Top Stories category, Page 510
Western Pa. elections officials say higher pay for poll workers helped to ease staffing crunch
It takes thousands of employees to run an election. Elections officials across Southwestern Pennsylvania said they continue to gear up and prepare staff needed for the April 23 presidential primary, including the hiring of judges of elections, inspectors and clerks needed to man voting precincts. Concerns about staffing levels have...
Ballot order is critical for candidates. In Pa., it’s determined by luck.
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. As Sajda Blackwell approached the front of the room, she did a little dance of excitement — a shimmy as she pumped both fists in the air. “All right,...
‘We’re not leaving the community’: Manor Bar & Grille to close doors, reopen in Irwin
Derek and Megan Gutkowski’s three children grew up at Manor Bar & Grille. Howie, 14, cleaned dishes, and Julia, 17, and Madison, 19, helped serve customers. The family’s lives were dedicated to the Manor restaurant, Derek said. “At Manor Grille, if you go in there in our dining room, we...
Biden will push higher taxes for the rich in State of the Union
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will advocate plans to increase taxes on the wealthy and corporations, as well as to lower prescription drug prices, in his State of the Union address next week, in what aides describe as an effort to lay out second-term proposals for protecting and implementing his...
Deer Lakes community welcomes boys basketball team at high school as WPIAL Class 3A champsVideo
The Deer Lakes High School boys basketball team received a champion’s welcome Friday night from parents, students and some school district staffers. That’s because they returned to the high school as the WPIAL Class 3A champs after defeating their rival Burrell that evening at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center, 55-49. Fire...
Urban Air Adventure Park banks on attracting youngsters, adults to North Huntingdon site
Mary Ann Brown of Adamsburg got a sneak peak Friday at an indoor entertainment venue in North Huntingdon replete with a zip line hanging from the ceiling, a double-layer 1,000-foot electric go-kart track, four 30-foot-high climbing walls, a battle beam and a sea of 200,000 plastic balls for youngsters to...
Paramedic gets 5 years in prison for Elijah McClain’s death
DENVER — A Colorado paramedic was sentenced Friday to five years in prison for the death of Elijah McClain in a rare prosecution of medical responders that has left officials rethinking how they treat people in police custody. The convictions of Peter Cichuniec and a fellow paramedic sent shockwaves through...
Burglarized New Kensington gun store moves to new, secured location
A New Kensington gun store burglarized in January has moved to a new location its owners have fortified against break-ins. RC Firearms moved about two miles within the city from the rear of 404 Freeport St. to 2391 Seventh Street Road, said Roy Berg, who opened RC Firearms with his...
Pittsburgh could begin mailing parking tickets rather than leaving them on windshields
People parking illegally in Pittsburgh could soon get tickets in the mail rather than on their windshields. The change could improve safety and efficiency for the parking enforcers tasked with ticketing cars that don’t pay meters or violate other parking rules, said David Onorato executive director of the Public Parking...
The CDC has relaxed covid guidelines. Will schools and day cares follow suit?
Four years after the covid-19 pandemic closed schools and upended child care, the CDC says parents can start treating the virus like other respiratory illnesses. Gone are mandated isolation periods and masking. But will schools and child care centers agree? In case you’ve lost track: Before Friday, all Americans, including...
Allegheny County spars with council in court over Shuman reopening
A power struggle over a juvenile detention center in Allegheny County played out Friday in a Downtown Pittsburgh courtroom. Attorneys for the county chief executive are asking a judge to throw out a complaint by County Council seeking to invalidate the contract that would reopen Shuman Juvenile Detention Center. During...
St. Joe’s girls basketball team makes history with trip to the Pete
During a pep rally Friday at St. Joseph High School, students called on a higher power to give the girls basketball team an edge in its history- making trip to the WPIAL championship game. On cue, one of the school’s mascots — Moses — entered the gym to Drake’s “God’s Plan”...
CVS and Walgreens plan to start dispensing abortion pill mifepristone soon
The drugstore chains CVS Health and Walgreens plan to start dispensing an abortion pill in a few states within weeks. CVS Health will start filling prescriptions for mifepristone in Rhode Island and neighboring Massachusetts “in the weeks ahead,” spokeswoman Amy Thibault said Friday. Walgreens will begin dispensing the medication within...
Pittsburgh man charged in group assault of homeless man in Market Square
A Pittsburgh man who, police said, was part of a group of attackers who pummeled and kicked a homeless man during a weekday afternoon last month in Market Square remained in jail Saturday. David Rivera, 18, of the city’s Windgap neighborhood, was one of several men who swarmed Dajuan Davis...
U.S. health officials drop 5-day isolation time for covid-19
NEW YORK — Americans who test positive for covid-19 no longer need to stay in isolation for five days, U.S. health officials announced Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its longstanding guidance, saying that people can return to work or regular activities if their symptoms are mild...
Springdale injunction attorneys again spar over exhibits, filings
Another battle of documents is being waged in the Springdale boiler house implosion litigation. Allegheny County Judge John T. McVay Jr. on Thursday granted a motion from Charah Solutions, owner of the former power plant in Springdale, that seeks all of the exhibits residents submitted on the last day of...
Super Bowl champion, former Steelers linebacker Andy Russell dies at 82
Andy Russell, the seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker who won two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has died. Russell, a 16th-round draft pick who played 12 seasons with the Steelers, was 82. A source confirmed Russell’s death to TribLive. A cause of death was not immediately known. News partner...
Mark Madden: Pittsburgh is lucky to have had all-time great sports announcers
Bill Hillgrove retired. Kind of. He will cease doing Pittsburgh Steelers radio broadcasts after 30 years. But Hillgrove will continue to do Pitt football and basketball. It says a lot about Hillgrove’s limitless energy when, at 83, he wants to slow down gradually. And continue to serve as the midnight mayor...
Police say Woodland Hills student posted bomb threat to get out of school early
A Woodland Hills High School student has been charged with posting a bomb threat Wednesday on social media, triggering a major police response and leading to an emergency early dismissal that disrupted the schedules of hundreds of his peers, according to a criminal complaint. That student, identified as Jason Cummings,...
Morning Roundup: Vehicle crashes into McKeesport tattoo shop
Here are a few morning news items for Friday, March 1: Tattoo shop damaged by vehicle crash in McKeesport A vehicle crashed into a tattoo shop along Versailles Avenue in McKeesport late Thursday. TribLive news partner WTAE reported the crash happened in the 3200 block of Versailles Avenue. An employee...
On the Rio Grande, 300 miles apart, Biden and Trump try to use immigration to election advantage
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — On the banks of the same Rio Grande but 300 miles apart, President Joe Biden and GOP challenger Donald Trump on Thursday surveyed the U.S.-Mexico border and tussled from a distance over who is to blame for the nation’s broken immigration system and how to fix it....
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s former student residence is for sale
For more than a decade, the Byham House was home to some of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s students. They slept in dorm rooms, ate meals in the spacious dining room, perused their artist roles for upcoming performances in the study hall and most likely danced in the hallways. A few show...
Spirit Airlines to launch new Pittsburgh route to New York City
Pittsburgh is getting another flight to the New York City area. Spirit Airlines announced Thursday it will start nonstop, seasonal service between Pittsburgh International Airport and New York-LaGuardia Airport on May 8, according to the Allegheny County Airport Authority. A daily round-trip flight will operate through late October. The inbound...
Port Vue park closed following stabbing, assault incident
A public park in Port Vue was closed after police reported a fight that resulted in three people being assaulted, including one that was stabbed in the hand. Police said the fight broke out Tuesday in Romine Avenue Park in the Mon Valley borough. On Thursday, TribLive news partner WTAE...
Westmoreland to consider services similar to Uber and Lyft as public transit options
A program modeled on ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft could begin in Westmoreland County early next year as part of a recasting of the county transit system. The Westmoreland County Transit Authority plan includes changes to existing routes and an emphasis on local service. The ride-sharing program would...
