Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1121
‘Hole in our hearts’: Beltzhoover man sentenced for shooting death of 3-year-old girl
Chassity Clancy was just 3 years old, but she brightened every room she entered. She loved Barbies and the song, “Let It Go.” She liked to play with hair grease — but hated having her hair done. “She could make you laugh and smile just the way she looked at...
Biden signs bill making Juneteenth a federal holidayVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed legislation Thursday establishing a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery, saying he believes it will go down as one of the greatest honors he has as president. Biden signed into law a bill to make Juneteenth, or June 19, the 12th federal...
Gov. Wolf calls GOP’s election bill ‘driven by fringe conspiracy theories’ as Republican lawmakers crash eventVideo
PHILADELPHIA — The battle to shape public opinion over Pennsylvania Republicans’ proposed election overhaul intensified Thursday, as Gov. Tom Wolf called it an attack on voting rights and GOP lawmakers crashed a news conference in the Philadelphia suburbs to demand he negotiate. Democrats have blasted the proposal as the latest...
Troopers say tips from public led to arrest of Scottdale man on animal cruelty charges
State police said a Westmoreland County animal rescue’s social media posts seeking information on the abuse of a stray dog this week helped lead them to a suspect Wednesday. Devin Jacob Eli Rugg, 19, of Scottdale, was arrested on two counts each of aggravated cruelty to animals causing serious bodily...
Advocacy groups gather in Pittsburgh to call for divestment in policing, reinvestment in community needs
Advocacy groups met in Downtown Pittsburgh on Thursday to call on lawmakers and leaders to divest in police resources and invest in community concerns they say are the root cause of violent crime. “The safest communities are not the communities with the most police,” said Jasiri X, co-founder of the...
Report: Pennsylvania casino revenues top $413 million in May
Pennsylvania casinos saw a more than $9 million revenue increase in May compared to the previous month, recently released figures show. Combined gambling revenues last month exceeded $413 million compared to $404 million reported in April, according to data from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. A comparison was not provided...
CMU language technology professor a finalist for $250,000 prize
English-speaking people sometimes take certain things for granted. For example, when they ask a question or give a command to Alexa and Siri, they can expect to get a desired response because those cloud-based voice services work great in English. But what happens when someone who speaks one of the...
Westmoreland commissioners restructure election bureau; director’s job in limboVideo
Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday overhauled the county election bureau to add a layer of management, increased pay for staff and, for the first time, acknowledged a potential change in leadership of the department. The move comes a month after numerous operational and administrative issues plagued the bureau the days before...
Vice President Kamala Harris to visit Pittsburgh next week
Vice President Kamala Harris plans to travel to Pittsburgh on Monday, White House officials announced. Harris will be joined during her visit to Western Pennsylvania by U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, the former Boston mayor who became the final department secretary of President Biden’s cabinet to be confirmed on March...
High court sides with Catholic agency in same-sex foster care dispute
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously sided with a Catholic foster care agency that says its religious views prevent it from working with same-sex couples as foster parents. The justices said the city of Philadelphia wrongly limited its relationship with the group as a result of the agency’s...
‘Obamacare’ survives: Supreme Court dismisses big challengeVideo
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court, though increasingly conservative in makeup, rejected the latest major Republican-led effort to kill the national health care law known as “Obamacare” on Thursday, preserving insurance coverage for millions of Americans. The justices, by a 7-2 vote, left the entire Affordable Care Act intact in ruling...
U.S. jobless claims tick up to 412,000 from a pandemic low
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week for the first time since April despite widespread evidence that the economy and the job market are rebounding steadily from the pandemic recession. The Labor Department said Thursday that jobless claims rose 37,000 from the week before...
Fired Pa. contractor seeks to secure contact tracing data after learning personal info still online
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 company responsible for administering Pennsylvania’s contact tracing program has called on current and former employees to help it...
Pa. Senate passes bill to legalize cocktails-to-go, sends to House with modifications
Cocktails-to-go are one step closer to becoming a permanent part of Pennsylvania’s bar, restaurant and hotel scene. On Wednesday, the Senate passed legislation to make permanent the sale of mixed drinks-to-go by restaurant or hotel licensees for off-premises consumption. Originally, cocktails-to-go was a temporary measure allowed during the covid-19 disaster...
Wanted in Pittsburgh: Lifeguards willing to ‘get a free tan’ for $11-$15 per hour
The benefit of free sun rays doesn’t appear to be enough to lure experienced lifeguards into the pool of applicants for a summer job that pays as much as $15.76 per hour from the City of Pittsburgh. City Parks and Recreation Director Ross Chapman told city council members Wednesday the...
Business owner claims Pittsburgh police wrongfully detained her in parking spot dispute with magistrate’s officeVideo
Marsha Simonds just wanted the illegally parked car to be moved from the Greenfield lot that she owns. But when the business woman demanded its removal, she said, she wound up slammed on the hood of her car, handcuffed and thrown in the back of a Pittsburgh police car. Then...
Plum officials pass law discouraging the feeding, care of feral cats
Plum officials have enacted a new law in order to discourage residents from taking care of feral cats. Council voted 6-0 last Wednesday night to pass an ordinance that makes it illegal for anyone to “intentionally provide food, water, or other forms of sustenance or care to ally stray, feral,...
Police: Juvenile shot in the leg in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood
A boy was taken to a hospital after being shot in the leg Wednesday evening in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood. Public Safety spokesman Cara Cruz said officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert for multiple shots fired along the 300 block of Minton Street just before 8:45 p.m. Officers found the boy...
Chinese crewed spaceship docks with new space stationVideo
JIUQUAN, China — A Chinese spaceship carrying a three-person crew docked with China’s new space station at the start of three-month mission Thursday, marking a milestone in the country’s ambitious space program. The Shenzhou-12 craft connected with the Tianhe space station module about six hours after takeoff from the Jiuquan...
Hempfield man sentenced to 2 years in prison for 2019 knife attack
A Hempfield man was sentenced to serve at least two years in prison for an attack that left his neighbor bloodied and in a coma for days following a vicious attack two years ago. Vincente Alejo Andres V, 36, pleaded guilty last summer to aggravated and simple assault charges. On...
Tarentum Bridge closing spurs more foot traffic across the spanVideo
Allison Ohara has been walking across the Tarentum Bridge to work most days since its closure June 9. As a single mother, she said, she has no other choice. “The only way I can get to work is from this bridge,” she said Wednesday while trudging across the bridge past...
Biden to sign bill making Juneteenth a federal holidayVideo
WASHINGTON — The United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the nation. The House voted 415-14 on Wednesday to make Juneteenth, or June 19th, the 12th federal holiday. President Joe Biden is scheduled to sign the bill into law on Thursday. Juneteenth...
In Allegheny County, 420 ‘breakthrough’ covid cases out of more than 600K fully vaccinated residents
There have been 420 so-called “breakthrough” cases of covid-19 in Allegheny County, officials reported Wednesday, out of more than 600,000 fully vaccinated residents — which is less than one-tenth of 1%. Cases are considered to be a breakthrough case if they occur in someone who is fully vaccinated. Only 11...
New Kensington community to celebrate Juneteenth
The New Kensington community will come together Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. An event featuring free food, activities, speakers and music will mark the holiday at Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in New Kensington. “Juneteenth is a reminder that...
Aide says former Homeland Security head, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge had stroke
HARRISBURG — Former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge suffered a stroke Wednesday at his home in suburban Washington, D.C., a longtime aide to the former Pennsylvania governor said. Ridge was taken by ambulance from the home in Bethesda, Md., to a hospital for treatment, Ridge spokesman Steve Aaron said....
