Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1118
National Weather Service confirms tornado hit near Cranberry
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado hit the Cranberry area during a round of strong storms Monday afternoon. The tornado struck near Mt. Pleasant Road and Dean Road in the Mars area of Allegheny County, National Weather Service Meteorologist Shannon Hefferan said Tuesday. The tornado brought 70 mph winds...
Friends, admirers remember Kara Leo, Mt. Lebanon baker killed by tree branch
The small Beverly Road storefront of Kara Kakes in Mt. Lebanon was dark on Tuesday morning. Normally it would have been open by 10 a.m. and illuminated more than anything else by Kara Leo’s constant smile. It’s the overwhelming memory people have of her. The woman who brought the bakery...
Scott man, out on bond after being accused of submitting fake PPP loans, charged with applying for another
A month after he was arrested on federal charges accusing him of submitting fake applications to obtain $3.8 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans during the covid-19 pandemic, a Scott Township man submitted a new loan application seeking a half-million dollars, investigators said. Randy Frasinelli, 65, now faces additional charges...
Background checks blocked a record high 300,000 gun sales
SALT LAKE CITY — The number of people stopped from buying guns through the U.S. background check system hit an all-time high of more than 300,000 last year amid a surge of firearm sales, according to new records obtained by the group Everytown for Gun Safety. The FBI numbers provided...
Biden pushes shots for young adults as variant concern grows
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government is stepping up efforts to get younger Americans vaccinated for covid-19 as concerns grow about the spread of a new variant that threatens to set the country back in the months ahead. The push is underway as the Delta variant, first identified in India, has...
Butler man gets jail time for assaulting KDKA cameraman during Pittsburgh protestVideo
Jordan Erdos didn’t initiate the attack on a KDKA photographer during last year’s protests in Downtown Pittsburgh over the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. But the 21-year-old from Butler did get swept up in the mob mentality that led to it — pushing his way through the crowd...
As passengers return to air travel, bad behavior skyrockets
Air travel can be difficult in the best of times, with cramped planes, screaming babies, flight delays and short tempers. Throw in a pandemic, and the anxiety level can rise quickly. That has led to confrontations with flight attendants and other unruly behavior, including occasional fights that get captured and...
More Sunday hunting coming to Pa. if state lawmakers pass this new bill
Following the introduction of three Sunday hunting dates last year, Pennsylvanians may find more Sunday hunting opportunities available in the near future if a bill currently making its way through the state legislature is passed. Introduced by Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie), Senate Bill 607 would remove the current restrictions on...
5 things to know about delta variant of coronavirus
Even as covid-19 vaccines become widely available and pandemic restrictions begin to relax, a new variant of the virus raises new worries. The delta variant, first identified in India, is classified as a “variant of concern,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As the variant circulates in...
How a Pennsylvania lawmaker billed taxpayers $1.8 million in expenses
Over the next year, The Caucus and Spotlight PA will examine and make public specific areas of spending by the legislature as part of their ongoing efforts to follow the money and track taxpayer dollars. HARRISBURG — The legislature was on break. Policymaking in the Capitol had ground to a...
Harris touts administration’s plans to help families, organized labor
Vice President Kamala Harris made it clear Monday to a receptive audience on her first visit to Western Pennsylvania: there’s a new sheriff in town as she touted the expanded child tax credit and took her case for the Biden administration’s battle for an expansive infrastructure program and stronger labor...
Judge denies Bowers’ motion for government to produce evidence that it monitored his online activities prior to Tree of Life shooting
A federal judge on Monday denied a defense motion seeking evidence the government monitored Robert Bowers’ anti-Semitic activity online leading up to the 2018 Tree of Life shooting that killed 11 people. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose said the information Bowers is seeking is irrelevant. “The government...
Republican National Committee lambastes VP Harris for visiting Pittsburgh instead of border
The Republican National Committee on Monday reacted to Vice President Kamala Harris’ Pittsburgh visit regarding “Child Tax Credit Awareness Day” and President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan. “Border facilities are critically overcrowded, but President Biden and his border manager — Vice President Harris — refuse to visit the scene,” Keith Rothfus,...
Utilities working to restore power to thousands after Monday storms
Strong storms and a couple inches of rain dropped trees, caused sporadic flooding and led to tornado warnings being issued across parts of the region Monday evening. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for southeastern Allegheny County, western Westmoreland County and portions of Fayette and Washington counties...
3 killed in Denver-area shooting, including officer, suspectVideo
DENVER — A gunman is believed to have shot and killed an officer and another person in a shopping district in a Denver suburb Monday before being fatally shot by police, authorities said. An officer responded to a call at 1:15 p.m. about a suspicious incident near the library in...
In Senate vote, Biden sees ‘step forward’ for elections billVideo
WASHINGTON — The White House said Monday it views the Senate’s work on an elections bill overhaul and changes being offered by Sen. Joe Manchin as a “step forward,” even though the Democrats’ priority legislation is expected to be blocked by a Republican filibuster. White House press secretary Jen Psaki...
Former Derry Borough mayor expected to testify in own defense at trial
Jurors are being asked to determine what former Derry Borough Mayor Kevin M. Gross’ intent was in 2019 when he pulled out a handgun at a playground during an altercation among three teenagers. Westmoreland County Assistant District Attorney Pete Caravello said Monday during opening statements that Gross, 40, pointed the...
Boy, 16, shot outside Greensburg apartment; police make 2 arrestsVideo
A 16-year-old boy was shot Sunday outside a Greensburg apartment complex, and police arrested two people Monday, according to Capt. Shawn Denning. Officers were called to Eastmont Estates about 1:30 p.m. Sunday for a reported shooting involving several people. The teen was shot in the leg and hand and is...
Weekend crash could delay reopening of Tarentum Bridge
A weekend crash in the work zone on the Tarentum Bridge could delay the span’s reopening, a PennDOT spokeswoman said Monday. A couple of pieces of equipment were damaged severely when a car drove across the closed lanes from New Kensington toward Tarentum, crashed and caught fire shortly before 10:30...
Police: Walls, floor of New Kensington apartment where woman was stabbed were covered in blood
New Kensington police said officers responding to a reported fight Saturday night at Central Towers found a large amount of blood on the floor and walls of an apartment when they arrived. Police said Cheyenne Nicole Preves-Taranovsky, 21, had cut and stabbed a woman in the altercation. A criminal complaint...
Hempfield man pleads guilty in DUI crash that seriously injured another motorist
A Hempfield man pleaded guilty Monday in connection with a 2019 drunken-driving crash that seriously injured another motorist. Joseph J. Forbes, 66, entered a general plea to charges of aggravated assault by vehicle and driving under the influence. Prosecutors dismissed other offenses. State police arrested Forbes in connection with the...
Washington Co. woman who kept disabled sister in cage gets time served for Social Security fraud
A Washington County woman who confined her disabled 53-year-old sister to a wooden cage while she used her Social Security payments will be released from federal custody. Leona Biser, 52, of Vestaburg, pleaded guilty to Social Security fraud and representative payee fraud in February before U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose....
U.S. hitting encouraging milestones on virus deaths and shots
Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. have dipped below 300 a day for the first time since the early days of the disaster in March 2020, while the drive to put shots in arms approached another encouraging milestone Monday: 150 million Americans fully vaccinated. The coronavirus was the third leading cause...
Police: East Huntingdon contractor again accused of taking money for remodel work never started
An East Huntingdon contractor is facing fraud charges after police say he accepted $9,650 in payments for work he did not complete, according to a criminal complaint. Jason Ray Pirl, 40, who does business as Proline Painting, is charged with one count of home improvement fraud after police say he...
Vice President Kamala Harris visits Pittsburgh, talks child tax credit, infrastructure planVideo
Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Pittsburgh for her daylong stay in the region as part of what is being dubbed “Child Tax Credit Awareness Day” by the Biden administration. Air Force Two landed at Pittsburgh International Airport with the vice president just after 11 a.m. Monday. Local dignitaries greet...
