Stephen Huba stories, Page 2

By some estimates, the United States is losing 70,000 registered nurses a year to retirement. The current number of baby boomer RNs — 660,000 — is roughly half their peak in 2008, according to the Journal of Nursing Regulation. That there is a nursing shortage — driven partly by demographics,...

The 1970s saw women consolidate gains in the workplace that began with the second-wave feminism of a decade earlier. Therese Rocco began the Seventies wondering whether women in the Pittsburgh Police Department would ever get the pay, training and opportunities for advancement that men did. In the mid-1960s, women in...

A Canton, Ohio, woman was killed in a head-on crash in Hampton late Friday night, officials said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the woman as Kaitlyn Eckelberry, 23. She was pronounced dead shortly after midnight after being struck head-on by another vehicle in the 3800 block of William Flinn...

Although food insecurity in Pennsylvania is at a 10-year low, there is a rising level of concern that changes coming to the food stamp program could reverse that number. An estimated 11% of households in Pennsylvania were considered “food insecure” in 2018, compared to nearly 15% in 2008, according to...

The owners of Western Pennsylvania furniture giant Levin’s are mulling a number of financial options with “creditors, investors and landlords” in order to sustain the company’s current operations, according to a corporate official. The move is aimed at ensuring the company — Art Van LLC — “can continue serving our...

A Rostraver Township landfill has reached an agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection over the proper disposal of liquids generated by oil and gas waste. The consent order and agreement requires Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill to pay a $24,000 civil penalty and undertake a number of corrective actions related...

Thinking about composting? Wondering about recycling? The Pennsylvania Resources Council is holding a series of workshops on those and other conservation topics in the coming months. Workshops on the benefits of backyard composting will cover methods for setting up a compost pile, proper maintenance and ways to use finished compost....

There pretty much wasn’t anything Paul Patterson wouldn’t do for his children and grandchildren. Even while working third shift at Robertshaw Controls and driving a school bus during the day, he made time to attend his daughters’ dance recitals and band competitions. “He was always with us, doing things with...

Three dams in Southwestern Pennsylvania are on a list of “hazardous” dams that qualify for special funds from the state. Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday the release of $23.8 million in funding for a multi-year, $43.5 million plan to repair 10 hazardous dams managed by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat...

Despite some bright spots, the Pittsburgh region’s economy is showing signs of strain from low natural gas prices, slow job growth and a manufacturing downturn, a Federal Reserve Bank official said Thursday. “I’m not downbeat about the longer-term prospects, but 2020 is going to be a bump in the road...

Somerset County received a $1 million grant from the federal government for the expansion of a drug detox unit. The award to the Somerset County commissioners was announced on Wednesday by the Appalachian Regional Commission. The project is meant to expand drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation services for residents...

Author, editor and podcaster David Zahl will speak at Ligonier Town Hall on March 12 on the decline of organized religion and the rise of “replacement” religions. Zahl is the author of “Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about...

Everybody loves a golden retriever, and everybody’s favorite golden after this week’s Westminster dog show is Ligonier Township’s very own Daniel. The 5-year-old, bred and trained by Tammy Tomlinson of Hillock Golden Retrievers, won best-in-breed and best sporting dog at the 144th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at New...

Last year marked the first full year of legal sports betting in the United States, and Pennsylvania was one of just three states to take in more than $1 billion in wagers in 2019, according to the American Gaming Association. Pennsylvania was one of the first states to launch legal...

Home sales in the Greater Pittsburgh market rose in 2019 and set a record for average sale price, West Penn Multi-List Inc. said in its year-end report. “It is a great time for people that have ever considered selling to get on the market because there is a lot of...

Patricia Loughran was the kind of person who lived her life for others. She raised seven daughters. She was director of financial aid at St. Francis University in Loretto for 18 years. She was a grief counselor at several Catholic parishes. She was an advocate for people with disabilities. In...

Anxiety, stress and depression seem to go with being a teenager. But asking for help when those things become debilitating requires a little more effort. Sometimes a lot more effort. A local group is working to overcome the stigma that often keeps people from asking for help with mental health...

Pennsylvania state agencies are declaring war on litter. On Wednesday, the agencies released the results of the first statewide study on litter — the cost of cleaning it up, public attitudes toward litter — and announced the formation of a working group to shift Pennsylvania’s strategy from cleanup to prevention....

For 16 years, Michael Blehar and Beth Evans have had their very own cabin in the woods in Cook Township. The vacation cabin is on property — part woodland, part open field — that fronts Fourmile Run and has been a haven for the family for years. “When the opportunity...

All those things that make winter wintry in Western Pennsylvania — at least one snowstorm, shoveling snow, making a snowman — haven’t happened much this year. “I don’t think I’ve shoveled once,” said Greg Phillips, manager and CEO of the Westmoreland Conservation District. While there was some measurable snowfall in...

Becky Snyder had a heart for ministry that was matched only by her boundless energy. She helped found His Hand Extended Ministry (His HEM) and its companion thrift store in Washington Township. She ran the thrift store for 12 years as a way to fund the ministry, her husband, William...

Gennaro Piraino believes the solution to Westmoreland County’s problems starts with a simple question: What would Fred do? Piraino, speaking at the 45th annual Westmoreland County Prayer Breakfast on Friday, said Westmoreland County’s “economic crisis” is being driven mostly by a loss of population — which means new people need...