Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 530
Trump denied immunity against U.S. election subversion charges
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is not entitled to absolute presidential immunity against criminal charges over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, a federal judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday rejected Trump’s early efforts to get the federal indictment in Washington tossed out, including his contention...
Union workers rally at Westmoreland Manor, cite wage, staffing issues in county contract talks
Members of a union representing more than 500 Westmoreland County employees picketed Friday in front of the county-owned nursing home, saying county officials aren’t proposing a fair contract as the workers’ four-year labor agreement is set to expire at the end of the month. Representatives of Service Employees International Union...
Protester critically injured after setting self on fire outside Israeli consulate in Atlanta
ATLANTA — A protester was in critical condition Friday after setting themself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, authorities said. A security guard who tried to intervene also was injured. A Palestinian flag found at the scene was part of the protest, Atlanta police Chief Darin Schierbaum said...
Flu on the rise, while RSV infections might be peaking
NEW YORK — Flu is picking up steam, while RSV lung infections that can hit kids and older people hard might be peaking, U.S. health officials said Friday. Covid-19, though, continues to cause the most hospitalizations and deaths among respiratory illnesses — about 15,000 hospitalizations and about 1,000 deaths every...
Billboards thanking John Fetterman for his support of Israel are circling Pennsylvania Society events in N.Y.
NEW YORK — LED trucks thanking Sen. John Fetterman for his support for Israel are driving around midtown Manhattan this weekend during Pennsylvania Society, the annual glitzy gatheringof the state’s political establishment. The digital billboards have a photo of Fetterman next to an Israeli flag and say, “Thank you Senator...
Inmate who stabbed Derek Chauvin 22 times is charged with attempted murder, prosecutors say
An incarcerated former gang member and one-time FBI informant was charged Friday with attempted murder in the stabbing of ex-Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin at a federal prison in Arizona. John Turscak stabbed Chauvin 22 times at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson and said he would have killed Chauvin...
Man wounded in arm in South Huntingdon hunting incidentVideo
A man was taken by ambulance to Forbes Hospital in Monroeville on Friday after being wounded in an apparent hunting incident in South Huntingdon. Emergency crews were dispatched shortly before 5:30 p.m. to the 400 block of State Hill Road, east of Smithton, to assist a 60-year-old man with a...
Former Brighton Rehab employee testifies that she was told to falsify records
A former employee at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center said Friday that her supervisor asked her to add names of people who had not worked to the schedule to pad their numbers to meet state staffing requirements. Susan Harrington worked at the facility, previously known as Friendship Ridge nursing home...
Prosecutors gain cooperation from 4 charged in New Kensington killing
Four of seven defendants charged in connection with the killing of a New Kensington man last year are cooperating with Westmoreland County prosecutors. Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro said during a court hearing Friday that two young men and a juvenile who were scheduled to go on trial next week...
$350 million contract to cleanup Parks Township nuclear waste site isn’t enough, feds say
The $350 million earmarked for cleanup of the Parks Township nuclear waste dump isn’t enough to finish the job, so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking for new contractors interested in continuing the cleanup when that money runs out. The Corps on Friday announced it will issue a...
Mildred Miller Posvar, famed mezzo-soprano and founder of Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, dies at 98
Mildred Miller Posvar, a Rust Belt singing sensation who soared to stardom on some of the world’s biggest opera stages before finally alighting in Pittsburgh, where she coached voice for decades, founded an opera company and became an indefatigable booster of the arts and the University of Pittsburgh, died Wednesday....
Rostraver woman gets prison term for embezzling nearly $400K from credit union
A Rostraver woman was sentenced in federal court to 30 months in prison and one year of supervised release for embezzling nearly $400,000 from a Monessen credit union in 2016. Patty L. Mavrakis, 65, was a branch manager for Valley 1st Community Federal Credit Union. She was charged in 2021...
Allegheny County Jail ordered to provide medication to inmates with opioid use disorder
Allegheny County Jail health officials will now be required to provide medication for inmates being treated for opioid use disorder after reaching an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. As part of the agreement, the county also will pay a person at the jail who was denied access to...
Reschenthaler 1 of 2 Pa. lawmakers to vote against Santos expulsion
Western Pennsylvania lawmakers were split on the vote to expel George Santos from the U.S. House on Friday. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, was one of two from the Pennsylvania delegation to oppose expulsion. Santos, a New York Republican, had come under fire for a string of controversies, including lying about...
Homeless emergency plan for cold weather is ready in Allegheny County
With freezing temperatures coming as winter approaches, Allegheny County officials have announced their emergency plan for homeless residents. Mark Bertolet of the county’s Department of Human Services said a Code Blue Action Plan will be initiated when the National Weather Service forecasts the air temperature will fall below 26 degrees...
Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority ‘confident’ it will meet Biden’s goal of replacing lead water pipes
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority said Friday it is confident that it can meet a new Biden administration goal of removing lead water pipes within a decade. Strict new rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency this week would require most U.S. cities to replace lead water pipes within...
House expels New York Rep. George Santos; just the 6th such in history
WASHINGTON — The House voted on Friday to expel Republican Rep. George Santos of New York after a critical ethics report on his conduct that accused him of converting campaign donations for his own use. He was just the sixth member in the chamber’s history to be ousted by colleagues....
Bloomfield home will be fabricated with shipping containers for $825K
Six shipping containers stacked and welded together will become a house in Bloomfield. You read that correctly. Rebekah Siegel and Eric Smooke of Siegel Smooke Holdings LLC, both Allderdice High School graduates, ran into each other two years ago in Shadyside. They embarked on developing the property. “This is not...
Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court, has died at age 93Video
WASHINGTON — Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, an unwavering voice of moderate conservatism and the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, died Friday. She was 93. O’Connor died in Phoenix, of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness, the Supreme Court said in...
Lane closures on Route 28 between RIDC Park, East Deer set to resume
Single-lane restrictions on Route 28 from Harmar to East Deer will resume Monday. Lane closures northbound will go from the RIDC Park exit to the Russellton/Creighton exit daily from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to PennDOT. Lane closures southbound will occur between the same exits daily from 9 a.m....
Prisoner escapes from Pa. correctional facility while on work detail: reports
Police are currently searching for a man who escaped from a Philadelphia correctional center on Thursday. Gino Hagenkotter, 34, was an inmate at the Riverside Correctional Facility, located in the Holmesburg section of the city. He was serving a sentence for drug and theft charges, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer....
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza resume after weeklong truce with Hamas ends
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s war with Hamas resumed in full force Friday, with airstrikes hitting targets in the Gaza Strip minutes after a weeklong truce expired. Black smoke billowed from the besieged territory, and Israel dropped leaflets over Gaza City and southern parts of the enclave, urging civilians...
Pittsburgh police arrest 2, seize 4 guns after social media threat against schoolVideo
A Pittsburgh man and teen arrested on drug and weapons charges might have been planning a shooting at a Hill District school, authorities said Friday. A special agent from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives warned Pittsburgh police on Thursday about social media threats against Pittsburgh Milliones...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh police investigate synagogue threat; Orthodox priest accused of stealing $117K from parish
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Dec. 1: Pittsburgh police investigate reported threat against synagogue Pittsburgh police said they are investigating a reported online threat made against a synagogue. Officers checked and secured all of the city’s synagogues and will maintain a presence there,...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 1-3
It’s the first weekend of December. Here are some ways to spend it. Open house The 32nd Nationality and Intercultural Exchange Programs Holiday Open House is from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Nationality and Heritage Rooms inside the Cathedral of Learning on Pitt’s campus in Oakland. Guests are...
