Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1108
Air quality action day advisory in place for Southwestern Pennsylvania
Tuesday’s hot weather means unhealthy levels of ozone in Southwestern Pennsylvania, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Sunshine coupled with temperatures in the mid-90s prompted the agency to issue a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties. Outdoor activities should...
Man dead after swimming in Monongahela River in Washington County
A Washington County man died Sunday after he was pulled from the Monongahela River in New Eagle, according to the county coroner. James DeAngelo, 23, of Venetia was swimming in the river near a boat docked at the Beach Club Marina when authorities said he became unresponsive around 7:30 p.m....
Aspinwall historian taking steps to raise money for library, community centerVideo
A new historic walking tour is raising funds for a proposed library and community center in Aspinwall. Terry Nelson Taylor, Aspinwall historian and longtime resident, is volunteering her time and tour guide skills, offering monthly walking tours around the borough that was founded in 1892. All proceeds from the Aspinwall...
East End arts groups, restaurants will again host Hotline Ring collective fundraiserVideo
Before the pandemic, the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty was partnering with restaurants in the neighborhood to host Neighborhood Happy Hours. That group switched gears amid pandemic restrictions, joining with six other local arts organizations to host a virtual fundraiser, Hotline Ring, that brought in $130,000. This year, the...
National expert visits Kiski River, other waterways to install, study baby musselsVideo
Only a half-grain of rice in size, baby freshwater mussels were deposited in the Kiski River and elsewhere by researchers to better understand and boost the bivalve mollusk’s recovery. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service installed homemade concrete silos with chambers for the young mussels to live...
Tropical Storm Elsa drenches Cuba. Track nudges west, likely easing impact on Florida KeysVideo
MIAMI — South Florida got its first taste of Tropical Storm Elsa on Monday afternoon as the outermost bands began to lash the region with brief, intense bouts of rain likely to last through Tuesday. The storm’s projected track jogged a bit west early Monday — easing the threat for...
Fawn man identified as victim of fatal Route 28 crash
One man was killed and another seriously hurt in a high-speed crash Monday afternoon on Route 28 in Harrison, according to state police. Robert Mark Walters, 68, of Fawn was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Walters was a passenger in a Chevrolet...
2 flown from motorcycle crash in South Huntingdon
One of two people transported by medical helicopter following a July 5 motorcycle crash in South Huntingdon has died, according to emergency officials. First responders were called to the intersection of Route 31 and Nichols Lane for a report of a motorcycle crash shortly after 1:30 p.m. Two patients, Dennis...
Juvenile charged in connection with 4 fires in Kittanning
Kittanning police said a juvenile is in custody and has been charged for allegedly setting a string of fires Monday morning in the borough. Kittanning Hose Company No. 4 Assistant Chief Mike Swartz said about a dozen departments responded to four fires within a four-block radius, with the first call...
After contact tracing data breach, Pa. sidesteps scrutiny on proposed $34M contract
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 — The Pennsylvania Department of Health is working to hire a new company under an even pricier contract to take...
Demolition widens search at Florida condo site, but storms threaten
SURFSIDE, Fla. — Rescuers searched through fresh rubble Monday after the last of the collapsed Florida condo building was demolished, which allowed crews into previously inaccessible places, including bedrooms where people were believed to be sleeping at the time of the disaster, officials said. But they faced a new challenge...
Pittsburgh police respond to multiple fireworks incidents on Fourth of July
Pittsburgh Police with the city’s Fireworks Task Force spent a good bit of time in the Hazelwood area on the Fourth of July, where they responded to 32 fireworks complaint calls and issued multiple warnings. Overall, the task force responded to 158 complaints overnight, with some resulting in minor fires...
Pittsburgh celebrates Fourth of July with huge fireworks display
Fireworks returned to Pittsburgh on Sunday night to celebrate the Fourth of July. A huge display was put on from Point State Park in Downtown. The celebration included patriotic music and food vendors, and was followed by fireworks presented by Pyrotecnico. Pittsburgh Police spokesperson Cara Cruz said she estimated the...
Pittsburgh Fireworks Task Force responds to 88 complaints, issues 34 warnings
Pittsburgh’s Fireworks Task Force reported having its busiest night yet on Saturday, with two notable incidents. The task force, made up of eight members from the city’s bureaus of police and fire, began an enforcement initiative on June 22. It responded to 88 fireworks-related complaints overnight Saturday, and issued 34...
Alle-Kiski Valley residents find many reasons to celebrate on Fourth of July
Alle-Kiski Valley residents found all sorts of reasons to get together and celebrate on Sunday, whether for the Independence Day holiday, birthdays, relief from the covid pandemic — or just to enjoy the day. For the small congregation of Vermont Baptist Church in New Kensington, morning services under a pavilion...
Delta’s rapid spread clouds summer with fear of covid revival
The fast-spreading delta variant is clouding Americans’ hopes for a carefree summer — and casting a shadow of doubt over plans to get back to business as usual in the fall. The shift in sentiment marks a reversal from the spring, when it looked like the U.S. immunization campaign would...
Cuba evacuates 180,000 as Tropical Storm Elsa approachesVideo
HAVANA — Cuba evacuated 180,000 people amid fears Sunday that Tropical Storm Elsa could unleash heavy flooding after battering several Caribbean islands, killing at least three people. The Cuban government had opened shelters and moved to protect sugarcane and cocoa crops ahead of the storm. Most of those evacuated went...
Redistricting reform in Pa. is dead for now, advocates say. So what’s next?
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 — Redistricting reform supporters in Pennsylvania are having a moment of...
North Apollo woman hopes to inspire others through her weight loss
The display on the scale read “379.” “I cried when I saw that number,” said Debbie Gerardi of North Apollo, who was in the hospital for back surgery in February of 2018. “I thought to myself, ‘How did I get here?’ I was so big that the nurses had trouble...
Biden: U.S. ‘coming back together,’ but covid not yet finished
WASHINGTON — Calling a vaccination “the most patriotic thing you can do,” President Joe Biden on Sunday mixed the nation’s birthday party with a celebration of freedom from the worst of the pandemic. He tempered the strides against covid-19 with a warning that the fight against the virus wasn’t over....
Hundreds turn out for inaugural 5K in memory of late state Rep. Mike ReeseVideo
Never underestimate the motivating power of a whole smoked hog. The smell of smoked meat wafted through Mammoth Park on Sunday morning, teasing the taste buds of participants in the inaugural Mike Reese Memorial 5K Roast, Run & Family Fun event, organized in memory of former state Rep. Mike Reese,...
People along the U.S.-Canadian border await word of reopening
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — In a normal, pre-covid-19 summer, scores of pleasure boats are anchored in Lake Champlain off the Burlington waterfront by July 4, with most of them from Canada. But the anchorage is nearly empty this year because of the ongoing border closure. People who rely on those...
Pope Francis hospitalized for planned intestinal surgery
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis went to a Rome hospital on Sunday for scheduled surgery on his large intestine, the Vatican said. The news came just three hours after Francis had cheerfully greeted the public in St. Peter’s Square and told them he will go to Hungary and Slovakia in...
Summer swelter trend: West gets hotter days, East hot nights
As outlandish as the killer heat wave that struck the Pacific Northwest was, it fits into a decades-long pattern of uneven summer warming across the United States. The West is getting roasted by hotter summer days while the East Coast is getting swamped by hotter and stickier summer nights, an...
Widow wants Harrison to allow dog daycare in business district
Six years after buying a building for her business in Harrison, Kim Ringer can’t use it for the main reason she bought it. Ringer said township zoning officials assured her and her late husband, Bruce, more than once before buying the former home goods store-turned-car dealership at 3041 Freeport Road...
