Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1003
Police: 14-year-old stabbed multiple times in Pittsburgh found at Castle Shannon auto dealership
Castle Shannon police responding to a call early Wednesday for a stabbing victim along Library Road found a 14-year-old boy at an auto dealership suffering from multiple wounds, according to authorities. Police said the teen was in the back seat of a car in the parking lot of the Kenny...
With snow predicted this week, will PennDOT be able to clear the roads with limited staff?
As snow looms in the forecast this week, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has been trying to fill hundreds of snow plow driver positions across the state to prepare for the upcoming winter weather. And it hasn’t been easy. Currently, PennDOT has filled 40 percent of the 695 temporary operator...
Omicron could overtake delta within weeks, experts say
Some experts are warning that although evidence is still emerging, the highly concerning omicron variant is expected to overtake delta within weeks. “I do expect omicron to displace delta in the coming weeks,” said Stephen Kissler, a disease modeler at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in a...
Pearl Harbor survivors gather on 80th anniversary of attack
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — A few dozen survivors of Pearl Harbor and other veterans gathered Tuesday at the site of the bombing 80 years ago to remember those killed in the attack by Japan that launched the U.S. into World War II. The USS Chung-Hoon, a guided missile destroyer, passed...
‘Business as usual’ after $1.8 billion transaction involving Westmoreland casino
After more than a year in operation, the Live! Casino Pittsburgh property at Westmoreland Mall is changing hands. In a $1.8 billion deal, Wyomissing-based Gaming and Leisure Properties in Berks County will acquire three properties owned by Baltimore- based The Cordish Cos., including Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland, Live! Casino...
WTAE promotes Elena LaQuatra
WTAE-TV reporter Elena LaQuatra, who has been filling in as morning traffic reporter since July, has been promoted to that position as well as noon weekday newscast anchor on Channel 4, effective next week. LaQuatra, a Mt. Lebanon native, first worked at WTAE in 2015 as a digital content creator....
13 flags dedicated at Arnold Palmer airport in tribute to fallen U.S. service membersVideo
When a memorial to fallen U.S. service members was being installed more than a month ago at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, airport authority member Don Rossi saw a spontaneous addition to the V-shaped formation of 13 flags. “I drove by, and I saw two bouquets of flowers,” Rossi said. “That’s...
Police: Westmoreland prison inmate had homemade shank in jail cell
A Greensburg man in jail on charges of attempting to stab his community college teacher with a screwdriver was arraigned Tuesday for allegedly possessing a homemade weapon, or shank, in his cell. A guard reported that while on routine rounds Nov. 21, he saw a shank lying on a blanket...
Greensburg doctor gets nearly 5 years in prison for painkiller scheme
A former Greensburg doctor who pleaded guilty to health care fraud and conspiracy for illegally prescribing a potent painkiller will serve nearly five years in prison. Thomas Whitten, 71, pleaded guilty in July to taking kickbacks from Insys Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company that makes Subsys, a painkiller 50 to 100...
Federal court hears arguments in lawsuit over Port Authority’s Black Lives Matter mask ban
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday in the federal lawsuit over a Port Authority of Allegheny County uniform policy banning Black Lives Matter facemasks and other political speech. In July 2020, an employee complained about Black Lives Matter facemasks being worn by some bus drivers, prompting...
2 men accused of breaking into Digital Foundry construction site in New Kensington to steal tools
New Kensington police have accused two men of breaking into the construction site of Penn State’s new innovation and manufacturing lab along Fifth Avenue to steal tools. Randy Dean McGuire Jr., 31, of Pipers Road in West Leechburg, and Kevin Paul Pierce, 32, of First Avenue in Hyde Park were...
Major outage hits Amazon Web Services; many sites affected
Amazon Web Services suffered a major outage Tuesday, the company said, limiting service at many key and popular sites. The company provides cloud computing services to many governments, universities and companies, including the Associated Press. Amazon said in a post an hour after the outage began that it had identified...
Biden-Putin square off as tension grows on Ukraine border
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin squared off Tuesday over the massive buildup of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border, the U.S. president eager to use his video call with Putin to serve notice that Moscow will face economy-jarring sanctions if it invades neighboring Ukraine. Just hours...
Pittsburgh bans parking in bike lanes, with exceptions
Pittsburgh drivers are now barred from parking in bike lanes, with some exceptions. City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed an ordinance that forbids people from parking in the city’s bike lanes. Bike lanes are now added to a list of places drivers can’t park — with other areas including crosswalks,...
Justices take up Pennsylvania’s deadly force rules for cops
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s high court may soon decide whether state law on police use of deadly force during arrests gives officers too much leeway to take the life of a fleeing suspect. The state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday on the question, which arose during the criminal...
Norwin to avoid mask mandate by holding school board meetings off school property
The Norwin School Board has taken a novel approach to dodging the state mandate that people wear masks when inside school buildings, an apparent concession to board members and several people in the audience this week who did not wear masks. Board members voted to hold their January meetings within...
Person taken to hospital after car collides with train in Duquesne
Police are investigating a crash involving a train and a vehicle on Tuesday morning in the city of Duquesne. Police, fire and emergency medical services were dispatched to the intersection of Grant Avenue and Duquesne Boulevard shortly before 4:30 a.m., according to an Allegheny County 911 supervisor. The supervisor said...
Churchill to vote this month on controversial Amazon distribution center
Churchill officials have set a date to vote on a controversial plan to turn the former George Westinghouse Research and Technology Park into an Amazon distribution center. The seven-member borough council will meet at 6 p.m. on Dec. 21 to consider a proposal from Hillwood Development to build a 2.6-million-square-foot...
Victim of fatal shooting in Rankin identified, police seeking tips about case from public
A man who was shot to death in Rankin on Monday night has been identified. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim as Tyler Lewis Wade-Jackson, 20, of Penn Hills. The medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of his death. Officers responded...
Police investigating after dogs that got loose in Hunker found shot in New Stanton woods
State police are investigating after two pet dogs that escaped from their Hunker home last week were found dead of apparent gunshot wounds, officials said. Hunters discovered the dogs — Hagrid, 5, and Aspen, 4 — in the woods behind Calvary Baptist Church in New Stanton with gunshot wounds to...
Gov. Wolf visits Tree of Life synagogue to announce $6.6M grant to rebuild site
Officials gathered outside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill on Monday, the last day of Hanukkah, to receive what leaders called a gift that will help the congregation move forward with its mission to remember, rebuild and renew. The rainy gathering of Gov. Tom Wolf, Mayor Bill...
2 Pittsburgh zoo tigers test positive for covid as zoo awaits vaccines
Two tigers at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium have tested positive for covid-19, officials said Monday as the Highland Park facility remained on a waiting list for specialty vaccines developed specifically for animals. The tigers were tested via nasal swab after they started showing symptoms, including “occasional coughing and...
Westmoreland drug court still awaiting Chew pledge as others step up with donations
A donation Commissioner Doug Chew promised in September to keep a weekend testing program in place through the end of the year for Westmoreland County’s drug court never was made, the Tribune-Review confirmed Monday. Chew, a first-term Republican, faced criticism this summer when it was disclosed he had yet to...
Pitt continues to sort through vaccine mandate
Officials at the University of Pittsburgh aren’t saying how many students, faculty and staff are facing ouster for failure to meet today’s deadline to provide proof of covid-19 vaccination or an approved exemption. Unlike officials at Excela Health System and UPMC who have temporarily put their vaccine mandates on hold,...
Westmoreland County passes 1,000 covid-related deaths since pandemic began
An ominous mark is here: 1,000 covid-related deaths in Westmoreland County, making it the ninth county in Pennsylvania to reach four digits. Two deaths reported Monday pushed the county to 1,001 lives lost, according to figures from the state Department of Health. Of those, 400 deaths occurred in nursing homes....
