Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1525
Pittsburgh-area Costco stores yank free food samples
In what appears to be one of the latest moves to curb the potential spreading of the coronavirus, wholesale giant Costco has halted distribution of free samples throughout the region. According to USA Today, it was not immediately known if the members-only warehouse chain had pulled the samples from all...
Giant Eagle offers ‘Scan Pay & Go’ at New Kensington storeVideo
The Giant Eagle in New Kensington is among about 70 of the grocery giant’s 215 stores where customers can skip checkout lines by scanning and bagging their groceries as they shop. Giant Eagle, based in O’Hara, introduced its “Scan Pay & Go” system to the store on Tarentum Bridge Road...
Trump names Rep. Mark Meadows his new chief of staff
WASHINGTON — In the midst of one of the most daunting crises of his administration, President Donald Trump announced he had made a major staff overhaul, replacing his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney with Republican Rep. Mark Meadows. While much of the country was focused on the spreading coronavirus,...
Trump defends administration’s coronavirus approach in CDC visit
ATLANTA — President Donald Trump almost didn’t make the trip to Atlanta to address his administration’s response to the coronavirus. But when he arrived at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s main Atlanta campus, he didn’t seem to want to leave. After initially scrapping the trip, the president...
21 positive for coronavirus on cruise ship off California
SAN FRANCISCO — Twenty-one people aboard a mammoth cruise ship off the California coast tested positive for the new coronavirus and 19 of them are crew members, Vice President Mike Pence announced Friday, amid evidence the vessel was the breeding ground for a deadly cluster of more than 10 cases...
Woman dies in Washington County house fire, cause of fire under investigation
A woman died in a Washington County house Friday afternoon, officials said. Joann Wilson, 62, was pronounced dead at 2:39 p.m. — a little more than two hours after her home caught fire, according to the Washington County Coroner’s Office. She lived at the home that caught fire on Grant...
Owner of Kennywood Park, Idlewild and Sandcastle opening support office in Pittsburgh
The owner of three of Pittsburgh’s amusement parks is opening a support facility here in March. Palace Entertainment, which owns Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, as well as Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier and Sandcastle Waterpark in Homestead, is moving some operations from Newport Beach, Calif., to a temporary spot...
Car rear-ends Port Authority bus in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, 2 drivers injured
A car rear-ended a Port Authority of Allegheny County bus Friday evening in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, sending both drivers to hospitals with minor injuries, officials said. The 87 Friendship bus was headed outbound and stopped on Liberty Avenue at 25th Street when it was struck by the car shortly before...
Coronavirus concerns hurting Asian restaurants in Pittsburgh, some owners say
Asian restaurants and markets across Pittsburgh are hurting because of misinformation surrounding how the new coronavirus spreads, community leaders and officials said Friday. To combat the anti-Chinese sentiment, local politicians gathered for lunch at Oakland’s Night Market Gourmet to encourage patronage of Asian restaurants and quash myths. “In the Marines...
Big turnout for trout stocking, Fish Commission predicts excellent opening dayVideo
An officer with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is predicting an excellent opening day of trout season April 18. A bounty of volunteers and good weather Thursday and Friday made it easy to widely distribute four truckloads of trout in Bull Creek in Tarentum, Deer Creek in Indiana Township...
Large asteroid will zip by the Earth in April at about 20,000 mph
Earthlings looking for something to take their minds off the coronavirus now have a giant asteroid to think about. While experts say there is no cause for alarm, the asteroid was classified as a potentially hazardous object because it passes near Earth’s orbit. However, it’s not currently on NASA’s list...
Groups work to expand Pennsylvania habitat for shy and secretive massasauga rattlesnake
Butler County is one of the last strongholds in the state for a mellow and seldom-seen rattlesnake that government agencies and a local conservation group are trying to save. A century ago, the eastern massasauga rattlesnake called 19 areas in Pennsylvania home, living between Allegheny County and Crawford County. Today...
South by Southwest canceled as coronavirus concerns rise
South by Southwest has been canceled, the arts festival announced Friday. “The City of Austin has cancelled the March dates for SXSW and SXSW EDU. SXSW will faithfully follow the City’s directions,” according to a statement on the festival’s website. The festival has been called off amid growing fears about...
Bullets strike parked car near Langley elementary school in Sheraden
A male suspect is accused of firing a gun toward a person and instead striking a parked car near an elementary school in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood, officials said. No one was injured, Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews said. Police officers responded to a report of a domestic dispute in...
Party continues for Levin Furniture workers who faced bleak future days agoVideo
Just when it seemed the feel-good story of the week couldn’t get any better, hundreds of Levin Furniture employees and managers turned out for a rousing homecoming for former owner Robert Levin on Friday. “I just want to tell everybody how excited I am to be back, running the company,”...
Pittsburgh airport ramps up sanitizing efforts as coronavirus spreads
As travelers worldwide place their plans on hold because of the growing threat of the coronavirus, officials at Pittsburgh International Airport said Friday that things there are business as usual. Bob Kerlik, a spokesman for the Allegheny County Airport Authority, said the airport has not received notice of flight reductions....
Cops: Derry woman abused toddler after smoking crack cocaine
A Derry woman is accused of physically abusing a 23-month-old toddler and smoking crack cocaine as the child sat in her lap. Crystal N. Steele, 28, was arraigned by Hempfield District Judge Tony Bompiani on charges of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, harassment, possession of drug paraphernalia, reckless...
Fatal gunfight between Mt. Oliver man, Pittsburgh cops being examined by policeVideo
A Mt. Oliver man was killed after a gunfight with four plainclothes Pittsburgh police detectives Thursday night following a traffic stop on the city’s North Side. Authorities are working to piece together what happened, but as of about noon Friday, Allegheny County police could provide few details about what happened....
Kids will need parent or guardian to go to movies at Monroeville Mall on weekends
Beginning last weekend, all children under 18 won’t be able to go to the movies in Monroeville without a parent or legal guardian. The Cinemark Monroeville Mall and XD, a Monroeville Mall tenant, posted signs around the theater that said the new policy will be in effect March 6. “No...
2 with presumed positive cases of coronavirus quarantined in Eastern Pa.
Two people with presumed positive cases of the coronavirus are under quarantine in Delaware and Wayne counties, Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said during a news conference Friday. “We have two individuals with presumed positive cases of covid-19,” Levine said. “They are both at home....
Vandergrift website, email system present legal concern for borough
Legal concerns surrounding Vandergrift’s website and email system could make it difficult for borough council members to communicate with the public. Solicitor Larry Loperfito warned council to stop doing official business through their personal email addresses. At a meeting this week, council discussed the need to update the community’s website...
Trump signs $8.3B bill to combat coronavirus outbreak in U.S.Video
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday signed an $8.3 billion measure to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 12 people in the United States and infected more than 200. The legislation provides federal public health agencies with money for vaccines, tests and potential treatments and helps state...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: March 6-8
So we lose an hour this weekend, but gain extra daylight. Celebrate the longer days and warmer temps, but keep that umbrella close by, just in case. And get out and enjoy some music, some history, maybe even cross the (Somerset) county line and get a jump start on spring...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: March 6-8
We lose an hour of sleep this weekend as we spring forward on Sunday morning. There’s still plenty of time to enjoy Pittsburgh this weekend. Here are some options: By the book The musical comedy “The Book of Merman” runs Friday through Sunday at the CLO Cabaret, Downtown. Director Gerry...
Pittsburgh events to carry on, with precautions, despite coronavirus spreadVideo
Events across the country are being canceled because of the growing threat of the coronavirus, but it’s business as usual in Western Pennsylvania. While precautions are being taken at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh and at the Monroeville Convention Center, event leaders are monitoring the spread of...
