Teghan Simonton stories, Page 19

Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday released new guidelines for outdoor dining during the yellow phase, as well as general guidelines for the green phase as counties gradually reopen. Restaurants and retail food services in yellow counties, including Allegheny andWestmoreland, can begin outdoor dining services June 5, with some restrictions. Indoor...

At least seven lawsuits have been filed against Giant Eagle claiming the grocery store chain’s mask policy during the coronavirus pandemic is discriminatory toward disabled shoppers who cannot wear them. The customers filed the lawsuits in federal court under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In a statement Wednesday, Giant Eagle...

Recent surveys show that the nation’s students – both high school and college – are itching to return to the classroom for in-person learning. A survey from Pittsburgh-based Niche, an online school search platform, received more than 21,000 responses from students across the country. The survey found that students want...

The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced new directives as it resumes Masses next week. Daily Mass will begin Monday, June 1, and weekend Masses will begin June 6 and 7. Parishioners will be required to wear masks, use hand sanitizer and maintain a social distance of six feet at all...

Students of all ages have been adversely affected by the covid-19 pandemic, but educators say the stakes are especially high for kindergartners and preschool-aged children. “Imagine being 5 and this is your world. What will be ‘normal’ to this generation of kindergartners?” said Michilene Pegher, principal of Minadeo Elementary in...

In a study that has gained recognition with national news outlets, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that much of the discussion on Twitter surrounding covid-19 is misinformation, fueled by bot accounts. CMU researchers have collected more than 200 million tweets discussing coronavirus or covid-19 since January, according to a...

Pittsburgh Public Schools is partnering with the Housing Authority of Pittsburgh to provide laptops and internet access to low-income students living in public housing during the covid-19 pandemic. In a legislative meeting Wednesday, the district accepted a donation of $275,000 from the Housing Authority to support the purchase of laptops...

Indiana University of Pennsylvania announced a return to campus this fall, in a plan that includes face-to-face instruction and residential living. Come fall, all students living in residence halls will have a private bedroom. Some will have a private bathroom as well; shared bathrooms will be used by no more...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is exploring options to revive Pittsburgh’s restaurant scene with outdoor dining. “We’re in danger,” he said, when asked if some restaurants could close in the next year. “I think within the next month will be critical time. If we can get outdoor seating established this next...

Pittsburgh’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Services was recognized Tuesday for reaching the highest level of training in pediatric care, based on the state’s Pediatric Voluntary Recognition Program. Duane Spencer, manager for the EMS for Children Program in the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council, presented a certificate to bureau leaders for...

Fawn police officer Keith Lazaron was at work Tuesday when he received a panicked call from his wife, Jessica, telling him he needed to get home as soon as possible. Strong winds had propelled a large brush fire toward their home in Allegheny Township. When Lazaron arrived home about 20...

A study led by a Carnegie Mellon University professor used national data to measure how many children have internet access at home and what factors contribute to the long-existing digital divide. The findings, said lead researcher Ananya Sen, are especially potent as most K-12 school districts have moved to online...

Cruisin’ Tikis Pittsburgh will resume cruises starting June 1, the company announced Monday. Cruisin’ Tikis offers two-hour tours of the Point in Pittsburgh from the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers on 16-foot boats shaped like a tiki bar. Passengers provide their own refreshments. In light of coronavirus restrictions, the company...

Most days of the week, Page Hempfield tunes in for an advising appointment at 9 a.m. on Zoom. She and other students are able to check in, ask questions and get updates about homework and about their school, The Neighborhood Academy. Then, in her bedroom of her North Versailles home,...

Vandergrift Council voted Thursday to modify its existing declaration of emergency – one that had been extended just last week. The modifications, council members said, will loosen some public restrictions as Westmoreland County moves into the yellow phase of the state’s reopening plan. The modified declaration that came during an...

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy extended the closure of all of its park facilities and restrooms Friday, despite Allegheny County moving to the yellow phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s tiered reopening plan. While the city parks remain open, all public programming and special events have been postponed. “The health and safety...

Parents and doctors around the world have expressed fears over a severe inflammatory syndrome in children that some have tied to the covid-19 pandemic. But doctors in Pittsburgh stress there is not enough information to be alarmed. The condition, called multisystem inflammatory syndrome, is comparable to Kawasaki Syndrome, a rare...

Pittsburgh Public Schools officials on Thursday said they remain uncertain as to whether in-person learning will begin in the fall. “Based on our timeline right now, I would say there is an expectation, but we just don’t know,” said Superintendent Anthony Hamlet. “I’d say the greatest challenge right now is...

Vandergrift Council has scheduled a special meeting Thursday to discuss modifying an emergency declaration it imposed as the covid-19 pandemic started to reach the region. The meeting, according to a Facebook post on the borough’s emergency management page will be held via Zoom at 5 p.m. The Declaration of Emergency...

Pennsylvania will receive $523.8 million in federal funding to help schools respond to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday. The money from the U.S. Department of Education is available through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. The Pennsylvania Department of Education applied for a grant last...

School board members on Monday discussed plans to update the eligibility guidelines for Pittsburgh Public Schools athletes. In compliance with the new policy, students with a grade point average below a 2.0 would participate in an academic intervention program in order to participate in interscholastic athletics. The new academic requirements...

As warmer temperatures move into the region this weekend, meteorologists predict the unseasonably cold weather will not return. “It’s one of those weekends we need,” said John Darnley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. Temperatures are expected to reach the upper 70s Saturday and Sunday, with likely...

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is planning to allow schools to return to the classroom in the fall but continues to prepare for a worst-case scenario. “It is fully our intent that we’re going to be at a place where we are going to reopen schools for the next academic...

Community-supported agriculture has been around for years, said Don Kretschmann, owner of Kretschmann Family Farm in Beaver County. But now, during a public health crisis, the assets of local, organically-grown produce is really catching on. Moreover, the long-standing distribution method is built for the time of social distancing: Most customers...

Students who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals at school can now be reimbursed for the meals they are no longer getting. The Wolf Administration announced a new program Thursday that will let students benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Students who are eligible through the...