Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 843
Senate passes defense bill rescinding covid vaccine mandate
WASHINGTON — A bill to rescind the covid-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military and provide nearly $858 billion for national defense passed the Senate on Thursday and now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The bill provides for about $45 billion more for...
GOP seeks vote in May on Dem vacancies in House power struggle
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House’s Republican leader on Thursday submitted paperwork seeking to wait until the May primary before holding special elections in two vacant districts, the latest move in a power struggle over control of the nearly evenly divided chamber. Republican Leader Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County sent Allegheny...
Medical marijuana company to lay off workers at McKeesport growing facility
Trulieve, a medical marijuana company with locations throughout Pennsylvania, is laying off an unspecified number of people at its growing facility in McKeesport. The company said in a statement the cuts are the “result of greater efficiencies throughout our supply chain and retail operations in the state.” “Where possible, we...
16-year-old Monessen boy charged as adult in fatal November shooting of another teen
A 16-year-old Monessen boy has been charged as an adult in the fatal shooting last month of another Monessen teen. Terry Newton is charged with criminal homicide in the death of Amari Altomore, 16, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced Thursday. Newton, who was not in custody as of...
Tensions boil over in UPMC hearing over secret recording
A court hearing over a secretly recorded conversation between two UPMC physicians on Thursday devolved into shouting and threats to have an attorney jailed before cooler heads prevailed. Dr. James Luketich, the head of cardiothoracic surgery for UPMC, filed a motion for an injunction to prohibit the use of the...
House approves referendum to ‘decolonize’ Puerto RicoVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence, in a last-ditch effort that stands little chance of passing the Senate. The bill, which passed 233-191 with...
Democrat Dave Fawcett announces run for Allegheny County Executive
A former Allegheny County councilman said Thursday that he is running to replace outgoing County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. Attorney Dave Fawcett, 64, of Oakmont, said he is seeking the Democratic nomination in next year’s race. He joins a growing Democratic field, which already includes Allegheny County Councilwoman Liv Bennett, Pittsburgh...
Trump, quiet since announcing reelection bid, makes ‘major announcement’ to hawk trading cards of himself
Former President Donald Trump has kept a low profile since announcing last month that he’s running for president again. That is, until Thursday. Trump took to social media and the internet to make what he called “a major announcement.” No, it wasn’t to announce his running mate or weigh in...
Crews shut down homeless encampment on Pittsburgh’s North Side
Pittsburgh officials on Wednesday shut down a homeless encampment in the city’s North Side and helped to relocate most people who had been living there. City officials worked to develop “transition plans” for people living at the encampment along Stockton Avenue near Sue Murray Pool before closing it down and...
White House reveals winter covid-19 plans, more free tests
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is again making some free covid-19 tests available to all U.S. households as it unveils its contingency plans for potential coronavirus surges this winter. After a three-month hiatus, the administration is making four rapid virus tests available through covidtests.gov starting Thursday, a senior administration official...
Ohio truck driver pleads guilty to causing fatal crash on Interstate 70
Sheila Walton dabbed tears from her eyes as she told a Westmoreland County judge that the Ohio truck driver who initiated a fatal rear-end collision two years ago on Interstate 70 in South Huntingdon changed her family forever. Walton’s 27-year-old son, Dillon Walton of New Stanton, was killed as he...
A holiday gift? Reopening Fern Hollow Bridge will clear some headaches for businesses, customers
For almost a year, driving around parts of Pittsburgh’s East End has been pretty tricky. With the Jan. 28 collapse of Fern Hollow Bridge, an important artery connecting the Squirrel Hill and Regent Square neighborhoods and points beyond, traffic jams and detours — and the stress that comes along with...
Donations down as Salvation Army kettle drive nears final stretch before Christmas
Todd Harris’ well-wishing bellows and bell ringing can be heard throughout a Hempfield parking lot when he’s on duty. The Greensburg man is dedicated to volunteering for The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign, ringing a bell so much during his shifts that he hears it in his sleep. He is...
Caution advised as freezing rain slicks roads north, east of Pittsburgh
Commuters in the Pittsburgh metro area should be seeing mostly wet roads Thursday morning, but icy conditions could be encountered north and east of the city, a National Weather Service meteorologist said. Temperatures in most of the Pittsburgh area were above freezing as of about 5:30 a.m. with just rain...
Pittsburgh police arrest 2 men after a chase on and off the Parkway, at least 2 cars struck
Two men were arrested by Pittsburgh Police after a chase ended in a crash downtown Wednesday evening. Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz reported plainclothes detectives saw a man wanted on a federal drug warrant in the parking lot of a gas station at Beechwood Boulevard and Browns Hill Road shortly...
Former Lt. Gov. candidate Carrie Lewis DelRosso won’t run for late state Rep. Tony DeLuca’s seat
Carrie Lewis DelRosso will not seek the Republican nomination for representative of the state House’s 32nd District. The former Oakmont councilwoman and most recently lieutenant governor candidate made her announcement Wednesday. “After much consideration and many discussions with my family and colleagues, I have decided not to be a candidate...
House passes bill to extend government funding for 1 weekVideo
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-led House passed a short-term spending bill Wednesday to keep government agencies funded at current levels through Dec. 23, giving lawmakers more time to craft a roughly $1.7 trillion appropriations package that would cover the full fiscal year. Congress faces a deadline of midnight Friday to pass...
Hearing on secret recording between UPMC doctors continues
A surreptitious recording of a conversation between UPMC’s head of cardiothoracic surgery and the doctor treating him with suboxone was “part of a years-long vendetta,” an attorney for the hospital behemoth said in court on Wednesday. UPMC attorney John Conti argued during a preliminary injunction hearing that circumstantial evidence in...
Westmoreland will cut ties with renowned pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht
Westmoreland County is cutting ties with renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht. The county commissioners Thursday are expected to approve a one-year contract with Wecht’s former assistant to do autopsies for Coroner Tim Carson and rent the autopsy suite at Westmoreland’s forensics center in Hempfield. Wecht, 92, has worked as...
Vigil held to remember victim of fatal New Kensington shooting; pleas made for witnesses to ID killer
A small group gathered Wednesday near the scene of last week’s fatal shooting in New Kensington to remember the victim and call on the person who killed him to surrender to authorities. James Michael Hayes, 31, was found shot to death Friday in the parking lot behind Kensington Arms Apartments...
Recount requests delay Pennsylvania election certification
HARRISBURG — Five weeks after Election Day, winning candidates in Pennsylvania from governor to Congress are waiting for their victories to become official. An effort that appears to be at least partially coordinated among conservatives has inundated counties with ballot recount requests even though no races are close enough to...
Woman killed in Downtown Pittsburgh apartment building fire identified
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office on Wednesday identified the individual who died in a Downtown fire this week as 80-year-old Barbara Johnson. Police said Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene, where a five-alarm fire consumed the 12th floor of The Roosevelt Building at Penn Avenue and Sixth Street....
Fern Hollow Bridge could open before Christmas, officials say
Less than one year after collapsing, the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh could reopen before Christmas and reconnect a vital artery in the city’s East End. PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park is anticipated to reopen before the end of 2022, and possibly...
Pittsburgh City Council approves $10M budget for Housing Opportunity Fund
Pittsburgh City Council has approved a $10 million budget for the city’s Housing Opportunity Fund. More than $3.8 million of the budget is allocated for rental gap financing, which aims to help in building more affordable rental housing units in the city. Most of that money — about $3 million...
A decade after Sandy Hook, grief remains but hope grows
NEWTOWN, Conn. — They would have been 16 or 17 this year. High school juniors. The children killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012 should have spent this year thinking about college, taking their SATs and getting their driver’s licenses. Maybe attending their first prom. Instead,...
