Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1282
Olives & Peppers opening at historic Greensburg train station
It’s been more than three years, but the long-awaited Olives & Peppers restaurant finally is set to open Thursday in the historic Greensburg train station. “It did take us a little longer than we had hoped, but we are really excited to open,” said Emily Williams, part of the family...
DuBois man killed when trucks collide on icy Indiana County road
A motorist from DuBois was killed when a tri-axle truck slid into his pickup truck Tuesday afternoon on Route 56 in Indiana County, police said Joel Edward Bundy, 58, died at the scene near the United School District campus in East Wheatfield Township, according to Indiana County Coroner Jerry Overman...
Motorist injured as car goes over hillside in Jefferson Hills
At least one person was injured when a car fell about 100 feet over a hillside in Jefferson Hills Tuesday night. Allegheny County officials said the crash took place around 10:45 p.m. along the 1400 block of Route 885. A portion of the state road has been closed. The crash...
‘This has got to stop’: Republican Georgia election official calls out Trump, GOP
A Georgia elections official has had it with threats against himself and fellow elections workers in that battleground state that was awarded to Joe Biden during last month’s presidential election. Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s Voting Systems Implementation Manager, who is Republican, said emphatically in a Tuesday press conference that it has...
Pittsburgh Promise gives 10,000th scholarship
Vanessa Thompson remembers feeling stunned as she sat with her mother when they received that first college tuition bill in the fall of 2008. Thompson was attending Chatham University, the first in her family to go to college. “We’re both crying like ‘how are we going to pay this bill?’”...
Beloved Jeannette football coach Joe Mucci dies of coronavirus at age 86
Joseph G. Mucci was a legendary football coach in Westmoreland County. But he was much more than that, according to his former assistant coaches, players and people in the community. The beloved coach and administrator at Jeannette and Greensburg Central Catholic influenced a lot of people whose lives he touched....
Justice Department probing potential bribery, lobbying scheme for pardonVideo
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is investigating whether there was a secret scheme to lobby White House officials for a pardon as well as a related plot to offer a hefty political contribution in exchange for clemency, according to a court document unsealed Tuesday. Most of the information in the...
Pa. to administer free covid tests in counties without health departments
Pennsylvania health officials announced Tuesday the state will begin administering free covid-19 testing in counties that do not have their own health departments. Only six Pennsylvania counties have their own health departments, including Allegheny and Erie counties in Western Pennsylvania. Other counties are Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester and Bucks. “Our goal...
Sen. Mitch McConnell says he’s revising his covid relief planVideo
WASHINGTON — Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he’s revising his scaled-back covid-19 relief bill with the goal of passing a significant downpayment during the lame-duck session and then revisiting the topic next year. The Kentucky Republican made the announcement after President-elect Joe Biden called upon lawmakers to follow...
Rick Dayton named permanent KDKA Radio afternoon host
Whether it’s television or radio, Rick Dayton loves telling a good story. Now he’ll have another chance to do it on a daily basis. Entercom Pittsburgh, parent company of KDKA Radio, has announced that Dayton will take over the news and talk station’s coveted afternoon drive slot. “KDKA Radio Afternoon...
After White House visit, Pa. state Sen. Doug Mastriano calls covid-19 case mild
HARRISBURG — A Republican state lawmaker from Pennsylvania revealed he has covid-19, confirming the positive test five days after he went to the White House to meet with President Donald Trump and went maskless at a packed public meeting to discuss efforts to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. State Sen....
Intoxicated man accused of leading police on 100 mph chase in Westmoreland, Fayette counties
An Allegheny County man is accused of leading state police on a 100 mph chase in Westmoreland and Fayette counties Sunday night before crashing, according to court papers. Troopers said Nicholas Haluschak, 40, of Dravosburg, was under the influence of drugs at the time and had $1,500 and a loaded...
Suspect in Leechburg double shooting acted in self-defense, attorney says
An Allegheny Township man accused of shooting two men outside a Leechburg tattoo shop Sunday afternoon was defending himself, his attorney said Tuesday. Police said one of the men who was shot, now paralyzed and in critical condition at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, told investigators he had an altercation...
AG William Barr: No evidence of fraud that’d change election outcome
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. His comments in an interview with The Associated Press come despite President Donald Trump’s repeated baseless claims that the election was...
U.S. panel: 1st vaccines should go to health care workers, nursing homes
NEW YORK — Health care workers and nursing home residents should be at the front of the line when the first coronavirus vaccine shots become available, an influential government advisory panel said Tuesday. The panel voted 13-1 to recommend priority be given to those groups in the first days of...
Goodbye, ugly Christmas sweater — hello, holiday-themed mask
Forget the ugly Christmas sweater — the holiday-themed mask is the hot, new look this year. “We can’t even keep them stocked,” said Beth DeNillo, manager of Bella Unique Boutique in downtown Greensburg. “They’re very popular,” she added. “Our customers are saying, ‘If we have to wear them, we might...
Pa. posts highest single-day covid-19 deaths since May
Pennsylvania on Tuesday reported the most covid-related deaths in a single day since May. There were 180 new deaths attributed to covid-19 — surpassing any single-day mark since 275 were posted May 14 — according to the Health Department. Hospitalizations continue to climb as well. According to the state’s covid-19...
Pa. Supreme Court hears argument in case against Bill Cosby
An attorney for actor and comedian Bill Cosby argued to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday that five women called to testify about prior bad acts by the man led to “unquantifiable prejudice” against him. During oral argument, Cosby’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, asked the court to find that the prior...
Westmoreland County eclipses 200 total deaths attributed to covid-19
Westmoreland County on Tuesday surpassed 200 deaths attributed to the coronavirus — more than half of which were reported since Nov. 1. The county reported five new deaths and 199 additional cases of covid-19, according to the state Health Department. Since Nov. 1, Westmoreland County has reported 101 covid-19 deaths,...
Strong start to December as S&P 500 index sets another high
Stocks scored more record highs on Wall Street on Tuesday, a day after the S&P 500 closed out November with its biggest monthly gain since April. The benchmark index climbed 1.1% while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 1.3%. Both beat the all-time highs they set on Friday. Stocks have been ramping...
Allegheny County reports 603 new coronavirus cases, 5 new deaths
The number of coronavirus cases in Allegheny County jumped Tuesday after a slight lull over the holiday weekend, according to the county Health Department. The county reported 603 additional cases of covid-19 on Tuesday and five additional deaths. That’s compared to 920 cases — 400 on Monday and 520 on...
China says probe sent to retrieve lunar rocks lands on moon
BEIJING — A Chinese robot probe sent to return lunar rocks to Earth for the first time since the 1970s landed on the moon Tuesday, the government announced, adding to a string of increasingly bold space missions by Beijing. The Chang’e 5 probe “successfully landed” at its planned site, state...
Casino gambling revenue increased across Pennsylvania in October, report shows
As casinos work to rebound after being forced to shutter this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic, overall gaming revenues were up in October compared to the same period last year, according to new figures from Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Total gaming revenues from across the state hovered around $320.2...
TV Q&A: Where has WTAE’s Janelle Hall been?
Q: We have noticed Janelle Hall missing from the evening news for a few weeks. Is she OK? — Diane via email Rob: She is now. Hall posted to her Facebook page on Monday that she and her husband were diagnosed with covid-19 four weeks ago. She described the first...
European regulator to decide Dec. 29 on 1st virus vaccine
BERLIN — The European Medicines Agency will convene a meeting Dec. 29 to decide if there is enough data about the safety and efficacy of the covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for it to be approved, the regulator said Tuesday. The agency also said Tuesday it could decide...
