Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1276
Man arrested in connection with 3 dogs found dead in East Huntingdon home after eviction
A Mt. Pleasant Township man was arrested Wednesday on animal cruelty charges after he allegedly left five dogs and two cats at an East Huntingdon home after he was evicted last month, according to court papers. A dog and two puppies were found dead and partially decomposed inside the Reservoir...
Westmoreland County records 15 new covid deaths, tying a record
Westmoreland County added 15 new coronavirus-related deaths Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported, tying a previous record from last week for most reported deaths on a single day. The additional deaths now bring the county’s death toll to 265. There have been 61 deaths attributed to the disease this...
Pennsylvania reports 220 new coronavirus deaths, 8,703 new cases
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health on Wednesday reported 220 new deaths attributed to the coronavirus, its highest increase since May. The death toll for the state stands at 11,762. There have been 1,199 deaths reported this month. The state also reported 8,703 new coronavirus cases, a slight decline from Tuesday’s report....
O Cannoli Tree, O Cannoli Tree: Harmar baker has new holiday confection
Forget about those sugar plums dancing in heads this holiday season and make way for a new Yuletide treat: the Cannoli Christmas Tree. A cannoli tree may seem like something out of a debaucherous dessert dream. But Char Hixson, proprietor of Char’s Creative Confections in Harmar, is baking them up...
Holiday window display competition in Pittsburgh to support artists, causes
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is adding a twist to holiday window displays with a contest this season. “As a retail store, your window displays are one of the most important marketing tools you have,” said Suzanne Mauro, a Pittsburgh-based retail consultant. “They can make someone passing by, enter your store...
Allegheny County reports 34 new coronavirus deaths, passes 35,000 cases
Allegheny County on Wednesday reported 34 new coronavirus deaths, a record for a single day, and 727 additional coronavirus cases. The death toll for the county stands at 619. There have been 105 deaths this month. The Allegheny County Health Department said the new deaths occurred between Nov. 20 and...
First critical segment of 9/11 National Memorial Trail complete in Somerset County
The first 1.4 miles section of a special, off-road recreational trail for the September 11th National Memorial Trail in Garrett, Somerset County, is complete. It’s a milestone for trail organizers, who cobbled together a 1,300-mile network of existing bicycle, pedestrian trails and roads connecting the three 9/11 memorial sites in...
New White House offer adds $600 checks to covid-19 relief
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration dived back into Capitol Hill’s confusing covid-19 negotiations, offering a $916 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators. Treasury Secretary...
$3 million lottery scratch-off sold in Beaver County
A Pennsylvania Lottery player beat the odds in Beaver County this week, winning $3 million on a $30 scratch-off ticket. The odds of winning the grand prize in the Pennsylvania Lottery’s $3 Million Extravaganza scratch-off game are 1 in 1.44 million. The lucky ticket was sold at Caivano’s Discount Tobacco...
UK investigates possible allergic reactions to covid-19 shot
LONDON — U.K. regulators said Wednesday that people who have a “significant history” of allergic reactions shouldn’t receive the new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine while they investigate two adverse reactions that occurred on the first day of the country’s mass vaccination program. Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for the National Health...
Norwin sees more covid cases; 57 since Thanksgiving
Norwin continues to a see a surge in covid cases, as another five students and staff reported being infected with the virus, pushing the post-Thanksgiving count to 57, the district said Tuesday. The school district said it learned Tuesday that two high school students, one Hillcrest Intermediate School student and...
Arizona Supreme Court denies GOP bid to inspect more ballots
PHOENIX — The Arizona Supreme Court has rejected a request from the state’s GOP chairwoman to inspect more ballots in her lawsuit that seeks to undo Democrat President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Republican President Donald Trump in Arizona. The decision Tuesday upheld a lower-court’s dismissal of Chairwoman Kelli Ward’s lawsuit...
Biden expected to pick Marcia Fudge for housing, Tom Vilsack for USDA
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has selected Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as his housing and urban development secretary and former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reprise that role in his administration, according to five people familiar with the decisions. Fudge, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, was just...
Contact tracing and case investigations in Pa. remain a struggle in fight against covid
Even as covid-19 cases skyrocket across Pennsylvania and case investigators prioritize who they will call, state officials on Tuesday urged everyone to please answer the phone and cooperate when investigators and contact tracers reach out to them. “In order to effectively contact trace, we need Pennsylvanians to participate in case...
Republican Sen. Pat Toomey calls Trump’s campaign to overturn Pennsylvania election ‘completely unacceptable’
PHILADELPHIA — Sen. Pat Toomey said Tuesday that it’s “completely unacceptable” for President Donald Trump to pressure state lawmakers to overturn Pennsylvania’s election result, a rare rebuke from a Republican elected official as Trump continues his effort to subvert the will of the voters. “It’s completely unacceptable and it’s not...
Drive-up food distribution event at Pittsburgh Mills mall continues to help people in needVideo
Woody Main started crying when asked how he felt about a drive-up food distribution event held Tuesday afternoon at the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. The 50-year-old from Elizabeth was at the distribution to pick up food for his two sister-in-laws. He goes to food banks for them because one...
Western Pa. officials, businesses brace for possible covid restrictions
Western Pennsylvania officials and businesses expect an announcement from the state soon, detailing new pandemic restrictions for businesses and gatherings. “I think we’re moving in that direction,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said Tuesday. “The numbers indicate that’s the proper strategy to employ. … I do anticipate, if not tomorrow...
‘We cannot turn our back on it’: Opioid crisis rages alongside covid pandemic in Pa.
Amid a global pandemic killing thousands across the state, country and world, health officials in Pennsylvania warned that the opioid epidemic continues to leave thousands dead in its wake as well. “We know that with the holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and various others approaching, it can be a difficult...
High court rejects GOP bid to halt Biden’s Pennsylvania win
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Republicans’ last-gasp bid to reverse Pennsylvania’s certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the electoral battleground. The court without comment refused to call into question the certification process in Pennsylvania. Gov. Tom Wolf already has certified Biden’s victory and the state’s 20...
14 Fort Hood soldiers fired, suspended over violence at baseVideo
WASHINGTON — The Army on Tuesday said it has fired or suspended 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, and ordered policy changes to address chronic failures of leadership that contributed to a widespread pattern of violence, including murder, sexual assault and harassment. In a sweeping condemnation of...
Some residents seek 50% cut to Pittsburgh police budget; city council members say that’s illegal
Pittsburgh City Council members listened for about two hours Tuesday as some three dozen speakers criticized the city’s 2021 budget proposal, asked for a 50% cut in the police department’s budget and wanted to see increased spending on social service programs. Most of the 45 people who signed up to...
Rare Babe Ruth card found by Altoona-area woman sells for $342,000
A collection of very old baseball cards turned out to be a treasure trove for an Altoona-area woman who works on the front lines of the pandemic. The woman, who did not want to be identified, was going through her late grandfather’s belongings when she found a rare 1916 Babe...
U.S. Supreme Court denies Republican injunction request in Pa. mail-in ballot challenge
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon denied an attempt by U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly and other Republicans to challenge Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting system. The denial likely puts an end to the Trump campaign’s efforts to throw out the state’s election results that declared President-elect Joe Biden the winner. The...
Allegheny County reports 693 new covid cases, 6 deaths
Allegheny County reported 693 new covid-19 cases Tuesday, according to the county Health Department. There were six new coronavirus-related deaths also reported. Total cases and total deaths now stand at 34,814 and 585, respectively. The seven-day new case average is now 830 and seven-day case total is 5,807, both records....
FDA posts early positive review of Pfizer data
WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators say in their initial review that the vaccine from Pfizer is 95% protective against covid-19. The review posted online Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration offers the world the first detailed look at the evidence behind the shot, which was co-developed with BioNTech. The...
