavirus, Giant Eagle officials announced Monday. Company spokesman Richard Roberts said workers have had their temperatures taken when they arrive at the facility since the first case was confirmed on May 8. About 400...
Western Pa. task force intent on training dogs to sniff out covid-19Video
More than 100 dogs and handlers from throughout the region were put through their paces this month as they vied for the opportunity to join in the battle against the covid-19 pandemic. During sessions in Youngwood and Imperial, a panel of trainers evaluated the dogs’ ability to sniff out hidden...
Search continues for boy who reportedly fell into the Ohio River
Ambridge police, fire and other emergency responders will resume searching Tuesday for a 10-year-old boy they said fell into the Ohio River on Monday. The boy was with his brother and a group of friends who were playing near the Ambridge Sewer Treatment Plant and the Leetsdale Boat Ramp, Tribune-Review...
Trump says he’s taking hydroxychloroquine in case he gets coronavirusVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he is taking a malaria drug to protect against the coronavirus, despite warnings from his own government that it should only be administered for covid-19 in a hospital or research setting due to potentially fatal side effects. Trump told reporters Monday he has been...
Judge dismisses lawsuit tied to fires at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by two environmental groups against U.S. Steel over alleged Clean Air Act violations at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. The suit was filed last year after fires on Dec. 24, 2018 and June 16, 2019. U.S. District Judge Marilyn Horan sided with...
Greensburg diocese to begin in-person Mass on June 1
The seating and the passing of peace may look a little different but, beginning June 1, Catholic churches in the Diocese of Greensburg will celebrate Mass — in person. Diocesan officials announced Monday that parishes can once again begin public Mass. Parishioners will be required to wear masks and remain...
Westmoreland prison guard fired amid inmate assault investigation
A Westmoreland County Prison guard was fired Monday, less than a month after the launch of an investigation into allegations that an inmate was assaulted by staff at the jail. Warden John Walton declined to reveal details that led to the firing. Sheriff James Albert, who serves as a member...
New CMU study shows inequity in internet access among children
A study led by a Carnegie Mellon University professor used national data to measure how many children have internet access at home and what factors contribute to the long-existing digital divide. The findings, said lead researcher Ananya Sen, are especially potent as most K-12 school districts have moved to online...
New Pennsylvania program extends unemployment benefits
The state’s new Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program will allow some Pennsylvanians to continue receiving benefits after traditional unemployment expires. The program is funded through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Unemployment benefits usually expire after 13 weeks. Unemployed Pennsylvanians whose benefits have run out, who...
Bipartisan request to loosen restrictions in Westmoreland County sent to Gov. Wolf
Westmoreland County’s top elected officials are pleased with having been moved into the yellow phase of coronavirus reopening. They would just prefer a more robust shade. In a letter sent to Gov. Tom Wolf, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers and county commissioners asked for an enhanced designation that would...
AG William Barr says he doesn’t expect criminal probe into Obama or BidenVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr said he doesn’t expect the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into former President Barack Obama or former Vice President Joe Biden, despite prodding to do so by President Donald Trump. Barr told reporters at a news conference on Monday that he won’t...
J.C. Penney plans to close more than 240 stores
NEW YORK — J.C. Penney will close almost 30% of its 846 stores as part of a restructuring under bankruptcy protection. The Plano, Texas, retailer said Monday that it plans to close about 192 stores by February 2021, and then 50 additional stores in the year after that. That would...
Gas prices continue to rise, but are expected to remain lower than they have been in years
Gasoline prices are rising in the Pittsburgh area and across the nation as demand for fuel is increasing with states beginning to reopen their economies and loosen covid-19 restrictions. Warmer weather also is drawing more people outdoors. The price-tracking service GasBuddy said the average gas price in the Pittsburgh area...
Voter registration efforts hampered by coronavirus restrictions
Political parties’ efforts to get people signed up to vote in the June 2 primary have been hampered by coronavirus-related restrictions. Still, both major parties saw slight registration gains in Allegheny County compared to pre-primary numbers in the last presidential election year, and GOP registrations in Westmoreland County are up...
Free street parking ending in Downtown Pittsburgh as businesses reopen
People who park in Downtown Pittsburgh will have to pay up at meters again. City officials announced that enforcement will restart on Wednesday. City and Pittsburgh Parking Authority officials hadn’t been enforcing metered parking since mid-March because of the shutdown spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. But now that Allegheny County...
6 more coronavirus deaths reported in Westmoreland County
State health officials on Monday reported six more people in Westmoreland County died from the coronavirus. The Department of Health, in its daily update, reported a total of 38 deaths in the county. The county coroner’s office has been reporting 32 virus-related deaths since May 7. There are also five...
Pa. revamps coronavirus reporting system as some counties see wide swings; in all, 822 new cases reported
State health officials reported dozens of new coronavirus deaths on Monday as they announced an overhaul in how deaths are reported to the Department of Health and then to the public. The 87 new deaths reported bring the state’s death toll to 4,505. Additionally, 822 new covid-19 cases were reported...
Man missing after falling in Ohio River was standout athlete at Allderdice
The 23-year-old who fell from a boat dock into the Ohio River Saturday evening while fishing with friends on Neville Island has been identified. Ohio Township police Chief Joseph Hanny said the search for Kenneth Robinson resumed Monday morning. Robinson, of Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, was a graduate of Allderdice High...
