Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 981
Work to refinish New Kensington church’s ‘onion dome’ continues
The layers of the onion are being put back on a New Kensington church. It was finally warm and dry enough Tuesday to begin work to refinish the onion dome atop St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church on Elmtree Road. It’s the first time the “terribly weathered” onion dome, so...
Commonwealth Court halts PennDOT bridge tolling project, including I-79 near Bridgeville
A Commonwealth Court judge on Wednesday granted a preliminary injunction to halt a statewide bridge-tolling project, saying that the plan likely violates state statutes and impacts local communities that PennDOT failed to consult. The ruling came in response to a suit filed by several municipalities that objected to tolling on...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust president and CEO Kevin McMahon retiring at end of 2022
When J. Kevin McMahon arrived in Pittsburgh 21 years ago to work for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, remnants of the seedy red-light part of Downtown that became the Cultural District were still in place. “The city was starting to emerge from its past, but I looked right out on Liberty...
U.S. case of monkeypox reported in Massachusetts man
NEW YORK — Massachusetts on Wednesday reported a rare case of monkeypox in a man who recently traveled to Canada, and health officials are looking into whether it is connected to small outbreaks in Europe. Monkeypox is typically limited to Africa, and rare cases in the United States and elsewhere...
President Biden invokes Defense Production Act for formula shortage
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday invoked the Defense Production Act to speed production of infant formula and authorized flights to import supply from overseas, as he faces mounting political pressure over a domestic shortage caused by the safety-related closure of the country’s largest formula manufacturing plant. The Defense...
Voter turnout strong for Westmoreland primary as political leaders look to fall campaign
More than 41% of Republicans and nearly 40% of registered Democrats in Westmoreland County voted in Tuesday’s gubernatorial and U.S. Senate primaries, numbers that have local political leaders predicting an energetic fall campaign. The county’s results closely mirror statewide totals as Democrats backed Lt. Gov. John Fetterman for Senate while...
State Rep. Jessica Benham wins Democratic nomination in 36th State House District
State Rep. Jessica Benham, D-South Side, trounced her opponent in Tuesday’s Democratic primary race in the 36th State House District, according to unofficial tallies. Benham was first elected in 2020 to a strong Democratic district that includes Brentwood, Mt. Oliver and several Pittsburgh neighborhoods, including all or parts of Arlington,...
Court rejects John Lesko’s appeal in 1980 western Pa. ‘Kill for Thrill’ spree
One of the last appeals for Pennsylvania’s longest-serving death row inmate has been denied. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Tuesday rejected 64-year-old John Lesko’s request for a new trial and sentencing hearing. He was convicted in the 1980 murder of Apollo police Officer Leonard Miller,...
New lawsuit contends retaliation against Sewickley Academy in race debate
A lawsuit filed Wednesday against Sewickley Academy alleges that faculty members were told to teach “both sides” of issues such as slavery in the school’s Black history classes, after last year’s controversy over allegations about a social justice program. Michael-Ann Cerniglia, D. Barrett Gough, Jill Korber Small and Gail Wolfe...
Allegheny Valley School District agrees to 5-year contract with its teachers
Teachers and the school board in the Allegheny Valley School District have forged a new five-year contract. On Tuesday, the board unanimously ratified the agreement after the Allegheny Valley Education Association had done so earlier in the day. Under the new contract, the 78-member teaching staff will receive an average...
Ligonier Township property listed at $1.45 million was inspired by builder’s dream
Builder Joseph Minyon said the idea for the 12,000-square-foot, chateau-inspired home he built in Ligonier Township came to him in a dream. “I saw a bird in flight with wings outstretched — I’m not sure what kind of bird it was, but I’ll say it was an eagle,” he said....
Stocks fall sharply as Target’s woes renew inflation fears
NEW YORK — The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank more than 1,100 points and the S&P 500 had its biggest drop in nearly two years Wednesday, as big earnings misses by Target and other major retailers stoked investors’ fears that surging inflation could cut deeply into corporate profits. The broad...
Fetterman says he’s ready to return to lieutenant governor duties
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said in a letter to state legislators Wednesday that he is ready to return to his duties in Pennsylvania’s second-highest elected office, a day after undergoing a procedure to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator in his chest. Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman will continue...
Outstanding votes in Allegheny County could sway races, but will take time to count
Allegheny County elections officials have tallied the vast majority of votes cast in Tuesday’s primary, but some races remain too close to call and could be decided by remaining votes that need to be tabulated. Officials said some of the outstanding votes will be counted on Friday, but it’s unlikely...
Pittsburgh planners to consider plans for 20-story tower above Downtown’s YWCA building
Plans for a proposed 20-story tower with 300 apartments above the former YWCA of Pittsburgh building in Downtown now include a rooftop pool, two-story restaurant and health club, according to a project architect. City Club Apartments LLC bought the former YWCA of Pittsburgh building at 305 Wood St. for $4...
Officials say more areas of U.S. may see mask recommendations
WASHINGTON — Covid-19 cases are increasing in the United States – and could get even worse over the coming months, federal health officials warned Wednesday in urging areas hardest hit to consider reissuing calls for indoor masking. Increasing numbers of covid-19 infections and hospitalizations are putting more of the country...
Pennsylvania covid update: 27K cases reported for week
On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health released its weekly update on covid-19, showing an additional 27,391 infections in the past seven days. The state is recording new cases of the virus at levels not seen since mid-February. The latest report shows new cases increased 23% over the previous week’s...
Oz, McCormick still neck and neck in Pa. GOP Senate primary
HARRISBURG — Heart surgeon-turned-TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund CEO David McCormick went into Wednesday essentially tied in Pennsylvania’s hotly contested Republican nomination for an open U.S. Senate seat, expected to be among the nation’s most competitive races in the fall. The contest was within a couple...
Motorcycle driver dies in crash with truck in Penn Hills
A man died Wednesday morning in a crash involving a box truck and a motorcycle in Penn Hills, Allegheny County Police said. Police said the crash in the 1100 block of Milltown Road was reported to 911 shortly after 7:30 a.m. The man operating the motorcycle was pronounced dead at...
Bethel Park police release video of 2 officers being hit by vehiclesVideo
Bethel Park police released a video Tuesday showing two police officers being hit by vehicles in separate incidents this month. The incidents happened May 3 on South Park Road near Pennsylvania Avenue and May 13 at Broughton Road and Route 88. The police department combined the two incidents into one...
Castle Shannon man accused of harassing, intimidating poll workers
Castle Shannon police said a man caused a disruption Tuesday at a polling location in the borough’s library. Police said David Huff, 57, of Castle Shannon refused to leave and resisted arrest, injuring an officer and damaging a police vehicle. According to a criminal complaint against Huff, police responded around...
Tarentum woman faces felony charges after police say 3-year-old found wandering outside
A Tarentum woman was charged with three felony counts of child endangerment after police say bystanders found her 3-year-old daughter wandering outside after the woman left the girl at home alone. Leah Marie Frantz, 30, of the 300 block of West 10th Avenue, faces a preliminary hearing on the charges...
1 man dead, other injured in 2-vehicle North Versailles crash
One man died and another was hurt in a two-vehicle crash in North Versailles Wednesday morning, Allegheny County Police said. According to police, the crash in the 400 block of East Pittsburgh McKeesport Boulevard was reported shortly after 6 a.m. First responders found one man dead at the scene. The...
Aerion Abney leads by wide margin in 19th State House District race
Newly elected state Rep. Aerion Abney led by a wide margin Tuesday over the Rev. Glenn Grayson in a Democratic primary race in the 19th State House District. Abney, 33, of Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood, defeated Grayson, 62, of the Hill District, in an April special election race to complete former...
McKeesport’s Austin Davis wins Democratic primary for lieutenant governor; DelRosso out to early lead in GOP race
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Democrats gave their nominee for governor his choice for second-in-command on Tuesday, selecting state Rep. Austin Davis to be their lieutenant governor candidate in the fall election. Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Democrats’ choice for governor, had endorsed Davis over state Rep. Brian Sims, who ran an...
