Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1421
Pittsburgh Council proposes ban on use of chokeholds by police
Pittsburgh City Council plans to introduce legislation today that would ban police officers from using chokeholds and neck restraints on suspects. The Pittsburgh Police Bureau Policy Manual now bans such restraints except when an officer’s life is threatened: “PBP personnel are not authorized to use neck restraints or similar control...
Westmoreland considers coronavirus tests for all new county jail inmates
Westmoreland officials will consider testing all new inmates at the county lockup to help guard against coronavirus at the facility. Warden John Walton, during a meeting of the county’s prison board Monday, said although no case of covid-19 has breached the facility, the existing screening method to prevent spread of...
Trump campaign sues over mail-in drop-off sites for ballots in Pa.
HARRISBURG — President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, the national Republican Party and four Western Pennsylvania members of Congress sued Monday to force changes to how the state collects and counts mail-in ballots under revamped rules. The federal lawsuit filed in Pittsburgh claims that as voters jumped to make use of...
Billions of dollars in aid for small businesses go unclaimed
NEW YORK — Billions of dollars offered by Congress as a lifeline to small businesses struggling to survive the pandemic are about to be left on the table when a key government program stops accepting applications for loans. Business owners and advocacy groups complain that the money in the Paycheck...
Bethel Bakery, Spoonwood Brewing team again, this time for a lemony brew
When life hands you lemons, it doesn’t always have to turn into lemonade. Bethel Bakery in Bethel Park and nearby Spoonwood Brewing Co. decided on a new brew instead. They’ve teamed for a fourth time — this time to create the lemony, cake-infused Lemon Glaze Ale. The beer will be...
Goose, shot with arrow, on its way to recovery at Youngwood-based Wildlife Works
Crews with the nonprofit organization Wildlife in Need earlier this month rescued a goose that had an arrow lodged in its body. The goose was captured at a pond near the Unity Township Municipal Building. The practice arrow was lodged millimeters from the goose’s spine, said Beth Shoaf, executive director...
Westmoreland County reports 20 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Monday reported 20 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The countywide case total is now 640, with 38 deaths. There have been no reported coronavirus deaths in the county since May 18. Of the total number of covid-19 cases...
Police: Pittsburgh man shot girlfriend at South Park party
Allegheny County Police said a Pittsburgh man shot his girlfriend Sunday while attending a party in South Park. Police said they responded to the shooting at 8:40 p.m. and found a 22-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to the arm at the Diana Grove picnic shelter. Investigators said the woman,...
Pennsylvania reports 492 new coronavirus cases, 8 new deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Monday reported 492 new coronavirus cases and eight new deaths. That brings the statewide total to 85,988 cases and 6,614 deaths. The state considers 2,414 patients as probable cases, but they are not confirmed. More than half of coronavirus cases in the state are...
Penn Hills School District to replace middle school security guards with youth engagement specialists
Penn Hills School District officials believe a change in security measures may help improve student behavior at Linton Middle School. Superintendent Nancy Hines announced youth engagement specialists may replace security guards at the sixth through eighth grade school. The specialists are expected to come from Pressley Ridge, a Pittsburgh-based organization...
83 new cases of coronavirus in Allegheny County, no new deaths
Allegheny County health officials reported 83 new cases of covid-19 Monday, following a pattern of high case counts in the last week. Officials reported four new hospitalizations, but no new deaths. The new cases involved people ranging in age from 9 to 89, with the median age being 26, county...
‘Nowhere to run to’: Lawsuit filed against Mayor Peduto, Pittsburgh police in wake of East Liberty protest
Christopher Juring said he was trying to leave, trying to follow orders. In a cloud of tear gas and smoke, Juring was walking on Centre Avenue sometime after 6:30 p.m. June 1, unable to see in front of him and unable to see the wall of Pittsburgh SWAT officers moving...
Gilead’s $2,340 price for coronavirus drug draws criticismVideo
The maker of a drug shown to shorten recovery time for severely ill covid-19 patients says it will charge $2,340 for a typical treatment course for people covered by government health programs in the United States and other developed countries. Gilead Sciences announced the price Monday for remdesivir, and said...
Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana abortion clinic law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting conservative justices in the first big abortion case of the Trump era. Chief Justice John Roberts joined with his four more liberal colleagues in...
Etna welcomes Wild Child chef Jamilka Borges and her restaurant
Chef Jamilka Borges will put her bravery and culinary prowess on display in Etna as she opens her first restaurant, mid-pandemic, appropriately named Wild Child. Etna’s business district will welcome the new concept, inspired by Borges’ passion for international, coastal foods, in the space formerly occupied by Seasons restaurant on...
Trump denies being briefed about reported Russian bounties on U.S. troops in AfghanistanVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has denied he was made aware of U.S. intelligence officials’ conclusions Russia secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops in Afghanistan. The Trump administration was set to brief select members of Congress on the matter Monday. The intelligence assessments came amid Trump’s...
Couple draw guns at crowd heading to St. Louis mayor’s homeVideo
ST. LOUIS — A white couple stood outside their mansion and pointed guns at protesters in St. Louis as the group marched toward the mayor’s home to demand her resignation. Mark McCloskey, 63, told a TV station that he and wife, Patricia, both personal injury lawyers, were facing an “angry...
Priests of St. Benedict the Moor host BLM vigil in Pittsburgh’s Hill District
The priests of St. Benedict the Moor Church in the Hill District hosted a prayer vigil Sunday, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The church was recently designated a “personal parish” to serve the Black community, and priests were assigned to the newly-formed parish only the day before....
Historic West Newton house converted to Airbnb rental
A historic house built in the early 1800s along the Youghiogheny River in West Newton was remodeled and converted into a vacation rental that should be available in August, the owner said. Real estate developer Gregory K. Barr of Baldwin took what was the long-vacant two-story wood-framed John C. Plumer...
‘Bubbles for Bella’ vigil pays homage to 3-year-old Oakmont girl who died from abuse
In some ways, the scene Sunday afternoon in Verona looked like a child’s birthday party. A picnic table wrapped in pink plastic was crowded with family and members of the community, surrounded by coolers of water and soda. There were decorations of butterfly wings and pop hits playing on a...
Starbucks latest to say it will pause social media ads
Starbucks is the latest company to say it will pause social media ads after a campaign led by civil rights organizations called for an ad boycott of Facebook, saying it doesn’t do enough to stop racist and violent content. Starbucks said Sunday that its actions were not part of the...
Pa. Health Department taking online complaints of covid-19 violations
People who have a complaint about a business that is violating restrictions put into place because of the coronavirus pandemic can report it to the Pennsylvania Department of Health using an online form. The form asks for basic contact information from the person making the complaint, information about the business...
Worldwide cornoavirus death toll exceeds 500,000
ROME — The world surpassed two sobering coronavirus milestones Sunday — 500,000 confirmed deaths, 10 million confirmed cases — and hit another high mark for daily new infections as governments that attempted reopenings continued to backtrack and warn that worse news could be yet to come. “Covid-19 has taken a...
Allegheny County to halt on-premises alcohol consumption, enforce mask wearing in businesses, restaurants
Allegheny County officials Sunday ordered all bars and restaurants in Allegheny County to halt on-premises alcohol consumption in response to the recent surge in covid-19 cases. Allegheny County Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen issued the order through her authority under the Pennsylvania Disease Prevention and Control Law. It goes...
Fracking pioneer Chesapeake files for bankruptcy protection
NEW YORK — Chesapeake Energy, a shale drilling pioneer that helped to turn the United States into a global energy powerhouse, has filed for bankruptcy protection. The Oklahoma City-based company said Sunday that it was a necessary decision given its debt. Its debt load is currently nearing $9 billion. It...
