Top Stories category, Page 893
U.S. will stretch monkeypox vaccine supply with smaller doses
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials on Tuesday authorized a new monkeypox vaccination strategy designed to stretch limited supplies by allowing health professionals to vaccinate up to five people — instead of one — with each vial. The so-called dose-sparing approach uses just a fraction of the typical amount of the...
Mastriano cuts short interview with Jan. 6 panel
State Sen. Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, had a very brief visit Tuesday with the congressional committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. His attorney, Timothy Parlatore, confirmed that Mastriano spent fewer than 15 minutes speaking to the Jan. 6 committee...
FBI search at Trump Mar-a-Lago estate one of several probes
WASHINGTON — The FBI search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate marked a dramatic and unprecedented escalation of the law enforcement scrutiny of the former president, but the Florida operation is just one part of one investigation related to Trump and his time in office. The potential legal peril from multiple...
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joining Doug Mastriano for Pittsburgh appearance
Sen. Doug Mastriano has booked a Republican A-lister to help boost his campaign for governor of Pennsylvania. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has committed, the Mastriano campaign announced Monday, to an Aug. 19 appearance with Mastriano in Pittsburgh. It’s part of a series of swing state rallies being organized ahead of...
Brighton Rehab, Mt. Lebanon Rehab officials accused of health care fraud in federal indictment
Federal and state law enforcement officials on Tuesday announced health care fraud charges against the owners and management staff at troubled Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County and Mt. Lebanon Rehabilitation and Wellness Center. Both facilities, owned by Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC, have long been the target...
State police identify man who died in Route 51 car crash
State police have identified the man who died in a Tuesday morning car accident on Route 51 in North Union Township. Michael Rhodes, 25, of Connellsville died on the scene while driving a Saturn SUV. At around 5:50 a.m., Rhodes collided with an International Harvester box truck near the Jim...
Avonmore man accused of swinging a knife at neighbors, spitting on troopers
A neighbor was cut on her finger Sunday when state police said she disarmed an Avonmore man who was swinging a knife in the street, according to court papers. Richard W. O’Brien, 45, was being held without bail on charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, simple assault and resisting arrest...
Police: Gateway band director furnished alcohol to high school girl
The Gateway High School band director is charged with furnishing liquor to minors, according to a criminal complaint. James Hoeltje, 37, is accused of giving vodka and whiskey to a high school girl on several occasions. The victim, who is now 18, also told Monroeville Police that Hoeltje would talk...
Coroner names man who died in Greensburg apartment building fire
Authorities have identified a man who died in a Greensburg apartment building fire Monday night. The Westmoreland County coroner’s office listed the victim as David M. Bramini, 40. A ruling on the cause and manner of death is pending results from an autopsy and from toxicology testing. Greensburg Fire Chief...
Doug Mastriano to appear for questioning by House Jan. 6 panelVideo
Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano will dial-in Tuesday morning for a scheduled on-line deposition before the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. But he may not be staying on the line very long, his lawyer says. Attorney Timothy Parlatore says without...
Trump says FBI searched estate in major escalation of probeVideo
WASHINGTON — The FBI searched Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as part of an investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence, people familiar with the matter said Monday, a move that represents a dramatic and unprecedented escalation of law enforcement scrutiny of the...
Cleanup continues after flash flooding in Unity’s village of Dorothy
Peggy Gross watched as an antique sewing machine that belonged to her great-grandmother was carried out of her flood-ravaged Unity home. “Oh, that breaks my heart. You have no idea how old that is,” she said while standing under the shade of a tree in the front yard. Bags of...
Former Fort Pitt Brewery in Jeannette among dozen of properties bought by land bank
Westmoreland County’s Land Bank purchased a dozen tax delinquent properties Monday, including a former brewery building in west Jeannette that officials long have described as blighted and targeted for removal. The county’s tax office sold 27 properties at Monday’s judicial sale and earned more than $199,600. Officials put 49 parcels...
Major test of first possible Lyme vaccine in 20 years beginsVideo
DUNCANSVILLE, Pa. — Researchers are seeking thousands of volunteers in the United States and Europe to test the first potential vaccine against Lyme disease in 20 years — in hopes of better fighting the tick-borne threat. Lyme is a growing problem, with cases rising and warming weather helping ticks expand...
Biden surveys flood damage in Kentucky, pledges more U.S. helpVideo
LOST CREEK, Ky. — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Monday witnessed the damage from deadly and devastating storms that have resulted in the worst flooding in Kentucky’s history, as they visited the state to meet with families and first responders. At least 37 people have died...
Olivia Newton-John, superstar singer and actress, dies at 73
NEW YORK — Olivia Newton-John, the Grammy-winning superstar who reigned on pop, country, adult contemporary and dance charts with such hits as “Physical” and “You’re the One That I Want” and won countless hearts as everyone’s favorite Sandy in the blockbuster film version of “Grease,” has died. She was 73....
2 dead, 12 wounded in weekend violence across Allegheny County
A violent night in Pittsburgh capped off a weekend of carnage across Allegheny County that left 2 people dead and 12 injured between Friday night and early Monday. Stephone Drayton, 40, died around 10:30 p.m. Sunday, less than an hour after he and three others were shot on Pittsburgh’s North...
David McCullough, Pulitzer-winning historian and Pittsburgh native, dies at 89
NEW YORK — David McCullough, a Pittsburgh native and the Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose lovingly crafted narratives on subjects ranging from the Brooklyn Bridge to Presidents John Adams and Harry Truman made him among the most popular and influential historians of his time, has died. He was 89. McCullough died...
Father, son get life for hate crime in Ahmaud Arbery’s death
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The white father and son convicted of murder in Ahmaud Arbery’s fatal shooting after they chased the 25-year-old Black man through a Georgia neighborhood were sentenced Monday to life in prison for committing a federal hate crime. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood handed down the...
Pa. average gas price could fall below $4 by late August, analyst says
The national average price of gasoline could go below $4 per gallon as soon as today as prices fall for an eighth straight week, industry analyst Patrick De Haan said. AAA was reporting the national average at $4.06. National gas price-tracking service GasBuddy has it lower, at $4.01. “By the...
6th suspect arrested in New Kensington homicide; 1 remains at large
One of two teens still at large and charged in the shooting death of a man last month in New Kensington was arrested Monday. U.S. marshals apprehended Elijah Rashad Gary, 18, on Ella Street in Wilkinsburg without incident, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said. Gary is one of seven...
Peters man faces charges after loaded gun found in backpack at Pittsburgh airport
A man is facing charges after Transportation Security Administration officers said they found a loaded handgun in his backpack at Pittsburgh International Airport on Monday morning. The 54-year-old man from Peters tried to go through the main security checkpoint around 5:30 a.m. with a 9mm handgun, according to Allegheny County...
‘We’re triaging’: Cops combat violent crime as ranks dwindle
PORTLAND, Ore. — Five years after Brian Spaulding’s parents found him fatally shot in the home he shared with roommates, his slaying remains a mystery that seems increasingly unlikely to be solved as Portland, Oregon, police confront a spike in killings and more than 100 officer vacancies. The detective assigned...
Senate Democrats pass budget package, a victory for Biden
WASHINGTON — Democrats pushed their election-year economic package to Senate passage Sunday, a hard-fought compromise less ambitious than President Joe Biden’s original domestic vision but one that still meets deep-rooted party goals of slowing global warming, moderating pharmaceutical costs and taxing immense corporations. The estimated $740 billion package heads next...
Pittsburgh man arrested after car chase in Kittanning
A Pittsburgh man faces charges after state police said he led troopers on a chase in Kittanning early Sunday. Troopers tried to pull over a vehicle driven by Jeffrey Ledonne, 42, around 1:30 a.m., but he refused to stop, police said. During the pursuit, police said Ledonne slammed on his...
