Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1418
Levin to reopen some Western Pennsylvania stores Friday
Levin Furniture stores in Hempfield, Monroeville, Wexford, Curry Hollow and 13 other locations around Pittsburgh and Cleveland will reopen at 11 a.m. Friday with former owner Robert Levin at the helm. Levin sold his family’s chain of stores in 2017 to Art Van Furniture but later structured a $25.7 million...
How to safely gather for July 4th during pandemic
This is anything but a normal Fourth of July holiday weekend. But there still are ways to safely gather with family and some — the operative word being some — friends while staying safe during the current spike in covid-19. “It is going to be a different holiday,” said Dr....
Riders of all ages enjoy new Giant Slide Complex at Mt. Pleasant Township’s Mammoth ParkVideo
Joe Theis, 67, proved Thursday he’s just a kid at heart. Theis, of New Stanton, arrived at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant Township at 9:20 a.m., expecting a line for the inaugural rides on the county park’s newly opened Giant Slide Complex. But he was shocked to learn he was...
More than 10K sign up for Trump boat parade, rally in Pittsburgh, organizer says
Local supporters of President Trump are planning a boat parade and rally in Pittsburgh on Saturday, saying they are encouraging participants to wear masks and maintain social distance in response to a soaring covid-19 infection rate in Allegheny County. Tricia Cunningham of Washington Township, founder of the local grassroots group...
Allegheny County orders bars, restaurants to halt on-premises dining for a week
Bars, restaurants and casinos in Allegheny County must close for one week, under a new order from Health Director Debra Bogen. The order takes effect Friday. Takeout and delivery food orders are still permitted. The order, Bogen said, is meant to mitigate the rapid increase in coronavirus cases in the...
Attorney: Hempfield man who fatally beat elderly father believed 92-year-old was a vampireVideo
Douglas Novak’s mental illness was so pronounced that he beat his father to death and believed the 92-year-old Hempfield man was a vampire who needed to be staked through the heart to kill him, his attorney told a judge Thursday. Novak was off his medication when he used the wooden...
Greensburg to launch grant program for local businesses hurt by coronavirus
Lisa Hegedus can’t wait to apply for a grant from the Greensburg Community Development Corporation’s new Covid-19 Relief Main Street Jump-Start Program. The new program, funded through a $150,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, is targeting small businesses in Greensburg that have suffered a financial hit from the...
Noose found hanging in Leechburg park
Police in Leechburg removed a rope that appeared to be tied into a noose hanging from a tree in the borough’s Riverfront Park. Leechburg Councilman Chuck Pascal posted a comment on Facebook saying there is reason to believe the noose was left as a message, as it wasn’t tied securely...
2 North Hills School District students test positive for covid-19 following hockey tryouts
Two North Hills School District students who participated in hockey tryouts Saturday have tested positive for covid-19, district officials said Thursday. The North Hills Hockey Club held the tryouts at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center — tryouts that were not sanctioned by the school district, according to a...
Penn State student dies from coronavirus
A Penn State student died from covid-19 this week, the university’s first known student death connected to the coronavirus, according to officials. Juan Garcia, 21, of Allentown died Tuesday, 10 days after he tested positive for the virus, officials said in a statement. An earth and mineral sciences student, Garcia...
Westmoreland has another double-digit spike in coronavirus cases, commissioners issue warning
For the fourth time in five days, Westmoreland County experienced a double-digit increase in the number of new coronavirus cases, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and officials say if the numbers continue to rise, the county risks additional restrictions. “We cannot stress the importance of being safe this...
Pa. reports 832 new covid-19 cases, tells residents to quarantine if visiting these 15 states
As Pennsylvania registered 832 additional covid-19 cases, state officials are telling residents to quarantine for 14 days if they are returning from recent pandemic hot spots such as Texas and Florida. There were 25 new covid-19 deaths and 832 new cases reported in the state by the Pennsylvania Department of...
Allegheny County tops 230 new coronavirus cases
Local health officials on Thursday reported 233 new cases of covid-19 in Allegheny County — more than doubling Wednesday’s case count, which had been a record high. There were four new hospitalizations and no deaths reported. Ages among the newly infected individuals range from 6 months old to 99 years...
‘It’s getting ridiculous,’ bar owner says of alcohol ban during Allegheny County protestVideo
About 50 people rallied in front of the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon, protesting the newly imposed restriction on alcohol consumption in restaurants and bars. Many said the ban imposed by county Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen will cripple the industry. Three hours after the protest, the...
East Huntingdon couple accused of bilking $200K, house from Scottdale woman
An East Huntingdon couple is accused by police of bilking a relative out of $200,000 and her Scottdale home prior to her April 2019 death, according to court papers. Jane Ann Kiliany, 59, and John Eric Kiliany, 60, were arrested Wednesday by Westmoreland County detectives and released on their own...
U.S. adds 4.8 million jobs as unemployment falls to 11.1%Video
WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added a substantial 4.8 million jobs in June, and the unemployment rate fell to 11.1%, as the job market improved for a second straight month yet still remained far short of regaining the colossal losses it suffered this spring. The nation has now recovered roughly one-third...
Closing bars to stop coronavirus spread is backed by scienceVideo
Authorities are closing bars, honky tonks and other drinking establishments in some parts of the country to stem the surge of covid-19 infections — a move backed by sound science about risk factors that go beyond wearing or not wearing masks. In the words of one study, it comes down...
Pittsburgh SWAT team assists police in standoff with man barricaded in apartment
Pittsburgh police called a SWAT team for assistance Wednesday evening as they negotiated the surrender of a man who barricaded himself in his apartment and threatened to harm himself. Police responded just after 6 p.m. to the apartment in the 400 block of South Fairmount Street in the city’s Friendship...
Organizers cancel Fort Ligonier Days, plan virtual version of festival
The Fort Ligonier Days Board canceled its traditional fall festival, but plans are underway to hold a virtual version. The annual festival, which was scheduled for Oct. 9-11, typically brings thousands of visitors to Ligonier to view a parade, enjoy food and music, browse among vendors and attend battle re-enactments...
Trump, top officials defend response to Russia bounty threatVideo
WASHINGTON — Criticized for inaction, President Donald Trump and top officials on Wednesday stepped up their defense of the administration’s response to intelligence assessments that Russia offered bounties for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Trump’s national security adviser said he had prepared a list of retaliatory options if the intelligence...
‘Ask a Black Doctor About Covid-19’ Facebook event set for Thursday
Every other week an informal online chat known as “Ask a Black Doctor about Covid-19” attracts more than 24,000 views. But as covid-19 cases reach record highs in Allegheny County, a session scheduled for Thursday evening is expected to exceed previous viewership numbers. Presented by 1Hood Media and the Gateway...
Allegheny County officials say coronavirus is infecting more young people
More young people continue to test positive for covid-19, Allegheny County officials said Wednesday. Hospitalizations also have started to “creep up,” county Health Director Debra Bogen said, with 31 since June 20. Of the newly hospitalized, seven patients are in their 20s and 30s, she said. She expects to see...
Family of Brighton Rehab employee sues over covid-19 death; federal lawsuit dropped
The family of a longtime employee at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County is suing the facility over her death from covid-19. Elizabeth A. Wiles, of Rochester, Beaver County, worked as a Brighton housekeeper for nearly 30 years. She died May 10 at age 69 after a covid-19...
Pennsylvania high court turns down lawmakers’ bid to end shutdown
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s high court on Wednesday ruled against an effort by Republican state lawmakers to end Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic shutdown orders. A divided court ruled that a resolution passed with mostly GOP votes was a “legal nullity” because it was not sent to Wolf to sign or...
Pittsburgh council poised to create LGBTQ commission, address racial divide
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday advanced separate bills that would require an increased effort to rebuild business districts in minority-populated neighborhoods and create a commission to help resolve problems faced by the city’s LGBTQIA+ residents and visitors. Councilmen Ricky Burgess and R. Daniel Lavelle, the city’s only two Black council...
