Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1439
Proposed ban on tear gas, rubber bullets sent to committee by Allegheny County Council
A proposal by Allegheny County Council to limit the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and other things used by police to disperse crowds generated plenty of interest Tuesday. Council ultimately sent the bill to committee instead of voting on it, against the wishes of its sponsors, Councilwomen Bethany Hallam...
Hays bald eaglet takes first long flights
The babies have grown up. The youngest of two eaglets was taking long flights from the Pittsburgh Hays bald eagle nest Tuesday while its sibling is likely not too far behind. On Saturday, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania reported that an eaglet had a rather awkward first flight as...
AHN to conduct mobile coronavirus testing in Hazelwood
In its continuing effort to reach underserved communities, Allegheny Health Network’s mobile covid-19 testing unit will be in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The testing site will set up in the empty parking lot across from the Hazelwood Family Health Center at 4915 Second Ave....
Pa. insurance officials say damage to businesses by protests, looting, is likely covered
Damage caused to businesses by protests and looting is covered by many insurance policies, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department said as it issued guidance to help those dealing with the issue. The department provided information for businesses trying to understand how and when they can file claims after damage from riots,...
Tree of Life joins South Carolina church for online racism forum
The leaders of two houses of worship — hundreds of miles apart but bonded by attacks of hate — will hold an online discussion Wednesday night focused on racism, hate speech and understanding. Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, of Pittsburgh’s congregation Tree of Life - Or L’Simcha, was inside the Squirrel Hill...
Pittsburgh Council proposes major police reforms during heated meeting
In a bill introduced Tuesday in Pittsburgh City Council, the city would enact a police hiring freeze and redirect $250,000 remaining in a budget for new recruits to a fund aimed at reducing crime and violence. It was one of several bills from Councilman Ricky Burgess, who said that reform...
Pittsburgh police seek info on Mario Lemieux statue vandal, other suspects from Downtown protest
Pittsburgh police on Tuesday released photos of three people they say were involved in causing damage during Downtown Pittsburgh protests on May 30, including a woman who allegedly defaced the Mario Lemieux statue outside of PPG Paints Arena. The photos come from the Damage Assessment and Accountability Taskforce, which was...
Arnold Palmer airport sees rise in bookings, hopes to beef up September runway work
Officials at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport are hoping to work on runway improvements — widening and strengthening — simultaneously in September, if funding is approved in time. Meanwhile, Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said Tuesday he’s pleased with how travel at the airport in Unity is taking...
Kennametal to cut global workforce 10% by end of year
Facing a weakness in its industrial markets caused by the covid-19 pandemic, Kennametal Inc. said Tuesday it is accelerating its plans to permanently cut about 10% of its salaried workforce, a reduction on a global scale it expects to substantially complete by the end of the year. Kennametal, an industrial...
4 casinos in region reopen with safety measures; 5th reopens Friday
The familiar ping of slot machines returned to four casinos in the region after a three-month closure due to public safety concerns caused by the coronavirus. The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington County joined the Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh’s North Shore Tuesday as they reopened since being ordered to...
‘Zoombombers’ disrupt Pennsylvania synagogue’s online services with racist, anti-Semitic slurs
“Zoombombers” hurled racist and anti-Semitic slurs during a digital attack on online services held Friday by Congregation Keneseth Israel in Allentown, according to The Morning Call. Video-conferencing platforms such as Zoom have found a home amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has kept people at home and canceled everything from holidays...
Monroeville protest marks 11th day of demonstrations in wake of George Floyd’s deathVideo
A Black Lives Matter protest was held Tuesday afternoon in Monroeville. 1 p.m. About 1:30 p.m., protesters made their way onto William Penn Highway / Route 22, blocking the road. The group moved toward the Pennsylvania Turnpike about 1:35 p.m., but were directed away from it by police. At 1:40...
Municipalities across Pittsburgh region face bleak budget forecasts in wake of coronavirus
Buffeted by stay-at-home orders and growing unemployment, Pennsylvania municipalities are facing a revenue hole that could result in fewer police and firefighters, more potholes and crumbling highways, as well as shuttered parks and pools. As many as 249 municipalities across the state, including 112 in the 10-county southwestern region, will not...
State officials: Westmoreland adds 6 new covid cases, no new deaths
Westmoreland County on Tuesday reported six new covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases to 467, according to Pennsylvania health officials. No new deaths from the virus were reported in Westmoreland. State officials continued to report 38 deaths, while county coroner Kenneth Bacha reports 33 deaths as of...
Pennsylvania coronavirus death toll tops 6,000; 493 new cases reported
Pennsylvania officials on Tuesday reported 61 more covid-19 deaths and 493 additional cases, bringing the state’s total number of cases to 76,436, according to health officials. A total of 6,014 people have died from the virus. Nearly 460,000 people have tested negative. Of the total cases, 71% have recovered. Approximately...
Derry man arrested after handgun found in bag at Arnold Palmer airport
A Derry man was arrested after being caught with a 9 mm handgun in a carry-on bag Sunday at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Westmoreland County Park Police charged Brandon Edward Emeigh, 31, with prohibited possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm without a permit. He faces a preliminary hearing...
Allegheny County reports 19 new coronavirus cases, 1 death
Allegheny County health officials on Tuesday reported one new coronavirus-related death, 19 new cases, and no new hospitalizations. County data show that of the 2,027 cases, 1,889 are confirmed and 128 are probable. Of the county’s 169 deaths, 157 are confirmed and 12 are probable. All deaths occurred in people...
Pitt to reopen this fall with ‘compressed’ schedule during pandemic
The University of Pittsburgh will reopen this fall under an adjusted calendar and classroom capacity restrictions. Students will not return to campus after Thanksgiving break, making their last day on campus Nov. 20. The move makes Pitt one of many universities to choose an adjusted calendar amid the covid-19 pandemic....
Allegheny Health Network to allow limited visitors at hospitals
Effective immediately, inpatient, observation, surgery and emergency department patients at Allegheny Health Network hospitals are permitted to have one healthy support person on site during visitation hours. As phased measures are implemented by state and local governments to adapt to evolving conditions of the covid-19 outbreak, AHN on Tuesday announced...
USPS seeking to hire rural carriers at $18.56 an hour
The United States Postal Service has numerous openings for rural carrier associate positions throughout Western Pennsylvania . The positions pay $18.56 an hour and are paid bi-weekly, according to postal service spokeswoman Jill Walters. Interested applicants can only apply online at usps.com/careers. From the website, applicants can click “Search Jobs,”...
With casinos reopening, Trafford native Jimmy Vaccaro discusses an unusual time in the gambling business
A 74-year-old Trafford native who has been in the casino business since 1975, Jimmy Vaccaro has seen pretty much everything the gambling industry has to offer. Then the casino floor fell silent in March. And people started online wagering on Russian pingpong matches because all North American sports went dark....
17 temporarily laid off at Elliott Group’s Rostraver location
Seventeen workers at Elliott Group’s Rostraver center were temporarily laid off in light of the coronavirus pandemic’s impacts on the oil and gas industry, according to a company spokeswoman. The employees work at a center that does unit packaging and manufacturing of auxiliary systems for oil and gas industry clients,...
Pittsburgh playgrounds, courts and ballfields to reopen
City of Pittsburgh playgrounds, basketball courts, ballfields and spray parks are opening for the first time in nearly three months. With Allegheny County having entered the green phase of response to the covid-19 pandemic, organized sports will be allowed to resume as long as organizers follow safety guidelines, officials said....
Man arrested for alleged involvement in destroying Pittsburgh police vehicle during protest
Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a Stowe man Monday evening, accusing him of participating in the destruction of a Pittsburgh police vehicle during a protest outside PPG Paints Arena. Dajon Lengyel, 22, is charged with criminal mischief, institutional vandalism and riot for the May 30 incident that started as a...
Missing Pittsburgh man found safe
A man who went missing in Pittsburgh Monday evening has been found safe, according to the city Department of Public Safety. Authorities Monday evening asked the public to be on the lookout for Leslie Lampkin, 74, who was last seen Monday around 4 p.m. leaving the Saloon in the 1600...
