Top Stories category, Page 1545
Lawmakers close in on $7.5B bipartisan measure to battle coronavirus
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers are finalizing a $7.5 billion emergency bill to fund the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, in a burst of bipartisan cooperation that’s atypical of today’s Washington. Sen. Chuck Schumer, a caustic critic of President Donald Trump’s handling of the spreading crisis, said he’s expecting a bipartisan...
Pa. Health Department begins testing for coronavirus; UPMC races for its own test
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has begun its own testing of potential coronavirus cases, opening the door for quicker results. “We are testing samples as we speak,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Tuesday. She said the state has been sending samples for testing to the Centers for Disease...
Indiana police detail robbery, shooting investigation near IUPVideo
Three masked Philadelphia men mistakenly robbed three people at the wrong house last month in Indiana, according to borough police Chief Justin Schawl. When they realized their mistake, the group went a few doors down on Wayne Avenue to their intended target, leaving one person there with a gunshot wound...
Coronavirus spread prompts Fed to slash rates in surprise move
WASHINGTON — In a surprise move, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a sizable half-percentage point Tuesday in an effort to support the economy in the face of the spreading coronavirus. Chairman Jerome Powell said at a news conference that the virus “will surely weigh on economic...
Allegheny County health officials emphasize calm with eye on likely spread of coronavirusVideo
Health officials continue to prepare locally for the likely spread of the coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 worldwide, but they cautioned that there are still no known cases in the region. “We expect to see some (cases) as we expand testing,” said Dr. Kristen Mertz, an epidemiologist with...
Coronavirus prep: Supplies dwindle at Western Pa. stores as officials urge readinessVideo
Local agencies are encouraging people not to panic as the coronavirus spreads, with over 100 confirmed U.S. cases and nine fatalities so far. The virus, which has infected more than 92,000 people and killed over 3,000 in places like China, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran, has started to spread...
Pittsburgh again ranks among top cities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
Pittsburgh’s love of St. Patrick’s Day and all thing Irish seems to have grown, according to a new poll. Ranked 10th in 2018, 8th in 2019 and now climbing all the way to 4th, in a report released Tuesday, WalletHub says Pittsburgh is among the best places to celebrate St....
Truck carrying 135 cows crashes on Irwin off-ramp
Four calves died and more than a hundred others were placed in a temporary corral after a truck carrying livestock crashed on an off-ramp near Irwin, according to Pennsylvania Turnpike officials. The driver of the truck was not injured in the crash, which occurred around 5:30 a.m., turnpike officials said....
What to watch as 14 states vote in Super Tuesday primaries
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Democratic presidential candidates are racing toward the biggest day on the primary calendar, when 14 states vote on Super Tuesday. It’s the day when the primary moves from retail to wholesale. Instead of one state voting at a time, candidates have to focus on contests in...
Tornadoes devastate Tennessee, killing at least 25 peopleVideo
NASHVILLE — Rescuers searched through shattered Tennessee neighborhoods for bodies Tuesday, less than a day after tornadoes ripped across Nashville and other parts of the state as families slept. At least 25 people were killed, some in their beds, authorities said. The twisters that struck in the hours after midnight...
$2.5 million lotto winner sold in Robinson Township
A customer at the Settlers Ridge Market District supermarket in Robinson is $2.5 million richer after buying a winning lotto ticket there, according to state lottery officials. The winner has yet to claim their prize. The Match 6 ticket was sold Friday. It correctly matched all six winning numbers: 18-24-30-34-42-45....
National clientele of Arabian horse owners drawn to Upper Burrell training centerVideo
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact Senior News Editor Tom Fontaine at tfontaine@tribweb.com. Arabian horses are playing soccer in Upper...
Oakmont teen helping make her borough safer one intersection at a time
Audrey Myers knew she wanted to make Oakmont streets safer for her and her fellow Riverview School District students. The eighth-grader would often make the trek with friends from the junior/senior high school at Hulton Road and Third Street, onto Allegheny Avenue and other thoroughfares. “People in Oakmont walk home...
4 Philadelphia men jailed in connection with shooting near IUP
Four Philadelphia men are in jail on charges related to the shooting of Indiana University of Pennsylvania students during a robbery of an off-campus apartment on Valentine’s Day. Indiana police arrested Nafis Dandre Harper, 23, Daron Reel, 19, Mamadi Saccoh, 20, and Samuel Nyenow Wilson, 20, in connection with the...
Monroeville-based website launches with MeSearch AI, providing unique reader experience
A new website for Monroeville news and information will have artificial intelligence curating the most important and interesting stories for readers based on their preferences. Trib Total Media announced Thursday that its TribLIVE has launched TimesExpress.com, which is the latest addition to the company’s stable of hyper-local community news websites....
Greensburg man pleads guilty to hitting romantic rival with his car
A Greensburg man pleaded guilty Monday to using his SUV as a weapon against a romantic rival. The case against Seth M. Vanderella, 27, was the second time in less than two years that he admitted causing injuries to another person using a vehicle. On Monday, Vanderella pleaded guilty to...
Prosecutors tell jurors New Kensington woman hid gun used to kill police officer
As police fanned out across the region in the hours and days after the fatal shooting of New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw in search of his killer, the gunman’s cousin spirited away and disposed of the suspected murder weapon, prosecutors told a Westmoreland County jury Monday. Assistant District Attorney...
County leaders across Western Pennsylvania endorse Joe Biden
A coalition of 12 Democratic county leaders from across Western Pennsylvania came forward Monday to endorse Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential race. The group includes Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli, along with 10 Democratic commissioners from Armstrong, Beaver, Butler,...
More testing sheds light on how coronavirus is spreading in U.S.; death total hits 6Video
SEATTLE — An increase in testing for the coronavirus began shedding light Monday on how the illness has spread in the United States, including among nursing home residents in one Washington state facility. U.S. health officials updated the number of COVID-19 cases to 91 in 10 states after Oregon and...
United Steelworkers agree to continue working under expired ATI contract
Members of the United Steelworkers union will continue working at Allegheny Technology Inc. facilities as talks for a new contract continue, an update from the union states. The last contract, covering about 1,300 workers at nine ATI locations, including the hot rolling and processing facility in Harrison, expired Saturday. About...
Dow notches largest-ever point gain as stocks surge on hopes for central bank help
The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared nearly 1,300 points, or 5%, Monday as stocks roared back from a seven-day rout on hopes that central banks will take action to shield the global economy from the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. The huge gains clawed back some of the ground lost...
Belle Vernon Area teachers issue strike notice over unresolved contract
Belle Vernon Area teachers put the district on notice that they intend to strike beginning March 13 if officials haven’t agreed on a new labor contract by then. According to President Daneen Watson, a Spanish teacher with 20 years of service, the Belle Vernon Area Education Association has been in...
Carnegie Mellon tops list of U.S. universities pulling in foreign cash
What a difference a generation and a billion dollars or so can make. Four decades ago, when economist Robert Strauss landed at Carnegie Mellon University, the Pittsburgh school Andrew Carnegie launched as a training center for the children of mill workers in 1900 was a small, well-regarded private research university....
League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh seek to intervene in voter-roll lawsuit
Four groups on Monday requested to intervene in a federal lawsuit accusing Allegheny County officials of failing to maintain county voter rolls. The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and of Pittsburgh, along with One Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, filed a motion in...
Klobuchar is ending her presidential bid, will endorse BidenVideo
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her Democratic presidential campaign on Monday and plans to endorse rival Joe Biden in an effort to unify moderate voters behind the former vice president’s White House bid. She is flying to Dallas and plans to join Biden at his rally Monday night, according to...
