Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1081
Haiti quake death toll rises to 1,419, injured now at 6,000Video
LES CAYES, Haiti — Rescuers and scrap metal scavengers dug into the floors of a collapsed hotel Monday in this quake-ravaged coastal town, where 15 bodies had already been extracted. Jean Moise Fortunè, whose brother, the hotel owner, was killed in the quake, believed there were more people trapped in...
Western Pa. hospitals, pharmacies offer 3rd dose of covid vaccine
Certain individuals with compromised immune systems are eligible to receive a third dose of the covid-19 vaccine, with UPMC, Allegheny Health Network and Giant Eagle among regional providers offering the shot. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week announced that some people...
Slippery Rock launches new College of Health Professions
Citing growing workforce needs and the popularity of a series of graduate health care and health information programs, the Slippery Rock University council of trustees approved the creation of a new College of Health Professions. The academic unit that will officially begin operating next fall will provide a central home...
South Side’s Club Cafe latest to require proof of covid vaccination for entry
A South Side concert venue is the latest to require patrons to present proof of a covid-19 vaccination for entry. Club Cafe will also require its acts and touring parties to meet the same standard. “Club Cafe is a fully vaccinated workplace and we care about all of you as...
7 killed in Kabul airport chaos as Taliban patrols capital
KABUL, Afghanistan — Thousands of Afghans rushed into Kabul’s main airport Monday, some so desperate to escape the Taliban that they held onto a military jet as it took off and plunged to their deaths. At least seven people died in the chaos, U.S. officials said, as America’s longest war...
Ex-West Penn Hospital technician gets jail for secretly recording undressed patients
The women said they felt violated. That they are no longer trusting. That they look in every vent and under every table, searching for a hidden camera that could once again disrupt their lives. All of it, they told a judge on Monday, because a medical technician at West Penn...
Pittsburgh Allegheny County Thermal building hits the market
A hot market is anticipated for a Downtown building where the steam heat for many office buildings has been generated for decades. The Pittsburgh Allegheny County Thermal building on Fort Duquesne Boulevard between Sixth and Stanwix streets is on the market. “We’re excited about the opportunity,” said Gregg Broujos, regional...
Jeannette police arrest man clad only in underwear after several block chase
It took under a half an hour and a chase through multiple yards and several city blocks, but Jeannette police finally got their man late Saturday — a partially clad prowler. Joseph D. Lawrence, 27, who is listed as homeless in court documents, was in the county jail after failing...
‘Holy Grail’ baseball card of Pirates legend Honus Wagner fetches record $6.6M
A 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card has sold for more than $6.6 million, according to Robert Edward Auctions based in New Jersey. The price shattered a previous record of $5.2 million that was paid for a sports card — 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card and the 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite...
Biden says he stands ‘squarely behind’ Afghanistan decisionVideo
WASHINGTON — Striking a defiant tone, President Joe Biden said Monday that he stands “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan and that the Afghan government’s collapse was quicker than anticipated. Biden said he was faced with a choice between sticking to a previously negotiated agreement to...
Taliban take over Afghanistan: What we know and what’s next
The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. The insurgents stormed across the country, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, as Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the U.S. and...
U.S. agency opens formal probe into Tesla Autopilot system
DETROIT — The U.S. government has opened a formal investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot partially automated driving system after a series of collisions with parked emergency vehicles. The investigation covers 765,000 vehicles, almost everything that Tesla has sold in the U.S. since the start of the 2014 model year. Of the...
Man accused of running over trooper’s foot, hitting pedestrian with car on Pittsburgh’s South Side
A Washington County man was arrested early Monday after state police said he drove over a trooper’s foot and hit a pedestrian with his car on Pittsburgh’s South Side during the weekend. Dirk Laniel Barfield, 35, of California, was being held at the Allegheny County Jail on $25,000 bond. Police...
Police investigate after teen shot in Mt. Washington
Pittsburgh police are investigating after a teenage boy reported being shot at a party in the city’s Mt. Washington section. The 16-year-old went to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm, where he told police he was leaving a house along Secane Avenue when he was shot. Public...
Traffic diverted from East Carson Street where building partially collapsed
Traffic on Pittsburgh’s South Side is being detoured away from a section of East Carson Street while crews begin clearing a building that partially collapsed last week. The road is closed between 16th and 17th streets, the site where the upper floor of a two-story building collapsed on Aug. 12....
Unity’s Victory Brinker, 9, ready to sing in ‘America’s Got Talent’ quarterfinal roundVideo
Victory Brinker could see the iconic “Hollywood” sign from her hotel window. The 9-year-old singing sensation from Westmoreland County was in California prepping for her appearance in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” Victory was taking the sights and the situation in stride, said her mother, Christine, in...
Alligator found, unharmed, after days of wandering West Mifflin’s streets
Police have found the small alligator that’s been spotted roaming the streets of West Mifflin for nearly a week, officials said. The alligator, which stretches about 3 feet long, could be seen with its mouth duct-taped shut being carried in the arms of a gloved police officer on Saturday in...
The world may never reach herd immunity against covid-19, experts say
As covid-19 surged last year, governments worldwide touted the hope of “herd immunity,” a promised land where the virus stopped spreading exponentially because enough people were protected against it. That’s now looking like a fantasy. The thinking was that the pandemic would ebb and then mostly fade once a chunk...
The Taliban won. Here’s what that could meanVideo
Now that the Taliban has regained power after nearly two decades in the Afghan hinterlands, the average Afghan will face a radically different government, and lifestyle, than the one they have known since the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001. How will the Taliban rule? Have they changed? When the Islamist...
USDA to permanently boost food stamp benefits by 25%
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has approved a significant and permanent increase in the levels of food stamp assistance available to needy families—the largest single increase in the program’s history. Starting in October, average benefits for food stamps (officially known as the SNAP program) will rise more than 25 percent...
Marlin Woods drops out of Pittsburgh mayoral race a week after Democrats contest his nomination papers
Independent challenger Marlin Woods has dropped out of the race for Pittsburgh mayor. Woods, a 48-year-old benefits consultant from East Liberty, said that he’s leaving the race regrettably because he does not have sufficient time to defend petition signatures that were challenged by a “few Democrats” last week. The law...
Greensburg Hose Company’s car cruise draws a crowdVideo
For Brian Hixson, attending the Greensburg Hose Company No. 1’s first car and bike cruise Sunday afternoon had ties back to his father. “My father, he introduced me to the hobby, and I’ve been going to car shows every since,” Hixson said. Hixson was displaying his 1972 Morgan at the...
Trudeau triggers Canadian election, voting day Sept. 20
TORONTO — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau triggered an election Sunday as he seeks to capitalize on Canada being one of the most fully vaccinated countries in the world. Trudeau announced the election would be held on Sept. 20 after visiting the governor general, who holds a mostly ceremonial position representing...
Death toll of powerful earthquake in Haiti soars to 1,297Video
LES CAYES, Haiti — The death toll from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti climbed to 1,297 on Sunday, a day after the powerful temblor turned thousands of structures into rubble and set off frantic rescue efforts ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching tropical storm. Saturday’s earthquake also left...
Rural population losses add to farm and ranch labor shortage
OMAHA, Neb. — Rural America lost more population in the latest census, highlighting an already severe worker shortage in the nation’s farming and ranching regions and drawing calls from those industries for immigration reform to help ease the problem. The census data released last week showed that population gains in...
