Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1319
Pittsburgh creative couple start residency at The WestmorelandVideo
A creative couple from Pittsburgh are the first-ever resident artists at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. The arrangement formalizes a relationship that D.S. and Anqwenique Kinsel have had with the museum, including a February musical performance by Anqwenique in conjunction with “African American Art in the 20th...
New West Point Little League scoreboard to honor Hempfield’s Eddie Coletta
When Matt Maiers saw an opportunity to honor Hempfield’s Eddie Coletta, he jumped at it. Maiers is leading the effort to raise money for a new West Point Little League scoreboard that will bear Coletta’s name. Coletta spent several years volunteering at the organization where his daughter, Emma, now 18,...
GOP-led Senate panel advances Amy Coney Barrett despite Dems’ boycott
WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to advance Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate as Republicans powered past Democrats’ boycott of the session. Democratic senators refused to show up in protest of the GOP’s rush to install President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace the...
U.S. jobless claims drop to 787,000, but layoffs remain high
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 787,000, a sign that job losses may have eased slightly but are still running at historically high levels. With confirmed infections having neared 60,000 in the past week, the highest level since July, many consumers have been...
Chipotle plans to hire about 200 new employees in Western Pennsylvania
Chipotle Mexican Grill says it plans to hire approximately 200 new employees from Western Pennsylvania next week. The restaurant on Monday is hiring for positions ranging from crew members to general managers. Interviewees must sign up in advance to schedule a 15-minute interview timeslot. Covid-19 precautions will be in place...
Founded in Wilkinsburg, Scholastic magazine celebrates 100 years of educating children
The first issue of Scholastic was born in Wilkinsburg on Oct. 22, 1920. Maurice R. “Robbie” Robinson started the publication as a four-page magazine about high school sports called The Western Pennsylvania Scholastic. The Wilkinsburg resident had just graduated from Dartmouth College, after spending more than a year in the...
Residents at North Huntingdon care facility test positive for coronavirus
Dozens of residents at a North Huntingdon care facility tested positive for coronavirus this month, officials announced. Transitions Healthcare posted on its Facebook page that 60 residents had contracted the virus in October. Nine have since recovered and officials said they “anticipate and hope that 51 of the residents will...
A lot has changed since Kennedy and Nixon’s first nationally televised presidential debates
When John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon engaged in the third of their four nationally televised presidential debates on Oct. 13, 1960, Game Seven of the World Series had been played earlier that day. Pittsburgh fans will recall the Pirates defeated the New York Yankees. Two days before that, “The...
Man faces state, federal charges in death of Houston officer
HOUSTON — A man accused of fatally shooting a Houston police officer during a domestic disturbance call is facing both state and federal charges and could face the death penalty, authorities announced on Wednesday. In state court, Elmer Manzano is facing a capital murder charge for the death of 65-year-old...
Remains found in search for 1921 Tulsa race massacre victims
OKLAHOMA CITY — At least 10 bodies were found Wednesday in an unmarked mass grave at a Tulsa cemetery where investigators are searching for the remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Oklahoma’s state archaeologist said. “What we were finding was an indication that we were inside a...
James Randi, dazzling magician and skeptic, dies at 92
James Randi, a magician who later challenged spoon benders, mind readers and faith healers with such voracity that he became regarded as the country’s foremost skeptic, has died, his foundation announced. He was 92. The James Randi Educational Foundation confirmed the death, saying simply that its founder succumbed to “age-related...
Boil water notice lifted for Pittsburgh Mills mall complex
A boil water notice that was issued for the Pittsburgh Mills mall complex in Frazer earlier this week has been lifted, according to an official with the Fawn-Frazer Joint Water Authority. “The boil water notice has been lifted and all businesses have been notified,” Authority Chairman Ed Adams said Wednesday....
Bishop Zubik comments on Pope Francis’ endorsement of same-sex civil unions
Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said Pope Francis’ tacit endorsement of civil unions between same-sex couples is a reflection of his call for all people to be treated with dignity and love. In a statement released Wednesday, Zubik said Pope Francis’ recent comments “reflect his pastoral...
Face to face: Trump, Biden to meet for final debate
NASHVILLE — President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, are set to square off in their final debate Thursday, one of the last high-profile opportunities for the trailing incumbent to change the trajectory of an increasingly contentious campaign. Worried about losing the White House, some advisers are urging...
Police: 43 bank hostages freed in ex-Soviet republic Georgia
TBILISI, Georgia — Police in the ex-Soviet nation of Georgia said 43 people were freed after an armed assailant took them hostage in a bank Wednesday, an announcement that came shortly after local media reported the gunman escaped and remained at large still holding three hostages. An armed man took...
New Stanton man killed in multi-vehicle crash on I-70 in South Huntingdon
A New Stanton man was killed following a multi-vehicle crash along Interstate 70 that sent multiple people to area hospitals Wednesday evening, officials said. Deputy Coroner Joshua Zappone Thursday morning identified Dillon Walton, 27, as the person killed in the crash that occurred near Smithton. The crash, which was reported...
Allegheny County officials encourage ‘vigilance’ as cases riseVideo
Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Allegheny County, with the number of new cases reaching around 120 each day this week. County Health Director Debra Bogen said the health department is prepared with an increased staff of case investigators and contact tracers, greater availability of testing and continued monitoring...
Crazy Mocha files for bankruptcy, cites pandemic
Crazy Mocha, with 23 coffee shop locations around Allegheny and Beaver counties, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week. The filing cites the covid-19 pandemic as the need for a reorganization of the company. In addition to Crazy Mocha, the company also operates Kiva Han Coffee, a roaster and wholesaler....
Feds arrest 15 foreign students for work-status fraud in ‘Operation OPTical Illusion’
Federal immigration authorities have arrested 15 nonimmigrant students for alleged education-related fraud, authorities said Wednesday. The arrests took place in a number of cities, including Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Boston, Houston and more, the federal authorities said. The 15 arrested allegedly claimed they worked for companies that did not exist. “Nonimmigrant” status...
From Pittsburgh’s Manchester to the moon: Astrobotic pioneers new lunar missionsVideo
Ground control for the first commercial trip to the moon will be at a nondescript building on Pittsburgh’s North Side near the Manchester neighborhood. A group of federal, state and local officials on Monday celebrated a private ribbon-cutting for Astrobotic’s headquarters at the 47,000-square-foot complex at 1016 North Lincoln Ave....
Record 9 million people register to vote in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has eclipsed 9 million registered voters for the first time and is expecting record turnout as voters cast ballots by mail or drop box and in person at county elections offices before the election and at the polls on Nov. 3. As of Wednesday, the state had processed 9,050,870...
Pittsburgh police officer positive for covid-19, in-person training canceled
A Pittsburgh Police officer has tested positive for covid-19, causing “a number of other officers and supervisors” to isolate and quarantine, officials said Wednesday. In addition, Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich suspended all in-person training programs and inter-unit rotations for police, fire and EMS until sometime next month. “Protecting Public...
16-year-old charged in Jeannette double shooting
A Jeannette teen accused of shooting and wounding two men Tuesday told investigators he had “a long-standing dispute” with the victims, according to police. Khalil L. Myers, 16, was arraigned Wednesday on two counts of attempted homicide and aggravated assault in connection with the shooting at 4:46 p.m. inside a...
Pa. election officials stress security precautions, warn against voter intimidation
Threatening emails purported to be from a far-right, neo-fascist group that targeted voters in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida and Alaska may have originated in the Baltics. While the email appeared to come from the Proud Boys, an analysis of the metadata suggested it originated in Estonia, the New York Times reported....
Black residents in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County gain protection from hair style discrimination; Juneteenth officially a holiday
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials this week approved measures protecting Black residents from being discriminated against because of their hairstyles. County Council also joined Pittsburgh in recognizing the African American observance Juneteenth as a paid holiday for county employees and approved a motion urging Congress to designate Juneteenth National Freedom...
