Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1190
Apollo Cemetery cleanup set; Scout to finish cleaning almost 100 veteran tombstones
After a rallying cry two years ago, the efforts to restore the Apollo Cemetery in Kiski Township have been bolstered by volunteers, donations and the elbow grease of Boy Scouts. Volunteers and donations are needed for a spring cleanup from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 27. The Apollo...
AP sources: Iran threatens U.S. Army post and top general
Iran has made threats against Fort McNair, an Army post in the U.S. capital, and against the Army’s vice chief of staff, two senior U.S. intelligence officials said. They said communications intercepted by the National Security Agency in January showed that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard discussed mounting “USS Cole-style attacks” against...
Rivals take aim at Pa. state Sen. Doug Mastriano’s WWI research
HARRISBURG — The World War I exploits of Sgt. Alvin C. York netted Gary Cooper a best actor Academy Award and Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano a degree, a book deal — and academic backlash. Mastriano had a deep interest in York long before he led anti-mask protests last year,...
Gun waiting periods rare in U.S. states but more may be coming
Not long before the deadly Atlanta-area shootings spread fear and anger through Asian American communities nationwide, police say the attacker made a legal purchase: a 9 mm handgun. Within hours, they say, he had killed eight people, seven of them women and six of Asian descent, in a rampage targeting...
A year into pandemic, veterans halls ‘barely hanging’ on
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Paul Guilbeault knew the writing was on the wall for the last Veterans of Foreign Wars post in this city south of Boston when businesses across Massachusetts were ordered to close as the coronavirus pandemic took hold last March. Within six months, the 90-year-old Korean War...
Rapid covid-19 vaccine rollout backfired in some U.S. states
Despite the clamor to speed up the U.S. vaccination drive against covid-19 and get the country back to normal, the first three months of the rollout suggest faster is not necessarily better. A surprising new analysis found that states such as South Carolina, Florida and Missouri that raced ahead of...
Whiskey makers face worsening hangover from trade dispute
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A hangover from Trump-era tariff disputes could become even more painful for American whiskey distillers unless their entanglement in a trans-Atlantic trade fight is resolved soon. Bourbon, Tennessee whiskey and rye whiskey were left out of recent breakthroughs to start rebuilding U.S. trade relations with the European...
Man, woman arrested after fight outside North Apollo bar
A Vandergrift man was jailed after police said he fought with officers who were arresting him in connection to a disturbance Friday night outside a bar in North Apollo. Noah Helm, 24, is accused of becoming combative with a Kiski Township police officer as he attempted to arrest Helm along...
Editorial: State lawmakers need daily expenses accountability
What does it take to get you through the day? The price of your breakfast. A mid- morning cup of coffee. Lunch, a snack, dinner. A room for the night. How much would that total? For some state legislators, it’s quite the figure. A Spotlight PA dive into the government...
Election Code proposals trigger debate in Harrisburg as hearings progress
State lawmakers are weighing sweeping changes to Pennsylvania’s election laws as candidates cautiously test the waters for a 2022 mid-term election that could once again put the state in the bull’s-eye of the national debate over election reform. In Pennsylvania, where unsuccessful court challenges to the 2020 presidential election continued...
PennDOT to close 86-mile stretch of Turnpike overnight Saturday
An 86-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be closed in both directions late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, because of construction. Between 11 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday, construction crews will be working to remove the Country Ridge Road bridge, which carries traffic over the turnpike in...
Several hundred, including actress Sandra Oh, rally in Oakland to ‘Stop Asian Hate’Video
Several hundred people gathered in Oakland on Saturday for a “Stop Asian Hate” rally. The rally, organized by Thrash the State, was held to protest an increase in violence against Asian Americans. Actress Sandra Oh, who is in town filming the Netflix series, “The Chair,” made a surprise appearance. A...
Missing Pittsburgh woman found dead, police say
A Penn Hills woman who had been reported missing Friday was found dead in Wilkinsburg, according to police and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Maxine Gillis, 79, who suffered from a medical condition, was found in the 2200 block of William Penn Highway, the medical examiner said Saturday. The...
Man arrested after 12-year-old boy stabbed in Liberty Avenue McDonald’s
A Pittsburgh man has been arrested in connection with the stabbing of a 12-year-old boy inside the McDonald’s restaurant in Downtown Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon, police said. Charles Edward Turner, 51, was charged by Pittsburgh police with criminal attempt homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault and...
A huge spike in Medicaid enrollment in Pa. shows how devastating the coronavirus has been
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 — There are many ways to measure the pain being felt by people in Cumberland County. More families in the...
Covid cases spiking rapidly in Pennsylvania and Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
The latest covid-19 spike that health officials have been warning about appears to have arrived in Pennsylvania. On Saturday, the state posted 4,213 new covid cases, the highest single-day tally since Feb. 7 (4,717). Over the past week, the seven-day average of new cases (2,888) has risen more than 16%....
Life during covid: Windber woman offers helping hand in a variety of ways
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series examining how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of members of our community. Donna LaMonaca is no stranger to helping others. A little less than a year ago, as the covid-19 pandemic ramped up across the world, the Windber resident...
University of Pittsburgh sees spike in covid cases
The University of Pittsburgh said it has seen an 83% spike in new covid cases this past week and four of its campuses are in a “guarded risk posture.” Thirty-six students have tested positive for coronavirus since March 16, and 45 are in isolation at the Oakland campus, according to...
Story of Wally Triplett, 1st Black football player to start for Penn State, to be made into movieVideo
It was a moment every high school football player dreams about. It was the mid-1940s, and Wally Triplett had just opened a letter from the University of Miami. The school was offering him a scholarship to play football for the Hurricanes. Triplett was ecstatic. His joy quickly evaporated when he...
In a battle to preserve history dating to 1770s, Westmoreland County running out of space
From British rule to the coronavirus, Westmoreland County government stores millions of paper records spanning more than two centuries of local history. Rows of boxes stacked to the ceiling hold government and court records dating to the time of King George III. They occupy thousands of square feet of warehouse...
Spring is here: 5 facts about the equinox
Saturday is the first day of spring — also known as the vernal equinox. Here are five questions answered to help you understand the science of the season. What’s an equinox? For two moments every year the sun passes directly above the equator — once in March and once in...
Duquesne public address announcer remembered for his passion, talent
Brian Klisavage, the official scorekeeper for Duquesne basketball since the 1980s, sat next to public address announcer Dominic Errico during dozens of games over the past seven years. No one had a better vantage point to feel Errico’s ability to bring a different level of energy to an arena. From...
Person dead after being struck by train near Route 837 in Washington County
A person was struck and killed by a train traveling near Route 837 and Jones Lane in Carroll Township, Washington County, on Friday afternoon. The Washington County Coroner’s Office said the victim was struck shortly before 4 p.m. along the Norfolk Southern Railway tracks that run between Route 837 and...
Burrell School District working on plan to help struggling students
Editor’s note: The original version of this story attributed school board President Pam Key’s remarks to a different school director. Burrell School District is working on a plan to help students in academic trouble, including those having problems with virtual learning. Superintendent Shannon Wagner told the school board Tuesday about...
Springdale father and son safe, sheltered after fire damages home
Kendall Collier was at work when he received an emergency call from his father Friday afternoon. “ ’Our house is on fire. Come home quick’ were his exact words,” Collier said, standing outside their three-story Springdale home. Firefighters from multiple departments responded to the two-alarm blaze around 2:30 p.m. along...
