Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1221
Irwin Council: Masks are optional at future meetings
Irwin Council decided Wednesday to no longer require anyone attending their meetings to wear a mask in spite of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation to do so in order the slow the spread of covid-19. Meeting online through Irwin’s Facebook page, council decided 6-1 to return to...
Plane drives off taxiway at Pittsburgh International Airport, everyone off plane safely
A Boeing 717 with 77 people on board went off a taxiway before takeoff at Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday evening, according to a statement from airport officials. No injuries were reported. The Delta Air Lines flight 2231 was about to depart for Atlanta when the incident happened near runway...
White House looks at domestic travel restrictions as virus variant surges in Florida
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is considering whether to impose domestic travel restrictions, including on Florida, fearful that coronavirus mutations are threatening to reverse hard-fought progress on the pandemic. Outbreaks of the new variants — including a highly contagious one first identified in the United Kingdom, as well as others...
Want to hike 35 miles on longest day of the year? Rachel Carson Challenge is on
While the pandemic caused a flurry of event cancellations last year, some outdoor outings are a “go” this summer, including the 24th Rachel Carson Trail Challenge. The 35-mile trek though rugged, hilly terrain only adds to the challenge of the event, which will start in Harrison Hills Park in Harrison...
U.K. covid variant detected in Allegheny County, officials sayVideo
Allegheny County officials announced Wednesday the covid-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom has been detected in the county. Dr. Debra Bogen, the county’s health director, said the case is the first and only U.K. variant reported in the county thus far. The health department has completed a case...
Federal attorneys appeal home detention for ‘pink hat lady’ charged in Capitol riot
Federal attorneys say a Mercer County woman known as “pink hat lady” is too dangerous and too much of a flight risk to be allowed to remain at home while she awaits trial for her suspected role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C....
Nicole Ziccarelli announces bid for Westmoreland County district attorney
Fresh off a razor-thin defeat in a bid to upset a two-term incumbent state senator, New Kensington lawyer Nicole Ziccarelli announced Wednesday she is seeking to oust another entrenched Democrat. Ziccarelli, a Republican, said she will run against six-term incumbent John Peck for the Westmoreland County District Attorney office in...
Pa. Attorney General Shapiro files memorandum in Trump impeachment
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro does not have a role in the ongoing impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, but he wanted to ensure U.S. senators sitting as jurors understand Pennsylvania’s role in the Nov. 3 election. Shapiro, a Democrat, who repeatedly defended the state’s election as free and...
Greensburg man arrested in sexual assault, rape of 2 boys
A Greensburg man was arrested Wednesday on state police accusations that he raped a boy and sexually assaulted another in Unity nearly three years ago, according to court papers. Steven Michael Cope Jr., 25, is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $25,000 bail. Troopers said they received a...
CDC study finds 2 masks are better than 1 vs. covid-19
NEW YORK — U.S. government researchers found that two masks are better than one in slowing coronavirus spread, but health officials stopped short of recommending that everyone double up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday reported the results of a lab experiment that spaced two artificial heads...
Pennsylvania adds 3,378 covid cases; Fayette County surpasses 10,000 cases
Fayette County became the 27th county in Pennsylvania to surpass 10,000 coronavirus cases on Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 29 additional cases to bring Fayette’s total to 10,022. In the region, Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland have already surpassed that mark. Overall in the state, 3,378 additional...
Sheetz announces pay increases, plan to give new moms time off with pay
Altoona-based Sheetz today said it will invest $28.5 million in employee wage increases and give new mothers 12 weeks off with full pay. Sheetz said the pay increases will be effective Feb. 12 for “the majority” of its 18,000 employees. Sheetz did not elaborate on how much the wage increases...
Allegheny County hits lowest covid hospitalization number since November, adds 35 deaths
Covid-19 patient hospitalizations in Allegheny County decreased by 27 on Wednesday, bringing the total to 249, the lowest since Nov. 11. According to the state’s covid-19 dashboard, there are currently 249 coronavirus patients hospitalized in the county. For perspective, there were 542 patients hospitalized a month ago (Jan. 10) and...
Steel City Clothing evolves from a basement to a buildingVideo
The Pittsburgh brand continues to grow in popularity as does Steel City Clothing, a one-stop shop for all things ‘Burgh, be it socks, hats, hoodies and T-shirts. Steel City Clothing, located Downtown, sells clothing showcasing an array of Pittsburgh staples ranging from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Heinz to pierogis and...
Poll: A third of U.S. adults skeptical of covid shots
NEW YORK — About 1 in 3 Americans say they definitely or probably won’t get the covid-19 vaccine, according to a new poll that some experts say is discouraging news if the U.S. hopes to achieve herd immunity and vanquish the outbreak. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for...
Pittsburgh woman sentenced for role in smuggling synthetic marijuana into prisons
A Pittsburgh woman was sentenced Tuesday to eight months in a federal prison for her role in smuggling synthetic marijuana, or K2, into correctional facilities, according to court records. Sandra Wilson, 29, was ordered to spend an additional three years on supervised release. Federal prosecutors said Wilson worked with a...
Whitehall native Susan Orsega selected as acting U.S. surgeon general
Rear Admiral Susan Orsega was in her Maryland home in late January when she received quite possibly the most important phone call of her life. President Joe Biden selected the Baldwin High School graduate to serve as acting U.S. surgeon general as Dr. Vivek Murthy goes through the nomination/confirmation process...
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announces 2021 class nomineesVideo
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced the nominees for its 2021 induction Wednesday morning. Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine, Mary J. Blige and Iron Maiden were among the nominees. The full nominee list is: • Mary J. Blige • Kate Bush • Devo • Foo...
Implosion of Dooker’s Hollow Bridge between North Braddock, East Pittsburgh set for Friday
The implosion of the Dooker’s Hollow Bridge between North Braddock and East Pittsburgh has been delayed from Thursday to Friday, according to the Allegheny County Department of Public Works. The 80-year-old bridge carries Bell Avenue in North Braddock and Center Street in East Pittsburgh over O’Connell Boulevard. Crews are removing...
Police beg for help, senators flee in Trump trial video
WASHINGTON — Prosecutors unveiled chilling new security video in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial Wednesday, showing the mob of rioters breaking into the Capitol, smashing windows and doors and searching menacingly for Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as overwhelmed police begged on their radios for help. In...
Arnold Palmer airport 5-year plan envisions possible terminal expansion, added fire truck
A five-year plan for continued development of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport proposes additions to firefighting and snow removal equipment and renovation of the control tower. Officials also envision a further expansion of the terminal building — a move that could be justified if the Unity airport were to land a...
Trump fumes, GOP senators baffled by legal team’s debutVideo
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump fumed that his attorneys’ performance on the opening day of his second impeachment trial was a disaster, as allies and Republican senators questioned the strategy and some called for yet another shakeup to his legal team. Trump, who was watching the proceedings in Washington...
Pittsburgh area could get another snowstorm late Wednesday eveningVideo
Snow lovers certainly cannot complain about the recent weather. The next round of snowstorms is expected to arrive late Wednesday evening in the Pittsburgh area. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning from 4 p.m. Wednesday to 9 a.m. Thursday for Westmoreland, Indiana, Fayette and Greene counties,...
Netflix to film part of ‘The Chair’ in Sewickley in March
Sewickley officials have given the green light to a Netflix project to be filmed in the borough. Council voted Feb. 9 to approve a request for roving closures of several streets and the use of five police officers on March 15. Crews are expected to be working from at least...
U.S. Marshals arrest North Side man accused in deadly Brighton Heights shooting
Federal and local authorities on Tuesday arrested a Pittsburgh man accused of killing a man and injuring another in a shooting this past summer in the city’s Brighton Heights neighborhood, officials said. U.S.Marshals teamed up with Pittsburgh police officers to find suspect Darnell McFaddden, 24, of the city’s North Side...
