Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1243
Records: Trump allies behind rally that ignited Capitol riot
WASHINGTON — Members of President Donald Trump’s failed presidential campaign played key roles in orchestrating the Washington rally that spawned a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol, according to an Associated Press review of records, undercutting claims the event was the brainchild of the president’s grassroots supporters. A pro-Trump nonprofit...
Pa. State Police resume tracking racial data during traffic stops in response to Spotlight PA report
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 — The Pennsylvania State Police announced Tuesday that it had resumed collecting racial data during traffic stops, nine years after...
Redistricting will be definitive political fight of 2021 in Pennsylvania
This article is part of a year-long reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It’s made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members, including TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — With partisanship in the Pennsylvania legislature at peak...
Phil Spector, famed music producer and murderer, dies at 81
LOS ANGELES — Phil Spector, the eccentric and revolutionary music producer who transformed rock music with his “Wall of Sound” method and who later was convicted of murder, has died. He was 81. California state prison officials said he died Saturday of natural causes at a hospital. Spector was convicted...
Pa. state Sen. Dave Arnold dies from brain cancer at age 49
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave Arnold died Sunday at home with his wife and daughter by his side, ending a 15-month battle with brain cancer. Arnold was 49 years old. He took the oath of office last January to represent the 48th senatorial district, which covers all of Lebanon County and parts...
Protests start small, peacefully at fortified U.S. statehouses
Police and National Guard troops stood sentry at newly fortified statehouses Sunday ahead of demonstrations planned for the leadup to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, as authorities worked to deter a repeat of the recent riot that overran the U.S. Capitol. A few protesters were starting to gather in some cities,...
Powerball jackpot grows to $730M; Mega Millions to be $850M
DES MOINES, Iowa — Lottery players have another chance to win big next week since there were no winners of the top prize for both the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots in their most recent drawings. The Powerball jackpot grew to an estimated $730 million after no one matched all...
Monroeville man killed in Penn Hills shooting
A Monroeville man died early Sunday morning after being shot numerous times in Penn Hills, according to Allegheny County police. The man, Jamal D. Pamplin, 32, was pronounced dead at about 12:25 a.m. at Allegheny Health Network Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner said. Police said they...
One man’s mission to overhaul downtown New Kensington opening doors for new business ownersVideo
Amy Johnson’s earliest memories of downtown New Kensington include her grandfather, a doctor whose office was in the Shepherd Building on Fifth Avenue. “I remember walking down from my home in Parnassus to his office,” said Johnson, 47. “My great aunt worked at the Harts building. We’d walk to Harts,...
Jim Brewster looks forward after tight, tense Pa. Senate race: ‘At the end of the day, you’re supposed to shake hands’Video
State Sen. Jim Brewster knew the initial Jan. 5 swearing-in for members of his chamber could get dicey. He had been declared the winner of the 45th District race by the Pennsylvania secretary of State, and a legal ruling from the state Supreme Court concurred. But his Republican opponent, Nicole...
Western Pa. hospitals struggle to minimize waste of covid vaccine doses
As they refine a complicated distribution strategy, health care workers in Western Pennsylvania have been forced to give covid vaccine doses to people who are not in top priority groups to avoid wasting precious leftover shots. After long days of vaccinating front-line health care workers, nurses have described calling friends...
Editorial: Nursing shortage and pay needs more attention
It’s hard to prioritize whose work is more important than someone else’s at any time. Sidney Crosby might be the bright star of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but you can’t play hockey without the guy who drives the Zamboni over the ice, either. The coronavirus pandemic can make those inevitable comparisons...
Pandemic exposes weakness in Pa. counties without health departments, like Westmoreland
When Kim Ward was sworn in as a Westmoreland County commissioner in 2008, one of her first questions was: Who oversees the county’s health department? The former respiratory therapist was stunned to learn there wasn’t one. Westmoreland, like 61 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, leaves the issue of public health to...
Not in my nest: Bald eagle pounces on intruder at Pittsburgh Hays aerieVideo
An immature bald eagle rooting around the Pittsburgh bald eagle’s nest was quickly shoved out by the resident male, which pounced on the intruder and chased the young bird away. A live webcam sponsored by PixCams and the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania caught all the action on Jan. 9....
Biden outlines ‘Day One’ agenda of executive actions
WASHINGTON — In his first hours as president, Joe Biden plans to take executive action to roll back some of the most controversial decisions of his predecessor and to address the raging coronavirus pandemic, his incoming chief of staff said Saturday. The opening salvo would herald a 10-day blitz of...
Man arrested with handgun, ammo at Washington checkpoint
Police have arrested a man with a handgun and 500 rounds of ammunition at a checkpoint in Washington set up ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Wesley Allen Beeler of Front Royal, Virginia, was charged with carrying a pistol without a license after being stopped at the checkpoint near the...
National Guard troops pour into Washington as states answer the call
WASHINGTON — By the busload and planeload, National Guard troops were pouring into the nation’s capital on Saturday, as governors answered the urgent pleas of U.S. defense officials for more troops to help safeguard Washington even as they keep anxious eyes on possible violent protests in their own states. Military...
Forbes Road residents shocked gobbler ‘Butterball’ shot by game wardenVideo
Forbes Road residents remained stunned this weekend after a state game warden gunned down Butterball, a free-roaming, friendly turkey that some had come to consider the unofficial mascot of this Salem Township village. “People are in shock. It was a pet,” Josh Nuttall, 35, said Saturday of the dark-feathered turkey...
Jamison Farm to close, ending 35-year run of supplying lamb to top restaurantsVideo
John and Sukey Jamison are bidding farewell to the business they’ve enjoyed for 35 years at their farm in Unity. The couple is phasing out their highly regarded Jamison Farm line of grass-fed lamb products, a decision prompted in part by the covid-19 pandemic. “We had been thinking about retirement...
Snow band moves through Pittsburgh area; mid-30 degrees expected Sunday
While a snow band racked up an inch or two in the Pittsburgh area by early afternoon and up to four inches on the ridges, the region is forecast to be done with any substantial snowfall this weekend. Expect the same old winter gray days for Saturday afternoon into Sunday...
Westmoreland County posts 173 covid-19 cases, 3 new deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday reported 173 new cases of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, as hospitalizations and case counts decline in the area. The county’s total cases are at 23,039, which is an increase of more than 1,400 cases from last week’s 21,622. The week before had...
Pennsylvania reports 7,166 coronavirus cases, 231 deaths
Pennsylvania on Saturday reported 7,166 new coronavirus cases, as hospitalizations and case counts are trending down in the Keystone State. The new data bring the total cases to 761,777. That’s a jump of nearly 48,500 cases from this time last week. The week before, the weekly increase was 56,000. Officials...
1 man dead, 1 in critical condition in 2 Pittsburgh shootings; victim identified
A 22-year-old Pittsburgh man was fatally shot late Friday night in the Crafton Heights section of Pittsburgh, police said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Martell Good of Crafton Heights. Medics transported him to a local hospital, where he died. Police said they received a report...
Allegheny County reports 526 coronavirus cases; 38 new deaths
Allegheny County on Saturday recorded 526 new coronavirus cases, as recent numbers continue to drop below the 1,000 case mark. Reports haven’t reached 700 cases in more than a week. The county has reported nine days of at least 1,000 new cases, but hasn’t posted one in the last two...
Social ‘climate,’ lagging pay could be fueling decline in municipal police applicants
Some local police chiefs are having a tough time finding officers to join their forces. Jeannette recently advertised seeking candidates to take a civil service test. It received three applications. Irwin had five applicants for its test — all of whom were already part-time officers in the borough. After receiving...
