Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1280
U.S. hiring slows sharply to 245,000 jobs as virus intensifies
WASHINGTON — America’s employers sharply scaled back their hiring last month as the viral pandemic accelerated across the country, adding 245,000 jobs, the fewest since April and the fifth straight monthly slowdown. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to a still-high 6.7%, from 6.9% in October as many...
More record highs for stocks as hopes grow for economic aid
Stocks returned to record highs Friday on Wall Street as traders took a discouraging jobs report as a sign that Congress may finally move on delivering more aid for the pandemic-striken economy. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.8%. In another bullish signal, small-company...
3 hospitalized, 45 displaced after fire at Greene County apartment building
Three people were taken to hospitals and 45 were displaced after a fire early Friday at an apartment building in Greene County. The fire at Parkview Knoll Apartments, off of Ceylon Road in Cumberland Township south of Carmichaels, was reported around 2:30 a.m. It was brought under control around 4...
Lori Falce: Monolith is 2020 puzzle we needed
I love a puzzle. Give me a stack of crosswords and a pen and I can entertain myself for hours. I am the reason they put those little peg brain-teasers on the table at Cracker Barrel. I have spent more than 30 years turning an unsolved murder over and over...
Among first acts, Biden to call for 100 days of mask-wearingVideo
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden said Thursday that he will ask Americans to commit to 100 days of wearing masks as one of his first acts as president, stopping just short of the nationwide mandate he’s pushed before to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The move marks a notable shift...
Supreme Court again asked to block Biden win in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Fresh off another rejection in Pennsylvania’s courts, Republicans on Thursday again asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the battleground state, while the state’s lawyers say fatal flaws in the original case mean justices are highly unlikely to grant it. Republican U.S. Rep....
AHN nurses featured in new Marvel comic book: ‘The Vitals’
When Allegheny Health Network nurse Andrew Cleary was growing up, he loved Spider-Man and identified with the character in the way that many children do. But he never imagined one day being on the same Marvel comic book pages as his favorite superhero. Until now. On Thursday Marvel Comics unveiled...
Next for Biden: Getting the right health team as coronavirus rages
WASHINGTON — Up soon for President-elect Joe Biden: naming his top health care officials as the coronavirus pandemic rages. It’s hard to imagine more consequential picks. Already two Democratic governors seen as candidates for health and human services secretary have faded from the frame. Rhode Island’s Gina Raimondo told reporters...
Ohio to get nearly 100K doses of virus vaccine this month as cases rise
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio will receive close to 100,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine by mid-December, Gov. Mike DeWine announced during a briefing Thursday. The brief but promising details provided the first look at what vaccine distribution will look like in Ohio as the number of cases, deaths and hospitalizations...
Vaccine rollout could ease crisis, but who gets it first?
Getting a covid-19 vaccine to the right people could change the course of the pandemic in the United States. But who are the right people? As the decision looms for President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration, a new analysis argues for targeting the first vaccines to the same low-income Black, Hispanic...
Wisconsin high court declines to hear Trump election lawsuit
MADISON, Wis. — A split Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday refused to hear President Donald Trump’s lawsuit attempting to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the battleground state, sidestepping a decision on the merits of the claims and instead ruling that the case must first wind its way...
Trump aide banned from Justice Department after trying to get case info
WASHINGTON — The official serving as President Donald Trump’s eyes and ears at the Justice Department has been banned from the building after trying to pressure staffers to give up sensitive information about election fraud and other matters she could relay to the White House, three people familiar with the...
Kiski Township man loves his train display so much, he custom-built his house to fit itVideo
Russ Fry built a house around his beloved hobby. Fry, 86, of Kiski Township, is a second-generation train display enthusiast. He designed and constructed a new home on his rural property in Armstrong County about 10 years ago. Key to the design was including a large, custom basement and storage...
Allegheny County passes 30,000 coronavirus cases
Allegheny County on Thursday reported 1,028 new coronavirus cases and 20 new deaths. The county has seen an average of 656 new cases per day over the past seven days, while adding 4,591 new cases in that time. It took Allegheny County 166 days to hit 10,000 cases of coronavirus...
Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese pays $19.2 million to settle 224 clergy abuse claims
Signaling an end to the latest chapter in the Catholic Church’s struggle to heal from scathing revelations of child sexual abuse in a 2018 grand jury report, an independent mediator for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced Thursday that it has completed two years of work and awarded more than...
‘Mistakes were made’ at maskless election hearing held by covid-positive lawmaker, Pa. Senate leader says
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 top Republican in the Pennsylvania Senate acknowledged Wednesday “mistakes were made” and necessary coronavirus safety precautions were ignored...
Westmoreland County sees record 400 new covid-19 cases, surpasses 10,000 total cases
Westmoreland County added a record 400 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported, pushing the total number of cases over the 10,000 mark. The state also reported that there were six new deaths in the county. The total number of cases in the county now stands...
Pennsylvania reports over 11,000 new coronavirus cases
Pennsylvania on Thursday reported its highest number of new single-day covid-19 cases since the pandemic started in March with 11,406 cases. The state also reported 187 new deaths attributed to the coronavirus. The new cases bring the total number in the state to 386,837. The state’s seven-day average climbed to...
Pa. Supreme Court denies Mike Kelly, Parnell mail-in voting challenge
The state Supreme Court on Thursday denied an emergency motion to stay an earlier order about a challenge against Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting system. On Wednesday, attorneys for U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, and others filed the claim last month against Pennsylvania’s governor, General Assembly and secretary of state over Act...
Staffing shortages threaten Western Pa. hospitals
More than one-third of hospitals in Southwestern Pennsylvania anticipate staffing shortages in the coming week. It’s a threshold that, if paired with a further surge in hospital admissions, could force a cutback in elective surgeries. Secretary of Health Rachel Levine noted the rising number of covid-19 hospital admissions across the...
Optimism growing for covid relief bill as pressure buildsVideo
WASHINGTON — Optimism about delivering long-sought covid-19 relief is building on Capitol Hill after additional rank-and-file lawmakers voiced support for a bipartisan, middle-of-the-road plan taking shape in the Senate and as top congressional leaders connected on the topic for the first time in months. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate...
North Park and South Park ice rinks to open
Skaters can take the ice at North Park and South Park ice rinks beginning Friday. Face masks and social distancing are required. The Allegheny County Parks Department announced the ice rinks will open Friday, with the season running through mid-March, weather permitting. There will be several restrictions and operational changes...
12 Days of Christmas cost drops in 2020, but you’re not getting all the gifts
The 12 Days of Christmas will cost you less than half of what it did in 2019. But you’re getting less gifts because of covid-19. “The true cost of Christmas decreased in 2020, as this year’s index accounts for cancellations of many live performances,” PNC said on their rundown of...
State loan could help add jobs at industrial park housing former Volkswagen, Sony plants
A state loan of $2.25 million could bring more than 100 new jobs to the RIDC Westmoreland industrial complex near New Stanton. The low-interest loan from the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority to the Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania will help with a proposed $5.6 million renovation. The work...
Pittsburgh museums receive state grants for support during pandemic
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Carnegie Science Center and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh were among several local museums to receive grants to support them during the covid-19 pandemic. The three museums, along with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, each received a $40,000 grant from the Pennsylvania...
