Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1090
‘It just went boom.’ ICUs are being overwhelmed with younger — and sicker — patients
MIAMI — Inside a covid-only intensive care unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, all eight beds are filled with patients. Six of the eight patients are younger than 50 years old. None of them has been vaccinated against covid-19. The youngest patient, a 27-year-old woman on a ventilator, had...
Erratic scooter driver arrested in Erie store robbery; pockets stuffed with cash
A pursuit by Erie police of an erratic scooter driver led to his arrest in the Sunday night robbery of a downtown convenience store, police said. Police said officers found cash stuffed in the scooter driver’s pockets. The 49-year-old man was in police custody Monday morning awaiting arraignment on robbery...
Greensburg man dies in Butler County motorcycle crash
A Greensburg man died in a motorcycle crash Friday in Butler County, state police said. State police identified the man as Brian D. Keller, 50. According to state police, the crash happened around 7 p.m. Friday on Kittanning Pike Road near Pine Road in Fairview Township. Police said Keller was...
U-Haul employee killed in carjacking ‘was a special young man with a bright future’
Two 21-year-old men crossed paths in Pittsburgh last week during an interaction that lasted no longer than it took for one to make a decision and pull a trigger. Now, one is dead and the other in jail, awaiting charges that likely will grow to include homicide. Pittsburgh police indicated...
State parks: More money needed for maintenance, improvements
A plan for improving and maintaining Pennsylvania’s 121 state parks contains 87 strategies, but none might be more difficult to attain than extracting more funding from the state to address what has been estimated to be $500 million worth of maintenance, safety and infrastructure needs in state parks and forests....
Norwin grads ‘reimagine Monroeville Mall’ as more environmentally friendly
Three 2021 Norwin High School graduates were recognized for their ideas to make the Monroeville Mall more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. Their suggestions include adding a farmers market, planting more landscape to reduce stormwater runoff, creating a recreational park and adding solar panels at the 169-acre mall. Keara Finnigan,...
Penn State ranks as one of the nation’s best 50 employers for recent college grads, per Forbes list
Penn State is among the nation’s best employers for recent college graduates, according to Forbes’ annual rankings that include businesses and organizations with at least 1,000 employees. The annual rankings — based on criteria such as opportunities for advancement, work environment and competitiveness of compensation — ranked Penn State at...
‘Mass chaos’ after fight triggers mad rush for exits at Lancaster County sports complex
MANHEIM — Authorities say a number of people were injured at an indoor sports complex in Pennsylvania after some kind of incident triggered a crowd rush for the exits. Diane Garber, emergency services coordinator for East Hempfield Township, said the 2:20 p.m. Sunday incident at Spooky Nook Sports in Manheim...
Senators produce bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure billVideo
WASHINGTON — After much delay, senators unveiled a nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package Sunday night, wrapping up days of painstaking work on the inches-thick bill and launching what is certain to be a lengthy debate over President Joe Biden’s big priority. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act clocked in...
Florida breaks record for covid-19 hospitalizationsVideo
ORLANDO — A day after it recorded the most new daily cases since the start of the pandemic, Florida on Sunday broke a previous record for current hospitalizations, as the number of patients in hospitals because of covid-19 once again broke through the 10,000-person threshold. The Sunshine State had 10,207...
Missing Vandergrift ArtFest painting returned to artist
A painting that was feared stolen from Vandergrift’s ArtFest last weekend has been found. ArtFest chairperson Lisa Dormire posted the update to social media Sunday morning. An ocean-themed 16x20 oil painting by Alle-Kiski Valley artist JoAnn Wesolosky disappeared from a pop-up gallery last Sunday and organizers took to social media...
Kittanning man arrested after police say he set fire to home in domestic dispute
State police arrested a Kittanning man Sunday morning for allegedly setting fire to a Buffalo Township home during a domestic dispute. Joseph A. Hawk, 20, was wanted for the incident, which Trooper Timothy Reilly said happened at 12:55 p.m. Saturday in the 700 block of Bunker Hill Road in the...
Empty dorm rooms pose financial problems for Pennsylvania public universities
Editor’s note: The original version of this story understated the total cost of the combined projects. This update reflects the higher, actual figures. As the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education finalizes the details of a historic consolidation, officials on the campuses of eight of its 14 universities are struggling...
To mask or not: School districts debate health, safety plans for year ahead
A split is forming among local school districts — those requiring masks for students in the coming academic year and those that leave the decision to personal choice — largely because of a lack of mandates from state or national health advisers. The Pennsylvania departments of health and education are...
Jeannette couple killed in Hempfield crash, coroner says
The Westmoreland County Coroner’s office said a Jeannette couple was killed in a crash Saturday on Agnew Road in Hempfield Township. Catherine M. and Walter J. Gardner, 58 and 61, were pronounced dead at the scene of the 5:45 p.m. single-vehicle crash on the 400 block of Agnew Road, according...
World War II Army pilot memorialized 76 years after being killed in actionVideo
Seventy-six years after 1st Lt. Robert M. Leety was killed in action during World War II, his family dedicated a stone in his honor at Mt. Royal Cemetery in Shaler on Saturday. Four generations of his relatives gathered for a memorial service at the cemetery, where an honor guard offered...
Benefits of Pittsburgh Blues and Roots Festival goes beyond the musicVideo
The Pittsburgh Roots and Blues Festival is about more than good music — it’s also about supporting those on the autism spectrum. The event, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Harmar, serves as a fundraiser. The groups benefiting are the Autism Society of Pittsburgh and...
Remote work is here to stay for some Pittsburgh-area companies
Tim Koziarski settled into his Upper Burrell home office a lot more since working partially remote during the pandemic. He had an advantage. Koziarski, 58, is co-owner of Kozi Media Design, a Pittsburgh-based company specializing in smart technologies for the home and office. Business has been brisk installing technology for...
Ammunition shelves bare as U.S. gun sales continue to soar
SEATTLE — The covid-19 pandemic, coupled with record sales of firearms, has fueled a shortage of ammunition in the United States that’s impacting law enforcement agencies, people seeking personal protection, recreational shooters and hunters — and could deny new gun owners the practice they need to handle their weapons safely....
Police: Baltimore woman kept bodies of niece, nephew in trunk for months
BALTIMORE — A routine traffic stop in Essex this week led to the discovery of the decomposing bodies of two young children in the trunk of a car—one reportedly decomposing inside a suitcase for more than a year, according to documents charging the children’s aunt in connection with their deaths....
Westmoreland residents seek input on spending $105M in pandemic funds
Calling $105.3 million in federal funds a potential game changer for Westmoreland County residents, a local grassroots group is preparing to take a lengthy wish list to county commissioners. Diana Steck said the Voice of Westmoreland has scheduled meetings with Commissioners Doug Chew and Gina Cerilli Thrasher to present the...
Sewickley Academy parents meet with administrations to discuss diversity, inclusion plan
A group of concerned parents met with Sewickley Academy representatives Friday to discuss the school’s direction with its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice plan. The parents met with two faculty members; three school board members, including the president; and interim Head of School Ashley Birtwell. The meeting follows a...
Magee-Womens, Pitt join study of pregnant and new moms’ responses to covid vaccines
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists announced Friday that it “recommends that all eligible persons, including pregnant and lactating individuals, receive a covid-19 vaccine or vaccine series. “ Obstetrician-gynecologists and other women’s health care practitioners should lead by example by being vaccinated and encouraging eligible patients to be vaccinated...
Justice Dept. says IRS must give Trump tax returns to Congress
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department, in a reversal, says the Treasury Department must provide the House Ways and Means Committee former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, apparently ending a long legal showdown over the records. In a memo dated Friday, Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel said the committee chairman “has...
Experts: Here is what to expect as delta variant surges
A surge in coronavirus infections fueled by the delta variant has predictably caused global concern. But that appears to be about the only predictable aspect of the delta variant, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reportedly indicating it’s as contagious as chickenpox. Information is very fluid at this...
