Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1452
In a first, Twitter adds fact-check warnings to Trump tweets
For the first time, Twitter has flagged some of President Donald Trump’s tweets with a fact-check warning. On Tuesday, Twitter added a warning phrase to two Trump tweets that called mail-in ballots “fraudulent” and predicted that “mail boxes will be robbed,” among other things. Under the tweets, there is now...
Federal funds available for farmers impacted by covid-19 pandemic
Pennsylvania’s farmers and ranchers who have lost revenue because of the covid-19 pandemic can apply for federal aid to compensate for their losses. The federal government is making $16 billion available for agricultural producers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. The direct payments to farmers and producers are limited to...
Allegheny Valley’s former Colfax school building on market for $1.9M
The former Colfax Upper Elementary School in Springdale is on the market for $1.9 million. Allegheny Valley School Board last week entered into a six-month contract with commercial real estate agent CBRE, Inc. to see if there is interest in the shuttered building. The school board agreed to sign an...
Aid to jobless workers in Pennsylvania reaches $10.6B
About $10.6 billion in unemployment compensation and special federal covid-19 funding has been distributed to Pennsylvania’s jobless workers since businesses deemed nonessential were shut down in mid-March, officials said Tuesday. Of that money, $6.2 billion came through regular unemployment compensation, while $3.8 billion comprised extra $600 weekly payments funded by...
Pittsburgh overpays police officers more than $250,000
Pittsburgh erroneously paid its police officers a total of more than $250,000 for uniforms and is now trying to recoup the money, according to the Mayor’s Office. The city’s Human Relations Department on Tuesday notified police management and officers of the error and said it was working with the police...
Niche survey finds most students want to resume in-person classes
Recent surveys show that the nation’s students – both high school and college – are itching to return to the classroom for in-person learning. A survey from Pittsburgh-based Niche, an online school search platform, received more than 21,000 responses from students across the country. The survey found that students want...
Police: Glassport man charged with assaulting woman who escaped out window
A Glassport man accused of tying up and assaulting a woman on Monday is wanted by authorities. Richard Joseph Sciubba III, 37, is charged with aggravated assault, strangulation, aggravated incident assault and unlawful restraint and false imprisonment, according to online court records. Sciubba was last seen earlier Tuesday in the...
FBI investigating vandalism of Pittsburgh war memorial
The FBI is investigating the Memorial Day vandalism of a landmark Pittsburgh veterans monument, officials said. The 99-year-old Doughboy Statue in Lawrenceville was doused with red paint between Sunday night and Memorial Day. Hammers and sickles were painted on the monument, along with the message “June 19, 1986! Glory to...
Masses to resume June 1 in Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced new directives as it resumes Masses next week. Daily Mass will begin Monday, June 1, and weekend Masses will begin June 6 and 7. Parishioners will be required to wear masks, use hand sanitizer and maintain a social distance of six feet at all...
Gibsonia man dies in 2-vehicle crash on Route 8
One man was killed and another man was hurt Tuesday after a two-vehicle crash in Hampton, police said. The collision happened shortly after 1:30 p.m. near the intersection of Route 8 and Mt. Royal Boulevard shortly , Allegheny County Police said. Raymond Anderson, 77, of Gibsonia, was killed in the...
Police seek man suspected in Avalon stabbing
A Pittsburgh man is wanted on charges that he stabbed another man several times Tuesday in a fight over a woman in Avalon, police said. Patrick Giesy, 39, is facing charges of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment in connection to the incident, which occurred shortly before 12:50 a.m., Allegheny County...
Westmoreland Transit gets $7M in federal money to cover pandemic losses
Westmoreland County’s Transit Authority received $7.2 million in federal bailout money, an award officials say will enable the public transportation agency to continue operating its full schedule for the next several years even as other revenues erode because of the coronavirus pandemic. The federal money comes at a time where...
Tree of Life donates $200,000 to Pittsburgh Public Safety Department
The Tree of Life synagogue, where 11 people died in a mass shooting two years ago, has approved a $200,000 donation to the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department. Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday introduced a resolution that would authorize acceptance of the gift. A half-dozen police officers were injured and city...
Medical examiner identifies man found in Monongahela River
A man found dead in the Monongahela River on Sunday has been identified. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Kenneth Subotich, 55, of Munhall. According to the medical examiner, Subotich was found at mile marker 5.5 of the river. Crews from Baldwin and the Pittsburgh Bureau of...
Overnight closure of northbound I-579 in Pittsburgh starts tonight
PennDOT will close portions of Interstate 579 in Downtown Pittsburgh during overnight hours starting Tuesday and continuing through Saturday as work continues on construction of a “cap” over the highway. Northbound lanes between Centre Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard will close nightly from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. One lane of...
Three Rivers Arts Festival is now open — in the virtual world
As the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival goes virtual this year, the focus is on a new group of creative people — those who are creating digital content that will bring a different kind of festival experience to the public. “Usually, the digital team is marginally involved in the...
Westmoreland County adds 1 new coronavirus case, no additional deaths
One new case of covid-19 was reported Tuesday in Westmoreland County, bringing the countywide total to 442. Deaths remained unchanged at 38, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha has not updated his county death total since May 7. The coroner’s website is reporting 32...
Pennsylvania’s covid-19 cases ‘trend downward,’ but health official says social distancing still critical
Pennsylvania’s top health official said Tuesday that cases of covid-19 continue to “trend downward” and, highlighting a new statistic being released by the state, estimated that more than three-fifths of the people sickened by the virus have recovered. The state Department of Health reported 13 more covid-19 deaths and 451...
Allegheny County adds 11 coronavirus cases, no new deaths
The number of confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus in Allegheny County increased by 11 to 1,816, while deaths remained unchanged at 150, the Allegheny County Health Department reported Tuesday. This is the third day in a row that Allegheny County has not reported new deaths. The state reported...
Philadelphia police break up Memorial Day party of about 200 people in vacant lot
Philadelphia police spent nearly an hour breaking up a group of about 200 people who had gathered in the city’s Brewerytown section to listen to a DJ, 6ABC reported. Police say the crowd got larger as word of the gathering spread on social media, and helicopter footage from the TV...
Familiar song returns to No. 1 in WDVE Memorial Day 500 countdown
“Stairway to Heaven” ascended back to the top. The Led Zeppelin song finished first in the DVE Memorial Day 500 countdown, which ended Monday night. It bested Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Guns ‘N Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine,” “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink...
4 Minneapolis police officers fired after death of black manVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Four Minneapolis officers involved in the arrest of a black man who died in police custody were fired Tuesday, hours after a bystander’s video showed an officer kneeling on the handcuffed man’s neck, even after he pleaded that he could not breathe and stopped moving. Mayor Jacob Frey...
Police: UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital nurse stole patient’s pain medication
A registered nurse at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital is accused of stealing a patient’s pain medication. Tiffany Hafner, 28, of Pittsburgh, faces charges of neglect of a care-dependent person, drug offenses and theft, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced. Hafner’s arrest resulted from an investigation launched in November after authorities said...
On Memorial Day, Trump insults Marine Corps veteran Conor Lamb by calling him ‘American fraud’
On Memorial Day, President Trump called Marine reserve officer and Pennsylvania Rep. Conor Lamb an “American fraud” on Twitter. Almost a week before the state’s primary, Trump threw his support toward Sean Parnell, an Army combat veteran from Cranberry, who is running for Lamb’s seat in the 17th Congressional District....
Leechburg honors fallen service members in ceremony scaled back by coronavirus pandemic
Bob Fiscus has been an eager observer of Leechburg’s Memorial Day celebrations honoring fallen service members since he was a young boy, long before he joined the Army and fought in two wars. Pandemic or not, the 94-year-old veteran wasn’t about to give up on the tradition in 2020. So...
