Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1200
5 things to know about the next round of stimulus checks
The third round of stimulus checks is on the way — and it’s the biggest one yet. Here are five things to expect about your check: How big are the stimulus payments? The base payment is $1,400 for individuals or $2,800 per couple, plus an additional $1,400 for each dependent...
Pop-up miniature golf course comes to streets of Oakland
Mini-golfers are invited to play at a free pop-up course beginning Thursday in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section. Presented by the Pittsburgh Innovation District, the nine-hole Oakland Open will welcome duffers from noon-8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays through April. The ADA-compliant course, located on Oakland Avenue between Forbes Avenue and...
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s campaign GoodEat$ offers discounts to city diners
Tuesdays and Wednesdays are traditionally slower days in the restaurant business. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is trying to help change that a bit. It’s helping nearly 30 Downtown restaurants to offer 25% off food and drinks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in March through the “GoodEat$” program. Restaurants will be reimbursed...
Teen killed in single-vehicle crash in Ross
Ross Township police are investigating a crash that killed a 17-year-old boy Sunday. Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the deceased at Jacob Weiland of Pittsburgh. The crash occurred shortly after 9 p.m. along the 300 block of McIntyre Road. Weiland was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the...
Report: Aggressive incident results in Biden’s dogs being sent back to Delaware
Joe Biden’s dogs just got a time out. Approximately 110 miles away. According to a report from CNN, the president’s German shepherds were sent back last week to Wilmington, Del., because of an aggressive incident at the White House. Major, the 3-year-old that was adopted by the Biden family in...
Westmoreland officials press state to improve vaccine distributionVideo
Westmoreland elected officials on Monday said they remain concerned over a lack of response to calls to improve the state’s vaccine distribution effort and to correct a shortage of doses allocated to the county. During a news conference conducted after county commissioners met privately for about 90 minutes with members...
Greene County went from bust to boom times with natural gas. Now it’s nearly broke.
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. WAYNESBURG — Greene County is going broke. Despite receiving millions in payouts from the natural gas industry to compensate counties like...
Security review recommends more authority for Capitol Police chief, D.C. National GuardVideo
WASHINGTON — As part of the review of Capitol security after the Jan. 6 attack, retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré and his task force are recommending a boost to the Capitol Police chief’s authority in times of crisis, the deployment of a mobile fencing option and an upgrade...
Pennsylvania agrees to settle gas drilling royalties lawsuit
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania reached a settlement in a lawsuit against natural gas driller Chesapeake Energy Corp. for its handling of royalty payments to property owners, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Monday. Speaking in Tunkhannock, a northeastern Pennsylvania town in the heart of heavy Marcellus Shale natural gas production, Shapiro...
Western Pa. health experts cautious about CDC’s mask-shedding guidance
Western Pennsylvania health professionals say the newest public health guidelines about maskless gatherings are a “measured step toward normalcy” — but they also come with some concerns. “I worry a little bit, frankly, that people will maybe misinterpret this particular guidance, and think it gives more freedoms than it really...
Stimulus check calculator tells you how much your 3rd payment will be
Curious how much — if anything — you will be getting if the third stimulus checks go out? Well, there are several online calculators set up to tell you just that. On Saturday, the U.S. Senate passed the $1.9 trillion covid relief bill. Now, it’s headed to the House for...
Medical marijuana dispensary could be up and running by early summer in Ross
A medical marijuana dispensary that will be housed in a former woodworking supply shop along McKnight Road in Ross could be ready to open by early summer, according to the company’s president. Organic Remedies Inc., which operates dispensaries in Chamberburg, Enola and York in South Central Pennsylvania received conditional use...
TSA catches 8th gun this year at Pittsburgh International
Transportation Security Administration officers caught another gun at the Pittsburgh International Airport checkpoint over the weekend — the eighth this year, officials said. A Verona woman was stopped at the checkpoint just before 7 a.m. Saturday when TSA officers spotted the gun in the woman’s carry-on bags on the X-ray...
Judge tosses lawsuit by former Steelers over ‘race-norming’ in NFL dementia tests
PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit that challenged “race-norming” in dementia tests for retired NFL players, a practice that some say makes it harder for Black athletes to show injury and qualify for awards. A hearing had been set for Thursday. The judge instead ordered the...
Police accuse man ordered to leave Greensburg bar of stealing car, crashing at end of chase
A man told to leave a downtown Greensburg bar early Saturday because he appeared intoxicated was arrested later on charges of stealing another customer’s car, leading police on a 4-mile pursuit and attempting to fight officers, according to court documents. Darrell D. Carr, 29, of Pitcairn was arraigned on charges...
Hempfield man charged in police chase through 4 municipalities
A Hempfield man is accused by Jeannette police of leading officers on a chase through four municipalities last month until he crashed and the car caught fire, according to court papers. Tyler David Varriano-Milan, 25, is charged with numerous offenses, including fleeing from police, driving under the influence and reckless...
4 big Pennsylvania counties unhappy over vaccine share
HARRISBURG — Four of Pennsylvania’s seven most-heavily populated counties are airing their unhappiness over the size of their allotment of coronavirus vaccines, saying Monday that a meeting with Gov. Tom Wolf’s top health official did not resolve their concerns. Leaders of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties — home to...
Covid numbers hitting lows not seen since early November
Pennsylvania’s latest covid-19 data, released Monday by the state’s Department of Health, carries on the trend of lower numbers — in new cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Over the past two days, the state has recorded 3,176 new cases of coronavirus, an 11% drop from last Monday’s two-day report (3,573) and...
Fully vaccinated people can gather without masks, CDC says
NEW YORK — Fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing, according to long-awaited guidance from federal health officials. The recommendations also say that vaccinated people can come together in the same way with people considered at low-risk for severe disease,...
Allegheny County Dems endorse Ed Gainey in Pittsburgh mayoral race
Ed Gainey won the endorsement of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee in his challenge to Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, becoming the first Black Pittsburgh mayoral candidate to earn the party’s endorsement. Peduto didn’t compete for the committee’s formal support, which was announced after a meeting Sunday. Gainey, 51, a five-term...
Carrick man accused of sexually assaulting coworker at North Huntingdon care facility
An Allegheny County man is accused of sexually assaulting a co-worker at a North Huntingdon nursing facility, according to court papers. Daniel A. Odu, 33, of Carrick is charged with attempted rape, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault. Officials at The Grove at North Huntingdon contacted township police Feb. 6...
Westmoreland County commissioners set to lobby state lawmakers for more vaccine, pandemic recovery
The push for help to provide additional covid-19 vaccine doses will continue Monday when Westmoreland County commissioners are scheduled meet with the county’s 11-member state legislative delegation to address future needs. It will be the first joint meeting of the current three-member board of commissioners with state representatives, senators and...
Warm temperatures, sunny skies expected in early part of week
The Pittsburgh region will see hints of spring this week as unseasonably warm temperatures arrive. Breaking out of colder temperatures that struggled to reach past the 40s last weekend, much of Southwestern Pennsylvania is expected to experience temperatures in the mid-50s Monday, according to Chris Leonardi, a meteorologist with the...
Bartos declares candidacy for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Jeff Bartos is formally launching his campaign for Pennsylvania’s wide-open U.S. Senate race, the highest-profile Republican candidate so far to declare for the seat. Bartos, the Republican Party’s nominee for lieutenant governor in 2018, has said he was seriously considering a run and filed paperwork to run last...
2 Hempfield Area schools temporarily closed because of covid-19 cases
Two Hempfield Area schools are temporarily closed because of multiple covid-19 cases, school officials announced. The high school and Fort Allen Elementary are closed Monday, according to Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. Students, who will participate in remote learning Monday, will return to the classroom on Tuesday. According to an online covid-19...
