Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1235
Netflix founder gives $3 million to Robert Morris University for minority scholarships
Netflix founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings is donating $3 million to underwrite 20 full scholarships at Robert Morris University, adding the Allegheny County school to a growing list of colleges and universities profiting from philanthropy aimed at boosting the future of minorities. The four-year scholarships —including money for room, board...
Vaccine doses coming to Pa. hospitals ‘don’t match up’ to increased demand, health leaders say
Vaccine allocations to Western Pennsylvania hospitals aren’t enough to inoculate all who are eligible, health care leaders said Tuesday. State officials last week expanded phase 1A of the distribution plan beyond health care workers and long-term care residents – to include people older than 65 and people with various health...
Senate rejects GOP motion to dismiss Trump impeachment trialVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate has rejected a Republican attempt to dismiss Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial, a vote that allows the case on “incitement of insurrection” to move forward but also foreshadows that there may not be enough votes to convict him. The 55-45 procedural vote to set aside...
Pa. overdose deaths likely to increase because of pandemic disruption
Overdose deaths in Pennsylvania will likely tick upward for the first time in several years when 2020 reports are finalized, according to state officials, showing the effects of a year marked by isolation and a cutoff of group and in-person services. Overdose drug deaths were higher month over month for...
Westmoreland County sees lowest number of new reported covid cases since October
There were 52 new covid-19 cases reported in Westmoreland County on Tuesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That number represents the lowest amount of new reported cases this month and the least since Oct. 11, when 52 cases were also reported. Tuesday’s figures bring the seven-day covid case...
Covid hospitalizations in Pa. have dropped for almost a week
The number of covid-19 patients hospitalized in Pennsylvania has decreased every day over the past six days, according to state Department of Health data. There were 3,790 covid-19 patients hospitalized in the state on Tuesday, dropping by almost 100 from 3,887 on Monday. The biggest drop came Jan. 22, when...
Bridgeville man arrested, charged in riot on U.S. Capitol
A Bridgeville man who livestreamed himself in the Crypt underneath the U.S. Capitol rotunda during the Jan. 6 attack there was arrested Tuesday morning. Kenneth Grayson, 51, is charged with five federal counts, including knowingly entering a restricted building; disorderly conduct that impedes government business; disruptive conduct in the Capitol...
Widespread internet outages hit northeast U.S.
Internet users across the northeast U.S. experienced widespread outages for several hours Tuesday, interrupting work and school because of an unspecified Verizon network issue. “An internet issue impacting the quality of our Fios service throughout the Northeast has been resolved,” said spokesman Rich Young in an emailed statement Tuesday afternoon....
New Allegheny County covid case averages compare to November numbers
Allegheny County on Tuesday reported 282 new covid-19 cases and one new death, according to the county Health Department. These new reported figures bring the seven-day case average (371) and seven-day case count (2,597) to the lowest the statistics have been since mid-November. Patients hospitalized for covid-19 in Allegheny County...
Pittsburgh officials condemn Jan. 6 Capitol attack
Pittsburgh officials were united Tuesday in formally condemning the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and affirmed there is no place in Pittsburgh for the views that led up to the Washington insurrection. Council members Erika Strassburger and Corey O’Connor sponsored the will of council that condemns what happened...
President Biden to pause oil drilling on public lands
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is set to announce a wide-ranging moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on U.S. lands, as his administration moves quickly to reverse Trump administration policies on energy and the environment and address climate change. Two people with knowledge of Biden’s plans outlined the proposed...
Bell woman charged with endangering children
A Bell woman was jailed Monday after state police said they found two children outside her home this month in cold weather. Police said Melissa Ann Chaya, 41, reportedly ingested prescription medication and yelled at the children, who fled outside to hide. She is charged with two felony counts of...
Nemacolin’s watch parties search for glimpses of the resort on ABC’s ‘The Bachelor’Video
A red carpet lines the staircase. As you make your way up the steps into the spacious resort lobby, you spot 400 vases filled with fresh roses. You almost expect Matt James to walk by. Nemacolin in Farmington, Fayette County, is where James is the leading man for the 25th...
Twitter permanently bans My Pillow CEO
Twitter has permanently banned My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell’s account after he continued to perpetuate the baseless claim that Donald Trump won the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Twitter decided to ban Lindell, who founded bedding company My Pillow, due to “repeated violations” of its civic integrity policy, a spokesperson said...
Pregnant teen shot in Leetsdale, found in vehicle that crashed along Route 65
Police responding to a 911 call for a shooting in Leetsdale late Monday night found the victim — a 19-year-old pregnant woman — several miles away after the car she was riding in crashed, according to authorities. The shooting was reported at 11:25 p.m. at the intersection of Route 65...
McConnell backs off Senate filibuster fight with Schumer
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell backed off his demand that Senate Democrats preserve the procedural tool known as the filibuster, easing a standoff with new Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as the two negotiated a power-sharing agreement in the closely divided chamber. McConnell said late Monday he had essentially...
As 2nd Trump impeachment trial draws near, Sen. Pat Toomey remains on the fence
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey remained uncommitted Monday on whether he would vote to convict former President Donald Trump even as the House prepared to deliver the impeachment charge to the Senate. Toomey, who has said he will not seek reelection in 2022, has been a harsh critic of Trump in...
Minnesota case marks 1st detection of Brazil covid variant
MINNEAPOLIS — A new Brazilian variant of the coronavirus has made its first known appearance in the United States in a person who recently returned to Minnesota after traveling to Brazil, state health officials announced Monday. The Brazil P.1 variant was found in a specimen from a patient who lives...
Duquesne University asked to bring back professor fired for using racial slur in class
A faculty-elected oversight body recommends that Duquesne University President Ken Gormley rehire Gary Shank, the education professor fired for using a racial slur during a virtual lecture on race and language in September. “While Dr. Shank’s use of the N-word was misguided, it was not malicious,” concludes a report by...
Trump impeachment goes to Senate, testing his sway over GOPVideo
WASHINGTON — Democrats marched the impeachment case against Donald Trump to the Senate Monday night for the start of his historic trial, but Republican senators were easing off their criticism of the former president and shunning calls to convict him over the deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol. It’s an...
Pa. Congressman Scott Perry acknowledges introducing Trump to Justice lawyer
PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, a Republican from the Harrisburg area, acknowledged Monday that he introduced former President Donald Trump to a Department of Justice attorney sympathetic the president’s false election claims, and who later joined Trump in a plot to pressure Georgia officials to overturn the results in...
Pennsylvania sets early start, statewide schedule for trout season
Pennsylvania’s trout season will open earlier than usual this year, and statewide, on April 3. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission on Monday set the opening date and also approved a single statewide Mentored Youth Trout Day on March 27. As a result of the consolidation, separate regional mentored youth...
Janet Yellen wins Senate approval as 1st female treasury secretary
The Senate on Monday approved President Joe Biden’s nomination of Janet Yellen to be the nation’s 78th treasury secretary, making her the first woman to hold the job in the department’s 232-year history. Yellen, a former chair of the Federal Reserve, was approved by the Senate on a 84-15 vote,...
Biden more bullish on vaccines, suggests 1.5M shots per dayVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday appeared to boost his goal for coronavirus vaccinations in his first 100 days in office, suggesting that the nation could soon be vaccinating 1.5 million Americans on average per day. Biden signaled his increasing bullishness on the pace of vaccinations after signing an...
Supreme Court set to decide in Feb. whether to hear Rep. Mike Kelly’s election case
The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to announce in as soon as a month whether it will hear the election case of U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, who started his legal fight against the results of the presidential race within weeks after fellow Republican Donald Trump lost the White House to...
