Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1160
CDC says many Americans can now go outside without a mask
NEW YORK — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its guidelines Tuesday on the wearing of masks outdoors, saying fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to cover their faces anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers. And those who are unvaccinated can go outside without masks...
Covid vaccine clinic held at Westmoreland courthouseVideo
As many as 600 coronavirus vaccines were administered Tuesday at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg. The clinic, open to county employees, their families and the general public, was held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Hayden’s Pharmacy in Youngwood oversaw the operation. Hayden’s owner Ed Christofano said about 200...
Allegheny, Westmoreland covid hospitalizations down more than 15% from last week
Covid hospitalizations have been trending in a positive direction recently for the state and local counties. New covid data show that from last week to Tuesday, hospitalizations in Pennsylvania as well as Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have decreased somewhat significantly. Hospitalizations Pennsylvania saw a sixth consecutive day of decrease to...
UPS stock hits all-time high on soaring demand for delivery
NEW YORK — Small businesses in the U.S. fueled demand for delivery, helping UPS post better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the first quarter of the year. That sent the company’s stock to an all-time high Tuesday morning. UPS is one of the few companies that benefited from the pandemic as...
Police say Irwin woman stabbed man after he took her vodka
An Irwin woman is accused by police of stabbing a man with a kitchen knife after he took her bottle of vodka. Donna L. Rich, 55, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment in the incident at an apartment in the 500 block of Walnut Street in the...
Mike Lange to make temporary return to Penguins broadcast
Mike Lange had homework to do Monday night. For a few nights, in fact. Having been on hiatus as a precaution because of the pandemic, Lange listened to his temporary replacement, Josh Getzoff, aptly handle the duties as the play-by-play radio broadcaster for the Penguins’ first 49 games of the...
Hempfield casino and restaurant owners deny discrimination allegations
A spokesman for the owners of Live! Casino and Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar denied a former employee’s allegations of racial discrimination at the restaurant located inside the Hempfield casino at Westmoreland Mall. “Live! Casino Pittsburgh and Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar are proud of the jobs we...
Here come the 80s: Wild weather not unusual for April, experts say
The tail end of April has been both lion and lamb in terms of weather. A little less than a week ago, Southwestern Pennsylvania recorded more than an inch of snowfall and a low temperature of a balmy 32 degrees. About 1.6 inches fell, according to the National Weather Service,...
Gypsy moth spraying set for gamelands in eastern Westmoreland
Parts of a 2,472-acre piece of game lands in eastern Westmoreland County likely will be sprayed sometime between the middle-to-the-end of next week to prevent the infestation of leaf-eating gypsy moths, which damage trees and impact wildlife habitat, the state said Monday. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is targeting blocks of...
In fight against covid, Biden looks for path back to normal
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden spent his first 100 days in office encouraging Americans to mask up and stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus. His task for the next 100 days will be to lay out the path back to normal. When he entered office, Biden moved...
Biden signs $15 minimum wage for federal contract workers
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for federal contractors, providing a pay bump to hundreds of thousands of workers. Biden administration officials said that the higher wages would lead to greater worker productivity, offsetting any additional costs...
2 grants boost plans for Westmoreland County War on Terror memorial plaza
Two grants totaling $285,000 brought a local nonprofit closer to developing the Westmoreland County War on Terror Healing Garden and Memorial Plaza at Twin Lakes Park. Westmoreland County Veterans of the War on Terror Inc. announced Monday it received a $10,000 Green Gift to Celebrate Earth Day grant from Noble...
Winning Powerball ticket sold at Braddock market
Someone is a little richer after a Powerball ticket worth $150,000 was sold at an Allegheny County market, according to lottery officials. The winning ticket sold at Al’s Market in Braddock matched four of the five numbers drawn Saturday as well as the Powerball number. The Braddock Avenue market gets...
Teen apprehended in connection with Jeannette shooting
A 16-year-old boy charged with attempted homicide in a Jeannette shooting this month was apprehended Monday, according to Jeannette Police Chief Shannon Binda. Desean Ingram of Jeannette, who also was shot during the altercation, was arraigned Monday afternoon and is being held without bond at the Regional Youth Services Center...
Police: 1 person dead after U-Haul crashes into Shaler home
One person died after a U-Haul truck crashed into a Shaler home Monday afternoon, according to a Facebook post put up by the Shaler Police Department. Crews responded to the intersection of Reese and Grant avenues around 1:30 p.m. in response to a vehicle crash into a structure. Update: The...
Police: Man shot at gas station in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood
A man is recovering at a hospital after being shot at a gas station in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood Monday afternoon. Public Safety spokesperson Maurice Matthews said the victim was in stable condition after the incident around 2:45 p.m. at the BP station along the 1900 block of Brownsville Road. Matthews...
Vaccinated Americans may get clearance to skip the masks outdoorsVideo
WASHINGTON — A growing call for health officials to relax rules about outdoor mask wearing could soon lead to one of the most significant changes in virus guidelines since the U.S. first told Americans to don face coverings to curb the spread of covid-19. Outdoor mask wearing has been the...
U.S. marks slowest population growth since the DepressionVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. population growth has slowed to the lowest rate since the Great Depression, the Census Bureau said Monday, as Americans continued their march to the South and West and one-time engines of growth, New York and California, lost political influence. Altogether, the U.S. population rose to 331,449,281 last...
California, Clarion and Edinboro could be renamed under consolidation plan
California, Clarion and Edinboro universities will get a new name under a consolidation plan likely to be approved Wednesday for a 60-day public comment period. The necessity for a single name as well as a pledge to keep all three campuses open and fully operational are among the points made...
Homeland Security launches review of extremism within agency
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security on Monday announced an internal review to assess the threat of violent extremism from within the agency, part of a broader administration focus on domestic threats following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Senior DHS officials will immediately begin the review,...
Former cook at Westmoreland casino eatery alleges racial discrimination, harassment
A former line cook at celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar filed suit with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying he was subjected to racial discrimination, harassment and workplace retaliation at the popular restaurant at Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Westmoreland Mall. Speaking at a protest in the...
Pa. offering up rare whiskeys in lotteries
It’s a bourbon and rye whiskey lovers’ heaven this week in Pennsylvania. Keystone State residents will have a chance to purchase 213 bottles of 28 rare whiskeys this week. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) is holding five separate lotteries, each with multiple drawings, for Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve...
Pennsylvania will lose a U.S. House seat after redistricting
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 — Pennsylvania will lose one of its seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Census Bureau has confirmed, setting...
Get it twisted: New Bloomfield shop makes handmade German soft pretzelsVideo
Connor Claussen mixes three types of flour, dry yeast, sea salt and filtered water. He divides the dough into equal parts, rolls it into logs, forms each into a distinctive pretzel shape, scores the tops, dips them in lye and puts them in the oven to bake. This Swabian German...
Family of Black man shot by deputy in Virginia seeks release of audio
SPOTSYLVANIA COURTHOUSE, Va. — The family of a Black man shot by a Virginia sheriff’s deputy last week demanded the release of additional audio recordings related to the incident Monday and said Isaiah Brown remained in “very critical” condition. Speaking at a news conference outside the Spotsylvania County courthouse, an...
