Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1096
‘Ridiculous’: Vaccine myths cripple U.S. uptake as delta surges
The excuses range from the merely false to the absurd. The shots don’t work. They impair fertility. They’ll alter your DNA. They’ll magnetize you. They actually spread the virus. Unvaccinated Americans cite a litany of myths to explain their hesitance to get shots, confounding local health officials battling yet another...
1 dead in South Side Slopes shooting near youth football fieldVideo
One man died early Friday evening in a shooting near a youth football practice in the South Side Slopes, authorities said. The shooting happened near Quarry Field off of South 18th Street less than 12 hours after Pittsburgh Public Safety officials held a media conference to discuss an uptick in...
SUV crashes into Unity bank; no injuries reported
A branch of First Commonwealth Bank in Unity was damaged when it was struck by a small SUV that swerved off Route 30 early Friday evening. No one was injured, but the building on Sharky’s Drive was extensively damaged in the crash that occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m., according to...
Pa. health officials request $124 million in pandemic-related emergency contracts as GOP calls for oversight
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. Wolf administration officials doubled down this week on pursuing more than $100 million in new pandemic-related emergency contracts as they faced...
Family will bid farewell to fashion icon B. Smith in Scottdale ceremony
Late fashion icon and Everson native Barbara “B.” Smith will be laid to rest next to her parents Saturday in the Scottdale Cemetery. The private ceremony and interment of Smith’s ashes will be attended by family, including her younger brother, Dennis, and his four grown daughters. Smith, 70, died Feb....
Jury complies with Jeannette woman’s wishes and finds her guilty
A Jeannette woman dared Westmoreland County jurors to convict her Friday. After nearly two hours of deliberations, they complied. Deborah Samulski, 62, was convicted of two misdemeanor counts of filing false reports with a local gas company and city police. During a two-day trial, jurors questioned her mental health, and...
Churchill public hearing on potential Amazon site likely to stretch several more days
Churchill Borough’s ongoing public hearing regarding a potential Amazon distribution center is likely to stretch several more days. During the public hearing — which began Monday and continued Thursday evening — Texas-based Hillwood Development is outlining their proposal for an Amazon distribution center at the former site of the George...
Second 14-year-old charged in Duquesne homicide
A second 14-year-old boy faces homicide charges in connection with a fatal shooting earlier this year in Duquesne, according to charges filed against him Friday by Allegheny County Police. Carlo Owens, of Duquesne, is charged with homicide, conspiracy and robbery in the death of 21-year-old Damont Adams. An alleged co-conspirator,...
Verona man’s furry green motorcycle helmet attracting attention on A-K Valley roads
Jeff Barnes wants you to notice him. That’s why the Verona man who works in New Kensington dons a furry, green motorcycle helmet cover with a Muppet-like face when he rides around the Alle-Kiski Valley and beyond. Yes, he enjoys seeing people smile when they get a glimpse of his...
Crack’d Egg loses appeal of closure order, plans to continue court fight
A Pennsylvania appellate court ruled in favor of the Allegheny County Health Department on Friday, finding that the forced closure of the Crack’d Egg restaurant in Brentwood was appropriate given its owner’s refusal to follow covid-19 mitigation measures. The decision has no practical effect because Gov. Tom Wolf lifted safety...
Pa. Republicans criticize decision to decertify voting machines
HARRISBURG — Republican state lawmakers are criticizing the decision by Pennsylvania’s top election official to decertify the voting machines a sparsely populated county used in the 2020 presidential election. Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid decertified the machines after Fulton County disclosed it had agreed to requests by local Republican...
Police charge secretary with stealing $225K from Washington Township firm
The former secretary of a Westmoreland County trucking firm was arrested Friday on charges of stealing $225,413 from her employer, according to court documents. Christie M. Parker, 43, of Penn Hills, was arraigned on charges of forgery, receiving stolen property, theft by deception and unlawful use of the computer in...
Confederate bust moved from Tennessee Capitol building
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The bust of a Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader that had been displayed prominently inside of the Tennessee Capitol for decades was removed from its pedestal on Friday. The image of Nathan Bedford Forrest has sparked protests ever since its installation in 1978. Some...
Teen charged with attempted homicide as Pittsburgh officials look for ways to curb South Side violence
A violent night on Pittsburgh’s South Side led to attempted homicide charges against a 15-year-old boy, assault charges against two others, and the announcement of coming changes to traffic flow on East Carson Street, officials said Friday. Three people were shot early Friday near East Carson and South 18th streets....
Pa. Supreme Court: Money from state-forest drilling cannot prop up state budget
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that state officials cannot transfer money from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Oil and Gas Fund — derived from natural gas drilling on state forest land — to the state’s general fund to help balance the annual budget. The PA Environmental Defense Foundation...
Scottdale man accused of driving with man on hood of car arrested on multiple charges
A Scottdale man who told police he was assaulted Sunday and then drove 5 miles to a Mt. Pleasant hospital for treatment with a man clinging to his car hood has been charged with criminal and traffic complaints. Police charged Skyler Silvis, 19, with aggravated assault, careless driving, causing damage...
Pittsburgh-area woman decries use of force at Allegheny County JailVideo
An Allegheny County Jail officer ought to be investigated and possibly terminated for her unnecessary use of a Taser on an incarcerated woman two years ago, a corrections expert has concluded, and attorneys for the woman are pushing for a federal review. The Abolitionist Law Center, which represents Kimberly Andrews,...
Man injured during fight Sunday at Baldwin tavern dies
A Pittsburgh man who got into a fight at a bar in Baldwin borough late Sunday night has died from the injuries he suffered, according to authorities. Mark Thompson, 51, was pronounced dead shortly after 4 p.m. on July 22 at Allegheny General Hospital, according to the Allegheny County Medical...
Crafty cockatoos master dumpster diving and teach each other
WASHINGTON — A few years ago, a Sydney scientist noticed a sulfur-crested cockatoo opening his trash bin. Not every resident would be thrilled, but ornithologist Richard Major was impressed by the ingenuity. It’s quite a feat for a bird to grasp a bin lid with its beak, pry it open,...
3 men injured during overnight shootings in South Side
Pittsburgh police officers found three men suffering from gunshot wounds in separate locations after hearing a volley of gunfire ring out early Friday morning while on patrol in the South Side. Officers from the Zone 3 station heard gunfire in the vicinity of East Carson and South 18th Street shortly...
Excela eyes covid vaccine mandate for hospital employees as delta variant spreads; nearly 40% of workers remain unvaccinated
Westmoreland County’s largest hospital system and employer is contemplating requiring health care workers to get vaccinated for covid-19 as concerns mount over the delta variant spreading rapidly among the unvaccinated. Excela Health, which employs about 4,300 across three hospitals and more than a dozen outpatient, testing and therapy providers, does...
Former Allegheny County Jail medical aide accused of assaulting incarcerated women
A former medical aide at the Allegheny County Jail allegedly used his position to abuse and harass three incarcerated women earlier this year, according to charges filed against the man Thursday. Shiquille Desesso, 28, of Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood, faces three counts each of institutional sexual assault and indecent assault, accused...
DOJ won’t investigate how Pennsylvania handled nursing homes
HARRISBURG — The Justice Department told Gov. Tom Wolf’s office on Thursday that it has decided not to open an investigation into whether Pennsylvania violated federal law by ordering nursing homes to accept residents who had been treated for covid-19 in a hospital. The letter comes 11 months after the...
Couple ties knot in first-of-a-kind ceremony along Kiski Township’s Roaring Run stream
With uncommon grace and ease, a woman in a long, flowing, white satin gown made her way to a rock the size of a pickup truck in the middle of Roaring Run stream. Surrounded by rocks covered in moss, she lifted the hem of the gown to prevent it from...
Gov. Tom Wolf says his position on voter ID has not changed
LOGANVILLE — With talks on wider election-related legislation at a standstill, Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday that his position on expanding Pennsylvania’s voter identification requirements has not changed, and that he is against anything that would “suppress the vote.” An expansion of Pennsylvania’s voter ID requirements became one of the...
