Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1086
From alpha to lambda — a guide to the Greek alphabet of covid variants
First, many called it simply the coronavirus, then covid or covid-19. Now, we are keeping track of descriptors like alpha, beta and gamma, the variants of covid-19. The World Health Organization created this naming system to make them easier to publicly discuss. Viruses are constantly changing through mutation, which results...
Mike Lange leaving Penguins broadcast booth
Hockey nights in Pittsburgh will never be the same. After 46 years in the broadcast booth, the legendary Mike Lange has called his last Penguins game. The team announced Monday that Lange, 73, will not return to play-by-play duties when the season begins in the fall. Lange will continue to...
Wilkins man claimed to be policeman during traffic stop, troopers say
A Wilkins man was arrested Friday after police said he claimed to be a law enforcement officer during a traffic stop with a state trooper, according to court papers. Jonathan Matthew Kauric II, 38, who also lists a Mt. Pleasant address, is charged with impersonating a public servant, disorderly conduct,...
Fake covid vaccine cards online worry college officials
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — As the delta variant of the coronavirus sweeps across the United States, a growing number of colleges and universities are requiring proof of covid-19 vaccination for students to attend in-person classes. But the mandatory requirement has opened the door for those opposed to getting the...
Senate Dems unveil $3.5T budget for social, climate efforts
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats unveiled a budget resolution Monday that maps $3.5 trillion in spending boosts and tax breaks aimed at strengthening social and environmental programs, setting up an autumn battle over President Joe Biden’s domestic policy ambitions. The measure lays the groundwork for legislation later this year that over...
‘Code red for humanity’: UN report says global warming nears limits
Earth’s climate is getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade will probably blow past a level of warming that world leaders have sought to prevent, according to a report released Monday that the United Nations called a “code red for humanity.” “It’s just guaranteed that it’s going to...
Detectives: Women’s fight was cause of Arnold shooting
A fight between two women resulted in four people, including a juvenile, being shot in Arnold on Sunday night, police said. The shooting in the 2000 block of Kenneth Avenue, near Moore Street, was reported about 11:15 p.m. According to Westmoreland County detectives, who were called to help with the...
Senators push infrastructure bill a step closer to passageVideo
WASHINGTON — Senators hoisted the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package over another hurdle late Sunday, a coalition of Democrats and Republicans pushing it closer to passage despite a few holdouts trying to derail one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities. The rare bipartisan momentum was holding steady, a reflection of...
Californians endure intense weekend of wildfire fearsVideo
After four years of homelessness, Kesia Studebaker thought she finally landed on her feet when she found a job cooking in a diner and moved into a house in the small community of Greenville. She had been renting for three months and hoped the stability would help her win back...
Powerball adds 3rd weekly drawing
Jackpots that have put millions of dollars into the pockets of Pennsylvanians could be on the rise soon after Powerball officials announced a third drawing per week in 48 states. Beginning Aug. 23, Powerball drawings across the country will be held on Mondays in addition to Wednesdays and Saturdays. Players...
Police: Fire at Swissvale hot dog shop intentionally set, investigation ongoing
A popular Swissvale hot dog shop was closed Sunday after a fire. Police said they were dispatched to D’s Six Pax & Dogz around 2:30 a.m. for a dumpster fire. The Braddock Avenue business is in the Swissvale section of the Regent Square neighborhood that also includes parts of Edgewood...
New outdoor concert venue in Harmar set to hold 1st act next month
So far, it seems to be a pretty well-kept secret. But a new outdoor concert venue is coming to Harmar. The Mountain View Amphitheater is at 10 Rich Hill Road, off Route 910. It’s up the hill from the Harmarville business district and not far from Pennsylvania Turnpike Exit 48...
Experts: Attaining herd immunity for covid might not be realistic
The light at the end of the covid-19 tunnel might be dimming as the more contagious delta variant surges, vaccination rates wane and experts say the long-sought herd immunity might be beyond reach. Herd immunity has been a buzzword and, for many, the end goal, since the pandemic began sweeping...
Turnpike crash near Donegal sends Florida man to Pittsburgh hospital
A Florida man was taken to a Pittsburgh trauma center after the truck he was driving overturned Saturday on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Donegal, according to state police. Police said speed was a factor when Courtney Mills, 26, of Orlando, lost control of his westbound truck at 2:30 p.m. just...
Remembering fallen of 14th Quartermaster focus of bike runVideo
Spc. Frank Keough of North Huntingdon was short but mighty, according to his sisters. At 5 feet, 5 inches, “He was always the smallest, but it didn’t stop him,” according to Denise Samuels of Irwin, one of eight siblings who grew up in the large Keough clan. “He was the...
Theft charges brought down a state lawmaker. But Pa.’s taxpayer-funded system for perks was already ripe for abuse.
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 — Theft charges against a Philadelphia-area Democrat highlight Pennsylvania’s lax rules for reimbursing lawmakers with taxpayer and donor money, two...
Pa. patients swear by cannabis as tool to fight opioid addiction. The research still isn’t there.
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. BERNVILLE — The back pain started when Luke Shultz was a teenager, and it got worse. When he was in his...
Senate’s key vote advances Biden’s $1T infrastructure bill
The Senate moved closer to passing a $1 trillion infrastructure package Saturday after lawmakers from both parties came together and voted to clear a key procedural hurdle. More votes will be needed before Senate passage of one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities. The measure would provide a massive injection...
U.S. now averaging 100,000 new covid-19 infections a day
The U.S. is now averaging 100,000 new covid-19 infections a day, returning to a milestone last seen during the winter surge in another bleak reminder of how quickly the delta variant has spread through the country. Health officials fear that cases, hospitalizations and deaths will continue to soar if more...
Truck overturns, closing Interstate 70 westbound at New Stanton
The westbound lanes of Interstate 70 were closed for several hours in the vicinity of the Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange in New Stanton after a tractor-trailer overturned Saturday morning. The rig overturned on the off-ramp from the turnpike to I-70 shortly before 10 a.m., a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. No...
Nixed Spirit flights could tax airline’s reputation, reliance out of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Travelers’ confidence in Spirit Airlines may wane after thousands of cancellations over the past week essentially stopped commercial air traffic in and out of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, according to industry experts. The airline, the sole carrier at the Unity airport, canceled flights daily to and from Florida destinations such...
9/11 families challenge Biden to release classified reports or avoid 20th anniversary ceremonies
Nearly two decades after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a group of survivors who lost loved ones and first responders afflicted with lingering illnesses are asking President Biden to avoid ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the attacks next month. About 1,800 who lost loved ones as well as first responders...
Pittsburgh officials announce mask requirements for unvaccinated employees
Pittsburgh officials announced that vaccination will be required for any new hires on Friday, a day after Allegheny County leaders announced a similar mandate for new county employees. In addition, any current employees who are not vaccinated will have to wear masks at all times inside city facilities. Officials said...
Former Pittsburgh synagogue to become apartments, urban farm in $18.5M projectVideo
Pittsburgh leaders on Friday held a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Negley Avenue site of the former B’nai Israel Synagogue and School in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood. “We don’t normally do groundbreakings, but we thought this one was worth making an exception for,” said Dara Kovel, chief executive of Beacon Communities, which...
Woman charged in hit-and-run that critically injured bicyclist in Export
A Salem woman faces multiple charges after police said she struck and critically injured a bicyclist in Export before crashing and abandoning her car in Murrysville. Tanya Lynn Cardoni, 37, was arraigned Friday on charges of abandoning a vehicle on a highway, driving under the influence, aggravated assault while DUI,...
