Patrick Varine stories, Page 138

Juniper Communities, a senior housing company with sites in Forest Hills, Meadville, State College and eastern Pennsylvania, will begin taking a proactive approach to the coronavirus pandemic by testing residents and staff. “Senior living communities are the first line of defense for 3 million citizens most at risk for complications...

The judicial emergency declared in March by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will now be extended through May 8 in Allegheny County, according to an order issued Thursday by county President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark. Clark’s order follows an extension of the statewide judicial emergency through April 30, ordered Wednesday by...

With increased sanitary measures taking center stage amid the coronavirus pandemic, federal environmental officials are asking Americans to stop flushing disinfecting wipes in an effort to keep sewage systems functioning properly. “Flushing anything other than toilet paper, including disinfecting wipes, can damage internal plumbing, local sewer systems and septic systems,”...

The Franklin Regional School Board is trying to determine if it needs state permission to restart the Sloan “elementary campus” project if the board decides to move forward despite the covid-19 pandemic. According to Department of Education guidelines regarding the pandemic, the district needs no waiver and can make that...

Murrysville Medic One received some good news this week: An anonymous benefactor was donating protective medical equipment. A lot of it. “We had the police department come down and block off part of the road because we had three wheelchair vans full of stuff,” said Matt Stromberg, a Medic One...

A 64-year-old man died after his tractor-trailer overturned and went partially over a hillside in Jefferson Hills on Wednesday afternoon, police said. Jefferson Hills police responded to Payne Hill Road just before 4 p.m. Wednesday to find an overturned rig roughly a quarter-mile from Jefferson Boulevard. A downed telephone pole...

Editor’s note: Adapting is a regular series spotlighting the ways the global coronavirus pandemic is changing the everyday lives of people in Western Pennsylvania. On Monday, students in many areas across Pennsylvania had their “second first day of school,” in the form of school districts’ online learning plan going into...

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History might be closed to the public right now, but its staff is still busy with research — including the discovery of a reptile from the Late Paleozoic period that had a crucial role in shifting its species’ diet from eating insects to eating plants....

Under normal circumstances, it might be concerning for a former county jail inmate to come walking up and say hello to a longtime corrections officer. But for Jacqueline Learn of Greensburg it was just another part of her day. “Even the prisoners called her ‘Miss Jackie,’” said Ms. Learn’s brother,...

Local governments are adapting as quickly as possible to keep municipal business going amid the spread of coronavirus. Here’s how groups in the Star’s coverage area are handling meetings in the foreseeable future. Franklin Regional School District Franklin Regional’s school board will be conducting meetings via the Zoom digital meeting...

Given the fluid situation at the state level regarding coronavirus-related business restrictions, Franklin Regional School District officials aren’t certain if they will need waivers to resume construction on the Sloan “elementary campus” project. But if they do, and decide to move forward with construction, their solicitor would like to have...

A Monroeville man was indicted in connection with a December 2019 bank robbery in White Oak, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced Monday. Chezeq Morgan, 26, of Monroeville, was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with bank robbery. Justice officials say Morgan robbed the PNC Bank on Lincoln...

Pop culture is a big part of Jeremy Raymer’s art, and he knows the value of having a finger on the pulse of the cultural zeitgeist. So when a friend mentioned the old tiger’s head, painted on a wall near the intersection of Moultrie Street and Tustin Street behind the...

Allegheny County health officials reported an additional 46 cases of covid-19 Sunday morning. That figure is down from the 61 new cases reported from Friday to Saturday. In all, county health officials have confirmed 265 cases. The cases are split evenly between genders: 133 females and 132 males. The age...

A 50-year-old woman killed in a Blairsville crash on March 27 has been identified as Christina Anne Roberson of Armstrong Township. Roberson was driving north on South Walnut Street near Old Main Street shortly before 9:30 p.m. when she struck the curb after failing to make a left bend in...

A 67-year-old man was taken into custody Saturday evening after police say he stabbed another man in Pitcairn. Pitcairn police and paramedics were called to a rooming house on the 200 block of Broadway Boulevard just before 5:15 p.m., and arrived to discover a 60-year-old man who had been stabbed...

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for parts of Western Pennsylvania until 8 p.m. Saturday night. The service also issued a flood advisory for the Ohio River in the Pittsburgh area. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for the highlighted counties until 8 PM tonight....

Westmoreland County gained 11 covid-19 cases since Saturday’s numbers were released, state health officials said Saturday. Forty-one cases are confirmed in Westmoreland, according to the latest figures, up from 30 on Friday. There have been no deaths related to the virus in the county. In addition, Gov. Tom Wolf issued...

Already a repository for billions of archived website pages and thousands of hours of free music, the Internet Archive has suspended the wait list for 1.4 million books in its online lending library, creating a National Emergency Library to help displaced students and researchers. “The library system, because of our...

A McKeesport man shot in the leg Friday night while driving along Bon Air Road in Penn Hills has died. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Chasae Swindle, 42. Penn Hills Police responded around 11 p.m. Friday night to the 100 block of Evaline Street for...

Allegheny County health officials reported an additional 61 cases of covid-19 Saturday morning. That is more than twice the 25 new cases reported from Thursday to Friday. Females make up 110 cases, or 50.2%, and males account for 109 cases, or 49.8%. The age breakdown of cases is as follows:...