Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1289
Biden taps ex-Fed chair Janet Yellen to lead TreasuryVideo
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has chosen former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen to serve as treasury secretary, a pivotal role in which she would help shape and direct his economic policies, according to a person familiar with the transition plans. Yellen, who is widely admired in the financial world,...
Westmoreland judge tosses more than 200 ballots elections board wanted counted
A Westmoreland County judge ruled Monday that 46 provisional ballots be counted after voters provided testimony to the board of elections that they did not vote on machines at their polling places despite signing a poll book. But another 204 ballots must be tossed out because the board didn’t do...
10 Allegheny County Jail employees test positive for covid, 50 in quarantine
Ten Allegheny County Jail employees tested positive for coronavirus since Saturday and another 50 are quarantining after they were identified as close contacts, officials said Monday. Officials said the cases are the result of community transmission — not exposures in the workplace. “While these steps will impact staffing levels at...
Pa. to ban alcohol sales at bars, restaurants for 1 night
State officials laid out new covid-19 mitigation efforts but stopped short of issuing a statewide stay-at-home order, instead advising Pennsylvanians to stay home and putting a one-night ban on alcohol sales Wednesday. New orders also scale back the maximum capacity for indoor and outdoor gatherings, capping outdoor limits for the...
Pittsburgh City Council considers covid sick leave resolution, historical designations
Pittsburgh City Council on Monday introduced a resolution granting paid covid-19 sick leave to city workers. The legislation aims to supplement a federal policy that is set to expire Dec. 1. “Due to failed federal action, workers should not have to choose between their family’s health during a worldwide pandemic...
Allegheny County adds 962 new covid cases in 2 days, no new deaths
Allegheny County on Monday reported a two-day total of 962 new coronavirus cases with no new deaths. The county has seen an average of 508 new cases over the past seven days, adding 3,557 new cases in that time. The county added 576 cases Sunday and 386 on Monday, bringing...
Pennsylvania adds nearly 12,000 new covid cases in 2 days
Since Saturday, Pennsylvania has added 11,837 new cases of coronavirus, the state’s Department of Health said Monday. On Sunday 7,075 cases were added, while Monday saw an addition of 4,762 cases. The statewide total stands at 314,401. The seven-day average of new cases rose to a record 6,398 cases; over...
Armstrong County wife who attacked husband with an ax can’t beat murder rap
A Manor Township woman who attacked her husband with an ax in front of their three children will keep serving a 20- to 40-year prison sentence for his murder. A state Superior Court panel ensured that by denying an appeal in which Melanie Sue Snyder claimed there wasn’t enough evidence...
TV Talk: Peggy Finnegan announces retirement from WPXI-TV
Veteran WPXI-TV news anchor Peggy Finnegan announced she’ll retire from the station next month. Her last day on the air will be Dec. 18 with news anchor Lisa Sylvester taking Finnegan’s place on the 5 p.m. newscast. Finnegan’s retirement comes after 30 years with Channel 11, where she and anchor...
Rachel Carson Bridge reopens in Pittsburgh after lengthy closure
The Allegheny County Department of Public Works announced Monday that the Rachel Carson Bridge, formerly known as the Ninth Street Bridge, has reopened. It’s been closed since February 2019 for a $23.3 million rehabilitation project. During the closure, the bridge had repairs to its steel structures and construction of a...
Allegheny County Board of Elections certifies election results
The Allegheny County Board of Elections certified the results of the Nov. 3 election in 2-1 vote Monday morning, but excluded some ballots that are part of pending litigation. County Councilman Sam DeMarco cast the lone “no” vote. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, the board chair, and county Councilwoman Bethany...
Here’s where to see drive-thru Christmas lights in Western Pennsylvania
Driving around town to see the neighbors’ decorations has long been a holiday tradition. But if you want something on a grander scale — say, lasers or 1 million twinkling LED lights — try one of these holiday displays, sure to impress even the most skeptical Scrooge. Holiday Laser Show...
Derry man died after crashing while suffering medical emergency
A Derry man died Saturday after crashing on Route 217 while suffering a medical emergency, according to authorities. John Albert Eckert, 62, was driving in Derry Township just before noon when state police said his vehicle traveled off the road and hit a tree near Lois Lane. Police said Eckert...
Third major covid-19 vaccine shown to be effective — and cheaper
LONDON — Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said Monday that late-stage trials showed its coronavirus vaccine was up to 90% effective, giving public health officials hope they may soon have access to a vaccine that is cheaper and easier to distribute than some of its rivals. The results are based on interim...
Man dead, another in stable condition after shooting in Tarentum
One man was killed and another was in stable condition after a shooting early Monday morning in Tarentum, police said. Allegheny County Police, who assisted borough police, said officers were notified about the shooting victims around midnight after they were driven to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison. An 18-year-old man...
2 Hempfield Area schools closed as coronavirus cases rise
Two schools in the Hempfield Area School District are closed as coronavirus cases continue to increase among staff and students. Hempfield Area High School and West Point Elementary School were closed Monday and will remain closed Tuesday, according to Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. The closure will last through Dec. 1 in...
1 person dead, another in critical condition after Wilkinsburg shooting, police said
One person was killed and another is in critical condition after a shooting Sunday evening in Wilkinsburg, police said. Officers with the Allegheny County Police Department responded to the 1000 block of Rebecca Avenue around 7:50 p.m. in response to a shooting. On scene, police found a 35-year-old man dead...
Thanksgiving meal a treat for dogs, boost for Ligonier Valley animal rescueVideo
Zena displayed her genteel manners Sunday when she was served an early Thanksgiving meal. She slowly chewed her way through a turkey meatloaf and a side of sweet potatoes. She even licked the crumbs from the floor. The 3-year-old Lab mix was one of more than a dozen canines booked...
Biden to name longtime aide Antony Blinken as secretary of StateVideo
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden intends to name his longtime adviser Antony Blinken as secretary of State, according to three people familiar with the matter, setting out to assemble his Cabinet even before Donald Trump concedes defeat. In addition, Jake Sullivan, formerly one of Hillary Clinton’s closest aides, is likely...
Trump appeals rejection of effort to block Pennsylvania vote
HARRISBURG — President Donald Trump is appealing a federal judge’s dismissal of his campaign’s effort to block the certification of votes in Pennsylvania. The president and other plaintiffs filed notice of appeal to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Sunday, a day after the judge issued a scathing...
Plum closes school buildings through Dec. 1 because of covid-19 outbreak
Plum School District is closing its buildings and moving to remote learning to contain a covid-19 outbreak, district officials announced Sunday. Four employees and three students notified the district they tested positive for covid-19, the district said in a news release. One high school employee and two students were among...
Trump campaign legal team distances itself from Sidney Powell
WASHINGTON — Perhaps Sidney Powell has gone too far for even Rudy Giuliani this time. The Trump campaign’s legal team moved to distance itself Sunday from the firebrand conservative attorney after a tumultuous several days in which Powell made multiple incorrect statements about the voting process, unspooled unsupported and complex...
Pa.’s new ‘Pennie’ health exchange in jeopardy if Trump’s ACA lawsuit prevails
Pennsylvania’s new state-run health exchange is among the many pieces of the Affordable Care Act that would be in peril if the Trump administration’s attack on it prevails in the Supreme Court, consumer advocates warn. The state’s insurance enrollment system, called Pennie, debuts this season’s open enrollment period, which runs...
Trump’s legal team cried vote fraud, but courts found none
PHILADELPHIA — As they frantically searched for ways to salvage President Donald Trump’s failed reelection bid, his campaign pursued a dizzying game of legal hopscotch across six states that centered on the biggest prize of all: Pennsylvania. The strategy may have played well in front of television cameras and on...
Inequality ‘baked into’ virus testing access as cases surge
The day after Amanda Serulneck found out she might have been exposed to covid-19, she visited a rapid testing center in New Jersey but was turned away because they ran out of tests. She returned at 7 a.m. the next day. After waiting for an hour, officials said they had...
