Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1089
Penn State strongly encouraging, not mandating covid vaccine
Students and faculty at Pennsylvania State University are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated against covid-19, but the university is not mandating the vaccine, university officials said during a virtual presentation Tuesday. “While we are not currently requiring vaccinations, Penn State is not impartial when it comes to getting vaccinated,” Penn...
CDC issues new eviction ban for most of U.S. through Oct. 3
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday issued a new moratorium on evictions that would last until October 3, as the Biden administration sought to quell intensifying criticism that it was allowing vulnerable renters to lose their homes during a pandemic. The new moratorium could help...
PPG Paints Arena recommends masks, starting with tonight’s James Taylor concert
PPG Paints Arena announced it will follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s masking recommendations – beginning with tonight’s James Taylor concert. Taylor is scheduled to take the stage after Jackson Browne opens at 7:30 p.m. “Out of an abundance of caution with Allegheny County reaching the...
Kennywood, Idlewild and Sandcastle requiring masks indoors
Kennywood Park, along with Idlewild & Soak Zone, has brought back part of its mask policy now to fall in line with federal guidance now that Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are considered to have “substantial” spread of covid-19. Both parks and sister water park Sandcastle had dropped the mask requirement...
Parkway North HOV lanes reopen open in both directions after 15-month repairs
The High Occupancy Vehicle lanes along the Parkway North will reopen to vehicle traffic in both directions starting on Wednesday morning after being shut down for nearly 15 months, PennDOT announced. A technical issue delaying the reopening, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said around 6:20 a.m. They were open about an...
West Leechburg’s ‘accidental’ garlic grower has been at it for half-century
West Leechburg’s Jack Froncek doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet. He prefers garlic. Froncek, 94, has been growing garlic at his Giron Street residence for 50 years. He said he got his start in garlic growing by accident. After noticing a large dirt excavation project near his home...
Spirit Airlines cancellations, delays continue Tuesday for 3rd straight day
Flights on Spirit Airlines continued to be canceled and delayed Tuesday at Arnold Palmer Regional and Pittsburgh International airports. The “proactive cancellations” are a result of “overlapping operational challenges including weather, system outages and staffing shortages,” Spirit spokesman Field Sutton said. It was unclear when the issues might be resolved....
Police charge 2 with selling fatal dose of heroin to Latrobe man
Latrobe police this week arrested a man and woman, charging them with selling fentanyl and heroin to a man who died of an overdose in January, according to court papers. Kevin B. Shaffer, 48, of Latrobe and Ayla M. Taylor, 24, of Greensburg are charged with drug delivery resulting in...
Vaccination proof required at 2 Pittsburgh restaurants
No shot, no service. Two North Side restaurants will require proof of vaccination for diners beginning on Wednesday. Lola Bistro and Leo. a public house — both owned and operated by Michael Barnhouse, who also serves as the chef, and his wife Yelena — announced new vaccination requirement in a...
Pa. surpasses 1,000 covid cases a day for 1st time since May
As of Tuesday’s covid update from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the state is now averaging more than 1,000 cases per day for the first time in over two months. The latest update shows 1,442 new coronavirus cases reported statewide, bringing the daily average to 1,043. It’s the first time...
ATI reports $49.2M second-quarter loss, says worker strike cost $40.3M
Allegheny Technologies Inc. lost $49.2 million in the second quarter while incurring $40.3 million in strike-related costs, the company announced Tuesday. ATI said it had sales of $616 million in April through June. Excluding costs related to the strike, which was settled in June when the United Steelworkers approved a...
Man found shot to death inside vehicle in Homewood North
A man was found shot to death in Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood Monday night, according to Pittsburgh police. Officers responded to an alert for multiple rounds fired in the 7400 block of Monticello Street around 10:35 p.m. An officer found the man inside a vehicle with a gunshot wound. He...
Group urges victims of sexual harassment, assault at Pine-Richland to come forwardVideo
A recent Pine-Richland graduate was joined by her parents and supporters at Monday’s school board meeting as she leveled accusations that district officials failed to take proper action when she says was raped in 2019 while at school. Ana Baxter, 18, along with several members of a parents group called...
Giant Eagle asks all customers to wear masks starting Friday
Giant Eagle officials said they “strongly” suggest all customers wear masks in their stores, regardless of vaccination status, starting Friday. Workers will be required to wear masks or face shields starting Wednesday. Both announcements were made Monday evening. “Throughout the covid-19 pandemic, we have made keeping our team members safe...
Covid spread now ‘substantial’ in Allegheny, other Western Pa. counties
Nine Western Pennsylvania counties are experiencing “substantial” levels of covid-19 transmission that fall under federal recommendations calling for people to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Allegheny, Butler, Beaver, Lawrence, Washington, Armstrong, Indiana, Clarion and Somerset counties are all experiencing “substantial” covid-19 transmission, according to the Centers for Disease...
Tracking Pa.’s pandemic spending, by the numbers
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. Spotlight PA’s tallying of Pennsylvania’s pandemic-related spending led us to the state’s emergency procurement program — a faster and, critics say,...
U.S. health official: Masks are frustrating, but country can get past them
ATLANTA — A top federal health official said Monday that he understood frustration with new mask requirements, but the country could overcome them if people accepted responsibility for combatting the coronavirus. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was in Georgia as covid-19 infections and hospitalizations in the state...
Majority of Spirit flights canceled Monday at Westmoreland, Pittsburgh airports
Numerous Spirit Airlines flights at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport and Pittsburgh International Airport were canceled Monday, mirroring problems at other airports the low-cost carrier serves. The Florida-based airline issued a statement indicating the problem was triggered by a series of “weather and operational challenges” over the weekend. It said rumors...
Lindsey Graham 1st vaccinated senator to test positive for covid-19
COLUMBIA, S.C. — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has tested positive for the coronavirus, the first senator to disclose a breakthrough infection after being vaccinated. In a statement issued Monday afternoon, the South Carolina Republican said that he “started having flu-like symptoms Saturday night” and went to the doctor Monday morning....
U.S. hits 70% vaccination rate — a month late, amid a surgeVideo
The United States on Monday finally reached President Joe Biden’s goal of getting at least one covid-19 shot in the arms of 70% of American adults — a month late and amid a fierce surge by the delta variant that is swamping hospitals and leading to new mask rules and...
Police accuse Arnold man of choking woman, burning officer, hurting child
An Arnold woman told police she thought a man was going to kill her when he grabbed her by the throat Friday night, according to a criminal complaint. Arnold police said Troyan Joseph Wilkins, 28, also burned an officer’s hand with a cigarette when the officer allowed him to have...
2nd Penn State student dies of covid-19 complications
Students and staff at Penn State are mourning the coronavirus-related death of a second student from the university. Neil Patel, 20, a sixth semester Penn State Honors College scholar from Upper Merion Township, died Sunday at a Philadelphia hospital, where he was taken in mid-April with severe effects of covid-19....
Pennsylvania reports 2,283 new covid cases since Friday
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 913 additional coronavirus cases on Monday, and 2,106 total cases for Saturday and Sunday, for a three-day total of 3,019. Northampton County’s 131 additional cases since Friday were enough to give it the highest population-adjusted seven-day case rate among the state’s 67 counties. Northampton...
Hempfield man accused of attempting to fake court-ordered drug test
A Hempfield man who police say rigged a smoothie drink pouch to a rubber hose was charged Monday with attempting to fake a drug test, according to court documents. Kevin J. Harrold, 56, was charged with a misdemeanor count of furnishing drug-free urine after allegedly attempting to falsify a drug...
Pennsylvania Lottery sets record for sales, profit
Pennsylvania Lottery officials on Monday announced that the Lottery generated a record profit of more than $1.3 billion during the 2020-21 fiscal year. Officials said this is the tenth consecutive year that it has generated more than $1 billion for senior programs, which include property tax and rent rebates, free...
