Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1375
Obama, in scathing Trump rebuke, warns democracy on the lineVideo
WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama warned Wednesday night that American democracy may not survive if President Donald Trump is reelected, a damning assessment of his successor intended to jolt Democrats into rallying around Joe Biden in the November election. “This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down...
Bernie Sanders delegates seek bold changes beyond unseating Donald Trump, some report feeling left out of DNC events
Despite his passion for politics and role as a Pennsylvania delegate, Mike Cordaro laments feeling a little left out of this year’s Democratic National Convention. He’s feeling alienated not merely because of the all-virtual events, but because he’s a fan of Bernie Sanders. “I’ve asked every day if there will...
Police: Penn Hills woman ran through airport security checkpoint, tossed water on TSA agent
A Penn Hills woman was arrested by county police Aug. 19 after tossing water on a TSA agent and running unchecked past the Pittsburgh International Airport’s security checkpoint. Allegheny County police said Brandi L. Bailey, 32, of Penn Hills, threw water on a TSA agent when asked for her identification...
Allegheny County dealing with backlog of covid-19 hospitalization data
The Allegheny County Health Department is catching up on covid-19 hospitalization data that accumulated in the month of July. At a Wednesday news conference, Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen explained why this week, the county dashboard stopped providing daily counts of the number of past and present hospitalizations. During the...
Commonwealth Court must hear gun owners’ challenge over Pittsburgh ban
The state Superior Court on Wednesday moved an appeal by a number of gun owners who sought to file private criminal complaints against Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and members of city council over their passage of new firearms legislation last year to the Commonwealth Court. In a five-page opinion, the...
‘Let me be clear’: Pitt dean admonishes students for partying during pandemic
University of Pittsburgh students who party could tip the school into shutdown mode, a top official at the school warned. Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner cautioned students that large parties carry the potential of becoming covid-19 super-spreader events and threaten the ability to continue classes on the Oakland campus. On...
Health department restrictions could force Allegheny County football teams elsewhere
If there’s a high school football season this fall, teams from Allegheny County might play home games at stadiums in neighboring counties. That’s a possibility if the Allegheny County Health Department maintains its strict 50-person limit on outdoor gatherings, North Allegheny athletic director Bob Bozzuto said Wednesday. Bozzuto, president of...
Woman accused of choking prospective witness inside Westmoreland County Courthouse
A 47-year-old woman was arrested at the Westmoreland County Courthouse Wednesday on charges of assaulting and choking a woman who was to testify against her in a custody dispute, according to court documents. Rhonda L. Cathers, 47, of Daisytown, Washington County, was arrested by county park police in the courthouse...
Paving project to restrict Freeport Road traffic, among others, through NovemberVideo
A $9 million PennDOT paving project will restrict traffic for several months in some areas of the Alle-Kiski Valley. Work on the project began in June and is expected to be complete by late November, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said. Alle-Kiski Valley roads that will be affected include Freeport Road...
Principals in alleged drug smuggling at Westmoreland County Prison ordered to trial
When investigators listened in on inmates’ telephone calls during an 18-month probe into alleged drug smuggling at the Westmoreland County Prison, they often heard inmates referring to “spicy chicken,” “deuce” or “papers.” But the conversations weren’t referring to food, card games or legal paperwork. It was code that a delivery...
Pa. Supreme Court delays considering appeal of former Westmoreland Sheriff Jonathan Held
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court put on hold the appeal of Westmoreland County’s former sheriff, who is seeking the dismissal of two criminal offenses related to allegations of public corruption. The court this week said it will delay a decision on whether it will consider the appeal in the pending case...
They were caught up in the Tim Murphy scandal. Now, they have a co-parenting podcast.
For Shannon Edwards and Jesse Sally, the road from separation to divorce was a very public one. There were newspaper headlines and mentions on national news and comedy shows. There were allegations of infidelity and threats. And now, three years later, there is friendship and a new podcast on co-parenting....
Professors question Penn State reopening as study projects problems
A faculty group at Penn State says the university’s plan to reopen its University Park campus could culminate in thousands of cases of covid-19 and quickly overwhelm its capacity for quarantine. As students began to move into dorms this week, the Coalition for a Just University at Penn State released...
Pennsylvania troopers take on roles helping communities, police with racially charged crimes
Two Pennsylvania state troopers with a penchant for connecting communities with police officers are taking on full-time roles that will entrench them in the local area. Greensburg native Cpl. Aaron Allen and Trooper Ismail El-Guemra of the Carlisle area will work with community groups, police agencies and local residents in...
Pennsylvania adds 570 coronavirus cases to its total
The Pennsylvania Department of Health added 570 positive covid-19 cases and 24 deaths on Wednesday. The new cases bring the state’s total to 126,149. The health department added 24 deaths to its totals, with 21 from August, two from July and one from April. The state’s death total now sits...
Police disperse overnight protesters at Peduto’s house, mayor decries neighborhood harassmentVideo
The handful of protesters who camped out overnight in front of Mayor Bill Peduto’s Point Breeze home were dispersed Wednesday morning after Pittsburgh police declared the small contingent an unlawful gathering. A protest group that grew from about 150 to more than 300 Tuesday night marched from East Liberty to...
Allegheny County reports just 27 new coronavirus cases
Allegheny County on Wednesday reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases in almost two months. Just 27 positive cases were added in the latest data released by the Allegheny County Health Department, the lowest since 19 were reported on June 23. The new cases bring the county’s total to...
Post-Gazette files lawsuit claiming Pittsburgh’s discrimination inquiry is ‘unconstitutional’
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this week claimed a discrimination inquiry by the city’s Commission on Human Relations — opened in June after a Black reporter accused the newspaper of violating her civil rights — is unconstitutional. In a lawsuit filed in federal court Tuesday, the Post-Gazette asked the court to declare...
WHO walks back advice to delay routine dental work, blames mediaVideo
When the World Health Organization in early August advised people to postpone routine dental work during the pandemic, Pittsburgh oral surgeon Dr. Eric Smiga was livid. “I was shocked, quite frankly. I thought it was a sad commentary from the WHO without any scientific basis,” Smiga said. “The Centers for...
Democrats make it official, nominate Biden to take on TrumpVideo
NEW YORK — Democrats formally nominated Joe Biden as their 2020 presidential nominee Tuesday night, as party officials and activists from across the nation gave the former vice president their overwhelming support during his party’s all-virtual national convention. The moment marked a political high point for Biden, who had sought...
Protesters gather outside Mayor Peduto’s home for second day
A largely peaceful group of protesters took to the streets of East Liberty on Tuesday night in opposition of the recent arrest of a local activist by Pittsburgh police. Around 150 protesters started the march from the Target store in East Liberty, down Centre Avenue into Shadyside where they converged...
Wavering voters targeted by Democratic National Convention; some say too much Trump-bashing, not enough substance
U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle recalled what high spirits he and like-minded politicos had during the Democratic National Convention four years ago, and how confident most of them were that Hillary Clinton would clinch victory in Pennsylvania. The Forest Hills Democrat’s wife often would drive through Westmoreland County suburbs. She told...
WISH 99.7 morning host Cris Winter announces she’s left the station
On-air personality Cris Winter announced Tuesday on her “Cris Winter In The Morning” Facebook page that after working close to 40 years in Pittsburgh radio, her days on the air are over — for now. Winter said she was dismissed Friday after her show on WISH 99.7. “When you look...
Findlay sues Moon, airport authority over water and sewer service
The Findlay Township Municipal Authority is suing Allegheny County, the Allegheny County Airport Authority and Moon Township’s Municipal Authority over which entity gets to provide water to Pittsburgh International Airport. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Common Pleas Court, contends that the airport authority is improperly purchasing all of its water...
Car slams into AAA office in Lower Burrell injuring the driver and an employee inside
An employee of the AAA travel office in the Crossroads Plaza in Lower Burrell was hospitalized Tuesday after a car slammed into the front of the building. A Toyota Prius jumped the curb, crashed through the storefront and pushed the woman into the front counter, according to Lower Burrell Fire...
