Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1446
Elderly woman rams Cadillac into Plum dental office
No one was hurt when an elderly woman ran her car backwards into a Plum dental office Tuesday. The impact caused significant damage to the house-turned-office that’s home to Scott Family Dental at 7619 Saltsburg Road at Crestview Drive. It’s the second time the building has been hit and seriously...
East Liberty cleans up after George Floyd protestVideo
Nikhil Mohan scrubbed spray paint Tuesday morning from the storefront of the Domino’s pizza he manages on N. Sheridan Avenue in East Liberty. The 23-year-old lives in Monroeville and attends Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. He understands the reason people across the country are outraged over the May 25 death...
Fayette authorities seeking information in deadly road rage incident
A Fairchance man was gunned down late last month outside a Long John Silver’s restaurant in Fayette County, and state police are looking for anyone who might have seen what happened — or, better yet, might have video that could help with the deadly road rage investigation. Justin D. Rittaco,...
Reward offered for information about North Huntingdon chiropractor killed in his office
Friends and family of a North Huntingdon chiropractor who was killed in his office in November are offering a reward for information about his death. Attorney Dan Beisler said the last six months have been frustrating for the loved ones of 54-year-old David S. Bailey. “We’re trying to encourage someone...
100 new coronavirus deaths, 612 new cases reported in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 100 new covid-19 deaths and 612 new cases Tuesday. That brings the state’s total case count to 72,894, with 5,667 deaths. Pennsylvania cases by dayInfogram The state considers 616 patients as probable cases, but they are not confirmed. More than half of coronavirus cases...
Pa. gun shop owner shoots, kills man during attempted burglary
PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia gun shop owner shot and killed a man who the owner said was among a group that had broken into the store early Tuesday, authorities said. The shooting at the Firing Line Gun Range and Gun Store occurred around 4:20 a.m. The shop owner told police...
Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, Tree of Life issue statement condemning George Floyd killing
Leaders with Tree of Life-Or L’Simcha, a Jewish congregation that suffered its own hate-fueled trauma in 2018, condemned the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and offered solidarity and support in the fight against hatred. “Racism in every form must be stopped,” they wrote in a statement. A gunman opened...
Pittsburgh area jobless rate jumps to 16.8% in April
The Pittsburgh region’s jobless rate jumped to 16.8% in April, with 200,400 people unemployed in the seven-country region as pandemic-related shutdowns gripped the economy. The combined unemployment rate for Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties was the highest since January 1983, the state’s Center for Workforce Information...
PennDOT resumes driver’s skills tests
Driver’s skills tests, including motorcycle skills tests, resumed Tuesday at PennDOT Driver License Centers. The tests had been suspended in March as stay-at-home orders went into effect during the early stages of the covid-19 emergency. PennDOT says the skills test has been modified to reduce potential exposure of PennDOT staff...
Shoving match at Pittsburgh polling place punctuates otherwise slow voting day so farVideo
A shoving match at the polling place at Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh Tuesday was in stark contrast to what otherwise has been a quiet primary day around Western Pennsylvania. Allegheny County Spokeswoman Amie Downs said an altercation broke out when voters were arguing with another voter to put on...
9 new coronavirus cases reported in Allegheny County, 1 new death
Allegheny County officials reported nine additional covid-19 cases and one new death Tuesday. That leaves the total number of deaths countywide at 152, while the total number of confirmed and probable cases rose to 1,928. The reported death count is still lagging behind state data, which has recorded 165 deaths...
Plum man charged with DUI in Washington Township crash that seriously injured 1
A Plum man is accused by Washington Township police of driving drunk during a Nov. 22 crash that seriously injured another person. Benjamin Joseph Rodgers, 29, was charged last week with aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence and related offenses. Police and paramedics were called to Route...
Monkeys, ferrets offer needed clues in covid-19 vaccine race
The global race for a covid-19 vaccine boils down to some critical questions: How much must the shots rev up someone’s immune system to really work? And could revving it the wrong way cause harm? Even as companies recruit tens of thousands of people for larger vaccine studies this summer,...
Trump as thug or hero? Depends on what network you watch
NEW YORK — It was a split screen for the ages on MSNBC Monday: on the left side, President Donald Trump talking about restoring law and order. On the right, a tear-gassed young woman vomiting in a Washington street. For a nation rubbed raw following a traumatic weekend, cable television...
D.C. Episcopal bishop: ‘I am outraged’ by Trump church visitVideo
The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington sharply criticized President Donald Trump for staging a visit to the historic St. John’s Church across from the White House, where he held up a Bible after authorities had cleared the area of peaceful protesters. The Rev. Mariann Budde, whose diocese St....
Fountain, historical marker vandalized in Highland Park
Pittsburgh police are investigating spray-painted graffiti discovered Monday in Highland Park. Reported at about 1:30 p.m., the painted messages were found in and around the park’s fountain and a Highland Park historical marker. Messages also were painted at the intersection of Highland Park Drive and Bunker Hill Street. Arrangements were...
Military police on alert at White House as Trump orders crackdown on protestersVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has ordered the creation of a military “central command center” to deploy federal assets to local governments struggling to respond to a surge of protests and riots over the death of George Floyd in police custody, the White House said Monday. The operation will be...
Allegheny County elections division: ‘We got this’
Gov. Tom Wolf signed an executive order late Monday extending by one week the deadline for election offices in six counties, including Allegheny, to receive absentee or mail-in ballots. They now have until 5 p.m. June 9 to receive absentee or mail-in ballots. The other counties are Dauphin, Delaware, Erie,...
Trump calls for ‘law and order,’ threatens to deploy troops to major citiesVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, declaring himself a “president of law and order” threatened Monday to deploy the military to cities where, he said, governors and local officials have “failed to take necessary action” to end civil unrest. “These are not acts of peaceful protest,” Trump declared during a brief...
Irwin man sentenced to jail after being found with almost 30 pounds of marijuana
Saying he was a danger to the community, a Westmoreland County judge on Monday ordered an Irwin drug dealer to serve at least six months in jail for possession of nearly 30 pounds of marijuana. Zachary Morton, 33, was sentenced to serve up 23 months behind bars and an additional...
Flags stolen from veterans’ graves in Leechburg, mayor offers reward for information
Leechburg Mayor Wayne Dobos wants to know who stole dozens of flags from veterans’ graves at Leechburg Cemetery. Dobos, a Vietnam veteran, is offering a $100 reward for information leading to the prosecution of the person who did it. And other people have offered to contribute to the reward fund....
Diver: Grass at bottom of Unity lake possibly contributed to drowning
Divers involved in a 9-hour search for a Unity man, who drowned while swimming late Saturday in a private lake near Pleasant Unity, say grass growing on the lake bottom may have contributed to his death. “I know at one point one of the boat rescue teams assisting divers at...
Downtown Pittsburgh business owners clean up, try to comprehend riot damage
Josephine Sanchez understands why people are demonstrating to protest the death of George Floyd. What she can’t comprehend is the rioting and looting that happened in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Protesters smashed through windows of Cardamone’s Hair Salon owned by Sanchez and partner Joe Cardamone, and broke into the store at...
Mayor Peduto, Public Safety chief defend how Pittsburgh police handled weekend protestsVideo
Pittsburgh police and city officials on Monday rejected claims they left officers vulnerable during weekend protests and that they trampled protesters’ rights. The peaceful protest, hijacked by a smaller group of instigators, could have been worse, officials said. Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said there is “concerning information” indicating the...
20 arrested as protests turn violent in East Liberty, ShadysideVideo
Peaceful protests Monday in Pittsburgh ended in smoke, violence and confusion for the second time in three days, with police and city officials blaming small groups of instigators and saying they had no choice but to use force to disperse the crowd. For hours, the protesters — nearly a thousand...
