Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1222
Man who killed 3 in 2016 Thanksgiving day crash must be resentenced
The Pennsylvania Superior Court said Tuesday that an Allegheny County Common Pleas judge erred when he did not sentence the man convicted of killing a family of three in a fiery Thanksgiving Day crash in 2016 to a mandatory term of life in prison. Demetrius Coleman, 26, who is being...
Senate agrees to hear Trump case, rejecting GOP argumentsVideo
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial opened Tuesday with graphic video showing the former president whipping up a rally crowd to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell” against his reelection defeat, followed by images of the deadly attack on Congress that came soon after. In an...
Judge grants bond to ‘Pink hat lady’ from Mercer County charged in Capitol riot
The video showed Rachel Powell leaning through the window of the Capitol building, shouting at those who had just breached it. “Hey, guys, I’ve been in the other room,” she yelled through a bullhorn. “People should probably coordinate if we’re going to take this building.” FBI Special Agent Carlos Fontanez...
1 man dead, 2 firefighters injured in house fire in Pittsburgh’s AllentownVideo
One man died in a midday house fire Tuesday in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood, fire officials said. The fire was reported just before 1:45 p.m., and crews were at the Knox Avenue home by 1:50 p.m., according to Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Chief Darryl Jones. Crews were trying to get to...
Pennsylvania tool lets you know when it’s your turn to get covid vaccine
The Pennsylvania Department of Health launched another new online tool to help with covid-19 vaccine information, and residents now can sign up for alerts as to when they’re eligible. The website, called Your Turn, first will determine whether a person is eligible for the vaccine and, if they aren’t, give...
Pittsburgh bars snag rare bottles of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon
Cameron Lehman, bar manager for Muddy Waters Oyster Bar in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood, knows how far whiskey-lovers will travel for a sip of a rare spirit. He often sees visitors from out of state, who come to sample one of about 75 whiskeys Muddy Waters has on offer. “When...
Gov. Wolf outlines plan to raise Pa.’s minimum wage to $15 by 2027
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday joined Democrats in the General Assembly to lay out a plan to raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour effective in July. From there, he said, the wage would be raised 50 cents a year until it reaches $15 by July 2027. “Our...
Penguins hire Ron Hextall as general manager, Brian Burke as president of hockey operations
The last time the Penguins hired a former goaltender with ties to the organization to be their general manager, it was a resounding success as it led to two Stanley Cup titles. They’re hoping for similar results with their most recent hire. On Tuesday, the Penguins tabbed Ron Hextall to...
Report: Super Bowl bets up 75% this year across Pennsylvania
Pennsylvanians legally bet more money this Super Bowl compared to last year, according to the state Gaming Control Board. Preliminary figures suggest that $53.6 million was bet at sportsbooks across the state on Sunday’s game, which saw the underdog Tampa Bay Buccaneers wallop the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9. This year’s...
Mother, daughter injured in Pa. Turnpike bus crash last year file suit
A woman and her 11-year-old daughter who were severely injured in the fatal bus crash last year on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County have filed a federal lawsuit alleging negligence. The complaint, filed Saturday in U.S. District Court, names as defendants Z&D Tours Inc., which operated the tour bus;...
Watch live: Trump’s 2nd impeachment trial opens in SenateVideo
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial opened Tuesday in the Senate with graphic video of the deadly Jan. 6 attack on Congress and the defeated former president whipping up a rally crowd — “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol!” — as he encouraged a...
Pa. reports 4,088 additional covid cases, 149 deaths
Pennsylvania on Tuesday continued its current trend of reporting less than 5,000 additional covid-19 cases, per the state Department of Health. There were 4,088 covid cases added, bringing total cases to 876,913 in the state. There have been 33,689 cases reported in February to this point. Since Jan. 31, there...
Westmoreland County averaging 30% of covid cases it had a month ago
Westmoreland County is averaging about 30% of the number covid cases it was seeing a month ago. The county added 93 additional covid-19 cases Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health, bringing its seven-day average of covid cases to 78 cases per day. A month ago, Westmoreland County was...
Police charge Greensburg woman with assault after son’s hand is injured
Police charged a Greensburg woman with assault and endangering the welfare of a child after her son was injured at her home. Kristen M. Sinclair, 38, was released on $5,000 unsecured bond pending a preliminary hearing Feb. 18. Patrolman Regina McAtee reported that the boy’s injury was discovered after police...
Allegheny County adds most newly reported covid cases in over 2 weeks
Allegheny County on Tuesday reported 405 additional covid-19 cases, the most cases reported in a day in about two weeks. Tuesday’s reported cases were the most since Jan. 23, when 464 covid cases were added. Dates of positive tests range from Nov. 19 to Feb. 8. The county Health Department...
Story of pioneering Pittsburgh Black reporter inspires new documentary
When protesters seeking voting rights for Black Americans made the 54-mile trek from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., in 1965, a Pittsburgh reporter was there. It didn’t matter to KDKA radio newsman George Barbour that his boss considered it too dangerous for a news outlet to send a Black reporter to...
Democrats propose $1,400 payments as part of Biden virus relief
WASHINGTON — House Democrats proposed an additional $1,400 in direct payments to individuals as Congress began piecing together a $1.9 trillion covid-19 relief package that tracks President Joe Biden’s plan for battling the pandemic and reviving a still staggering economy. Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee would expand tax...
‘Luxury villas’ proposed as 1st part of Murrysville office park
A community of “luxury villas” could be coming as part of a proposed corporate office park complex in Murrysville, should council approve development plans. Bushy Run Investments is proposing 18 “luxury villas” at the northeast corner of Wilson and Manor roads, just south of the White Valley neighborhood. The residential...
Small plane lands on Pennsylvania TurnpikeVideo
LANCASTER — A small plane landed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, shutting down some traffic and prompting a crash on Monday evening, authorities said. Turnpike Commission spokesperson Carl Defebo told WGAL-TV the plane apparently made an emergency landing and then was struck by a vehicle. #BREAKING Plane's engine died, forcing pilot...
Justice Department seeks resignations of Trump-era U.S. attorneys
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will ask U.S. attorneys who were appointed by former President Donald Trump to resign from their posts, as the Biden administration moves to transition to its own nominees, a senior Justice Department official said Monday. But the U.S. attorney overseeing the federal tax probe involving...
Police say woman found dead in Lawrenceville
Pittsburgh police are investigating the death of a woman in Lawrenceville Monday night. Officers responded to a report of a vehicle that struck a utility pole around 9 p.m. along the 4400 block of Davison Street, Public Safety spokesperson Maurice Matthews reported. It was there first responders discovered the driver...
What’s ahead as Trump impeachment trial beginsVideo
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial begins Tuesday, forcing the Senate to decide whether to convict him of incitement of insurrection after a violent mob of his supporters laid siege to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. While Trump’s acquittal is expected, Democrats hope to gain...
Settlement near in case of Pennsylvania pot suspect killed by state bulldozer
The estate of a man who was run over by a bulldozer while being chased by Pennsylvania State Police for illegally growing a handful of pot plants is nearing settlement of its federal wrongful death lawsuit against the state. Gregory Longenecker, a 51-year-old short-order cook and Grateful Dead fan, had...
Covid hospitalizations continue to decline in Pennsylvania
The number of Pennsylvanians hospitalized because of covid-19 continues to decline at a rapid pace. According to the latest data from OpenData PA, which tracks hospital numbers in the state, the number of patients hospitalized has dropped 12% in the past week and 46% in the past month. As of...
Some college students temporarily eligible for SNAP benefits
Some college students will be eligible for SNAP food benefits based on their family’s income, a change that is temporary but will open up the program for a swath of students who otherwise did not qualify for the support, Pennsylvania officials announced Monday. Under normal circumstances, federal rules dictate that...
