Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1523
Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade to go on despite coronavirus fearsVideo
Organizers of Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade said Tuesday the parade will go on as usual Saturday, despite the worldwide coronavirus outbreak that’s prompted similar events in other cities to be canceled. “We’re a hardy group,” said Jeffrey “Mac” McCafferty, the chairman of the Pittsburgh parade. “We want people to...
Coronavirus spreads in Pennsylvania as cancellations grow
Pennsylvania confirmed more cases of the coronavirus Tuesday, as more schools canceled classes and the city of Philadelphia discourages gatherings of more than 5,000, including professional sporting events and the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. The state Department of Health reported another positive test for the virus, in a resident...
Pittsburgh International Airport makes Fast Company’s top 10 in travel
Sensory-friendly spaces and innovative technology to help the blind landed Pittsburgh International Airport on Fast Company’s list of the 10 most innovative companies in travel. Fast Company, a monthly business magazine focusing on innovation, called the airport “an ideas lab for concepts that make flying easier for people with disabilities.”...
Airlines slash flights, freeze hiring as virus cuts travel
Airlines are slashing flights and freezing hiring as they experience a sharp drop in bookings and a rise in cancellations in the face of the spreading coronavirus. Delta Air Lines said Tuesday that travel demand has fallen so badly in the past week that it expects one-third of seats to...
Westmoreland prison stepping up actions to prevent coronavirus
Would-be visitors to the Westmoreland County Prison are being asked to stay home if they’re not feeling well amid concerns of the spread of coronavirus, according to Warden John Walton. Anyone trying to visit an inmate at the Hempfield jail who is coughing or sneezing in the lobby will be...
Michigan primary could make or break Sanders’ campaign
DETROIT — Bernie Sanders proved his 2016 presidential bid was serious with an upset victory in Michigan powered by his opposition to free trade and appeal among working-class voters. Four years later, the state could either revive the Vermont senator’s campaign or relegate him to the role of protest candidate....
Little Sheetz fan gets big surprise as ‘youngest employee,’ free slushies through childhoodVideo
A little Sheetz fan in Virginia got the surprise of his young life last week when the founders of his favorite store paid him a visit. At 8 years old, Dylan LaMotte is an honorary Sheetz employee at his local store in Lynchburg, Va., according to a release from Planit,...
1 freed after 2-vehicle crash in Murrysville
One person was freed Tuesday morning from the wreckage of a two-vehicle crash on Route 380 in Murrysville, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Traffic was affected on the highway near Greensburg Road after the 7:48 a.m. crash. The two vehicles were traveling in opposite directions, a dispatcher said. Firefighters...
Heart to heart: West View man embraces a 2nd chance at life
Bob Lancia has felt heartache twice. One time the hurt was healed — with a heart transplant last year at UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland. But the other pain will ache for the rest his life — grieving the loss of his oldest son, Zach, 30, in 2017. Lancia of West...
McKeesport man charged with DUI after crashing into Pittsburgh police cruiser
A McKeesport man was charged with reckless driving and other offenses after allegedly crashing into a police cruiser in the Strip District. Pittsburgh police said Dontel Sayles, 29, was driving under the influence when he rear-ended an officer’s marked car near the intersection of Railroad and 23rd streets early Monday...
Greensburg Salem teams sweep pasta bridge competition at Saint VincentVideo
Greensburg Salem School District swept the top three spots in Monday’s 14th annual Pasta Bridge Engineering Competition at Saint Vincent College. Juniors Adam Nichols, 16, and Kevin Burkhardt, 17, both of Salem Township, took first-place honors when their model bridge, crafted from various types of pasta and glue, stood up...
See eagle, osprey, red-tailed hawk nests on a 13-mile-plus bike ride in Pittsburgh
So many predatory bird nests, so little time. The fourth annual Raptor Row Ride will feature viewing stops for cyclists for bald eagle, osprey, hawk and American Kestrel nests on April 25 starting in West Homestead. The Raptor Row Ride traverses the Steel Valley Trail section of the Great Allegheny...
Trump wants payroll tax relief to calm virus-spooked marketsVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday his administration will ask Congress to pass payroll tax relief and other quick measures as a public health and economic maelstrom brought on by the coronavirus drew closer to him personally. Intending to calm the fears of financial markets over the impact of...
SouthSide Works new owners to close cinema, add office space, apartments in renovationVideo
After operating as a movie theater for nearly 20 years in the heart of the former of J&L Steel works, the SouthSide Works Cinema will soon be office space. SouthSide Works’ new owners, Somera Road Inc., a New York-based commercial real estate investment and development firm, announced plans Monday to...
Italy imposes nationwide restrictions to contain new virusVideo
MILAN — Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte says travel restrictions and other strict public health measures will be imposed nationwide starting Tuesday to try to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. Conte said Monday night that a new government decree will require people throughout the country of 60 million people...
Pittsburgh regatta promoter testifies his business was a ‘sinking ship’
The man who’s blamed for cancellation of last year’s Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta told a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee that his business was failing from the time he formed it three years ago. “I was on a sinking ship from the beginning,” Derek Weber, 44, of Ross, told Rosemary C. Crawford...
First defendant in Youngwood murder cases pleads guilty, gets 15 to 30 years in prison
Matthew Genard was weeks away from a fresh start in Florida when he was brutally stabbed to death during a drug-related robbery more than two years ago in Youngwood. Genard’s eldest sister told a Westmoreland County judge on Monday that the family’s youngest sibling was ready to turn his life...
Pennsylvania logs few reports of price gouging related to coronavirus so far
A week after widespread reports of price gouging for hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes as consumers across the nation emptied store shelves as the coronavirus spread, actual consumer complaints remain low in Pennsylvania. An email to report price gouging (pricegouging@ attorneygeneral.gov) set up Friday by office of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh...
Ex-Pittsburgh priest accused of sexually abusing child has conviction tossed
A judge on Monday tossed out the conviction of a retired Catholic priest for sexually abusing a child training to be an altar boy nearly 20 years ago. The Rev. Hugh Lang, the former schools superintendent of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, was sentenced Feb. 6 to nearly two years in...
‘We’re really not bad parents,’ say Unity couple accused of locking son in closetVideo
A Unity couple accused of locking their 9-year-old son inside a closet and nailing it shut so they could attend a relative’s birthday party say they love him and hope their family is soon reunited. “We want people to know that we’re really not bad parents. We love our kids,”...
Kennywood to drop Garfield, restore Old Mill rideVideo
At long last, Kennywood’s Nightmare is over. The park revealed Monday that after 16 seasons, the park will be ditching Garfield’s Nightmare and restoring the ride to the iconic Old Mill theme. In a video posted to the park’s Facebook page, Kennywood spokesman Nick Paradise broke the news. Paradise said...
Coronavirus cases in Pa. up to 10; Carnegie Mellon researchers to work into summer forecasting spread
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University will be working to forecast the spread of covid-19, the university announced Monday. The Delphi Research Group, one of two Influenza Forecasting Centers of Excellence designated last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, typically does most of its work forecasting the flu...
Families of killed and wounded to receive largest share of Tree of Life donations
The distribution of donated funds is underway to Tree of Life victims’ families, survivors, congregations and first responders. About $5.4 million was received by Tree of Life - Or L’Simcha congregation through April 30, 2019, and the families of those killed and those seriously wounded will receive about $3 million...
Harvest Moon coffee, chocolate shop rises in TarentumVideo
Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, send a message to vndcity@tribweb.com. There’s a caffeine-fueled buzz in Tarentum, and the origin can...
Potential Amazon site in Churchill faces uncertain future
One of the largest underdeveloped parcels of land in Pittsburgh’s eastern suburbs has caught the eye of retail giant Amazon for the purposes of a high-tech distribution facility, though the future of that project is uncertain, according to Churchill and Allegheny County officials. A recent change to zoning of the...
