Top Stories category, Page 955
Former manager of Salem discount store charged in theft of $18K
A man accused of stealing $18,097 earlier this month from a Dollar General store where he worked in Salem apologized for the thefts to other employees in the store, according to state police. Austin M. Rider, 23, of Jeannette, was charged with receiving stolen property and theft in connection with...
Government offers 8 more free covid tests to public
WASHINGTON — The government website for people to request free covid-19 at-home tests from the U.S. government is now accepting a third round of orders. The White House announced Tuesday that U.S. households can request an additional eight free at-home tests to be shipped by the U.S. Postal Service. The...
Jeannette man pleads guilty to homicide charge in 2019 shooting outside McKee Stadium
A Jeannette man entered a guilty plea Tuesday to third-degree homicide in connection with a 2019 fatal shooting outside McKee Stadium during the fourth quarter of a high school football game. Defense attorney Patrick Thomassey said entering the general plea was a difficult decision for Greg Harper, 43, to make....
Judge orders hold on Pittsburgh’s rental registry
A judge has ordered a stay on Pittsburgh’s rental registry, a program that was struck down in court once before. This comes as the Apartment Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh is suing the city over the measure, which was set to go into effect on May 29. City Council in November...
FDA clears covid booster shot for healthy kids ages 5 to 11
U.S. regulators on Tuesday authorized a covid-19 booster shot for healthy 5- to 11-year-olds, hoping an extra vaccine dose will enhance their protection as infections once again creep upward. Everyone 12 and older already was supposed to get one booster dose for the best protection against the newest coronavirus variants...
Pa.’s richest person has spent at least $18 million on 2022 primary — mostly to influence 1 issue
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 — What does a conservative upstart challenging a top House Republican in York County have in common with a scion...
Democratic governor candidate Josh Shapiro says he has covid
Attorney General Joshua Shapiro, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, announced that he has tested positive for covid-19. He tweeted that Monday night, before heading to Johnstown and Pittsburgh, he took a precautionary covid test. “I’m experiencing some mild symptoms and will continue serving the people of Pennsylvania as I...
More than $75,000 worth of drugs, gun, cash found at Lower Burrell home; 2 arrested
Police arrested two Lower Burrell residents after they raided two Lower Burrell homes where they found more than $75,000 worth of drugs, drug paraphernalia, a loaded shotgun and $38,000. Police on May 13 arrested Dalton Smith, 25, and Tessa Myers, 23, both of Lower Burrell, after searching their home on...
Pittsburgh officials seek an easier path to home ownership for residents
Legislation advanced by City Council on Monday looks to explore limited-equity housing cooperatives as a way of addressing the affordable housing crisis in Pittsburgh. Limited-equity housing cooperatives are a kind of collective home ownership, said Councilwoman Deb Gross, who co-sponsored the measure with Council President Theresa Kail-Smith. People invest equity...
Teen injured, houses damaged in North Huntingdon after lightning strike, officials say
A 15-year-old girl was hurt and a house has a gaping hole in its roof after a lightning strike Monday night that impacted six North Huntingdon homes. Crews responded to the strike on the 12000 block of Sedona Drive at around 8:10 p.m., according to a Facebook post from the...
White House moves to loosen remittance, flight rules on Cuba
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced Monday that it will expand flights to Cuba, take steps to loosen restrictions on U.S. travelers to the island, and lift Trump-era restrictions on remittances that immigrants can send to people on the island. The State Department said in a statement that it will...
With echoes of Trump, GOP splinters over $40B aid for Ukraine
WASHINGTON — Signs of Republican resistance are mounting over a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine, a reemergence of the Trump-led isolationist wing of the GOP that’s coming at a crucial moment as the war against the Russian invasion deepens. The Senate voted late Monday to advance the Ukraine aid...
Family of slain Apollo woman remembers her as one who ‘cared for others’
Following the death of Kelly Steele on Saturday, family members are remembering the Apollo resident as a kind-hearted person and devoted mother and grandmother. “She was loved by many. So many,” said Ean Steele, 23, her son and oldest child. “All she did was love back. I loved her so...
Ex-inmate’s lawsuit claims Westmoreland County violated settlement terms, wants $150K
A New Mexico man who received a $150,000 payment to settle a federal lawsuit against Westmoreland County claims public officials violated terms of a confidentiality agreement and wants an additional payment from taxpayers. Westmoreland commissioners, at a public meeting in February, approved the settlement with James Mapp, 34, to end...
Ingram woman gets jail for violating probation in child abuse case
An Ingram woman who violated the terms of her probation just two days after she was sentenced for allowing her former husband to abuse their children will serve 11-1/2 to 23 months in jail. Trista Price, 38, will be eligible for alternative housing and possible work release. Allegheny County Common...
Port Authority bus driver involved in Fern Hollow Bridge collapse takes 1st step in suing Pittsburgh
A Port Authority of Allegheny County driver who was driving a bus over Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge when it collapsed in January has filed notice that he intends to sue the City of Pittsburgh. Daryl Luciani and his wife, Karen Luciani, filed a motion Monday in Allegheny County Common Pleas...
Abbott says agreement reached to reopen baby formula plant
WASHINGTON — Baby formula maker Abbott said Monday it has reached an agreement with U.S. health regulators to restart production at its largest domestic factory, though it will be well over a month before any new products ship from the site to help alleviate the national shortage facing parents. Abbott...
Gov. Wolf calls recent mass shootings ‘appalling,’ reiterates call for gun reforms
Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday condemned deadly mass shootings that happened over the weekend in Buffalo and Orange County, Calif. Ten people were killed and three others injured at a shooting inside a grocery store in Buffalo on Saturday, while one person was killed and five others injured in the...
Washington Township man sentenced to 12-24 years in prison in hatchet attack incident
A man from Washington Township was sentenced to 12 to 24 years in state prison after pleading no contest to accusations that he hit his ex-fiancee with a hatchet, which was still sticking out of her head when emergency responders arrived at her home in Butler County. Dean Jay Law,...
All the information you need for the Pa. primary
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 — Pennsylvania’s 2022 primary is just one day away. To make sure you’re ready to vote on May 17, Spotlight...
U.S. deaths from covid hits 1 million — less than 2½ years in
The U.S. death toll from covid-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration. The confirmed number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days. It is roughly equal...
Primary voter turnout expectations low across Pittsburgh region
Voters at Harold Zion Lutheran Church in Hempfield will receive one of four different ballots on Tuesday as Westmoreland election officials navigate the first Election Day that features a splitting of Hempfield’s Middletown precinct into two Congressional districts. Hempfield Middletown, with its 668 registered voters, was split in half as...
Respite from gas price increases will be brief as summer driving season nears, analyst says
The national average price of gasoline could be closer to $5 per gallon than $4 later this week as demand increases and inventories decline with the Memorial Day weekend and the start of the summer driving season approaching, an industry analyst said. “New records continued to be set on a...
McDonald’s to sell its Russian business, try to keep workers
McDonald’s said Monday that it has started the process of selling its Russian business, which includes 850 restaurants that employ 62,000 people, making it the latest major Western corporation to exit Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February. The fast food giant pointed to the humanitarian crisis caused by the...
Damaging wind, large hail possible with midday storms
Damaging winds and large hail are possible with storms from mid-morning through midday Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Severe weather is possible in the Pittsburgh area from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., meteorologist David Shallenberger said. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, the main threat will be wind, he said. “It...
