Top Stories category, Page 1482
Racial equity task force proposed for coronavirus response in Pittsburgh
Two Pittsburgh city councilmen on Tuesday proposed a task force that would ensure the city’s minority communities receive equal treatment in government initiatives aimed at helping people during the coronavirus pandemic. Councilmen R. Daniel Lavelle and Ricky Burgess, council’s only black members, introduced a resolution that would create the Greater...
Latrobe man accused of assaulting ex-girlfriend found hiding under couch, police say
When police went to a Latrobe man’s home Monday to question him about allegedly assaulting a former girlfriend, they found him hiding beneath his sofa, troopers said. Sean L. Hurley, 35, is charged with harassment, simple assault and terroristic threats in connection with the incident, which police said began in...
Trib offers HSSN services to produce, livestream Western Pa. graduations
As high schools try to plan Class of 2020 graduation ceremonies amid the uncertainty of coronavirus restrictions, HSSN has added its video capabilities to their menu of options. HSSN, the High School Sports Network of Trib Total Media, is offering high school administrators across the region its video production and...
Gov. Wolf offers little detail on when next areas of Pennsylvania could move to yellow phase
Gov. Tom Wolf on a call with reporters Tuesday remained tight-lipped as to when he might announce which Pennsylvania counties will be next to see pandemic-related restrictions eased. “There is no schedule,” Wolf said of when he will announce more counties. “That would be arbitrary.” The governor reiterated what has...
Pennsylvania birth control case part of historic livestream of U.S. Supreme Court arguments
Lawyers from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office will be on deck Wednesday as the U.S. Supreme Court continues streaming oral arguments live for the first time in history. The case, Trump v. Pennsylvania, centers on the Trump administration and the Little Sisters of the Poor seeking to uphold a rule...
6 more accused in scheme to get drugs into Westmoreland jail
Six more people have been charged in connection with an alleged yearlong scheme that used fake legal mail to deliver drugs to the Westmoreland County Prison. Five men were inmates at the time of the alleged offenses and the sixth was a girlfriend of one of the defendants, according to...
Westmoreland County reports 2 new coronavirus cases, no additional deaths
Health officials reported two new coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County on Tuesday as Pennsylvania neared 51,000 cases of the virus. The two new cases bring the county’s running total to 405 since the first patient tested positive on April 5. Of the county’s cases, 129 are residents of eight long-term...
Pennsylvania coronavirus deaths top 3,000 as state catches up with data
Coronavirus deaths in Pennsylvania surpassed 3,000 on Tuesday as the Department of Health works to catch up with information coming from individual counties through a number of platforms, state officials said. The jump in deaths is “a result of our continued work to reconcile data from various sources,” health officials...
Osprey in Indiana County was shot, Pa. game commission seeking tips
A fatally injured osprey discovered April 28 in rural Indiana County, north of Blairsville, was shot, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. “We just received the necropsy report and the osprey was indeed shot by an unknown individual. We’re still looking for any and all information from the public to...
7 more deaths, 10 new cases of coronavirus reported in Allegheny County
The Allegheny County Health Department reported 10 additional cases of the coronavirus Tuesday, and seven new deaths. The county has had 109 deaths and 1,375 cases in total. The virus is having a devastating toll on long-term care facilities in Allegheny County. The Department of Health reported that 302 residents...
Starbucks reopening cafes with some changes amid coronavirus pandemic
After many Starbucks locations across the country — and world — closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, the coffee chain giant is now quickly moving to reopen cafes. Starting this week, customers can pick up orders at the door. At locations where safety guidelines can be applied, they can pick up...
Dormont Pool won’t open for 2020 amid coronavirus concerns
The 100th season of the historic Dormont Pool will go down in its history as the season that never was. Borough Council voted unanimously Monday to keep the pool closed for the 2020 season because of the complications surrounding covid-19 prevention. The virus “presents unique challenges to municipalities around the...
Here come covid-19 tracing apps – and privacy trade-offs
As governments around the world consider how to monitor new coronavirus outbreaks while reopening their societies, many are starting to bet on smartphone apps to help stanch the pandemic. But their decisions on which technologies to use — and how far those allow authorities to peer into private lives —...
Police: McKees Rocks woman found in refrigerator was last seen a week ago; boyfriend charged
A McKees Rocks woman whose decomposing body was found in a broken refrigerator Monday was last seen by a neighbor April 29, authorities wrote in a criminal complaint charging the woman’s boyfriend with abuse of a corpse. Daryl Jones, 41, is being held without bail in Allegheny County Jail on...
Some restrooms, marinas to open in state parks Friday; other changes planned
State parks and forests will start to open some facilities, mainly a bathroom or two, in an eventual phase-in of all facilities. Many state park facilities will remain closed to comply with Gov. Tom Wolf’s covid-19 restrictions. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is encouraging the public to visit...
Greensburg likely to suspend pool opening, future of swim season in doubt
Greensburg officials next week will likely vote to suspend the opening of Veterans’ Memorial Pool. Whether it will open at all this summer is in doubt because of the uncertain future of coronavirus mitigation efforts. City pool manager Trudy Ivory said current state restrictions wouldn’t allow the pool to open,...
Police: Boy stabbed twice after getting off bus in Penn Hills
A teen boy was stabbed after getting off a Port Authority bus in Penn Hills, police said. Penn Hills police Chief Howard Burton said the juvenile was stabbed twice in the back about 5 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Duff and Frankstown roads. He said a man and a...
Cops: Jeannette burglary suspect coughs on police, says he ‘might have corona’ after struggle
A burglary suspect is accused of saying he “might have corona” and coughing on Jeannette police officers after a struggle Sunday. Police were responding to 911 calls that a man who appeared to be under the influence was staggering on the street. Callers told 911 the man went into the...
Pa. Rep. Frankel ‘horrified’ by Pa. lawmaker’s Nazi Party comments
State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, said Monday he was “horrified” by State Rep. Chris Dush’s comments comparing the Wolf administration’s efforts to slow the spread of covid-19 with the Nazi Party. During a committee hearing Monday, Dush, R-Jefferson, expressed his displeasure with what he perceived as Gov. Tom Wolf’s...
Trump’s anti-China rhetoric aimed at boosting U.S. leverageVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is making ever louder pronouncements casting blame on China for the covid-19 pandemic, aiming to sidestep domestic criticism of the president’s own response, tarnish China’s global reputation and give the U.S. leverage on trade and other aspects of U.S.-China competition. President Donald Trump has vowed...
Spirit relaunches flight to Orlando with Pittsburgh, Unity stops
Spirit Airlines is starting once more to fill seats with passengers headed from Westmoreland County to Orlando, Fla., as it resumes service this week at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Spirit suspended service at the Unity airport for nearly a month, amid travel trends depressed by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the...
Dunkin’ announces $200,000 grant, free coffee and doughnuts for health care workers
Dunkin’ is providing a $200,000 grant to support health care workers experiencing trauma, as well as free coffee and doughnuts. Through the grant, Dunkin’ and First Descents, an organization involved with “adventure-based healing,” will create the “Hero Recharge” Program to help health care professionals facing significant stress by improving their...
Pa. Supreme Court upholds Alex Hribal plea, prison sentence in Franklin Regional stabbings
The state Supreme Court on Monday upheld the conviction and prison sentence for Alex B. Hribal, who was arrested as a teen in the wounding of 20 youths and a security guard during a 2014 knife attack at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville. Hribal’s attorney, Patrick Thomassey, had argued...
Mail-in ballot requests approach 1 million ahead of Pennsylvania’s June 2 primary
Nearly one million Pennsylvanians have opted to vote by mail in the June 2 primary, and state officials are hoping to provide the funding and framework to grow that record-setting number significantly higher before the deadline. “Did I mention that we’re encouraging everyone to vote by mail?” Secretary of State...
Billions projected to suffer nearly unlivable heat in 2070
KENSINGTON, Md. — In just 50 years, 2 billion to 3.5 billion people, mostly the poor who can’t afford air conditioning, will be living in a climate that historically has been too hot to handle, a new study said. With every 1.8 degree increase in global average annual temperature from...
