Megan Guza stories, Page 15
Pittsburgh police union file grievance over covid vaccine mandate
The union representing Pittsburgh police officers on Friday said it plans to file a grievance with the city and an unfair labor complaint with the Labor Relations Board in response to a mandate requiring all city employees receive a covid-19 vaccine. “The city has unilaterally imposed a vaccine mandate without...
UPMC schedules 10K covid vaccinations for children in 1st day
Across the health system, UPMC scheduled 10,000 covid vaccination appointments for children in the 5 to 11 age group during the first 24 hours after they became available, officials said Friday. Dr. Alejandro Hoberman, president of UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics, said a majority of those vaccines will be given in...
South Hills pastor named auxiliary bishop for Pittsburgh diocese by Pope Francis
Pope Francis has named a longtime South Hills pastor an auxiliary bishop of Pittsburgh, the Diocese of Pittsburgh announced Friday. The Rev. Mark Eckman was appointed Friday by Archbishop Cristophe Pierre in Washington, D.C. His ordination is scheduled for Jan. 11 at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. Eckman,...
Pittsburgh activist Nique Craft has died
Nique Craft, an activist who became a fixture at the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Pittsburgh, died Tuesday at home on the South Side, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Craft was 36. Craft organized and participated in countless demonstrations in and around Downtown Pittsburgh after the...
5 things to know as covid vaccinations begin for young children
Children across the country are cleared to begin receiving child-sized doses of the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine after getting the recommendation from adviser at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed by the green light by director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. The shots – one-third the dose that adults and older...
Pittsburgh police sergeant dies after covid complications
A third Pittsburgh police officer has died from covid-19 complications, officials said Tuesday. Sgt. Timothy Werner died Tuesday morning at UPMC Mercy with fellow officers by his side. He was 49. Werner worked for years in Zones 4 and 5, said Chief Scott Schubert, and he’d most recently been assigned...
‘Public safety crisis’: Law enforcement leaders encourage vaccines as covid becomes top killer of police
More than gunfire, stabbings, ambushes, vehicle crashes and even heart attacks, covid-19 has become the No. 1 killer of police in the United States. The virus has killed hundreds of officers over the past two years, according to national organizations that track line-of-duty deaths. The nonprofit Officer Down Memorial Page...
October covid deaths exceed 100 in Allegheny County
More than 100 people in Allegheny County have died from covid-19 so far this month, a number that will likely increase, health director Dr. Debra Bogen said Wednesday. “These are mostly preventable deaths,” she said of the 105 deaths since Oct. 1. A breakdown of deaths by age and vaccination...
Healing continues for Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life, Dor Hadash and New Light congregations
Each year in late October, as fall starts to turn a bit grayer, the feeling shifts for many people who are connected to Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue. “It’s a day that you know is coming,” said Barb Feige, executive director of the Tree of Life congregation. “It’s not like...
3 years after Tree of Life shooting, social media still a breeding ground for extremism, experts say
Federal prosecutors say the mass shooting that Robert Bowers carried out at a Pittsburgh synagogue three years ago was preceded by disturbing, hate-filled activity on social media. Since then, social media sites have continued to be linked to — and some say breeding grounds of — acts of violence and...
Rally demands justice for Jim Rogers, man who died after he was hit with Taser by Pittsburgh police
Loved ones say Jim Rogers was loving, caring, hilarious and a talented artist — traits they say have been buried as the investigation continues into Rogers’s death after he was tased by Pittsburgh police last week in Bloomfield. Dozens of supporters gathered in Pittsburgh’s Friendship neighborhood on Friday evening to...
Pittsburgh police lose 2nd officer to covid-19
A second Pittsburgh police officer has died from covid-19, police officials said Thursday night. Sgt. Richard ‘Rick’ Howe, of Cecil, died Thursday afternoon at St. Clair Hospital, officials said. He was 51. “We lost a good officer, a good supervisor and an even better person today,” said Cmdr. Edd Trapp,...
Pittsburgh police: Bloomfield man hit woman in head with pumpkin during parking dispute
A man from Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood launched pumpkins at a grandmother who parked in front of his home to pick up her grandchild a few doors down, police said. James Gazis, 41, is charged with aggravated assault and propulsion of missiles in connection with the Wednesday altercation. A criminal complaint...
Ballot misprint affects some Allegheny County voters
An “isolated calibration issue” led to barcodes being printed on the wrong mail-in ballot envelope for some Allegheny County voters, officials said Thursday. The printing issue resulted in a barcode that was supposed to be on the declaration envelope instead being printed on the secrecy envelope, said county spokeswoman Amie...
Police substation coming to Pittsburgh’s South Side
Pittsburgh police will open a substation on the city’s South Side to help better handle the influx of calls that come each weekend when patrons flood into the entertainment district along East Carson Street. The new facility on South 18th Street will be a substation of the Zone 3 station...
‘I wake up grateful every day,’ Pittsburgh employee tells first responders who saved his life
In an emotional reunion in the City-County Building in Downtown Pittsburgh on Tuesday, city employee Matthew Meisenhelter got to meet the colleagues who saved his life – some of whom, up until then, he didn’t know played a role in his survival. “It’s something I’ve been hoping to do,” Meisenhelter...
Sun Country Airlines to add nonstop service between Pittsburgh International, Minneapolis
Pittsburgh International Airport will add another budget airline to its stable of carriers beginning next year when Sun Country Airlines adds a nonstop flight to Minneapolis-St. Paul, airport officials announced this week. “We’re thrilled to have Sun Country’s low-cost service for Pittsburgh travelers heading to the Twin Cities,” said Bryan...
State Rep. Summer Lee launches campaign for Congress
Second-term state Rep. Summer Lee launched her campaign for Congress on Tuesday, a day after longtime U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle said he wouldn’t seek reelection in the district representing Pittsburgh and suburbs in eastern and southern Allegheny County. “For too long, communities like mine have suffered and been left behind...
UPMC doctors offer perspective as more covid booster shots near approval
As federal regulators move closer to approving booster shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccines, UPMC doctors remain focused on the unvaccinated — those they called most vulnerable people. “I want to make sure we do not put the cart in front of the horse,” said Dr....
Investigation continues into man’s death after he was tasered by Pittsburgh police officer
Allegheny County Police continue to investigate an incident in which a Pittsburgh police officer tasered a man who died a day later. Pittsburgh police did not identify the officer who deployed a Taser at least once against Jim Rogers, who died shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday. About 24 hours earlier,...
Covid vaccinations on the rise in Allegheny County, statewide
First-dose covid vaccinations in Allegheny County rose for the 18th straight day on Wednesday, data show, and officials said the county has surpassed the 800,000 mark for residents with at least once dose. At the same time, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that 70% of Pennsylvanians ages 18 and older are...
Attorney General Josh Shapiro launches bid for Pa. governor
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro officially launched his bid for governor on Wednesday — mostly a formality after months of speculation that he’d seek the state’s highest office. Shapiro, a Democrat from Montgomery County, kicked off his campaign by releasing a two-minute video Wednesday morning that included endorsements from Pittsburgh...
Judge rules there is enough evidence to hold man suspected of killing mailman in Collier
Eric Kortz appeared nonchalant as he waited for police to take him into custody last week shortly after authorities said he shot and killed mail carrier Louis Vignone in Collier, based on video footage shown Tuesday in a probable cause hearing. The body-worn camera footage from Carnegie police Officer Matthew...
Pittsburgh police promote 5 lieutenants, 5 commanders in Beechview swearing-in ceremony
Pittsburgh police promoted 10 officers to the ranks of commander and lieutenant Monday, the first in-person promotion ceremony since the covid-19 pandemic began. The nine men and one woman are more than officers, Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said during a ceremony at Our Lady of Victory in Beechview. “I...
Heinz Field management: Fans aren’t allowed to scatter a loved one’s ashes inside stadium
A fan scattered ashes of a family member at Heinz Field during the Steelers’ 27-19 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday, a team spokesman said. “Heinz Field management does not permit or condone such actions,” Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten said in a statement. Pennsylvania does not have a state...
