Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1278
Pennsylvania reports nearly 15,000 new covid cases, 111 deaths over 2 days
Pennsylvania added 14,960 new covid cases over the past two days, according to a report Monday from the Department of Health. Officials said there were 8,630 new cases Sunday and 6,330 cases Monday. While down nearly 40% from the previous two days (24,647), it’s more than 50% higher than last...
Virus spreads quickly among Westmoreland County Prison inmates
A massive coronavirus outbreak at Westmoreland County Prison has seen more than 100 inmates and a number of staffers infected over the past 10 days, and officials believe additional cases are possible at the lockup in Hempfield. Interim Warden George Lawther said Monday two units are in lockdown in an...
Stay in the car to see Santa during holiday happenings
Pandemic precautions mean kids may not get to sit on Santa’s lap this year. But there are several area options for families to have a drive-thru encounter with the jolly old elf, in a socially distanced take on the holiday tradition. Unity Instead of its usual Deck the Tree holiday...
Westmoreland County reports over 500 new covid cases in 2 days, 3 new deaths
Westmoreland County added another 522 covid-19 cases over the past two days, according to a report Monday from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Of the new cases, 285 were reported Sunday, 237 on Monday. With those additions, the county’s seven-day total surpassed the 2,000 mark for the first time, standing...
2 Port Authority drivers, ages 34 and 57, dead from covid
Two Port Authority of Allegheny County employees have died from covid-19, officials said Monday. One man was 57, and the other was 34. Both worked as bus drivers. “Today, our hearts are broken,” said Port Authority CEO Katharine Kelleman. The 57-year-old driver tested positive for the virus on Friday and...
‘Baking With Lucy’ goes on, as daughter continues late mom’s online cooking show
Mary Ellen Raneri hasn’t taken much time to mourn her mother’s passing. She’s been too busy baking. Her mother, 98-year-old Lucy Pollock, who went viral this year with her “Baking With Lucy” Facebook videos, died Nov. 22 from complications of covid-19. The Latrobe resident said she feels like she owes...
Despite drop in new cases, Allegheny County’s record covid numbers continue
After posting record high daily covid-19 cases last week, Allegheny County saw a slight reprieve in the numbers over the past two days. The county health department reported 854 new cases Sunday and another 616 cases Monday. While encouraging, officials have long cautioned that weekend numbers generally run lower because...
Trump cementing death penalty legacy up to Biden inaugural
CHICAGO — As Donald Trump’s presidency winds down, his administration is ratcheting up the pace of federal executions despite a surge of coronavirus cases in prisons, announcing plans for five starting Thursday and concluding just days before the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. If the five go off...
U.S. Supreme Court moves up deadline in congressman’s bid to upend Pa. election results
PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. Supreme Court moved up a key deadline Sunday for Pennsylvania officials to respond to a last-minute bid by one of Trump’s top boosters in Congress to decertify the state’s elections results. Previously, Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who oversees emergency matters arising out of Pennsylvania...
Biden picks California AG Xavier Becerra to lead HHS, pandemic response
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his health secretary, putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration’s coronavirus response. If confirmed by the Senate, Becerra, 62, will be the first Latino to head the...
South Hills boy among those honored as superhero by Harrison-based groupVideo
A Harrison-based nonprofit rolled out the red carpet for a South Hills hero Sunday, one who has stared death in the face twice and whose crusade earned him a spot in the 2021 Superheroes Believe in Miracles calendar. Sean Rovers, at 12, has gone through two brain surgeries to remove...
Experts say given pandemic malaise, flat holiday spending in region is not bad
Most Southwestern Pennsylvania consumers say they will spend what they did last year for holiday shopping, which is good news given the pandemic and tough economics, local experts say. According to a regional survey, 57% of consumers said they planned to spend about the same as they did last year...
Health officials warn Americans not to let their guard downVideo
With a covid-19 vaccine perhaps just days away in the U.S., most of California headed into another lockdown Sunday because of the surging outbreak and top health officials warned Americans that this is no time to let their guard down. “The vaccine’s critical,” Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus...
Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani tests positive for covidVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Sunday his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for the coronavirus, making him the latest in Trump’s inner circle to contract the disease that is now surging across the country. Giuliani was admitted Sunday to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, according to...
How phones can alert you to covid-19 exposure
More than 8.1 million people in the U.S. have turned their iPhones and Android devices into pandemic contact-tracing tools, but it hasn’t been of much use when their neighbors, classmates and coworkers aren’t on the same system. Apple and Google co-created “exposure notification” technology to alert phone users if they...
The story behind Pittsburgh’s mysterious monolith in the Strip DistrictVideo
Chris Beers is no stranger to going viral. It’s exactly what he expected would happen after a mysterious monolith showed up in front of his Strip District candy shop last week. The shiny, silver monolith first appeared at Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop early Thursday morning. Beers took a 32-minute Facebook...
Double Dragons: SpaceX launches space station supplies
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched a newer, bigger version of its Dragon supply ship to the International Space Station on Sunday, marking the first time the company has two capsules in orbit at the same time. The Dragon — packed with Christmas treats and presents — should reach the...
Seven Springs prepping for ‘mid-December’ opening amid new covid restrictions
Despite 10 inches of natural snow falling on the slopes last week, Seven Springs Mountain Resort is not quite ready to open for skiing. “It’s too bad, but we feel we don’t have enough snow to open yet. With social distancing, we’re not comfortable opening with just two lifts and...
Despite promise, few in U.S. adopting covid-19 exposure apps
RALEIGH, N.C. — Six months ago, Apple and Google introduced a new smartphone tool designed to notify people who might have been exposed to the coronavirus, without disclosing any personal information. But for the most part, Americans haven’t been all that interested. Fewer than half of U.S. states and territories...
Will U.S. ever have a national covid-19 testing strategy?
NEW YORK — As the coronavirus epidemic worsens, U.S. health experts hope Joe Biden’s administration will put in place something Donald Trump’s has not — a comprehensive national testing strategy. Such a strategy, they say, could systematically check more people for infections and spot surges before they take off. The...
David L. Lander, Squiggy of ‘Laverne & Shirley,’ dies at 73
LOS ANGELES — Actor David L. Lander — the unforgettable Squiggy on ABC’s “Laverne & Shirley” — has died, his family confirmed to the Los Angeles Times. Lander passed away Friday evening at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after having battled multiple sclerosis for 37 years. His wife, Kathy Fields...
Prantl’s has new owner, plans new location in North Huntingdon
The last five years have been quite a ride for those baking Prantl’s famous Burnt Almond Torte — also known as “the greatest cake America has ever made.” The Huffington Post made that declaration in 2014, a year before a string of new developments at the business, which now has...
A Daughter’s Promise: An unbreakable bond that withstood the test of a lifetimeVideo
Officials from the Jewish Association on Aging announced last month the Charles Morris Nursing & Rehabilitation Center will close Jan. 12, leaving its remaining 50 residents two months to relocate. Among those residents is Rosie Wyner, who plays a prominent role in this story. The association cited rising costs and...
Gene-editing treatment shows promise for sickle cell disease
Scientists are seeing promising early results from the first studies testing gene editing for painful, inherited blood disorders that plague millions worldwide, especially Black people. Doctors hope the one-time treatment, which involves permanently altering DNA in blood cells with a tool called CRISPR, may treat and possibly cure sickle cell...
Nashville nurse, a Butler County native, shot and killed along Tennessee highway
A Butler County native was shot and killed in Nashville on Thursday as she drove to her shift as an intensive care nurse, authorities and family members said. Caitlyn Marie Kaufman, 26, was found dead in her SUV along the shoulder of I-440 west shortly before 9 p.m., according to...
