Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1404
Bob Full, former Allegheny County emergency services chief, dies at 65
Bob Full, former Allegheny County emergency services chief and chief deputy director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, died on Friday, according to his family and county officials. County Executive Rich Fitzgerald remembered Full as “a true public servant who dedicated his life to public safety and the protection of...
Blaze causes extensive damage to steel manufacturer in Ambridge
A Beaver County manufacturing plant was extensively damaged in a Saturday morning fire, while the workers inside were safely evacuated. The five-alarm fire was reported at about 5 a.m. at Sukup Steel Structures in the 300 block of 14th Street in Ambridge, according to a county 911 dispatcher. Ambridge Fire...
Hempfield teacher details desperate dash for medical evacuation from Africa to save eyesight
It was mid-June in Lagos, Nigeria, and Andrew Mewbourn was desperate. After more than two decades as a teacher at American International Schools in Brazil, Eritrea, Mongolia and Nigeria, it took a lot to rattle the Hempfield man. Mewbourn, his wife Pamela and their two children had traveled the world...
John Lewis, lion of civil rights and Congress, dies at 80
ATLANTA — John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation, and who went on to a long and celebrated career in Congress, died. He was 80. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed Lewis’ passing late...
Pittsburgh police: Ross man provided teen girl drugs, sex for years
A Ross Township man was arrested Friday by Pittsburgh police on numerous child sex charges. Justin Sircely, 26, faces numerous charges after the Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force was notified on July 14 of an inappropriate sexual relationship between Sircely and an unidentified juvenile victim. Task force members, which...
Bars introduce cheap eats to comply with coronavirus ‘meal’ restrictions
Many Pennsylvania bars, pubs, taverns and breweries introduced a few new menu items this week, or put deep discounts on existing offerings. French fries, popcorn, potato chips and other simple fare are being offered as a way to adapt to a new state rule that prohibits on-premises alcohol consumption —...
Mayor of Portland to Trump: Get your troops out of the city
PORTLAND, Ore. — The mayor of Portland demanded Friday that President Donald Trump remove militarized federal agents he deployed to the city after some detained people on streets far from federal property they were sent to protect. “Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city,”...
Greensburg Diocese Bishop Malesic prepares for yet another leg on his journeyVideo
Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg Bishop Edward Malesic thought it was odd when he received a cellphone message from the Papal Nuncio on July 1 as he was traveling between Catholic schools to celebrate record scholarship contributions. Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the pope’s diplomatic envoy to Washington, D.C., asked Malesic to...
Washington Township man pleads guilty to 2018 assault on elderly woman, police during rampage
A Washington Township man pleaded guilty Friday to the assault of an elderly woman and against police during a rampage two years ago. David A. Gibson, 46, could face up to more than 20 years in prison by virtue of his pleas to four counts of aggravated assault, unlawful restraint,...
First Westmoreland prison inmate tests positive for covid-19
Westmoreland officials confirmed Friday that an inmate who was placed in custody last week at the county prison tested positive for coronavirus. This is the first confirmed case involving inmates or staff at the lockup. Warden John Walton said the inmate was arrested July 11 by New Kensington police and...
Indiana County man arrested after troopers find ATV buried in yard
An Indiana County man attempted to hide the theft of an all-terrain vehicle this month by burying it in his backyard, state police said. Stephen P. McCloskey, 23, of Homer City, is charged with receiving stolen property, alteration of a vehicle identification number and theft after troopers dug up the...
License plate shortage affects auto industry as PennDOT works to catch up after pandemic shutdowns
Car dealerships and notaries throughout Pennsylvania are experiencing a hiccup in the supply chain for license plates — often leaving management at those retailers scrambling to continue doing business during the coronavirus pandemic. The problem, according to dealerships, notaries and state officials, is twofold: License plate stockpiles at car dealerships...
State Police Liquor Control issues 44 warnings for pandemic compliance
Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement officers issued 44 warnings this week for licensed liquor establishments failing to follow covid-19 requirements, officials said Friday. Liquor Control Enforcement officers visited 3,904 businesses from Monday through Thursday. These compliance checks were unannounced and focused on areas with high covid-19 transmission rates. Officials...
Pirates confirm starting right fielder Gregory Polanco has tested positive for covid-19
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting lineup suffered a big blow with the announcement Gregory Polanco has tested positive for covid-19, which threatens to force the right fielder to miss the start of the season. Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed the positive test Friday afternoon after receiving consent from Polanco to go...
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says cancer has returned, but won’t retireVideo
WASHINGTON — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Friday she is receiving chemotherapy for a recurrence of cancer, but has no plans to retire from the Supreme Court. The 87-year-old Ginsburg, who spent time in the hospital this week for a possible infection, said her treatment so far has succeeded in...
How delays in covid-19 test results hamper virus control
Delays in the reporting of coronavirus test results are making it more difficult to control the outbreak, health experts said. “If you’re waiting seven days for a test result, the value of that test becomes much less useful,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Pittsburgh-based fellow with the Infectious Diseases Society...
Westmoreland County reports 28 new coronavirus cases, no deaths
Westmoreland County has reported double-digit cases of cornavirus for the 17th consecutive day. The county on Friday reported 28 new coronavirus cases, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, bringing the total to 1,117. Of those, 1,085 are listed as confirmed and 32 are probable cases. Westmoreland County coronavirus by...
Ex-West Penn employee accused of videotaping co-workers in bathroom
A former West Penn Hospital employee spied on co-workers in the bathroom by using a small video camera he taped to a chair and then downloaded the recordings to his personal laptop, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office alleges in charges filed Friday. The camera footage led to the arrest...
Pa. nursing home data used to track covid-19 deaths, cases riddled with errors
Data posted online this week by the Pennsylvania Department of Health show 76,336 residents at an Elk County nursing home have died from covid-19. The home is licensed to house 138 residents. The state listed 133 deaths at an Erie facility that previously reported no cases among residents or staff....
Allegheny County reports 240 new coronavirus cases, 17 additional hospitalizations
The latest new batch of coronavirus cases reported in Allegheny County turned higher Friday, after two days of declines. The county reported 240 new cases, out of 2,118 total tests conducted from June 29 through July 16. That brings the county’s total cases to date to 5,990. Of the total...
Allegheny County reopens indoor dining at 25% capacity; restaurateurs weigh in
Indoor dining will resume in Allegheny County after an order issued Friday by health officials eased some coronavirus restrictions. It goes into effect at 5 p.m. Friday. The new order rescinds the county’s July 8 order that prohibited indoor dining, and largely follows the statewide order issued Wednesday. Indoor dining...
Here’s the pitch: Pirates set to begin unprecedented season amid coronavirus pandemic
For the first time in 293 days, a game between two Major League Baseball teams will be played at PNC Park. The Pirates host the Cleveland Indians in an exhibition game at 7:05 p.m. Saturday — with the game being carried on radio and television. It’s the first of three...
Floating cinema coming to Pittsburgh in September
A floating cinema equipped with social distancing boats is coming to Pittsburgh Sept. 16-20. The location for the aquatic theater and movies to be shown have not been announced yet. The cinema will be made up of 12 to 24 mini-boats, each holding up to eight people. Tickets will require...
Bishop Malesic followed ‘servant leadership model’ in Greensburg diocese, headed to Cleveland
Jennifer Miele got a glimpse into the heart and soul of Bishop Edward Malesic soon after he assumed his duties in the Diocese of Greensburg in 2015. “On day one, he gave me his cellphone number and said to use it any time,” said Miele, a former television news reporter...
Mother of Duquesne University student who fell to his death is still seeking answersVideo
On Freedom Corner in the Hill District, Dannielle Brown sits, as she has for days, surrounded by photos of her late son and his bright smile. She’s on a hunger strike as she pushes for answers and changes, both of which she’s been fighting for since her son’s death Oct....
