Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1154
North Allegheny teacher placed on leave; accused of dragging 6-year-old girl with Down syndrome
A teacher at North Allegheny’s Hosack Elementary School has been placed on administrative leave while McCandless police investigate allegations that a young girl with Down syndrome was dragged across the floor during an adaptive gym class. The district has not released details about the alleged incident or the teacher and...
Judge orders Justice Department to release Trump obstruction memo
WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ordered the release of a legal memorandum the Trump-era Justice Department prepared for then-Attorney General William Barr before he announced his conclusion that President Donald Trump had not obstructed justice during the Russia investigation. The Justice Department had refused to give the March 24,...
Pittsburgh man guilty of sharing child sex abuse videos online
A Pittsburgh-area man nabbed by the FBI pleaded guilty to distributing videos of child sex abuse and exploitation, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. George Goodwin, 49, is serving home detention pending his sentencing hearing after paying a $50,000 bond, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman said. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Ranjan...
Local bookstore White Whale and Strip District Terminal developer dispute failed deal for lease
A small crowd rallied outside White Whale Bookstore in Bloomfield on Tuesday, supporting the Pittsburgh shop’s dispute with a developer over a failed plan for a second location. In a series of tweets Monday afternoon, the independent, family-owned bookstore said that until recently, it had been planning to expand with...
House GOP leader amps up pressure on Liz Cheney over Trump barbsVideo
WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy stepped up pressure on No. 3 House Republican Liz Cheney on Tuesday, claiming rank-and-file concerns about “her ability to carry out her job” as she trades insults with former President Donald Trump. McCarthy’s comments on the Fox News Channel underscored the continued, if...
Black state trooper alleges racism at Greensburg barracks in federal lawsuit
A Black Pennsylvania State Police trooper said in a federal lawsuit Monday that the department’s Greensburg barracks is rife with racism — toward its employees and the public it serves — and that its leaders have done nothing to stop it. Among his experiences, Trooper Tavin Davis said a garden...
Pirates call Gov. Wolf lifting restrictions ‘exciting, welcomed news’ for fans at PNC Park
The Pittsburgh Pirates called Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement that the state’s covid-19 mitigation orders will be lifted on Memorial Day “exciting and welcomed news” for their fans and community. The Pirates, who weren’t permitted to have fans in attendance for their 30 home games last season, are following Wolf’s orders...
Scientists scramble to see why, in rare cases, even the vaccinated can get covid-19
Carey Alexander Washington, 80, a practicing clinical psychologist, called his daughter in January as soon as he received his first dose of the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine. “He was just so excited that he had gotten it,” said Tanya Washington, 49, a resident of Atlanta who works at an investment firm....
West Newton police, county detectives probe shooting
An area man was seriously injured when he was shot in the face during a confrontation early Tuesday at a home in West Newton, according to borough police and Westmoreland County detectives. The shooting occurred at a residence off of North 2nd Street just after midnight, according to police Chief...
Biden aims for vaccinating 70% of adult Americans by July 4Video
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday set a new vaccination goal to deliver at least one dose to 70% of adult Americans by July Fourth, focusing on easing access to shots as his administration tackles the vexing problem of winning over those reluctant to get inoculated. The new goal...
Wolf: Covid restrictions end Memorial Day; mask mandate ends when 70% of Pa. adults fully vaccinated
Pennsylvania plans to lift its covid-19 mitigation orders on Memorial Day, and Gov. Tom Wolf said the state’s masking order will be dropped once 70% of Pennsylvanians 18 and older are fully vaccinated. Mitigation measures that remain in effect until Memorial Day include capacity limits on restaurants, theaters, indoor and...
Declining covid hospitalization streak ends in Pa., Allegheny County
Recent covid hospitalization numbers have been declining for several straight days in the state and Allegheny County. But those streaks ended Tuesday, when both saw increases to its current covid hospitalization total. The state saw its first increase to its current covid hospitalization total after having 12 consecutive days of...
Pittsburgh to consider restrictions on plastic bags
Pittsburgh City Council will be considering legislation to restrict single-use plastic bags under a resolution introduced Tuesday by Councilwoman Erika Strassburger. “It’s not the kind of product that should be used once and then thrown away,” Strassburger said. “If we’re truly going to have a circular economy, we have to...
Cash 5 ticket worth $200K sold at Hempfield store
A jackpot-winning Pennsylvania Lottery Cash 5 ticket was sold Monday at Rick’s Tobacco Outlet along Route 30 in Hempfield, state lottery officials said. The winning ticket, sold along with a Quick Cash ticket, was for Monday’s drawing and matched all five balls drawn, 3-7-22-29-36. The winner won $200,000 less withholding,...
One ritzy fundraiser shows how tough selling lobbying reform in Pa. will be
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan 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 — For the first time, the Pennsylvania legislature’s top leaders are expected to throw their weight behind reining in the...
1 killed, 1 hurt in Fayette crash
A Uniontown woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Fayette County Monday and a man was seriously injured, according to state police. Linda L. Lewis, 76, was pronounced dead at the scene on Morgantown Road in South Union. She was the passenger in a car being driven by Bernard...
Son of Holocaust survivors, designer of Berlin’s Jewish Museum chosen to lead Tree of Life rebuildVideo
The son of Holocaust survivors will help rebuild the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill, the congregation’s board of trustees announced Tuesday, 2½ years after the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in the country. Daniel Libeskind was selected unanimously by the Tree of Life - Or L’Simcha board of trustees to...
Mexico City metro overpass collapses onto road; 23 dead
MEXICO CITY — An elevated section of the Mexico City metro collapsed and sent a subway car plunging toward a busy boulevard late Monday, killing at least 23 people and injuring about 70, city officials said. Rescuers searched a car left dangling from the overpass for hours for anyone who...
FBI: Officers shoot armed man outside CIA headquarters
A man was shot Monday outside CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., after he “emerged from his vehicle with a weapon,” according to an FBI statement. The man attempted to drive into the campus without any access and was stopped by armed guards who operate the gates, according to reports. The...
Hundreds rally at Pine-Richland board meeting calling for fired coach to be reinstatedVideo
Hundreds of supporters of Pine-Richland’s ousted head football coach Eric Kasperowicz rallied outside the district’s administrative office, during Monday’s school board meeting, to call for his reinstatement. The sometimes boisterous crowd broke out in chants of “We Are P-R” and jeered as school directors arrived for the monthly planning session,...
Vandergrift gives no update on police conduct investigation
Vandergrift residents didn’t get an answer on whether a borough police officer accused of unprofessional conduct will remain on the force, nor did they get any update on the borough’s investigation Monday. Instead, borough officials adjourned to an executive session to speak about the matter privately, saying later only that...
FDA expected to OK Pfizer vaccine for teens within week
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine for young adults age 12 and older by next week, according to a federal official and a person familiar with the process, setting up shots for many before the beginning of the next school year....
‘Getting Pittsburgh Vaccinated’ and other Facebook groups offer neighborly resources
Leighann Bacher started the Facebook page “Getting Pittsburgh Vaccinated” with a few other women, thinking she might share some resources with other residents of Hampton. Four months later, the page has nearly 40,000 members. After making her own vaccine appointment and helping members of her family do the same, she...
Bill and Melinda Gates announce they are ending marriageVideo
SEATTLE — Bill and Melinda Gates announced Monday that they are divorcing. The Microsoft co-founder and his wife, who launched the world’s largest charitable foundation, said they would continue to work together at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In identical tweets, they said they had made the decision to...
Penn Township man to serve up to 40 years in prison for firing rifle at police
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday said he had no choice but to sentence a Penn Township man to serve up to 40 years in prison for shooting at police during a 2016 standoff. But, even without a state legislative mandatory minimum sentencing requirement in place, Judge Scott Mears said...
