Julia Felton stories, Page 77

The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Friday it will hire 1,000 additional contact tracing staff in an effort to curb the spread of covid-19. A nearly $23 million, federally funded contract with Insight Global, an Atlanta-based staffing agency, will help pay to recruit, hire, train and support the contact tracers,...

The annual cicadas are buzzing in Western Pennsylvania, as the large insects emerge from underground for the hottest months of summer. Cicadas are best known for their noises — mating calls coming from the males — that can be heard from dawn till dusk. Joe Stavish, manager of community education...

Woodland Hills School District on Tuesday released a plan for reopening its schools, beginning with virtual instruction. The academic year will begin on Aug. 24, as planned, but there will be no students in the classrooms. Per the document outlining the plan, schools may reopen for in-person classes after “14...

The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) launched a social media campaign to spread awareness and recruit new organ donors. The campaign, dubbed #JustOne, aims to demonstrate how many lives just one new organ donor could save. “The very fact that one donor can save eight lives showcases the...

Bike Pittsburgh will give away bike lights Wednesday in the city’s Homewood neighborhood. The event, called Operation Illumination, will be held at the corner of Homewood Avenue and Hamilton Avenue from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., while supplies last. Bike Pittsburgh is a nonprofit that advocates for safe bicycling in...

Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Health on Monday unveiled the new AHN Cancer Institute at Allegheny General, the centerpiece of AHN’s cancer care expansion. The cancer center will provide cancer fighting technology and access to cutting-edge research and clinical trials, as described by AHN officials. The new facility in Pittsburgh’s...

Sgt. Michael Ropelewski has some good stories about his 42-year tenure with the Harrison Township Police Department. Once, he said, a man approached him while he was having dinner with his son at a local pizza shop. The man thanked Ropelewski for arresting him a few years before. He said...

For 19 years, Christa Beck has encouraged local children to move with the music at her Kindermusik program. A pandemic wasn’t going to stop that. Beck described Kindermusik as “interactive music and movement classes that focus on whole-child development using music.” She feels strongly that children need such programs —...

Duquesne Light is warning its customers about an ongoing phone scam. Numerous customers were targeted by a phony call that appears to show the company’s caller ID number to make the calls appear legitimate. Scammers tell the customers they have unpaid balances and threaten to terminate services unless customers make...

Woodland Hills School District suspended its cheerleading activities after a cheerleader tested positive for covid-19, school officials announced Thursday. The district’s on-site testing center discovered the positive case, according to Superintendent James Harris. “We do testing at our high school and one of the young ladies tested positive, so we...

Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement officers conducted compliance checks at 1,876 licensed liquor establishments Monday and Tuesday to see if the businesses were abiding by covid-19 guidelines, officials said Wednesday. Statewide, LCE officers issued one notice of violation and 48 warnings. The unannounced compliance checks are focusing on areas...

La Roche University has appointed its first executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. Sarah White, the university’s coordinator of accessibility services since July 2014, will fill the new role. “The time is now for the La Roche community as a whole to broaden its communal...

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority announced Wednesday that water quality in Pittsburgh has improved. Lead levels in Pittsburgh are now at 5.1 parts per billion, said PWSA Executive Director Will Pickering. This puts Pittsburgh’s levels below the EPA’s limit of 15 parts per billion. PWSA’s most recent test evaluated...

Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration announced new grant recipients to fight the opioid addiction epidemic. Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced that the latest Pennsylvania Coordinated Medication Assisted Treatment (PacMAT) grant recipients would build medication-assisted treatment programs for uninsured, underinsured or privately insured residents who suffer from addiction. These grants...

VoteSafe Pennsylvania has launched a statewide bipartisan campaign that aims to ensure every Pennsylvania voter has access to safe voting options for the November election. The coalition is led by former Republican House Majority Leader Dave Reed and former Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, who also served as undersecretary and...

Pittsburgh police are asking for help in locating a missing man. Willis Morris, 78, was last seen July 16, police said. He is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs around 150 pounds. He has gray hair and brown eyes. He frequents Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood and South Side neighborhoods and Homestead,...

The annual School Rocks Backpack Giveaway is set to donate 140,000 backpacks full of school supplies this weekend. Round Room LLC, a Verizon Wireless retailer, announced its TCC and Wireless Zone stores will give away school supplies at over 800 locations nationwide. This year will mark more than 1 million...

Allegheny Health Network’s mobile covid-19 testing unit will be visiting several Pittsburgh sites this week. Covid-19 testing will be available from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the following locations:Shop N’ Save plaza in the Hill District (1850 Centre Avenue) on Monday, July 20City Hall Building in Clairton (551 Ravensburg...

At Freeport Area High School, every AP World History student scored a passing grade on this year’s AP exam amid unusually difficult circumstances. David DiSanti, the AP World History teacher at Freeport Area High School, said the course was historically difficult, even before the covid-19 pandemic forced schools to move...

Some voices of Southwestern Pennsylvania were featured Sunday night in the CNN series “United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell.” Bell, a sociopolitical comedian and author, hosts the Emmy-winning series, which explores unique aspects of racism throughout the nation. In its fifth season, the documentary-style show tackles the topic...

Pittsburgh Steelers’ Zach Banner will join a virtual panel on Thursday, July 23 to discuss solidarity with Black and Jewish communities. The offensive tackle will talk with Black and Jewish activists about the importance of working together to fight racism and anti-Semitism, following recent anti-Semitic comments from DeSean Jackson of...

Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement officers issued 44 warnings this week for licensed liquor establishments failing to follow covid-19 requirements, officials said Friday. Liquor Control Enforcement officers visited 3,904 businesses from Monday through Thursday. These compliance checks were unannounced and focused on areas with high covid-19 transmission rates. Officials...

Indoor dining will resume in Allegheny County after an order issued Friday by health officials eased some coronavirus restrictions. It goes into effect at 5 p.m. Friday. The new order rescinds the county’s July 8 order that prohibited indoor dining, and largely follows the statewide order issued Wednesday. Indoor dining...

For many families, summer vacation may look a little different this year. A survey conducted by MyBioSource.com, a biotechnological products distribution company, found that 51% of Pennsylvanians are more likely to vacation locally in their own state this summer to avoid traveling by plane and reduce the risk of contracting...