Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 973
Federal judge rejects request to reinstate universal masking in Upper St. Clair School District
A federal judge Friday afternoon denied a request by parents suing the Upper Saint Clair School District to reinstitute a mandatory masking policy. In a 32-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Williams S. Stickman said that the families of five medically fragile children in the district who sought the temporary restraining...
Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO gets raise, $184K bonus
The Allegheny County Airport Authority board on Friday granted a major pay raise and bonus for CEO Christina Cassotis. The board unanimously voted to give Cassotis a 23% salary increase over what she was expected to earn in 2022, bringing her annual salary this year to $534,000. She also was...
Hempfield ice fisherman says of pursuit: ‘It’s addictive’
On a bitter cold day when most people would rather be inside, Ryan Parker of Hempfield not only wants to be in the elements, but he patiently sits out in them. Parker is one of that breed of angler who do not put away their rod and reel when winter...
Norwin teacher, husband in court over participation in ‘Frozen Jr.’ performance
Lawyers for a Norwin middle school teacher and her husband on trial for charges they did not comply with child safety laws told a Westmoreland County jury on Friday no crimes were committed. Tobitha Sasso, 42, and Brad Geyer, 39, both of Greensburg are on trial for misdemeanor charges related...
Former football coach Eric Kasperowicz drops lawsuit against Pine-Richland, hopes to reclaim job
Former Pine-Richland football coach Eric Kasperowicz is dropping his defamation lawsuit against the school district and its administrators in hopes of reclaiming his coaching job. Kasperowicz in August filed a federal lawsuit against the district and several top officials claiming they damaged his reputation by publicly accusing him of knowing...
Pa. covid-19 data follows recent trends in South Africa, U.K., but hospitals remain busy
While Allegheny County’s numbers still are headed in the wrong direction, covid-19 figures posted throughout Pennsylvania are in line with predictions that the U.S. could be nearing the downward curve of the recent surge brought on by the omicron variant. In Allegheny, the weeklong average in hospitalizations is up about...
Police continue search for suspects in killing of Pittsburgh high school studentVideo
Police on Friday continued to search for two suspects connected to the killing of a 15-year-old waiting in a school van in Pittsburgh. Marquis Campbell was sitting in the van waiting to go home after school about 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday outside Oliver Citywide Academy. The school, in Marshall-Shadeland, is...
Booster shots needed against omicron, CDC studies show
Three studies released Friday offered more evidence that covid-19 vaccines are standing up to the omicron variant, at least among people who received booster shots. They are the first large U.S. studies to look at vaccine protection against omicron, health officials said. The papers echo previous research — including studies...
Frigid temps don’t stop outside work, though some escape to sunny Florida
Mother Nature threw a bit of shade over Western Pennsylvania early Friday, with cloud cover warming up temperatures to a balmy 8 to 12 degrees in most places – well above what was expected to be closer to zero. “If we would have stayed clear last night with the snow...
Court won’t force Pittsburgh to turn over taser death report to DA’s office
An Allegheny County Common Pleas Court judge has denied a motion by the district attorney’s office to force the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police to turn over an internal report examining the October death of Jim Rogers. The DA’s office initially asked the city to produce the 15-page executive summary of...
Kentucky firm to dismantle Cheswick Generating Station for potential redevelopment
The Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale Borough, slated to close on April 1 after more than 50 years of operation, has been purchased by a Kentucky firm that specializes in remediation of coal-fired power stations. Charah Solutions, based in Louisville, said Thursday it will dismantle the plant and potentially use...
Student hospitalized after fight at Pittsburgh’s Brashear High School
A fight Friday at Brashear High School sent one student to the hospital, according to a school spokeswoman. The student’s condition was not immediately available. Brashear High School is on Crane Avenue in the city’s Beechview neighborhood, and it serves just under 1,100 students. Video of the incident appears to...
Pennsylvania casinos shatter record, generate $4.7 billion in revenues in 2021
Pennsylvania casinos in 2021 shattered year-over-year records, generating $4.7 billion in combined revenues, state regulators said. Casinos saw $2 billion more last year compared to 2020 when $2.6 billion was collected from slot machines, table games, sports betting, iGaming, video gaming terminals and fantasy contests, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming...
Churchill residents challenge Amazon distribution facility in court
A group in Churchill has filed a court challenge to block the approval of a new Amazon warehouse approved by borough council last month. Churchill Future, which lobbied against the proposal, said in an appeal filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court that the project fails to meet a number...
Louie Anderson, Emmy-winning comedian, dies at 68Video
LOS ANGELES — Louie Anderson, whose four-decade career as a comedian and actor included his unlikely, Emmy-winning performance as mom to twin adult sons in the TV series “Baskets,” died Friday. He was 68. Anderson died at a hospital in Las Vegas of complications from cancer, said Glenn Schwartz, his...
Police: Woman had protection order against ex accused of killing her with her own gun in Bellevue
Rachel Dowden did all the things she was supposed to do to protect herself from an ex with a history of abuse. She received a protection from abuse order (PFA) that was in place for three years, police said. She carried a legally purchased handgun. On Wednesday, she was shot...
Meat Loaf, ‘Bat Out of Hell’ rock superstar, dies at 74
NEW YORK — Meat Loaf, the heavyweight rock superstar loved by millions for his “Bat Out of Hell” album and for such theatrical, dark-hearted anthems as “Paradise By the Dashboard Light,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” and “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” has died....
Westmoreland group holds prayer vigil for covid victims
A prayer vigil held in frigid temperatures Friday night to remember the 1,183 Westmoreland County residents who have died from covid served an additional purpose: to encourage the Westmoreland County commissioners they should allocate the $105.3 million in federal funds to help those in need and provide recovery and relief....
Avella man dies in Washington County crash
An Avella man has died after crashing into a home in Cross Creek Township on Thursday afternoon. Washington County Coroner’s Office officials said Zachary James Noga, 28, was not wearing a seat belt when he lost control of his vehicle along the 200 block of Cross Creek Road around 2:20...
Judge denies motion to suppress statements made by defendant in Tree of Life case
Antisemitic statements made by the man accused of killing 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue three years ago can be used against him at trial. In a 32-page opinion issued Thursday, Senior U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose denied a motion by Robert Bowers to suppress statements that he made...
Ivanka Trump is asked to interview in Capitol riot inquiryVideo
WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the Capitol riot is asking Ivanka Trump to voluntarily appear for an interview in February. Ivanka, the daughter of former President Donald Trump, served as an adviser in the White House and spoke to her father during crucial moments on Jan. 6, 2021, according...
Wolf joins Pittsburgh leaders to tout Pennsylvania’s fiscal improvementsVideo
Gov. Tom Wolf joined Pittsburgh leaders Thursday at an event to promote fiscal improvements the state has seen during his tenure. Wolf joined Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald at the Energy Innovation Center in the Hill District — a site that Fitzgerald hailed as a...
Port Authority to settle lawsuit over death of Pitt student struck by bus
The Port Authority board is expected to approve a $500,000 settlement over the death of a University of Pittsburgh student who was struck and killed by a bus two years ago in Oakland. The authority’s oversight committee recommended the settlement, and it is expected to be voted on at a...
Feds: New Kensington resident serves federal prison time for illegally receiving pandemic jobless benefits
A New Kensington man served six months in a federal prison after he was convicted of receiving pandemic unemployment compensation that he didn’t qualify for. Erick Woods, 23, of New Kensington was sentenced to time served (six months) and a two-year term of supervised released, after he was convicted of...
Seven Springs daily snow report with stumbling skier goes viral
Daily snow reports posted by ski resorts often can be boring, simply listing the amount of fresh snow, ski conditions, temperatures and the number of open slopes. A report posted Thursday by Seven Springs’ narrator Abbey Way via Twitter hit it big, garnering attention across the country with a slipping,...
