Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 944
Another Pittsburgh Starbucks store files to unionize
Baristas at a Starbucks location in Oakland have become the second set of Starbucks workers in Pittsburgh to file to unionize. On Friday, the workers at the Amos Hall Starbucks on Fifth Avenue in Oakland filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. The Amos Hall baristas...
Financial assistance program expanded for Pa. medical marijuana patients
The state Department of Health has expanded its financial assistance program for state medical marijuana patients, including waiving annual fees for eligible patients enrolled in financial hardship programs such as SNAP, Medicaid and WIC. The state said it also plans to distribute cash benefits to eligible patients. “The department is...
‘We want to win’: Democrats face choice in key Senate race in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — John Fetterman was sitting, alone, in the corridor outside the hotel ballroom where Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party committee members were gathered, looking every bit like someone who didn’t belong there. Moments later, Fetterman — Pennsylvania’s sitting lieutenant governor — got trounced by more than 2 to 1 by U.S....
Florida woman facing charges after loaded gun found at Pittsburgh International Airport
A Florida woman is facing charges after a loaded revolver was found in her backpack Sunday at Pittsburgh International Airport, according to Allegheny County Police. Transportation Security Administration officers spotted the gun just before 7 p.m. in an X-ray machine at the main security checkpoint. The 22-year-old woman, who was...
Fox News defense reporter challenges war comments on air
NEW YORK — Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin couldn’t hold back when following a retired U.S. Army colonel on the air recently, saying she barely had time to correct all of his “distortions.” She tried, though. And it wasn’t for the first time or the last time. Griffin,...
Republican ‘unforced errors’ threaten path to Senate control
WASHINGTON — As the prospect of a red wave grows, a series of Republican missteps including recruiting stumbles, weak fundraising and intense infighting is threatening the GOP’s path to the Senate majority. Arizona’s Republican Gov. Doug Ducey dealt his party its latest setback late last week by announcing he would...
Russia dangles prospect of safe corridors; Ukraine skeptical
LVIV, Ukraine — Safe corridors intended to let Ukrainian civilians escape the Russian onslaught could open Tuesday, Kremlin officials said, though Ukrainian leaders greeted the plan with skepticism since prior efforts to establish evacuation routes crumbled over the weekend amid renewed attacks. With the invasion well into its second week,...
Pennsylvania to receive ‘hundreds of millions’ to help fund rural internet expansion
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey recently said Pennsylvania will receive more than $20 million to expand broadband and high-speed internet access in the Southern Alleghenies region. It is part of a number of efforts statewide to extend high-speed internet in a more equitable way. Last summer, the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate...
High court won’t review decision freeing Bill Cosby from prison
The Supreme Court said Monday it will not take up the sexual assault case against comedian Bill Cosby, leaving in place a decision by Pennsylvania’s highest court to throw out his conviction and set him free from prison. The high court declined prosecutors’ request to hear the case and reinstate...
Woman dies in multi-structure fire in New KensingtonVideo
Thick smoke and rolling flames swept through a New Kensington duplex Sunday, killing one woman before it spread to a neighboring building. Crews spent hours dousing the blaze at a home on Fourth Avenue, a battle compounded by strong winds and little space between buildings. “There was a lot of...
Police: Fox’s Pizza employee shot during robbery in Oakmont
An employee at an Oakmont pizza shop was in critical condition Sunday night after being shot during an attempted robbery earlier in the day, according to police. The shooting happened shortly before 4 p.m. at Fox’s Pizza on Allegheny River Boulevard, Oakmont police Chief Michael Ford said. The suspect entered...
Officials: 7 dead after tornadoes tear through central IowaVideo
WINTERSET, Iowa — Seven people were killed, including two children, when several tornadoes swept through central Iowa, destroying homes and knocking down trees and power lines in the state’s deadliest storm in more than a decade, authorities said. Emergency management officials in Madison County said four were injured and six...
Truck convoy protesting covid-19 mandates begins beltway circuit
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — A large group of truck drivers who object to covid-19 mandates drove two loops around the beltway surrounding Washington deliberately moving slowly to impact traffic and make their feelings known to lawmakers in the nation’s capitol. People crowded onto overpasses, waving at the “People’s Convoy” and holding...
Children, adults happy for return of ‘hands-on’ Community Day at The Westmoreland
Seven-year-old Escher Beldham of Plum was eager to have his quilt artwork, designed and cut from colorful construction paper, added to the art masterpieces already displayed on the walls of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. Beldham and his brother, Aven, 4, worked feverishly Sunday with scissors, construction...
Ringer’s Dog Training faces one last hurdle for day care operations
The owner of a Harrison dog training business said she’ll try one last time to seek township approval to operate a pet day care and boarding service at her Freeport Road location. Kim Ringer, owner of Ringer’s Pet Dog Training, will present her case to the township’s planning commission Monday....
More stocking planned after opening day of Pa. trout season
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, with some help from the Tri-County Trout Club, has stocked Deer Creek in Emmerling Park, Indiana Township. It was the first time since the beginning of the covid pandemic that volunteers from the trout club could assist in transferring thousands of trout from commission...
Trump’s praise of Putin, ‘America First’ view tested by war
WASHINGTON — From the earliest days of his first presidential campaign, Donald Trump aggressively challenged the pillars of Republican foreign policy that defined the party since World War II. He mocked John McCain’s capture during the Vietnam War, validated autocrats with his platitudes, questioned longtime military and security alliances and...
Whitmer plot underlines growing abuse of women officials
Angry over covid-19 restrictions such as the closing of gyms, people from several states met in Ohio in June 2020 to plot ways to overthrow government “tyrants,” prosecutors say. Within a week, they chose Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as a target. The plan, as outlined in a federal court indictment,...
Death toll surpasses 6 million for pandemic now in 3rd year
BANGKOK — The official global death toll from covid-19 eclipsed 6 million on Monday — underscoring that the pandemic, now entering its third year, is far from over. The milestone, recorded by Johns Hopkins University, is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people...
Ukraine says Russia steps up shelling of residential areas
LVIV, Ukraine — Russian forces intensified shelling of cities in Ukraine’s center, north and south, a Ukrainian official said, upending attempts to evacuate besieged civilians. With the Ukrainian leader urging his people to fight in the streets, Russian President Vladimir Putin shifted blame for the invasion, saying Moscow’s attacks could...
Ukrainian traditions, roots abound in Westmoreland County
Ukrainian customs are second nature to Mary Alice Hoffer. She is a pierogi “dough roller” at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church in Derry Township. A small bowl of pysanky eggs sits on a table full of religious icons in her home. It’s a testament to...
Ukrainian immigrants have become part of fabric of Western Pa.
They came seeking jobs, determined to escape religious persecution, flee the Russians and provide a better life for their families. The influx of Ukrainian immigrants to the Pittsburgh region covers four distinct waves over the past 150 years. As Russia’s current war in Ukraine rages on, it seems possible that...
Officials: 7 dead after tornadoes tore through central Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa — Seven people were killed, including two children, when several tornadoes swept through central Iowa, damaging buildings and knocking down trees and power lines, authorities said. Emergency management officials in Madison County said four were injured and six people were killed Saturday when one tornado touched down...
Motorcyclist killed in West End Bridge crash
One man died in a motorcycle crash Saturday evening in Pittsburgh, according to police. Police responded to the West End Bridge about 7:30 p.m. and found a motorcyclist on the roadway. Two other vehicles were also involved in the crash, a police spokesman said. The motorcyclist, who was wearing a...
Hundreds celebrate St. Patrick’s Day early at New Kensington pub crawl
Green beer, Irish whiskey, and everything in between flowed a week early in New Kensington on Saturday as hundreds turned out for the Pre-Patty’s Pub Crawl event that saw patrons shuttled from bar to bar, decked out in as much green as possible. The event was put together by the...
