Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1183
Ligonier area dam removed; trout stream to be restoredVideo
A 1940s-era reservoir that once held close to 7 million gallons of drinking water for the Ligonier-Laughlintown areas is empty. A New Kensington company is removing the dam — a project that eventually will allow the stream that fed the reservoir to be rechanneled so it flows freely into a...
Hempfield man accused of attempting to break out of Westmoreland jail
A Hempfield man jailed in connection with an alleged domestic assault is accused by police of using wheelchair arms to pry off the metal frame of a window at the Westmoreland County Prison, according to county detectives. Jule A. Mascherma, 33, is charged with attempted escape, institutional vandalism and making...
3 Pittsburgh residents accused in $1M fraud scheme targeting pandemic unemployment
Three Pittsburgh residents face felony charges in connection with a scheme that defrauded Pennsylvania of nearly $1 million worth of pandemic-related unemployment relief, according to charges filed by the state Attorney General’s Office. Linda Slade, 51, of Westwood; Rochelle Oaks, 66, of Perry South; and Keith Brown, 53, of Brighton...
Latrobe bridge set for rehabilitation
A bridge in Latrobe is set for rehabilitation this year after the county commissioners on Monday approved a $2.4 million project. Brewery Bridge carries Ligonier Street over Loyalhanna Creek near City Brewing and Excela Health Latrobe Hospital. County engineer Vaughn Neill said the project is funded mostly by a federal...
Highmark Inc. purchases naming rights to Buffalo Bills’ stadium
Pittsburgh is no longer the only city with a Highmark Stadium. The Buffalo Bills’ home is also called Highmark Stadium. The team made it official with a formal announcement Tuesday morning. Highmark BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, a newly rebranded health insurer, has purchased the naming rights for what...
United Steelworkers begin strike at Allegheny Technologies, Inc.; reject’s ATI’s last-minute counter offerVideo
The United Steelworkers began a strike against Allegheny Technologies Inc. on Tuesday, marking the first such action against the company in nearly three decades. Some workers have been with the company long enough to remember the last strike 27 years ago, but Harrison’s Jeff Allenberg, 41, was hired at ATI’s...
United Steelworkers set strike date at ATI facilities
The United Steelworkers union announced Friday it will start a strike at Allegheny Technologies Inc. next week. The union said it informed ATI it will strike over what it calls unfair labor practices beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday. “We have provided the notice to ATI to ensure an orderly and...
Rising lumber prices a pain in the pocketbook, push new house prices up $24,000
In 40 years of building homes in Westmoreland, Allegheny and southern Butler counties, Ray Snoznik, owner of R.A. Snoznik Construction Inc. of Murrysville, never has seen such a jump in lumber prices in one year. “It’s up 188% from last year. We’re trying to adjust (to the price hike), but...
Pittsburgh police investigate shootings in Hill District, Larimer
Pittsburgh police are investigating two shootings that happened Monday, one of which left a man in critical condition, authorities said. Officers responded just after 11 p.m. to the 2200 block of Webster Avenue in the Hill District where they found a man shot in the back. He was transported to...
Allegheny County and Pennsylvania see highest covid hospitalizations in a month
Covid hospitalizations on Tuesday continued to increase in Allegheny County and Pennsylvania, according to state data, reaching levels previously reached a month ago. Pennsylvania The number of covid-19 patients hospitalized in the state grew to 1,980 on Tuesday, the 10th consecutive day hospitalizations have increased. It was the most people...
White House says private sector should lead on vaccine passportsVideo
White House officials said that the push for vaccine passports should come from the private sector and that the federal government won’t take the lead in creating a centralized document proving vaccination. The U.S. government “is not viewing its role as the place to create a passport, nor a place...
Police: Man shot in leg in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood
A man was taken to a hospital in stable condition after being shot in the leg in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood. Public Safety spokesperson Cara Cruz said officers responded to reports of a man shot around 8:30 p.m. Monday along the 200 block of Larimer Avenue. Police located the victim inside...
Millvale family of 3 rescued from burning home, 2 firefighters injuredVideo
A Millvale family of three was rescued from their burning home by borough police Monday afternoon. Emergency responders were dispatched to 301 William St. shortly after 4 p.m. “Heavy fire from the porch area extended into the house,” Millvale fire Chief Karl Cavanaugh said “Crews were able to keep it...
More than a dozen states to open vaccines to all adultsVideo
More than a dozen states will open vaccine eligibility to all adults this week in a major expansion of covid-19 shots for tens of millions of Americans amid a worrisome increase in virus cases and concerns about balancing supply and demand for the vaccines. Meanwhile, the director of the Centers...
Pennsylvania schools to get $4.9B in federal pandemic aid
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania schools will get nearly $5 billion from the federal covid-19 aid package, the Wolf administration announced Monday. School districts must use at least 20% of the money to address learning loss from the pandemic as well as support the “social, emotional, and academic needs of underrepresented students,”...
Former Beaver County youth soccer treasurer charged with stealing from league
The former treasurer of a Beaver County youth soccer organization is charged in federal court with stealing from the organization over a three-year period to pay for cruises, airline tickets and other personal expenses. Jenessa Tolejko, who volunteered with the Brighton Township-Beaver Soccer Association, is charged by criminal information in...
Harrison World War II veteran Howard Traenkner dies at 100
Howard Traenkner of Harrison was born at the end of one pandemic and died in the midst of another one. A World War II Navy veteran, he was born as the Spanish flu pandemic was trailing off. He died Saturday, at 100, of natural causes, his family said. “I think...
AP sources: SolarWinds hack got emails of top DHS officials
Suspected Russian hackers gained access to email accounts belonging to the Trump administration’s head of the Department of Homeland Security and members of the department’s cybersecurity staff whose jobs included hunting threats from foreign countries, The Associated Press has learned. The intelligence value of the hacking of then-acting Secretary Chad...
As Allegheny County judge offers remote court access, lawsuit could be dismissed
A court watch program that sued an Allegheny County Common Pleas judge for failing to provide access to remote court proceedings has agreed to “pause” the case for three weeks in hopes of a resolution. The Abolitionist Law Center’s Court Watch program filed suit against Judge Anthony M. Mariani in...
Police: Fight over suboxone led to Millvale shooting
A fight over missing suboxone led to the shooting Sunday in Millvale that left one man in critical condition, according to court records. Jeffrey Mitchell, 36, is charged with aggravated assault in connection with the midday shooting. Millvale police responded about 2:30 p.m. to North Avenue where a man was...
CDC director has feeling of ‘impending doom’ amid new covid spike
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made an impassioned plea to Americans Monday not to let their guard down in the fight against covid-19, warning of a potential fourth wave of the virus and saying she has a recurring feeling “of impending doom.” Speaking during a...
How well are covid vaccines working in Americans who got them? CDC releases new data
New research provides “strong evidence” that the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines are capable of preventing infections — both those that cause symptoms and those that don’t — in real-world conditions, that is, outside the controlled laboratory settings where the initial clinical trials took place. The study, conducted by...
Wall of Faces project to honor Vietnam casualties nears completion; all Pennsylvania photos found
On March 29, 1973, combat and combat support units withdrew from South Vietnam, and the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 permanently designates that date every year as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. It is a time not only to recognize the service of U.S. soldiers in Vietnam, but...
Pittsburgh Public Schools prepare for students’ return to in-person classes
Her kindergarteners used to sit at tables, in groups. But now there are tiny disks spread across Amy Belitz’s classroom at Lincoln PreK-5, each about three feet apart from each other. Last year, Belitz said, her classroom seated 24 kids. Now there are only nine desks, and there will be...
Rising covid cases in Pennsylvania not as steep as late 2020 surge
There’s no doubt coronavirus cases are on the rise in Pennsylvania. But the cases do not appear to be increasing at the rate seen in early November. The state’s current week-over-week numbers indicate cases are rising an average of 20-30%, whereas, in November, the week-over-week rates were averaging in the...
