Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1259
Census Bureau to miss deadline, jeopardizing Trump plan
The Census Bureau plans to announce it will miss a year-end deadline for handing in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats, a delay that could undermine President Donald Trump’s efforts to exclude people in the country illegally from the count if the figures aren’t turned in before President-elect Joe...
‘Gilligan’s Island’ star Dawn Wells dies, covid-19 cited
LOS ANGELES — Dawn Wells, who played the wholesome Mary Ann among a misfit band of shipwrecked castaways on the 1960s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” died Wednesday of causes related to COVID-19, her publicist said. She was 82. Wells died peacefully at a living facility in Los Angeles, publicist Harlan Boll...
Casino at Westmoreland Mall set to reopen Monday as emergency covid restrictions end
The sound of jackpots will once again fill the air as Live! Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall is set to reopen Monday at 8:01 a.m. — one minute after state-mandated restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic expire. That means a lot of people will be getting back...
U.K. is 1st to authorize easy-to-handle AstraZeneca vaccine
LONDON — Britain became the first country to authorize AstraZeneca’s inexpensive, easy-to-handle covid-19 vaccine Wednesday, gaining another weapon against the virus amid a resurgence so severe that the government extended lockdowns to three-quarters of England’s population. The country also changed course by deciding to dispense the first dose of its...
What Pittsburgh region needs to know about U.K. coronavirus strain
A new and seemingly more contagious strain of the coronavirus was diagnosed this week in a Colorado National Guardsman, bringing about a slew of questions regarding its severity and lethality. Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease and critical care physician, offered his insights into what this new variant of...
Gov. Wolf: New Pa. covid restrictions to end Monday
Come Monday, it won’t just be a new year. It may be a new start for the beleaguered restaurant and bar industries that have borne the brunt of coronavirus restrictions in 2020. “It will be good to get people back to work,” Bill Fuller, corporate chef and president of Big...
Police: Suspect in McKeesport police shooting hid out in West VirginiaVideo
The man suspected of shooting and wounding a McKeesport police officer earlier this month likely spent the majority of his nine days on the run in West Virginia, authorities said Wednesday, a day after his arrest in the neighboring state. Koby Francis, 22, will face an extradition hearing after the...
GOP-led Senate rejects vote on Trump’s push for $2K checksVideo
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shut the door Wednesday on President Donald Trump’s push for $2,000 covid-19 relief checks, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid as he blocked another attempt by Democrats to force a vote. The GOP leader made clear he is unwilling to budge, despite...
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley to contest Biden’s Electoral College winVideo
WASHINGTON — Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said Wednesday he will raise objections next week when Congress meets to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the election, forcing House and Senate votes that are likely to delay — but in no way alter — the final certification of Biden’s win. President...
Amid fewer new cases, Westmoreland County reports 15 more covid deaths
On Wednesday, Westmoreland County saw its latest report of new covid-19 cases cut by more than half from Tuesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported the county added 215 new cases. On Tuesday, the county added 466. The lower number of new cases brings the county back to its recent...
Pennsylvania posts 4th highest single-day covid-related death report
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported another 8,984 coronavirus cases Wednesday. Despite the high number, it actually brought the state’s seven-day average of new cases down more than 18% from a week ago. A week ago, Pennsylvania’s seven-day average of new cases was 8,827. With Wednesday’s report, that average dropped...
Pittsburgh officials to New Year’s revelers: Stay home this year
Although a crowd of people isn’t expected — or allowed — to gather in Downtown Pittsburgh for New Year’s Eve celebrations, public safety officials issued their annual reminder Wednesday advising revelers to put safety first. “I know that we all want — and absolutely deserve — to celebrate New Year’s...
Pittsburgh musicians raise their voices off stage to save local venuesVideo
Musicians communicate through song. They feed off the energy of live performances. Many haven’t performed live for months because of the pandemic. That hasn’t kept them from making new music for when they return to Pittsburgh-area venues. There is one tune that’s about to be heard that will help the...
As Allegheny County’s covid cases slow, deaths hit record mark
Another 525 cases of covid-19 were reported Wednesday by the Allegheny County Health Department. While certainly still high, the new cases are nearly 50% less than Tuesday’s four-digit report. The new count puts the county back on its recent trend of fewer cases. The seven-day average of new cases drops...
Hempfield photographer found innovative way to stay in business during pandemicVideo
Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series highlighting five people whose lives were reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic. Back before the covid pandemic slammed the economy and limited what people could do outside their homes, Dennis Pushkar expected that his Impressions Photography would build on what had been...
Stories of the Year: After George Floyd’s death, a movement for racial justice
Eight minutes changed the course of 2020. It was Memorial Day. May 25. George Floyd was being arrested by Minneapolis police outside of a grocery store after authorities received a 911 call that someone paid with a counterfeit bill. The caller told authorities the man was acting erratically. Floyd, who...
Police arrest 3 people for alleged involvement in Green Tree shooting
Allegheny County Police have arrested three people in connection with a Monday night shooting in Green Tree. Scottie Harris, 21, Jamere Blackwell, 20, and Sequawon Harris, 22, have all been charged with criminal attempt homicide and related charges for allegedly attempting to rob a man around 8:15 p.m. along the...
Pittsburgh residents encouraged to put garbage, recycling out for collection Wednesday
Pittsburgh officials are encouraging residents whose garbage and recycling has not yet been collected to leave their materials at the curb for collection Wednesday. Mayor Bill Peduto vented his frustration on the collection service delay Tuesday. “I am beyond disappointed that homes still have not had their garbage and recycling...
Louisiana congressman-elect Luke Letlow dies from covid-19
BATON ROUGE — Luke Letlow, Louisiana’s incoming Republican member of the U.S. House, died Tuesday night from complications related to covid-19 only days before being sworn into office. He was 41. Letlow spokesman Andrew Bautsch confirmed the congressman-elect’s death at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport. “The family appreciates the numerous prayers and...
Man accused of shooting McKeesport police officer arrested in West Virginia
The man accused of shooting a McKeesport police officer was nabbed Tuesday evening by U.S. Marshals, bringing a nine-day manhunt to an end at a West Virginia apartment complex. Koby Lee Francis, 22, of McKeesport was found at a Clarksburg apartment and arrested shortly after 6 p.m. in connection to...
Despite slow vaccine rollout, nursing homes optimistic about distributionVideo
Much is still unknown about how vaccines are being distributed in Pennsylvania’s nursing homes, but operators and advocates are optimistic and excited for the milestone. Skilled nursing facilities across the state began receiving their first doses of covid-19 vaccine Monday, through a partnership between the federal government and two national...
1st reported U.S. case of virus variant triggers questions
DENVER — The new and seemingly more contagious variant of the coronavirus that has set off alarm in Britain has been reported for the first time in the U.S., in a Colorado man who hadn’t been traveling, triggering a host of questions about how it got here and adding urgency...
Court: Parents of Cincinnati child who killed himself can sue educators
CINCINNATI — The parents of an 8-year-old student who killed himself after being persistently bullied can move forward with a lawsuit against the Cincinnati school district that alleges wrongful death and other charges, a federal appeals panel ruled Tuesday. The three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court Appeals said...
Biden criticizes pace of vaccine rollout, vows to accelerate
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden criticized the Trump administration Tuesday for the pace of distributing covid-19 vaccines and predicted that “things will get worse before they get better” when it comes to the pandemic. “We need to be honest — the next few weeks and months are going to...
What happened to the flu? Mild season in Pittsburgh area could see an uptick, experts say
Flu cases both locally and across Pennsylvania have remained low compared to the record-breaking case counts seen in the 2019-20 flu season. But doctors cautioned Tuesday it’s still early in the season, and the usual January uptick could coincide with a holiday-driven surge in covid-19 cases. As of Dec. 19,...
