Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1288
Pa. attorneys urge court to toss petition of Rep. Mike Kelly, Sean Parnell
Attorneys for Pennsylvania election and state government officials filed their response to a lawsuit by U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, and Republican congressional candidate Sean Parnell, calling their request to throw out the results of Pennsylvania’s general election “simply breathtaking.” “While draped in the driest of historical arguments, petitioners’ claim...
Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster donates Thanksgiving meals to seniors
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster fondly remembers Thanksgiving dinners growing up. “The older people would always be served first,” said Smith-Schuster on Tuesday. He’s making the sure the seniors are taken care of this year, especially when they might not be able to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and...
Pa. officials urge people with covid to cooperate with contact tracing
The Pennsylvania Department of Health, in step with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will begin prioritizing covid-19 contact tracing and case investigation efforts as cases surge and fewer people cooperate with tracers and investigators. Pennsylvania’s positivity rate rose to 11% this week, with more than 34,700...
Hazard pay approved for Westmoreland election workers
Employees at the Westmoreland County Elections Bureau and others who helped with the election this month are set to get about a month’s worth of hazard pay. The county commissioners on Tuesday approved the move that will be effective for 65 employees from Oct. 28 to Monday. Bureau director JoAnn...
Turkey-trot fundraisers challenged by pandemic
Turkey-trot fundraisers across the region are being slowed down this year by the covid-19 pandemic, which is reducing participation and forcing many of the events to go virtual. The 29th annual Greensburg Turkey Trot has 235 runners and walkers signed up for this year’s virtual event, down from more than...
Ohio governor says state’s first vaccine batch coming by Dec. 15
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio could see its first batches of a coronavirus vaccine by Dec. 15, Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday, citing calls his office has had with federal officials. The Republican governor called the announcement good news even as covid-19 cases skyrocket in Ohio along with a record number...
Financially distressed Pa. towns faring better than expected, while others in pain
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan 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 — A significant number of Pennsylvania municipalities are considering applying for a state program for the severely financially distressed, while...
Pennsylvania adds 6,669 new covid-19 cases
Pennsylvania reported 6,669 new covid-19 cases Tuesday, according to the state’s Department of Health. There were also 81 new deaths reported, all of which were from November. Tuesday’s figures bring total cases and total deaths to 321,070 and 9,951, respectively. In the state, there are 3,897 covid-19 patients hospitalized, with...
Ziccarelli asks Pa. Supreme Court to reconsider decision to count undated Allegheny County ballots
The Republican challenger in the 45th Senatorial District that includes parts of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties has asked the state Supreme Court to reconsider its Monday order allowing undated mail-in ballots to be counted. Nicole Ziccarelli, of Lower Burrell, filed an emergency application for reargument Tuesday morning. She is running...
Pennsylvania certifies election; Biden wins by 80K votes
President-elect Joe Biden has been certified the winner of Pennsylvania’s Nov. 3 election. Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar and Gov. Tom Wolf signed and certified the election results Tuesday morning, a day after all 67 counties certified their respective results. The certification ends a three-week process and awards the state’s...
Allegheny County reports 1st child death from covid-19, new record 7-day case total
Allegheny County set records Tuesday for seven-day total of new covid-19 cases and seven-day average of new cases. From Nov. 18 to Tuesday, 3,810 cases of coronavirus were reported, beating the previous record (3,671) by 139 cases. Over that same span, the average daily cases reported was 544. Allegheny County...
U.K.-based company plans to bring 1,000 jobs to West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A UK technology company plans to build a new facility in West Virginia that officials said Monday is expected to create 1,000 new manufacturing and technology jobs. DST Innovations, a company based in Wales, is partnering with Blue Rock Manufacturing for the new facility to develop clean...
Few dozen on hand for grand opening of Live! Casino at Westmoreland MallVideo
About 30 people lined up at Westmoreland Mall early Tuesday morning, excited to be some of the first to experience the grand opening of Live! Casino Pittsburgh. “I just wanted to be here to check it out and see what’s going on,” said Richard Feleppa, 61, of New Stanton, who...
Dow tops 30,000 points on vaccine hopes, Biden transition
NEW YORK — The Dow Jones Industrial Average broke through 30,000 points Tuesday as investors were encouraged by the latest progress on developing coronavirus vaccines and news that the transition of power in the U.S. to President-elect Joe Biden will finally begin. Traders were also encouraged to see that Biden...
Thanksgiving could be make-or-break in U.S. virus response
In Pennsylvania, if you’re having friends over to socialize, you’re supposed to wear a mask — and so are your friends. That’s the rule, but Barb Chestnut has no intention of following it. “No one is going to tell me what I can or not do in my own home”...
3 juveniles in custody following carjacking in Fineview
Three juveniles were taken into custody early Tuesday after police say they were connected to an armed carjacking in Pittsburgh’s Fineview neighborhood. Pittsburgh police said a vehicle was stolen in the 1700 block of Belleau Drive around 5 p.m. Monday. Just before 1:20 a.m. Tuesday, officers spotted the vehicle on...
3rd Hempfield school closed due to rise in covid-19 cases
Another Hempfield Area school is closed as coronavirus cases continue to rise. Harrold Middle School closed Tuesday due to staffing shortages in relation to positive test results and staffers being identified as close contacts, said Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. The closure will last through Dec. 1 in conjunction with the Thanksgiving...
Man in critical condition after carjacking, shooting in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood
One person was in critical condition after a carjacking led to a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood Monday night, police said. Pittsburgh police officers responded to the 300 block of Suncrest Street around 11:15 p.m. after receiving reports about the incident. Upon arrival, police said they found a man with...
Pittsburgh region stood up to ‘Big Snow’ during 1950 Thanksgiving weekendVideo
Carl Huszar’s father and uncle had to walk several miles to get milk from a North Huntingdon farm because the roads were impassable. Faye Dames Matty, who now lives in Fort Myers, Fla., learned her father made it all the way from the Virginia military base where he was stationed...
Covid-19 claims Jeannette elementary school secretary Dana Hall
The Jeannette community is mourning the loss of Dana Hall, a secretary at Jeannette City School District, who died over the weekend of covid-19 complications. Jeannette football Coach Roy Hall said that his sister-in-law was last at work a week and a half ago, before she became ill. The 55-year-old...
U.S. agency ascertains Biden as winner, lets transition beginVideo
WASHINGTON — The General Services Administration ascertained Monday that President-elect Joe Biden is the “apparent winner” of the Nov. 3 election, clearing the way for the start of the transition from President Donald Trump’s administration and allowing Biden to coordinate with federal agencies on plans for taking over on Jan....
Congressman Mike Kelly, Sean Parnell seek injunction to stop Pa. election certification
The Republican congressman and congressional candidate challenging Pennsylvania’s mail-in ballot system that led to more than 2.6 million such votes being cast in the Nov. 3 election are seeking an emergency injunction to halt the certification of the state’s election results. An initial complaint filed with Commonwealth Court by U.S....
Millions stick to Thanksgiving travel plans despite warningsVideo
About 1 million Americans a day packed airports and planes over the weekend even as coronavirus deaths surged across the U.S. and public health experts begged people to stay home and avoid big Thanksgiving gatherings. And the crowds are only expected to grow. Next Sunday is likely to be the...
Michigan certifies Biden win despite Trump’s GOP overturesVideo
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan election officials on Monday certified Democrat Joe Biden’s 154,000-vote victory in the state amid President Donald Trump’s brazen attempts to subvert the results of the election. The Board of State Canvassers, which has two Republicans and two Democrats, confirmed the results on a 3-0 vote with...
Pa. Supreme Court says undated mail-in ballots in Nicole Ziccarelli case can be counted
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Monday afternoon ruled that 2,349 undated mail-in ballots in Allegheny County can be counted in the state’s election results — dashing a challenge by 45th senatorial district candidate Nicole Ziccarelli. The court’s 35-page opinion also clears the way for 8,329 mail-in ballots in Philadelphia County that...
