Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 79
Tim Benz: Art Rooney II’s comments about Mike McCarthy are revealing in spots, frustrating in others
Before Mike McCarthy speaks for the first time as Pittsburgh Steelers coach on Tuesday afternoon, we really need to go over some of the things team president Art Rooney II said about him over the weekend. Instead of just a quick comment in a press release, Steelers.com posted a full...
Lower Burrell’s new training proves crucial in snowstorm
Lower Burrell officials were more prepared for Sunday’s snowstorm than any other event in the past 12 years, according to Mayor Chris Fabry. The preparedness can be attributed to city officials’ participation in a community risk reduction course in late November, he said. The course saw city officials from public...
American Academy of Pediatrics releases childhood vaccine schedule that’s at odds with federal recommendations
As an alternative to new federal vaccine recommendations, the American Academy of Pediatrics released its own childhood vaccine schedule Monday with the backing of a dozen of the nation’s most prominent medical groups and associations. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ vaccine schedule differs from the new federal one in a...
Ligonier Country Market facing possible move after lease terminated, director says in email to vendors
The location of the popular Ligonier Country Market could change for the upcoming season. Ligonier Township supervisors are expected to meet Tuesday night to consider options regarding permits issued earlier this month for the weekend event. The market, which runs through the spring, summer and fall, draws thousands of visitors....
Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino and some agents expected to leave Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — A senior Border Patrol commander and some agents are expected to leave Minneapolis as early as Tuesday, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The expected departure of Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, who has been at the center of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration...
Treasury Department ends contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton after Trump tax leak
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department has cut its contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton, after a former contractor who worked for the firm was charged and subsequently imprisoned for leaking tax information to news outlets about thousands of the country’s wealthiest people, including President Donald Trump. The latest move is...
Historic Westmoreland County Courthouse closure: First full snow day since 1999
As snow continued to pummel the region Sunday, Westmoreland County commissioners agreed to do something that had not been done in more than three decades: They shut down the courthouse. Citing public safety concerns, commissioners ordered a one-day closure of the courthouse, postponing scheduled court hearings and canceling two public...
In their words: An examination of statements Trump officials made about what led to Pretti’s death
Trump administration officials swiftly sought to portray 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, as an armed disruptor intent on doing harm to federal agents when he brought his own gun to a Minneapolis street where officers clashed with protesters over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Video shot by bystanders...
Snow storm transforms Winter Field Day from practice to real-life for ham radio operators
Most people would happily have skipped having the past weekend’s winter storm, but for amateur or “ham” radio operators, it was perfect timing. Saturday and Sunday already were scheduled as a nationwide Winter Field Day for the radio operators, which is an event aimed at practicing using their skills during...
What travelers can expect as Southwest Airlines introduces assigned seats
Southwest Airlines passengers made their final boarding-time scrambles for seats on Monday as the carrier prepared to end the open-seating system that distinguished it from other airlines for more than a half‑century. Starting Tuesday, customers on Southwest flights will have assigned seats and the option of paying more to get...
Snow cancels classes, Western Pa. district officials weigh challenges as cold approaches
Many Western Pennsylvania school districts are shifting to remote learning as communities continue to dig out from record-breaking snowfall. As temperatures are expected to remain well below freezing throughout the week, district officials across the region continue to consider how best to handle the weather challenges. On Monday, Pittsburgh Public...
Fetterman calls for end to immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis in wake of killing
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman issued a statement Monday afternoon calling for the federal government to immediately end its massive immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The statement from the Braddock Democrat came two days after Border Patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, 37, in Minneapolis, increasing tensions in a city where...
New Kensington-Arnold considers adding in-house ESL service, phasing out French
New Kensington-Arnold School District officials are looking to create an in-house program for English as a second language while phasing out the high school French program. Jennifer Pallone, the district’s special education director, said the declining popularity of French and a rapid expansion of the number of students who speak...
Photos of the day: Winter storm leaves neighborhoods coated in snow
Winter weather delivers heavy snowfall, leaving rooftops and streets blanketed as the region adjusts to wintry conditions....
Stocks rise as gold hits another record and the dollar’s value sinks again
NEW YORK — Stock indexes ticked higher Monday, while other markets made louder moves, including another record-breaking rush for the price of gold. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% and won back its losses from last week’s dip. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 313 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq...
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County in state of emergency as extra snowplows called inVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor on Monday declared a state of emergency as the city struggled to clear its streets of roughly a foot of snow with dozens of snowplows out of commission. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato followed suit several hours later, issuing her own disaster declaration. The declarations allow...
30 people dead from effects of winter storm as more freezing cold pummels countryVideo
Many in the U.S. faced another night of below-freezing temperatures and no electricity after a colossal winter storm heaped more snow Monday on the Northeast and kept parts of the South coated in ice. At least 30 deaths were reported in states afflicted with severe cold. Deep snow — over...
Federal judge is set to hear arguments on Minnesota’s immigration crackdown after fatal shootings
MINNEAPOLIS — A federal judge will hear arguments Monday on whether she should at least temporarily halt the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that has led to the fatal shootings of two people by government officers. The state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the Department...
Madden Monday: Some quiet, underlying reasons why Mike McCarthy got hired
On the topic of the Pittsburgh Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy to be their new head coach, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X shared an opinion similar to one that I advanced on Sunday. The gripe is more about the process than the person. “I don’t get why they...
Videos of deadly Minneapolis shooting contradict government statementsVideo
Leaders of law enforcement organizations expressed alarm Sunday over the latest deadly shooting by federal officers in Minneapolis while use-of-force experts criticized the Trump administration’s justification of the killing, saying bystander footage contradicted its narrative of what prompted it. The federal government also faced criticism over the lack of a...
Trump, unbowed by backlash to Minneapolis shooting, blames Democrats for ‘chaos’Video
WASHINGTON — The fatal shooting of a Minneapolis protester by a federal immigration officer touched off a fierce national debate and prompted some fellow Republicans to question President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration crackdown, but the president on Sunday night continued to blame Democratic officials. After remaining relatively quiet on Sunday,...
Hospital staff sleep over as Pittsburgh-area facilities stay open through major snowstorm
While emergency-room traffic Sunday remained on the slower side in Pittsburgh-area hospitals, hundreds of doctors and nurses were preparing to spend the night in these facilities to ensure the injured and ailing had access to health care in the midst of the massive snowfall. It’s difficult to pinpoint how many...
PRT suspends service until Monday morning; Westmoreland Transit service halted until noon Monday
Heavy snowfall and “deteriorating conditions” led Pittsburgh Regional Transit to suspend all bus and rail service in the region Sunday at around 5 p.m., the transit agency posted to social media. Normal operations are expected to resume Monday morning. In Westmoreland County, all fixed-route bus service from Westmoreland Transit is...
Ice from winter storm leaves hundreds of thousands of customers without power across the SouthVideo
A massive winter storm dumped sleet, freezing rain and snow across much of the U.S. on Sunday, bringing subzero temperatures and paralyzing air and road traffic. Tree branches and power lines snapped under the weight of ice, and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the Southeast were left...
More than 11,400 flights canceled as massive winter storm sweeps across country
NASHVILLE — A massive winter storm made for a brutal travel day Sunday, with widespread cancellations and delays at some of the nation’s busiest airports. Widespread snow, sleet and freezing rain threatened nearly 180 million people — more than half the U.S. population — in a path stretching from the...
