Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1083
Greensburg Music Fest plans 20-plus acts on 4 downtown stages
Downtown Greensburg will resound with music of all kinds on Saturday, as more than 20 acts take to four stages during the daylong Greensburg Music Fest. Take it from musician Chris Fafalios, it will be “the best thing to do within hours of Greensburg.” Fafalios and his band, Another Cheetah,...
Biden eyes tougher vaccine rules without provoking backlash
WASHINGTON — When the pace of vaccinations in the U.S. first began to slow, President Joe Biden backed incentives like million-dollar cash lotteries if that’s what it took to get shots in arms. But as new coronavirus infections soar, he’s testing a tougher approach. In just the past two weeks,...
Despite covid pandemic, Pittsburgh’s Allentown remains open for business
Rebecca Romagnoli is passionate about pasta. Romagnoli’s business, Forma Pasta, began as a subscription service in August 2019 but in November 2020 — in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic — opened a retail location in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Allentown. “I chose Allentown because it is still up and...
Isolated storms, heavy wind gusts in Friday’s forecast following stormy night, damage
As recovery continues from a night of pounding rain, power outages and flash flooding, National Weather Service officials are forecasting the potential for more storms in southwestern Pennsylvania into Friday evening. The National Weather Service’s hazardous weather outlook for the region forecasts isolated severe storms, with the main threat coming...
Extra federal unemployment aid will soon end for 500,000 Pennsylvanians
More than a half-million jobless Pennsylvanians receiving temporary aid from three federal unemployment programs will see those checks end as of Sept. 4, the state said. The state Department of Labor and Industry said it is working with organizations and agencies to identify programs and support services for those who...
4 firefighters hurt in possible Stowe arson
Four firefighters were treated for injuries Thursday night when a front porch of a duplex collapsed in Stowe Township, Allegheny County police said. County police said that the firefighters were bring treated at area hospitals for non life-threatening injuries. Detectives from the county police general investigations unit began an investigation...
Extra covid vaccine OK’d for those with weak immune systems
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators on Thursday said transplant recipients and others with weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of the covid-19 vaccine to better protect them as the delta variant continues to surge. The announcement by the Food and Drug Administration applies to millions of Americans who are...
Fire extensively damages Latrobe pastry shop, displaces apartment dweller
A fire extensively damaged Latrobe’s Dainty Pastry Shoppe Thursday night and displaced one occupant from an apartment in the Depot Street building, according to fire officials. Reported at about 9:30 p.m., the blaze was knocked down within an hour, Latrobe Fire Chief John Brasile said, though crews remained on the...
Police: Building partially collapses on East Carson in Pittsburgh’s South Side
Part of a building collapsed on Thursday evening on East Carson Street in Pittsburgh’s South Side, authorities said. The upper floor of a two-story building in the 1600 block fell into the street, according to Public Safety officials. No one was inside when the collapsed occurred, and no patrons on...
Severe storms trigger flash flood warning, knock out power around Western Pa.
A relentless line of strong thunderstorms triggered flood warnings, knocked out power to tens of thousands of residents and may have contributed to a partial building collapse on Pittsburgh’s South Side on Thursday evening, the chaotic ending to one of the hottest days of the summer in Western Pennsylvania. A...
Out-of-state covid hot spots ‘desperate’ to transfer patients to Western Pa. hospitals
Overburdened health care systems from Texas to Florida are pleading with Western Pennsylvania hospitals to take on transfer patients at record-high rates as beds and ventilators reach capacity in covid-19 hot spots across the country. “They’re running out of space, and they’re looking for help in trying to deal with...
Severe thunderstorm warning issued for southern Butler County
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for southern Butler County that’s in effect until 6:45 p.m. Thursday. The warning area covers the entire southern half of the county, from Butler south to the Allegheny County line. The main threats are winds up to 60 mph and...
Man charged with burglary in 3 A-K Valley towns was looking for open doors, police say
A man accused of trying to burglarize homes in Frazer also is facing burglary charges in two other Alle-Kiski Valley towns. Frazer police arrested Eric Allen Shank, 35, of Indiana, Indiana County, on Tuesday. In a criminal complaint, Frazer police said Shank told them he was going to enter homes...
Pa.’s political mapmakers finally have new census data. Now the hard work begins.
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — After months of delays, the Census Bureau on Thursday delivered...
Allegheny, Butler, Washington counties show population growth in 2020 Census
Allegheny County’s population has increased for the first time in a census since 1960. The county’s population grew by 27,223 (2.2%) in the 2020 Census, released Thursday. The county’s population is more than 1.25 million. “For decades, it was resigned that when young people grew up they were going to...
Census shows U.S. is diversifying, white population shrinking
The United States became more diverse and more urban over the past decade, and the white population dropped for the first time on record, the Census Bureau said Thursday as it released a trove of demographic data that will be used to redraw the nation’s political maps. The new figures...
2 arrested in fatal Downtown Pittsburgh shooting
Two men were arrested Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in Downtown Pittsburgh earlier in the day, according to Pittsburgh police. Taylor Wible, 21, of Pittsburgh was charged by police with criminal homicide and carrying a firearm, while Ela N. Aydin, 18, of Oakdale, was charged...
Pittsburgh police to monitor accidents involving city’s new scooter fleet
Pittsburgh police have started tracking incidents, accidents and citations involving the new electric scooters popping up throughout the city, officials said. The e-scooters are part of the city’s Move PGH pilot program, which aims to bring a variety of accessible transit options to car-free homes, whether they be car-free by...
Man investigated for robbing West Deer Family Dollar charged in Middlesex bank robbery
A man being investigated for robbing a Family Dollar store in West Deer last month is accused of robbing a Butler County bank on Saturday, and police say he used proceeds from the robberies to pay rent. The FBI charged Matthew Milliron, 39, of West Deer in connection with Saturday’s...
Stage AE to require proof of vaccination for shows
Stage AE will require proof of covid-19 vaccination for all concertgoers and event staff starting next week with the Modest Mouse show, according to the venue. “For the show to go on, we have updated our vaccination policy to ensure the safety of fans, artists and live event workers,” a...
Crafton man gets prison time for role in Downtown Pittsburgh riot
Raekwon Blankenship can be seen on video stomping on a police vehicle, wielding a construction sign at a police horse’s throat and then throwing the same sign like a javelin through the windshield of another police car. At his sentencing in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on Thursday, Blankenship apologized...
Pennsylvania’s weekly covid cases at highest point in nearly 3 months
In the past week, Pennsylvania has recorded 11,747 cases of covid-19 — the most in nearly three months. The cases — 8,927 of which were confirmed through a PCR test and 2,820 counted as probable — represent a significant increase since as recently as July 1, when a week’s worth...
Court rules UPMC can proceed with controversial South Hills hospital
A new UPMC hospital planned about a mile from an Allegheny Health Network hospital in Jefferson Hills can be built, a state appeals court has ruled. The 63-bed hospital, called UPMC South, has been in the works since 2018, and is planned off Route 51 along Elliott Road. But more...
State prison guards union warns Wolf of legal action over vaccine mandate
HARRISBURG — The union that represents about 10,000 guards in Pennsylvania’s state prisons told Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday it plans legal action to stop his effort to force them to get covid-19 vaccines over the next month. The president of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association sent a letter...
TV Talk: Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison wrestles in ‘Heels’Video
For Steelers linebacker-turned-actor James Harrison there’s a commonality to playing for the NFL and acting in a TV series. “It’s bonding, it’s team building,” he said of making “Heels,” a Starz eight-episode, first-season drama he co-stars in as a wrestler. “You can’t just go out there and think you’re gonna...
