Julia Felton stories, Page 61
La Roche University introduces Center for Lifelong Learning to encourage continued education for students of all ages
Students of any age can continue learning through La Roche University’s Center for Lifelong Learning, with courses ranging from art and history, to fitness and philosophy. The McCandless school established the Center for Lifelong Learning this year, touting the initiative as a way to allow adults of all ages and...
Carnegie Mellon University robotics team earns 4th place in search-and-rescue competition
Carnegie Mellon University’s team of students, faculty, staff and robots placed fourth in a major competition testing how well their robots could navigate an underground course simulating a search-and-rescue mission. Called Team Explorer, the university’s team traveled this week to the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) challenge in Louisville,...
UPMC: Get covid booster shot if you’re eligible
Older Americans and adults with high-risk medical conditions should get a covid booster shot if they are eligible, UPMC doctors said Friday. “We want you to have the best possible immune response,” said Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMC’s chief medical officer and chair of emergency medicine. “We want you to be...
Pittsburgh unveils 50-year mobility plan with hyperloop, gondolas, bike networkVideo
Pittsburgh’s 2070 Mobility Vision Plan, a long-range roadmap for the city, aims to guide infrastructure investment and improve “mobility justice” over the next 50 years, officials said Thursday. “The goal is to efficiently move a growing city,” said Karina Ricks, director of the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure. Ricks...
Increased mosquito activity in Western Pa. spurred by recent rain, high humidity
Recent rain showers and high humidity have set the scene perfectly for a jump in mosquito activity in Western Pennsylvania. That’s why Karen Poh, a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State University’s Department of Entomology, said she isn’t surprised there has been an uptick in mosquito activity in the region. Mosquitoes...
Developer looks to transform Oakland with grocery store, green space
Walnut Capital, the Shadyside developer that revitalized Bakery Square, has set its sights on a potential development in Oakland, though they would need a zoning amendment to make it happen. The developer touted the potential project, called Oakland Crossings, as an initiative to “transform a section of Oakland into a...
Community meeting next week to discuss sustainable solar farm in Swisshelm Park
A community meeting scheduled for next week will discuss the possibility of developing a solar farm in Swisshelm Park. The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA), City of Pittsburgh and city Councilman Corey O’Connor will host the meeting to share information about potentially installing a sustainable solar farm at Frick...
Affordable housing details would be required for developers under proposed Pittsburgh legislation
Developers seeking approval from the City of Pittsburgh may have to provide affordable housing impact statements, if proposed legislation being considered by City Council is approved. The measure, introduced by Councilmembers R. Daniel Lavelle and Ricky Burgess, is meant to address concerns that affordable housing remains out of reach for...
Pittsburgh council advances law banning cat declawing surgery
Declawing cats could soon be banned in Pittsburgh. Under legislation advanced by City Council on Wednesday, the surgery, which many veterinarians say causes behavioral issues and long-term pain for the animals, would be prohibited. “I think veterinarians know better and want this to stop,” said Jennifer Conrad, a California veterinarian...
Pittsburgh introduces $2M proposal to reduce Mt. Washington landslides
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday introduced legislation that would allocate $2 million to a project designed to mitigate landslides at Mt. Washington, where several have occurred in recent years. Mt. Washington, well known for its views of the city below, has seen multiple landslides, which have forced the city to...
Major personnel expansion proposed for Pittsburgh Citizens Police Review Board
The Pittsburgh Citizens Police Review Board could grow with a proposal expand the staff from six to more than 20, plus add satellite offices in several Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Voters expanded the board’s power by passing a ballot referendum last November that allows the group to conduct performance audits of the...
Robots to deliver books, medicine, food to Pittsburgh neighborhoods
Residents in some Pittsburgh neighborhoods will be seeing a new wave of delivery service bringing food, books and medicine, all without human delivery drivers. The city is teaming up with the company Kiwibot for a pilot program that will collaborate with local businesses to provide free and equitable deliveries. Kiwibot...
No injuries reported at Mt. Lebanon fire that collapsed home’s roof
Fire crews responded to a fire at the 700 block of Scott Road in Mt. Lebanon Friday afternoon. The fire was reported around 1 p.m., according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher. No one was injured and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the dispatcher said. A...
St. Benedict the Moor elementary school moving to remote instruction
St. Benedict the Moor elementary school is moving to remote learning after eight covid-19 cases were reported in the school community over four days. The school, located in Pittsburgh’s Hill District community, will be closed for in-person instruction from Friday through Sept. 27, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said. The...
Western Pa. chapter of FSHD Society to host fundraiser to fight rare form of muscular dystrophy
After being diagnosed with a rare disease that ultimately left him using a wheelchair, Mark Christman called himself lucky. He was lucky to have gotten a proper diagnosis for his disease, which often is misdiagnosed. He was lucky that, as an attorney, he could enjoy a successful career when some...
Outdoor medical tent up at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh has expanded its emergency department care capacity by setting up an outside medical tent. Officials said the Lawrenceville hospital plans to begin utilizing the space along 44th Street by Friday afternoon. “UPMC Children’s has set up a medical tent to expand care capability for those...
‘This is the worst I’ve seen’: Longer waits reported at Western Pa. hospitals
Wait times at Western Pennsylvania’s emergency rooms are getting longer, following a national trend spurred by covid-19, staffing shortages and an overall increase in demand for health care. “Wait times — they always vary by time of day, even hour by hour — but this is the worst I’ve seen...
Breakthrough covid cases jump in Allegheny County
Breakthrough covid-19 cases in Allegheny County have risen in recent months, according to data from the Allegheny County Health Department. Breakthrough infections accounted for 23% of cases in August, Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said Wednesday as she shared the first county-specific breakthrough data. The instances of breakthrough...
Breakthrough covid cases jump in Allegheny County
Breakthrough covid-19 cases in Allegheny County have risen in recent months, according to data from the Allegheny County Health Department. Breakthrough infections accounted for 23% of cases in August, Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said Wednesday as she shared the first county-specific breakthrough data. The instances of breakthrough...
Feds seize 2 shipments of fake covid vaccination cards in Pittsburgh
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have seized two shipments of fake covid-19 vaccination cards in Pittsburgh. Officers intercepted the first parcel of 20 fake vaccine cards on Aug. 24 after determining the cards “presented a low-quality appearance and that they were being important by a consignee who is not...
Pa. officials: 94% of covid cases were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people
The “vast majority” of covid-19 related cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Pennsylvania since January have been among unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated individuals, according to Department of Health data released Tuesday So-called “breakthrough” covid-19 infections — those that occur 14 days after an individual has received either two doses of...
Team of Carnegie Mellon students, robots to compete in search-and-rescue missionVideo
Carnegie Mellon University is sending a team of about a dozen robots to a competition testing their navigation of an unknown underground course, meant to simulate search-and-rescue scenarios. The university’s 20-person team of faculty, students and staff — along with their league of robots — will compete in a Defense...
Fatal shooting victim in McKeesport was daughter of former Penn State football star
A woman shot and killed in McKeesport has been identified as the daughter of a former Penn State University and NFL linebacker. Police found Karli Short, 26, dead with a gunshot wound to her head in McKeesport Monday morning. Short’s father, Brandon Short, played football at McKeesport Area High School...
Dickson Preparatory STEAM Academy in Swissvale shifting to virtual instruction
Dickson Preparatory STEAM Academy will shift to virtual instruction because of an increase in covid-19 cases, Woodland Hills School District announced Monday. The Swissvale school, which instructs students from sixth through eighth grade, will be operating completely virtually from Wednesday through Sept. 27. District officials cited “the increasing number of...
No fall yet: Warm temperatures persist in Western Pa.
It may be September, but it’s not sweater weather yet. Unseasonably high temperatures have persisted so far this month. “It’s a little warmer, a little above average,” Bill Modzelewski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon, said Monday. Temperatures on Monday were in the lower 80s, and Tuesday’s...

