Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1132
Western Pa. barbers split over helping President Biden promote covid vaccines
If President Biden wants Greg Henderson to preach the gospel of getting a covid vaccine to his customers who come in for a haircut, he’s going to have to find another barber to deliver that sermon. “I really don’t want to promote it. It’s kind of personal,” said Henderson, who...
North Huntingdon man accused in 2 homicides will stand trial for arson, attempted carjacking and firearms charges
Victor F. Steban, ordered Tuesday to stand trial for the killing of a Penn Township couple, also will be tried on charges related to what police say was the start and finish of his alleged four-day crime spree last month. Steban, 53, of North Huntingdon waived his right to preliminary...
Allegheny County officials see brighter light at the end of the covid tunnel
Allegheny County officials remain pleased with and optimistic about the rates of covid-19 and vaccinations countywide, they said Wednesday. The county is now average fewer than 50 new cases per day, said health director Dr. Debra Bogen. “Just two months ago, we were stuck in a fourth surge and averaging...
Netanyahu opponents reach coalition deal to oust Israeli PM
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponents announced Wednesday that they have reached a deal to form a new governing coalition, paving the way for the ouster of the longtime Israeli leader. The dramatic announcement by opposition leader Yair Lapid and his main coalition partner, Naftali Bennett, came shortly before...
Plum mayoral candidate Shawn Marcellino dies after collapsing at a softball game
Plum resident Shawn Marcellino was a selfless, caring man and a calming voice in times of trouble. That is how fellow Plum alum and school board president Mike Devine described his best friend of nearly 30 years. “He was the best guy,” Devine said. “He would literally do anything for...
Pine-Richland votes to hire veteran coach to heal fractured football programVideo
The Pine-Richland School Board has hired a veteran coach it hopes can close the book on a tumultuous chapter in the district’s football program. Steve Campos, an assistant football coach at Seneca Valley with nearly 30 years of experience, was the only candidate for the head coaching position considered during...
Allegheny County judge halts plea deals amid questions surrounding DA Zappala
Criminal justice advocates and elected officials are calling for the resignation of Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. after an email he sent banning plea offers to a Black attorney who called his office “systematically racist” became public. Additionally, an Allegheny County judge is now refusing to accept...
Part of former Troutman store sold; apartments planned
An Arizona-based real estate investment firm bought part of the vacant seven-story building in downtown Greensburg that formerly housed A.E. Troutman Co. department store with plans to convert it into 57 apartments. Urban Communities Steel Valley LLC of Phoenix told city officials it wants to create “multi-family workforce apartments” in...
Pittsburgh region adds 15,200 jobs in April, but 80K short of pre-pandemic level
The seven-county Pittsburgh region added 15,200 jobs in April, raising the total to about 1.11 million — which is almost 142,000 more than the pandemic-restricted economy of a year ago, according to new state labor-force figures. The region saw nonfarm jobs rise to 1,111,700 as 6,500 more construction jobs were...
South Side’s Boom Boom Room raided by state police, shut down by health department
State police raided a South Side club and seized gallons of alcohol over the weekend, while the county health department shut down the bar for operating without a license, records show. State troopers with the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement along with Pittsburgh police served a search warrant on the...
Purchase of SWAT bots questioned by Pittsburgh council
Pittsburgh City Council members gave preliminary approval Wednesday for the police department to buy two small robots equipped with cameras. But they did so only after discussion among members and asking the police department’s Special Deployment Cmdr. Ed Trapp about how the robots will be used. “It’s just distressing to...
Covid cases, hospitalizations continue to drop in Pennsylvania and Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
Covid cases and hospitalizations in Pennsylvania and Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have continued to drop in recent days, as the number of people vaccinated slowly rises. Cases The Allegheny County Health Department reported 42 additional cases — 35 confirmed and seven probable — on Wednesday, with the county’s total reaching...
Lawrenceville’s retro Arsenal Bowl up for sale
Lawrenceville’s iconic Arsenal Bowl is up for sale. The bowling alley, in operation since 1938, survived the pandemic after a record-setting year in 2019, according to the Specialty Group, the real estate broker tasked with finding a buyer. Pennsylvania’s pandemic-related business restrictions have been slowly loosening for months, and all...
Galley Bakery Square’s 4 new restaurants officially open for business
Pittsburgh’s East End received a dining infusion Tuesday. Four restaurants officially opened as part of Galley Group’s latest endeavor: Galley Bakery Square. The options are as diverse as the restaurants themselves: City Fresh Pasta, Bubba’s, Somi and GG’s Cafe. The timing comes on the heels of the state lifting capacity...
Zappala: No plea deals to Black attorney who called his office ‘systematically racist’
Five days after well-known Black attorney Milton Raiford spoke out against racism in the criminal justice system, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. emailed all of his deputy prosecutors forbidding them from offering any plea deals to Raiford or his clients. “On May 13, we experienced another issue...
It’s official: Part of Route 981 to be renamed for late state Rep. Mike Reese
Nick Molitor of Norvelt was having a difficult time battling both the county and township to determine who was responsible for fixing an embankment near his home. “As soon as I told the township I was going to contact my state rep, Mike Reese, they were out there taking care...
Hacking outfit linked to Russia is behind JBS cyberattack, sources sayVideo
A notorious Russia-linked hacking group is behind the cyberattack against JBS SA, according to four people familiar with the assault who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The cyber gang goes by the name REvil or Sodinokibi. While it’s unclear if all of REvil’s hackers operate in...
Driver injured when garbage truck loses brakes, shears off front of Etna home; occupants escape injuryVideo
The occupants of a home in Etna, including two toddlers, escaped injury when the front of their home was sheered off by a garbage truck that lost its brakes while coming down a steep hill. The truck was traveling down Kittanning Street shortly before 4 p.m. on Tuesday and crossed...
WPXI-TV: 1 killed in Munhall house fireVideo
One man perished in a fire that broke out at his Munhall home on Tuesday, WPXI-TV reported. Citing fire officials, the station reported the man was disabled and was found near the home’s front entrance. An Allegheny County fire marshal is expected to investigate. The fire was in a house...
North Huntingdon man ordered to stand trial for Penn Township slayingsVideo
“I told you this would happen. I told you not to run your mouth,” Victor F. Steban allegedly said as he stood over Jacob Erdeljac, taunting the dying man. Steban, 53, had just ambushed Erdeljac, 40, and his girlfriend, Mara Casale, 27, outside the home they shared in Penn Township,...
Biden to suspend oil leases in Alaska’s Arctic refuge
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is suspending oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as it reviews environmental impacts of drilling in the remote region that has been the focus of a political fight for decades, according to two people who have been briefed on the administration’s...
China reports human case of H10N3 bird flu, a possible first
BEIJING — A man in eastern China has contracted what might be the world’s first human case of the H10N3 strain of bird flu, but the risk of large-scale spread is low, the government said Tuesday. The 41-year-old man in Jiangsu province, northwest of Shanghai, was hospitalized April 28 and...
Wilkinsburg man killed in shooting near Mt. Carmel Road in Penn Hills
A 24-year-old Wilkinsburg man was shot and killed in Penn Hills on Tuesday morning, according to the Allegheny County Police Department. Police said a shooting was reported at around 10:39 a.m. near the 7700 block of Mount Carmel Road. Robert Higginbotham, 24, was identified as the victim by the Allegheny...
Florida governor bans transgender women from school sports
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s Republican governor signed a bill Tuesday barring transgender females from playing on public school teams intended for student athletes born as girls, plunging the state into the national culture war over transgender rights. “In Florida, girls are going to play girls sports and boys are going...
Looming closure of Tarentum Bridge prompts planning by police, drivers
PennDOT hasn’t released the official detour route for when the Tarentum Bridge will be closed this month, but New Kensington police are getting ready for the closure. The New Kensington Bridge, spanning the Allegheny River between the city and East Deer, is likely to be part of the posted detour...
