Allegheny category, Page 231
University of Pittsburgh ‘disenrolls’ unvaccinated students
No vaccine, no classes. That’s the policy the University of Pittsburgh is now enforcing, saying it has “disenrolled” students who have not complied with the school’s covid-19 vaccine mandate. Pitt announced Dec. 6 it was putting a requirement in place for all students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated...
North Allegheny parents file federal lawsuit to block district’s new mask-optional policy
The parents of four North Allegheny students with physical challenges have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the district of endangering their children by making it optional for staff and students to wear face masks in school. The class-action lawsuit does not identify the four students, but notes that there are...
Duquesne moves closer to accreditation for its medical school
Duquesne University’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine is not expected to open until 2024, but the school has achieved “candidate status” from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), according to a university statement. Among other things, the change in status means Duquesne will begin additional funding for the college....
Woman struck by bus in Downtown Pittsburgh
A woman was struck by a Port Authority bus early Tuesday morning in Downtown Pittsburgh, according to the transportation agency. She was struck at about 6:15 a.m. along Liberty Avenue near the intersection of Sixth Street. Police cordoned off the scene, blocking a section of Liberty Avenue between Sixth and...
St. Therese, Serra Catholic going virtual for 2 days because of pandemic staffing shortages
Two schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are switching to remote learning for two days because of staffing shortages caused by the coronavirus pandemic. St. Therese Elementary School in Munhall canceled in-person instruction Tuesday and Wednesday, along with all athletic events and extracurricular activities. In-person instruction is scheduled to resume...
Pittsburgh nonprofit to expand free internet in New Kensington, Wilkinsburg via foundation grants
A Pittsburgh nonprofit has received more than $1.4 million from foundations as it plans to expand its free internet access to communities in need across Southwestern Pennsylvania. Meta Mesh Wireless Communities announced it received $1.13 million from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation for its wireless internet service, Every1online. Meta Mesh...
Woman found dead in Monroeville hotel room identified
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the 49-year-old woman who was found dead Saturday in Monroeville hotel room. Rochella Anderson was found under a hotel bed at the Rodeway Inn on Mosside Boulevard, officials said. A cause and manner of death was not released. Officials responded to the hotel Saturday...
Port Authority to require covid-19 vaccination for all employees by mid-March
Port Authority of Allegheny County leaders will require all employees to be vaccinated against covid-19 by mid-March or face firing, officials said Monday. There will be no option for increased testing requirements for those who aren’t vaccinated. The policy goes into effect Feb. 1, and employees must be fully vaccinated...
Bridgeville man expected to plead guilty next month in Capitol riot case
A Bridgeville man who authorities said livestreamed himself from inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, D.C., is expected to plead guilty next month. During a brief status conference on Monday, an attorney for Kenneth Grayson said he expected his client would be offered a plea...
Firefighters battle blaze at home in Plum, no injuries reported
Firefighters extinguished a blaze at a single-family home in Plum that was reported shortly after 8:30 a.m. Monday, according to authorities. Fire units were dispatched to a home in the 500 block of Anderson Avenue for a report of a single-story ranch with smoke showing from the front door, according...
Pitt students shelter in place to start spring semester
Students returning Monday to the University of Pittsburgh campus in Oakland for the start of the spring semester have been ordered to remain in their dorms and get tested to make sure they have not been infected with coronavirus. The university announced it will provide its approximately 34,000 returning students...
Ice, slick conditions impact region’s northern counties; Allegheny, Westmoreland miss the worst
Westmoreland and Allegheny counties largely missed a weather system that moved through the state this weekend, bringing with it freezing rain and slick conditions for several counties in northern parts of the region. Freezing rain impacted several areas north of Interstate 80, which were under a winter weather advisory for...
Allegheny County Jail circumventing ban on solitary confinement, non-lethal weapons, critic says
Allegheny County Jail officials sought assistance early last year from the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Corrections, which provides training and services to local and state facilities. The jail for years has been the subject of criticism and repeated lawsuits for violations ranging from the use of excessive force...
Bed, Bath & Beyond to close its North Hills store
A McKnight Road shopping staple is closing in Ross. Bed, Bath & Beyond announced plans to close 37 stores across the country, one of them in the busy North Hills shopping district. New Jersey-based Bed, Bath & Beyond is a favorite destination for shoppers scouting housewares, small appliances and trendy...
Turnpike reopens following crash Thursday night
The eastbound side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was back open around 11 p.m., following a crash that shut down multiple lanes Thursday night. The crash was reported shortly before 10 p.m. just west of the Pittsburgh/Monroeville exit. 911 officials said three lanes of the Turnpike were closed as crews worked...
Edgeworth man sentenced to federal prison, ordered to repay nearly $2 million for tax evasion
An Edgeworth man convicted of tax evasion has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison and has been ordered to pay nearly $2 million in restitution. In imposing the sentence on Dean Britton, 57, U.S. Senior District Judge Nora Barry Fischer Judge Fischer said the case was one of...
Woodland Hills School District shifts to remote learning the rest of the month due to covid cases, related issues
Woodland Hills School District is moving to virtual learning for the rest of the month due to rising covid cases and related issues, district officials announced Thursday. Teachers and building administration will still need report to their buildings each day while the district is in virtual learning. The shift was...
Coraopolis man charged with attempted bus stop kidnapping
Police have charged a 40-year-old Coraopolis man with attempting to kidnap a 9-year-old Cornell Elementary student on Thursday morning. William Goring, 40, is charged with attempted kidnapping, attempting to interfere with custody of a child, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and aggravated assault. Police said Goring approached a young girl at...
Allegheny County courts suspend jury trials for January amid dramatic spike in covid-19 cases
Owing to the recent dramatic increase in covid-19 cases in Allegheny County, the county’s Court of Common Pleas ordered that no jury trials will take place for the remainder of the month in any division. Beginning Dec. 23, daily positive case counts for Allegheny County began outpacing its worst previous...
Advocates: Allegheny County Jail violating solitary confinement ban
A referendum banning the use of solitary confinement at Allegheny County Jail took effect Dec. 5. Yet, according to the Jail Oversight Board Segregation Report dated Wednesday and posted online, nearly 300 people were locked down in the jail throughout the month. Many of those people spent the entire month...
Gunfire at North Versailles custody exchange injures 2, including 6-year-old girl
A custody exchange in the North Versailles police parking lot ended in gunfire Wednesday, leaving one man and a 6-year-old girl wounded, according to police. Shawn Coles-Lundy, 29, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and five counts of reckless endangerment after police said he fired into an SUV...
Carnegie Mellon going to remote instruction for start of spring semester
With covid positivity rates in Allegheny County dramatically increasing as the omicron variant spreads, Carnegie Mellon University is going to “mostly remote instruction” for the first two weeks of the spring semester. The announcement was made Thursday in an email to students and staff from CMU president Farnam Jahanian and...
Glen Osborne native living in Colorado left homeless due to wildfire
Jim and Katie Sullivan celebrated their first wedding anniversary just days after Christmas. The Glen Osborne native turned Colorado resident met his future wife several years ago in the Centennial State and the couple tied the knot on Dec. 29, 2020. Their first anniversary was to be part of a...
Geyer Road in Shaler to close through January
Motorists who travel along Geyer Road in Shaler will need to find a detour. The road is expected to be closed through late-January, beginning Thursday, PennDOT announced. The shutdown impacts the section from Mt. Troy Road to Babcock Boulevard. Contractors will be on site for drainage repairs which will close...
Bus driver shortage causing ’emergency’ in Woodland Hills School District
A covid-related bus driver shortage in Woodland Hills School District is creating an emergency for student transportation, officials said. The district is without at least 10 drivers, a situation that creates a hardship for about 665 students in district communities, district spokesman Andrew Chiappazzi said. “We provide transportation not just...
