Natasha Lindstrom stories, Page 7
Protesters take to Pittsburgh streets hours after Minnesota officer who shot Daunte Wright resignsVideo
A loosely organized group of protesters took to the streets of Pittsburgh in the name of police accountability on Tuesday night, hours after the white officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb submitted her resignation. The demonstration, which remained peaceful, drew about 100...
Penn Hills man charged with shooting pregnant woman sentenced to federal prison on drug charges
A 19-year-old Penn Hills man facing attempted homicide charges in the January shooting of a 20-year-old pregnant woman in Leetsdale was sentenced to federal prison Monday for his role in a large-scale heroin trafficking ring busted by the FBI two years ago. Roderick Ferguson, 19, who has been linked to...
Why ‘bailed-out’ hospital giants like UPMC thrived in 2020 while others floundered
UPMC wasn’t the only multibillion-dollar U.S. health system that got hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic-spurred federal relief, and then went on to rake in more money in 2020 than it did pre-pandemic. It’s not merely thanks to hefty bailouts and slowly rebounding hospital coffers that UPMC and other...
13 people displaced, kitten rescued from fire above Jack’s Bar in Pittsburgh’s South SideVideo
A fire Monday evening ripped through a multi-story building in Pittsburgh’s South Side, displacing 13 people who live there, public safety officials said. No one was injured, and the affected residents are being helped by the American Red Cross, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz. The fire broke...
Covid-19 surge at Pitt: University reports 54 new coronavirus cases in 2 days
A still-growing surge of covid-19 cases at the University of Pittsburgh has prompted leaders to urge students to take extra care and abide by shelter-in-place rules going into Easter weekend. Between Tuesday and Thursday, the university reported an additional 54 cases of the coronavirus disease. Those include 51 students and...
Skateboarder struck by vehicle in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood
A man riding an electric skateboard was struck by a vehicle Friday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood, police said. Medics took the victim to a nearby hospital, where he was in stable condition, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews. Emergency dispatchers received a report of the crash at...
In Pittsburgh visit, Biden unveils $2 trillion American Jobs Plan
President Joe Biden traveled to suburban Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon to unveil a $2.3 trillion plan intended to revive the nation’s pandemic-battered economy through new infrastructure and transportation-related projects around the country. Biden deemed his newly released American Jobs Plan to be the greatest American investment “since we built the...
Biden heads to Pittsburgh region to unveil major infrastructure plan
Moments before boarding a plane at the Allegheny County Airport in late August, then-Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden paused to talk directly to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. While masked up and keeping 6 feet back, “He looked me in the eye and said, ‘I’ll be back when we...
3 covid cases spur Serra Catholic High to close before spring break
Serra Catholic High School in McKeesport shut down two days before spring break after officials learned of a third covid-19 case linked to someone at the campus in two weeks. Officials did not say whether the newly confirmed coronavirus cases involved teachers, students or other staff members or people affiliated...
Police: Dog shot, killed during dispute between neighbors in Sheraden
A pet dog was shot and killed Sunday afternoon during a dispute between two neighbors in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood, officials said. Police arrested the man suspected of fatally shooting his neighbor’s dog, a German Shepherd, Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said. As of 9 p.m., the man still was awaiting...
Fire rips through Glassport house; officials suspect electrical issue sparked blaze
A fire ripped through an unoccupied house in Glassport Sunday morning, officials said. Emergency dispatchers received a report of a residential electrical box on fire in the 600 block of Michigan Avenue about 9:40 a.m. Nobody was injured, an Allegheny County 911 shift commander said. Heavy smoke and flames were...
Oakmont’s ‘Comeback Crawl’ promotes local businesses on rebound from covid slowdown
Beverly Vopicka had a surprisingly lovely Saturday in Oakmont’s business district. The newly vaccinated 76-year-old resident of The Rivers Edge apartments — who, like many people, hasn’t been out and about much during the pandemic — happily strolled along Allegheny River Boulevard on the 70-degree afternoon with her grandson and...
Pitt virologist discusses vaccine hesitancy, variants, why we may never fully eradicate covid-19Video
Paul Duprex doesn’t fault anyone who’s reluctant to get a covid-19 vaccine. As director of University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Vaccine Research, Duprex has been awed by the collaboration among academic institutions, pharmaceutical giants, public and private funders and scientists around the globe in the race to defeat the novel...
Allegheny County Council postpones meeting amid reported covid-19 outbreak
A covid-19 outbreak prompted Allegheny County Council to cancel its scheduled meeting Tuesday night and postpone meeting again until next week. Councilwoman Bethany Hallam took to Twitter earlier in the day to alert the public that the regularly scheduled council meeting had been rescheduled “due to a covid outbreak amongst...
Highmark boasts $490M operating gain in 2020 — better than pre-pandemic
When covid-19 struck Western Pennsylvania last March, Highmark Health CEO and President David Holmberg said he and fellow executives braced for the worst. They weren’t sure just how overwhelmed their providers might get, or how much money and other resources it would take to keep operations going as outbreaks proliferated....
Western Pa. community leaders fear mounting intensity of anti-Asian hate, xenophobia
Asian community leaders in Western Pennsylvania are reeling with emotion and striving to quell fears days after a gunman stormed three Asian-run spas in the Atlanta area, killing eight people. “We’re anxious, we’re heartbroken, we’re raging,” said Marian Lien, president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Organization for Chinese Americans....
On verge of strike, United Steelworkers rally outside ATI’s Brackenridge facility
Leisa Brothers held up a rubber chicken in one hand, and in her other, a handwritten sign against the management of Allegheny Technologies Inc.: “Corporate greed is killing the American dream.” “We’re fighting for a fair contract,” said Brothers of Sarver, a United Steelworkers janitor who has worked at the...
Why pandemic challenges persist at Pennsylvania’s nursing homes
Covid-19 cases at nursing homes have fallen sharply in recent weeks, signaling hope for weary staffers and residents who yearn for visitors and fresh air after a year living in isolation and fear. “They’re tired, and they’re exhausted. … It’s just been a tragedy on every conceivable level,” said Mark...
Survey: 80% of Highlands parents want kids back in school 4 days a week
An overwhelming majority of parents surveyed by Highlands School District want their children to return to in-person classes four days a week. Of nearly 1,600 responses to an online survey, 80% of parents and caregivers favored the switch to mostly in-person classes as covid rates decline in the community, according...
‘We’ve had enough’: 95% of United Steelworkers support striking against ATI
A whopping 95% of 1,300 United Steelworkers agreed to authorize a possible strike against Allegheny Technologies Inc. after more than a year of stalled contract negotiations, union officials said. The vote included more than 420 members who cast their ballots at the union hall on Brackenridge Avenue by 5 p.m....
Officials: SWAT incident in Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood ends peacefully
A man who barricaded himself inside a home in Pittsburgh’s Elliot neighborhood, surrendered to authorities Tuesday evening. Police first responded to the situation in the 1000 block of Chartiers Avenue at about 4:30 p.m. Pittsburgh Public Safety officials confirmed shortly before 6 p.m. that SWAT officers had been called to...
‘Such a relief’: People flock to Heinz Field for covid vaccine clinic by Giant Eagle, SteelersVideo
Debbie Andres had reason to smile beneath her purple mask Tuesday afternoon as she strolled outside Heinz Field and prepared to drive home. The sun was shining. And after several bleak winter weeks of trying to book an appointment with any provider she could find, the 63-year-old Harrison woman managed...
Despite pandemic, UPMC rakes in record-high $23.1 billion in 2020 revenue
The coronavirus pandemic did not thwart UPMC from raking in a record-high $23.1 billion in 2020 operating revenue — nearly $2.5 billion more than the nonprofit health system generated in 2019 and $10 billion more than it did five years ago, data released Friday show. UPMC Chief Financial Officer Ed...
South Hills man busted by FBI wiretap gets year in prison for selling heroin, fentanyl
A South Hills man will spend a year and a day in prison for scheming to sell heroin and fentanyl as part of a drug ring linked to a neighborhood gang, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said Wednesday. Jonathan Laur, 37, of Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood was among nearly two dozen...
One lane of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel closed in both directions until 5:30 a.m. Thursday
Drivers on the Parkway East could face traffic delays overnight Wednesday as the Squirrel Hill Tunnel closes one lane in both directions. PennDOT announced that the tunnel will be reduced to a single lane for Interstate 376 inbound and outbound drivers “as needed” from 7 p.m. Wednesday until 5:30 a.m....
