Top Stories category, Page 948
Pitt, Penn State restarting mask requirements because of covid transmission levels
The University of Pittsburgh and Penn State are requiring people on campus to wear masks when they are indoors at campuses in certain counties. The move comes as a result of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designating those counties as having a high level of covid-19 transmission. The...
Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court rules against Pittsburgh gun regulations
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court on Friday reaffirmed a lower court’s ruling in striking down Pittsburgh gun regulations. The ruling applies to three separate gun cases that were on appeal with the Commonwealth Court, including two that were filed in response to the Oct. 27, 2018, shooting at the Tree of...
Pa. ag secretary joins Latrobe Elementary students for Unity farm tour
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding’s day in the office Friday took him back to his childhood. Alongside Latrobe Elementary School kindergartners and Valley School of Ligonier first graders, Redding took a tour of the Pleasant Lane Farms creamery and dairy barn in Unity. “I’m much like the kindergartner,” Redding said....
High-profile GOP primary losses could make Pitt funding a target in Pa. budget process
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — The primary defeat of one of Harrisburg’s top budget negotiators and the potential loss of another could embolden a...
Tarentum woman accused of lighting man’s shirt on fire with natural gas on and 3 kids in the house
Tarentum police accused a woman of lighting her boyfriend’s shirt on fire while the gas for a stove was turned on and three children were in the home as they argued. Ahgist Fultz, 40, of West Sixth Avenue was charged with three felony counts of endangering the welfare of children...
Official: Girl told 911 ‘send the police now’ as cops waited
Students trapped inside a classroom with a gunman repeatedly called 911 during this week’s attack on a Texas elementary school, including one who pleaded, “Please send the police now,” as officers waited more than an hour to breach the classroom after following the gunman into the building, authorities said Friday....
Provisional ballots challenged as Westmoreland officials gear up for recount
John Holwell had no intention of letting the ballot he cast this month be invalidated, so he came to the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Friday armed with information to defend his vote. “I was ready to do battle,” said Holwell, 66, of Madison. Holwell’s provisional ballot was one of eight...
Hot weather on way, record high temps possible
Don’t let the current cool temperatures fool you. It’s time to dust off the air-conditioning unit in the garage, because we’ll soon be having a heat wave. The National Weather Service in Moon Township is forecasting a major warmup during the latter half of Memorial Day weekend, leading into several...
Increased covid-19, labor costs eat into UPMC’s 1st-quarter income
UPMC reported a sharp decline in operating and investment income during the year’s first quarter, with the health care giant pointing to continued financial challenges from covid-19 and increased labor costs, according to an earnings report released Thursday. The report showed that UPMC had nearly $6.1 billion in total operating...
Allegheny River near train derailment open to all boaters who contact the Coast Guard
Although the Allegheny River was closed initially to all boat traffic from the train derailment site in Harmar to Pittsburgh on Thursday, the U.S Coast Guard has significantly shortened the safety zone and will let all boats pass through that river section if they contact the agency. A Norfolk Southern...
EPA to test Allegheny River water to confirm no petroleum leaked from Harmar derailment
Three railroad cars that were leaking a petroleum product after a freight train derailed in Harmar on Thursday afternoon have been secured with “no immediate signs” that it leaked into a nearby stream feeding into the Allegheny River, Norfolk Southern railroad officials said Friday morning. Freeport Road is expected to...
Oz declares ‘presumptive win’ in Pa. GOP’s U.S. Senate primary
Dr. Mehmet Oz has seen enough, and he isn’t waiting for a recount. Sitting on a 910-vote lead in preliminary, unofficial tallies from Pennsylvania’s Republican Senate primary race as of Friday morning, Oz declared himself the presumptive winner in a new video release in which he took a definitive turn...
Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert to retire after nearly 30 years with bureau
Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert said Friday that he will retire in early July, ending nearly three decades of service with the bureau. “Following deep reflection and significant discussion with my family, I have come to the decision that it is time to step away from the chief’s position and...
More Western Pa. counties return to high covid levels; CDC suggests indoor masking
Westmoreland County has returned to a high covid-19 risk level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s one of four counties in Western Pennsylvania with that designation. Beaver and Butler counties were also recently returned to that level, along with Allegheny County, which has been in a...
Spiritual health: Pittsburgh’s UPMC Mercy celebrates a milestone of patient care
The metal cross is affixed above the hospital president’s door, and it’s not just a decoration. The crucifix symbolizes the religious well-being of patients. In addition to them being cared for by medical doctors and nurses at UPMC Mercy, they receive a level of care not measured in a prescription...
Missing 13-year-old girl is in danger, Pittsburgh police say
Pittsburgh police are seeking the public’s help in finding a 13-year-old girl who is in danger, according to a social media post from the bureau. Nidrea Cox was last seen at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday in Glen Hazel. Cox is 5 feet 7 inches tall. She was wearing black clothing...
Fred Rogers Institute carries on legacy, opens partnership opportunities with name change
The Fred Rogers Institute exists to share every part of Rogers’ legacy, not only his televised impact. And institute Executive Director Dana Winters believes the organization’s name change is going to further that mission. This week, the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media announced it would rebrand...
Masks required again in Fox Chapel Area schools as covid cases rise
Fox Chapel Area students and staff are yet again required to mask up in school buildings and district transportation, according to an email sent to parents Thursday evening by Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac. The school district will provide masks for those who do not have one, Reljac said. The superintendent...
Train derailment in Harmar expected to last through holiday weekend, road and river traffic haltedVideo
Cleanup of the train derailment in Harmar on Thursday is expected to shut down traffic on a section of Freeport Road as well as boat traffic on the adjacent Allegheny River throughout the Memorial Day weekend. Three people were hospitalized after a heavy-construction vehicle carrying stone collided with a Norfolk...
Pa. Turnpike could see Memorial Day traffic exceed pre-pandemic volume
Officials expect to see this year’s Memorial Day holiday traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike exceed pre-pandemic levels. They’re projecting more than 2.2 million travelers will take to the toll road during the four days from Friday through Monday. That represents an increase of nearly 300,000, or 15%, from the same...
DA to seek death penalty against man charged in Pittsburgh triple homicide
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office plans to seek the death penalty against a man charged in the New Year’s Eve killings of three people, including a 12-year-old boy. Ronald Steave, 30, was charged Jan. 6 with three counts of homicide in connection with the shooting deaths of his ex,...
Father of New Kensington boy found dead ordered to trial on charges he punched the boy in November
The father of a 9-year-old New Kensington boy who was found dead May 4 was ordered to stand trial on charges of simple assault and child endangerment that were filed in November. Jean J. Charles, 40, waived his right to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr....
Pittsburgh Art Commission denies proposal for Jane Seymour sculpture on Mt. Washington
Pittsburgh’s Art Commission on Wednesday denied a proposal to place a sculpture by actress Jane Seymour on Mt. Washington’s Grandview Avenue Overlook. The proposed bronze statue would depict Seymour’s open heart design, which is best known from the Kay Jewelers Open Hearts jewelry collection. An anonymous donor offered to fund...
Westmoreland courthouse construction project prompts revision to bail payment process
Westmoreland County Park Police Chief Henry Fontana said he wasn’t quite sure how his department became responsible for collecting bail payments on behalf of inmates seeking release from prison at night or on weekends. But that’s about to change, thanks in part to the $7 million reconstruction of the underground...
Proposal to allow youth groups to camp in Pittsburgh parks moves forward
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday advanced legislation that would allow youth groups to camp in city parks. The measure would allow youth organizations to secure permits to camp in city parks, something that isn’t allowed now, said Kathryn Vargas, director of the Department of Parks and Recreation. “Right now, if...
