Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1449
U.S. Health Secretary says feds investigating Brighton nursing home coronavirus outbreak
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar questioned Friday whether Pennsylvania officials have been “aggressive enough” in flagging and enforcing violations at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, where at least 76 residents have died of covid-19. Azar discussed the Trump administration’s concerns over the Beaver County nursing home’s coronavirus...
Pennsylvania school districts will reopen for fall 2020
There’s “no question” that Pennsylvania school districts will physically reopen this fall, Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday. “Schooling will look different,” Wolf said. “You’ll probably have more online learning and maybe less classroom learning, there might be fewer students in each classroom.” The Pennsylvania Department of Education is expected to...
U.S. cuts World Health Organization ties over virus response
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. will be terminating its relationship with the World Health Organization, saying it had failed to adequately respond to the coronavirus because China has “total control” over the global organization. He said Chinese officials “ignored” their reporting obligations to the WHO...
Quigley Catholic High School to close, citing declining enrollment
Declining enrollment and insufficient funds will cause Quigley Catholic High School, part of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, to close at the end of the school year. Bishop David Zubik accepted a recommendation by the Catholic High Schools of the Diocese of Pittsburgh board of directors to close the Baden school,...
Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in death of George Floyd
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis police officer who was seen on video kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in custody after pleading that he could not breathe, was arrested Friday and charged with murder. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Derek Chauvin was charged...
Community, fire departments turn out to honor late Delmont Chief Rich Balik
The funeral service for Rich Balik, Delmont’s fire chief, was held Friday at P. David Newhouse Funeral Home in New Alexandria. Balik, 47, a longtime firefighter with several departments in Westmoreland County, died unexpectedly Saturday. He was found unresponsive at his home and apparently died of cardiac arrest on the...
Gov. Wolf to move Allegheny, Westmoreland, other counties to green phase
Allegheny, Westmoreland and 14 other counties will move to the green phase of the state’s three-phase reopening plan June 5, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday. “The goal here is to make sure that every Pennsylvanian is confident that they’re going to be safe,” Wolf said. The counties are Allegheny and...
Teen pleads guilty, loses hunting license for 15 years in Jefferson County deer abuse case
An 18-year-old seen on video torturing a wounded white-tailed deer in November will serve two years of probation and have his hunting license revoked for 15 years as part of a plea deal, the state Game Commission announced Friday. Alexander Brock Smith of Brookville pleaded guilty May 6 in Jefferson County...
Swimming to open June 6 at Pennsylvania state park beaches
Pennsylvania will open 58 beaches in state parks for swimming June 6, with state park pools to begin opening a week later, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced. Pools at parks in counties under yellow or green pandemic phases will open June 13. Pennsylvania has 121 state parks....
Pennsylvania adds 693 coronavirus cases, 91 new deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Friday reported 91 new deaths and 693 additional cases of the coronavirus. The state has now had 70,735 total cases and 5,464 deaths. Deaths have been recorded in 55 of the state’s 67 counties, and every county has had a positive case. More than...
KDKA-TV anchor Brenda Waters to retire
KDKA-TV news anchor and reporter Brenda Waters will sign off at 6 p.m. Friday. Waters is retiring after more than four decades as a journalist. Chris Cotugno, the station’s vice president and general manager, said there will be a celebration. Waters will say her goodbyes. “People miss things differently when...
Sen. Bob Casey tests positive for covid-19 antibodies, donates plasma
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said he donated plasma Friday after he learned he had antibodies to covid-19, hoping it will help others fighting covid-19. Casey, D-Scranton, said an antibody test he took last week suggested that the mild flu-like symptoms and low-grade fever he experienced earlier this spring were caused...
Storms could bring large hail, high winds to Pittsburgh area
The Pittsburgh region will be returning to cooler and less muggy weather this weekend, but it’s going to have to get through the transition this afternoon that could come with some severe storms. There’s a slight chance for severe weather Friday afternoon, mainly east and north of the city, National...
Allegheny County adds 19 coronavirus cases, no new deaths
Allegheny County reported 19 additional cases of the coronavirus Friday, bringing the total number of cases countywide to 1,870. No new deaths were reported, leaving the total at 151. The county earlier this week reported three consecutive days with no new deaths. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 162 deaths...
Pittsburgh police chief condemns actions of Minneapolis officers in death of George Floyd
Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert on Friday condemned the actions of Minneapolis police officers in the death of a handcuffed black man, calling the incident the “incomprehensible and senseless actions of a few.” The May 25 killing of George Floyd touched off outrage across the country and three days of...
Westmoreland leaders pleased to move to green phase next week
County leaders expressed relief Friday to learn Westmoreland soon will move into the green phase of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan. Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday that Westmoreland is one of 16 additional counties in the region, including Allegheny, that will move from the yellow to green phase June 5....
Pittsburgh rapid bus line project lands $100M from federal government
The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved nearly $100 million for a rapid bus line linking Downtown Pittsburgh and Oakland. President Trump announced in a tweet Thursday that the Port Authority of Allegheny County would receive $99.9 million for its long-planned Bus Rapid Transit project. .@USDOT is committing $99.95M to...
Twitter flags Trump tweet with ‘glorifying violence’ warning
WASHINGTON — Twitter has added a warning to one of President Donald Trump’s tweets about protests in Minneapolis, saying it violated the platform’s rules about “glorifying violence.” Trump, a prolific Twitter user, has been at war with the company since earlier this week, when it for the first time applied...
2 killed in overnight house fire in Duquesne
A man and a woman died early Friday morning when heavy flames and smoke tore through their home in Duquesne. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Krystian Andrew McDonnell, 23. The woman’s name has not yet been released. Firefighters responding to a call in the 1100 block...
UPMC to get $1 billion in federal aid after hard hit from coronavirus pandemic
UPMC is slated to get more than $1 billion in aid from the federal government as Pennsylvania’s largest hospital system confronts volume plunging by 70% during the pandemic-spurred shutdown. In the last two weeks of March, after the Wolf administration’s state shutdown began and thousands of elective procedures were halted,...
Organ transplants surge at UPMC during pandemic
UPMC performed a record-high number of lung and liver transplants in April, even as the covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown caused the health system’s overall revenue and volume to plummet, executives said. UPMC doctors did 12 lung transplants during the month of April, up from an average of six such...
Minneapolis police station torched during George Floyd protestVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Cheering protesters torched a Minneapolis police station that the department abandoned as three days of violent protests spread to nearby St. Paul and angry demonstrations flared across the U.S over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer...
White House punts economic update as election draws nearVideo
WASHINGTON — The White House took the unusual step on Thursday of deciding not to release an updated economic forecast as planned this year, a fresh sign of the administration’s anxiety about how the coronavirus has ravaged the nation just months before the election. The decision, which was confirmed by...
Police: Man critically wounded after being shot in fit of road rage in Monroeville
A man was shot in the arm Thursday afternoon in Monroeville in what police are describing as a road rage fight. The man was taken to Forbes Regional Hospital in critical condition, police said. Police Chief Doug Cole said officers responded to a call for shots fired around 2:50 p.m....
New Kensington mother waives hearing on charges in death of son, 3
A New Kensington woman charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of her 3-year-old son waived her right to a preliminary hearing Thursday. Teresa Fetterman, 23, also is charged with child endangerment and aggravated assault in the death of her son, Mikel Fetterman, and drug offenses. Mikel Fetterman was taken...
