Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 994
Jury ends first day of deliberations in Kimberly Potter trialVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — The suburban Minneapolis police officer who says she meant to use her Taser instead of her gun when she shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright made a “blunder of epic proportions” and did not have “a license to kill,” a prosecutor told jurors on Monday shortly before...
Pentagon issues rules aimed at stopping rise of extremism
WASHINGTON — Warning that extremism in the ranks is increasing, Pentagon officials are issuing detailed new rules prohibiting service members from actively engaging in extremist activities. The new guidelines come nearly a year after some current and former service members participated in the riot at the U.S. Capitol, triggering a...
What are symptoms of the omicron coronavirus variant? Here’s what early data shows
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the omicron coronavirus variant, including whether it causes more severe covid-19 or the degree to which it evades vaccines’ defenses in real-world settings. But early data collected in London reveals the answer to a question we’re all asking: Does omicron cause different...
Peduto Chief of Staff Dan Gilman to take on new role at Duquesne University
Dan Gilman, who served as Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff, announced Monday that he will be taking on a new role at Duquesne University when Peduto leaves office in January. Gilman will serve as a senior advisor to Duquesne University President Ken Gormley and will move into the chief...
Westmoreland County signs on to $26B settlement in opioid lawsuit
Westmoreland County on Monday signed up to be part of a proposed $26 billion national settlement with three major drugmakers to end a lawsuit over the ongoing opioid epidemic. The county and its 11 largest municipalities would receive up to $22 million over the next 18 years, commissioners said. “This...
Gas prices falling as omicron variant surges, stalling oil demand and prices
Average gasoline prices continue to fall as cases of the covid omicron variant surge, leading oil demand and prices to stall, an industry analyst said Monday. “The decline in gas prices will likely continue until new covid cases slow down,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for price-tracking...
Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey tests positive for covid
Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey announced during a virtual press conference Monday that he has tested positive for covid-19. Gainey said he tested positive after taking a rapid test in the morning. He was holding a virtual press conference to announce his transition team. Gainey said he was exposed to the...
Russian national gets time served in money laundering, cybercrime scheme in Western Pa.
A Russian national was sentenced to time served for his role in an international money laundering scheme on Monday. Maksim Boiko, 31, pleaded guilty on Dec. 17, 2020, to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The case was prosecuted in Pittsburgh because the funds that were attempted to...
Film-friendly atmosphere, ideal locations bring director back to W. Pa. for ‘The Pale Blue Eye’
A rich history, varied landscape and welcoming community have drawn director Scott Cooper back to Southwestern Pennsylvania to film his upcoming adaptation of “The Pale Blue Eye” for Netflix. “It’s an incredibly pleasant place to shoot,” said Cooper, “and it works exceedingly well for the 1830s Hudson Valley.” Cooper and...
Inflation squeezes holiday budgets for low-income shoppers
NEW YORK — Emarilis Velazquez is paying higher prices on everything from food to clothing. Her monthly grocery bill has ballooned from $650 to almost $850 in recent months. To save money, she looks for less expensive cuts of meat and has switched to a cheaper detergent. She also clips...
Moderna: Initial booster data shows good results on omicron
Moderna said Monday that a booster dose of its covid-19 vaccine should offer protection against the rapidly spreading omicron variant. Moderna said lab tests showed the half-dose booster shot increased by 37 times the level of so-called neutralizing antibodies able to fight omicron. And a full-dose booster was even stronger,...
Steelers vs. Titans: What they’re saying in Tennessee after loss
They can’t be happy in Nashville Monday morning. The Tennessee Titans controlled the time of possession against the Steelers, rushed for 201 yards and had 22 first downs. And they lost, 19-13. Four turnovers played a major role. Here’s what the sports writers are saying in Tennessee. “The Titans somehow...
Braddock man dies after being hit by vehicle in Forest Hills
A 62-year-old man died after being hit by a vehicle in Forest Hills on Sunday, Allegheny County Police said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Christopher Weiss of Braddock. Police said the collision happened shortly before 6 a.m. at Ardmore Boulevard and Digital Drive. They said the...
New Kensington council to consider traffic impact of proposed Popeyes restaurant
A proposal to build a new Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington will face its final hurdle before city council in early January. The mayor and council are scheduled to hear an appeal to grant a conditional use to the city’s zoning at 7 p.m. Jan....
At-home test could prove crucial in tamping down spread of covid-19, experts say
Editor’s note: This story first published on Dec. 20, 2021. Sue Lovgren’s family member was sick with covid-like symptoms the week after Thanksgiving, and they had decisions to make, depending on what the result was. “We were waiting on a PCR test and it was taking too much time, and...
Champion’s Crusaiders Rescue appeals to animal lovers to continue mission
In the early months of the pandemic, as pets were in high demand for adoption, Amber Phillips decided to go out on her own. The trained veterinarian tech had worked for years at Golden Mile Animal Clinic in Plum and Kiski Valley Animal Clinic in Allegheny Township. Opening Champion’s Crusaiders...
Royal Caribbean ship docks at Miami port with 48 cases of covid, cruise line says
MIAMI — Forty-eight passengers and crew members tested positive for covid-19 on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas ship, which docked Saturday at PortMiami, the cruise company said. Miami-based Royal Caribbean said in a statement Sunday that each person who tested positive immediately went into quarantine. Six people who had...
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker test positive for covid breakthrough
BOSTON — Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey say they have tested positive for covid-19, as the country deals with another surge in cases and the emergence of the omicron variant. In separate statements Sunday, the Democrats said they had been fully vaccinated with two...
Steelers eke out victory with rally against Titans
The running game was nonexistent — again — and the run defense was even worse. As usual. The Pittsburgh Steelers failed to score a first-half touchdown for the fourth game in a row, and they trailed after three quarters for the sixth consecutive week. The difference Sunday against the Tennessee...
Fauci says omicron variant is `just raging around the world’
WILMINGTON, Del. — The covid-19 omicron variant is “just raging around the world,” the White House’s top medical adviser said Sunday, and President Joe Biden is planning to give “a stark warning of what the winter will look like” for unvaccinated Americans. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease...
Sen. Joe Manchin says no to $2T bill: ‘I can’t vote for it’
WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said Sunday he cannot back his party’s signature $2 trillion social and environment bill, dealing a potentially fatal blow to President Joe Biden’s leading domestic initiative heading into an election year when Democrats’ narrow hold on Congress was already in peril. Manchin told “Fox...
Pittsburgh police investigate stabbing in Northview Heights
Pittsburgh police are investigating the stabbing of a man in his 30s in Northview Heights Saturday. Police said officers from Zone 1 were dispatched about 7:45 p.m. to the 200 block of Lamar Street for reports of a man with multiple stab wounds to his face, arm and back. The...
Police: Man stabbed at Tequila Cowboy bar on North Shore
A man was hospitalized late Saturday after he suffered stab wounds during a fight inside a bar on the North Shore, according to Pittsburgh police. Police responded to Tequila Cowboy on the 300 block of North Shore Drive just after 10 p.m. to investigate a fight where “a male suffered...
State police investigating misappropriation of nearly $100K from Freeport EMS
State police are investigating a case involving the alleged misappropriation of close to $100,000 of Freeport EMS’ funds. Trooper Anthony Vaccaro of the Kittanning station said he received numerous documents from the ambulance service but could not get into details of what police are looking for or who may have...
St. Vladimir leaders vow to rebuild after fire: ‘The church is not the building.’Video
Inside the mangled ruins of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church in Arnold stands a bronze crucifix with Jesus’ face shrouded by a piece of fallen wallpaper. “That message is clear,” said the Rev. Yaroslav Koval, pastor of the church along Kenneth Avenue that was destroyed by fire on Dec. 4....
