Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 990
Omicron, storms disrupt air travel for 4th consecutive day
Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel stretched into Monday as airlines called off thousands more flights because crews were sick with covid-19 during one of the year’s busiest travel periods, and storm fronts added to the havoc. Flight delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages have been a constant this...
Strain of pandemic drives Americans to drink more
The strain of the coronavirus pandemic, now almost two years old, has contributed to a national uptick in alcohol consumption, experts say. People might not feel as isolated as they did during the height of the pandemic, when in-person activities were limited or shut down at many workplaces, schools and...
Omicron spreads global gloom over New Year’s celebrations
BRUSSELS — After struggling with the coronavirus for far too long, the world understands all too well Belgium’s word of the year, “knaldrang!” — the urge to party, the need to let loose. Yet as New Year celebrations approach, the omicron variant is casting more gloom. Dire warnings abound, caseloads...
Pittsburgh-based nonprofit Semper Gratus. honored as 1 of 50 Disney’s Magic Makers
When Ian Coyle, founder and president of Semper Gratus., found out he was selected as one of Disney’s Magic Makers, he wanted to pay it forward by giving someone else his free trip to Walt Disney World. The act is just one of the qualities the Leechburg native and Shaler...
Coroner: 2 Pittsburgh residents killed in Route 28 crash
The Armstrong County Coroner’s Office has identified two people killed in a multi-vehicle crash that shut down both lanes of northbound Route 28 for a time on Monday morning. The road was shut down shortly after 9 a.m. between Exit 18 PA 128 — Slate Lick/Northpointe and Exit 19 US...
‘Go in peace’: Pennsylvania church founded in 1800 holds last service
BELLEFONTE — A Pennsylvania church with a 221-year history held its final service and is scheduled to close at the end of the year because of declining membership and attendance. The First Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, which is nearly as old as the borough itself, held the final scheduled service...
Penn-Trafford teacher helps Jamaican students with English, science
A Penn-Trafford High School science teacher has devoted time, energy and money to a humanitarian project helping students in Jamaica learn standard English while teaching them science. “It gives me the opportunities to share my abilities and knowledge. If I can give back to people who are less fortunate, then...
Allegheny Township female police officer set to retire after 31 years
A longtime public servant in the Alle-Kiski Valley is retiring. Police Officer Anita King will wrap up her law enforcement career of 31 years on Jan. 3, her last day of active duty with the Allegheny Township Police Department. King has, who has served with the department since 1990, was promoted...
Juvenile shot in the back in Pittsburgh’s Perry North neighborhood
Pittsburgh Police found a juvenile with a gunshot wound on Tretow Street in the Perry North neighborhood on Sunday around 4:30 p.m. Police responded to reports of shots fired in the Viola Street area, which is near Tretow Street. The victim was shot in the back and was in stable...
Airing of Grievances: Another awful start, rotten possession-down play-calling among usual complaints as Chiefs hammer Steelers
Because we are coming up on New Year’s resolution season, I’d like to make one about my own coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I want to write an “Airing of Grievances” post that doesn’t include complaints about poor play-calling, awful first-half starts, a constant reliance on throwing short of the...
Steelers blown out by Chiefs as playoff hopes take hit
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Pittsburgh Steelers came to this Midwestern outpost and had their division title hopes smoked like so much of this city’s famous barbecue. Playing a game they needed to win to keep pace in the AFC North, the Steelers followed a familiar script of road letdowns....
Allegheny County offering free covid-19 testing Monday in Tarentum
The Allegheny County Health Department will offer free covid-19 tests at the First United Presbyterian Church in Tarentum on Monday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The county has a purple van staffed by Curative Inc. which travels throughout the county each week to offer free testing. Visit the county’s...
Federal program offers cash to cover covid-19 funeral costs
BOSTON — When Wanda Olson’s son-in-law died in March after contracting covid-19, she and her daughter had to grapple with more than just their sudden grief. They had to come up with money for a cremation. Even without a funeral, the bill came to nearly $2,000, a hefty sum that...
Covid variant disrupts holiday travel but not shopping
NEWARK, N.J. — The latest covid-19 variant is upending holiday plans for tens of thousands of travelers — but it didn’t do much damage to holiday shopping. Airlines canceled hundreds more flights Sunday, citing staffing problems tied to covid-19, as the nation’s travel woes extended beyond Christmas, with no clear...
2-car crash reported on Route 56, Lower Burrell
Multiple fire and ambulance units responded to a two-car accident along Route 56 in Lower Burrell around noon Sunday, according to Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety. The crash occurred by Leechburg Road and one patient was reported entrapped, according to dispatches from emergency responders. A landing zone for a...
Highland Park shooting leaves man in critical condition
A man shot on Christmas Day in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood was reported in critical condition, Pittsburgh police said. The unidentified victim was found in the road in the 5500 block of Avondale Place at around 5 p.m. Saturday, with what police believe were several gunshot wounds. Medics arrived and...
Pittsburgh police investigate death of woman in homeless camp
Pittsburgh police are investigating the death of a woman who died on Christmas Day in a homeless camp in Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner said. Colleen E. Curley, 39, of Pittsburgh, was pronounced dead at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of Moultrie and Tustin streets, the medical...
Bacha dynasty comes to an end in Westmoreland County coroner’s office
Ken Bacha’s father, Leo, served as Westmoreland County coroner for almost 24 years before he retired in 2001. At first, Ken Bacha didn’t consider going into the family business, which included ownership of two local funeral homes in addition to the elected coroner duties. “I am the fourth generation out...
Glen’s Frozen Custard demolishes old Clementine’s restaurant for new production facility
The owner of Glen’s Frozen Custard demolished the former Clementine’s Family Restaurant building at 2604 Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell last week to make way for a new production facility. Glen’s, with stores in Lower Burrell and Springdale, bought the old restaurant this year to build a 10,000-square-foot facility to...
Florida sets another record for single-day covid case increase
MIAMI — Florida on Christmas Day saw its largest single-day increase of newly reported covid-19 cases since the pandemic began. The record breaks the previous one set on Christmas Eve. “Omicron is 10 (times) more potent at causing reinfection than previous variants — protection from prior infection is not as...
After 27 years, John Peck walks away with long legacy as Westmoreland’s district attorney
John Peck stood before a Westmoreland County jury in early December and for the next 40 minutes argued for a conviction. It marked the last time Peck would do so as the county’s district attorney — a job he’s held since 1994. He leaves at year’s end after failing in...
Flight cancellations drag on as airlines short-staffed
Airlines continued to cancel hundreds of flights Saturday as staffing issues tied to covid-19 disrupted holiday celebrations during one of the busiest travel times of the year. FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, noted 921 flights entering, leaving or inside the U.S. canceled Saturday, up from 690 Friday. Over 200 more flights...
Space telescope launched on daring quest to behold 1st stars
The world’s largest and most powerful space telescope rocketed away Saturday on a high-stakes quest to behold light from the first stars and galaxies and scour the universe for hints of life. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope soared from French Guiana on South America’s northeastern coast, riding a European Ariane...
Players recall guidance of Steelers coach Chuck Noll on 30th anniversary of his retirement
It seems that anyone who ever played for Chuck Noll has a story about how he humiliated or confounded them. Noll was, to say the least, a puzzling character. Yet, they all seem to have come away with a feeling of enduring admiration for the man who led the Pittsburgh...
Switched on Christmas: Collector exhibits vintage holiday lights at Ligonier libraryVideo
Tiny bubbles at the holiday season may bring New Year’s Eve champagne toasts to mind. Don Lachie delights in bubbles of a different type — ones that are enjoyed by viewing instead of imbibing. Christmas tree lights that bubble instead of twinkle came into vogue in the late 1940s and...
