Allegheny category, Page 297
Allegheny County officials: ‘We’re not there yet’ on reopeningVideo
Allegheny County’s covid-19 case numbers are no longer declining, but they’re stable, Dr. Debra Bogen, health director, said Wednesday. The county’s test positivity rate increased slightly from last week, from 5.5% to 5.9%. Hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline. But Bogen said she is concerned about the results of recent...
McKeesport Council meeting postponed amid complaints that it locked out public
A McKeesport City Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening has been postponed following allegations that the municipality has violated the state Sunshine Act. The meeting can be rescheduled, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John McVay found Wednesday, once council makes arrangements to allow public participation. Four community members filed a...
Former cop in North Braddock, Blawnox will serve a year of probation for theft
When the state police suspected in 2019 that a Blawnox police officer was stealing money from vehicles he was sent to investigate, they set up an “integrity test” for him. Trooper Jonathan Eberhardt put $225 of marked money in a pill bottle in the cup holder of a car, entered...
Allegheny County reports 186 covid cases, 17 deaths
Allegheny County saw 186 additional coronavirus cases and 17 deaths reported on Wednesday, according to the county’s health department. Those cases — 105 confirmed and 81 probable — bring the county’s total to 77,239 since the pandemic began last March. Daily case totals have dropped significantly in the past three...
Churchill Valley Greenway project nearing finish line with $630,000 funding gap
The Allegheny Land Trust has until March 31 to raise another $630,000 in order to close on a deal to preserve 148 acres of vacant land at the defunct Churchill Valley Country Club. Despite nearly two years of raising money to reach the $3 million price tag, crossing the finish...
What will Brentwood’s Fourth of July Celebration look like this year?
Brentwood’s annual Fourth of July Celebration will happen this year – but the form it will take is still up in the air. “We will not have a completely silent Fourth of July like we did last year,” said AJ Doyle, vice chairman of Brentwood’s Fourth of July Committee. Doyle...
Dormont Pool to reopen this summer
Get ready to splash around again in the Dormont Pool. One of the more depressing aspects of the pandemic has been the limits put on recreational activities. The Dormont Pool was one of last summer’s casualties, sitting empty for all of 2020 because of the covid-19 pandemic. But that will...
Woman claims she was bitten by rat at Allegheny County Jail
Chavail Futrell got picked up on a bench warrant for missing court and was held at Allegheny County Jail on Feb. 8. Even though there were holds on her for minor drug charges out of Allegheny and Fayette counties, both were lifted by Feb. 10. Still, Futrell, 35, wasn’t released....
Forest Hills WWII Navy code-breaker celebrates 100th birthday with parade
It’s no secret. Julia Parsons, a Navy code-breaker in World War II, turned 100 on Tuesday. Birthday wishes could be heard from a mile away. A parade of police cars blaring sirens and honking horns made their way past her Forest Hills home. An ambulance, fire truck and other vehicles,...
People rally at Rep. Conor Lamb’s Penn Hills office in support of $15 minimum wage increaseVideo
Joy Darden-Pipkins has been taking care of her godmother for around 20 years without being paid. “It’s a labor of love,” she said, adding she is grateful to be married to a man who makes enough money to pay the bills and the mortgage. Darden-Pipkins was one of around 30...
Navy vet gets diploma 77 years after leaving West View High School to serve in WWII
Like many young people of his generation, David Russell Tyson answered the call to serve his country during World War II when he was still a high school junior. After 77 years — and just two days shy of his 95th birthday — the Navy veteran finally received his diploma....
Westmoreland, Allegheny teachers earn Global Educators designation
Several area teachers have been recognized by the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association as Global Educators. The recognition is given to advisers who support the PSMLA Global Scholars program in their schools to lead Global Scholars graduates in two consecutive years with the PSMLA Global Educator Certificate. This year, 17...
Allegheny County covid hospitalizations drop by 25% in last week
The number of Allegheny County covid-19 patient hospitalizations has dropped by about 25% since last week, according to state Department of Health data. There were 152 hospitalizations as of Tuesday, down 54 from Thursday when 206 covid patients were in the hospital. Since hospitalizations peaked at 881 on Dec. 16,...
Lawsuit contends Allegheny County judge is illegally blocking access to virtual hearings
An Allegheny County court watch program filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Common Pleas Judge Anthony M. Mariani, accusing him of violating the public’s First Amendment rights by blocking virtual access to proceedings in his courtroom. The Abolitionist Law Center’s Court Watch program involves volunteers observing dozens of criminal court...
Dozens of Pine-Richland parents rally for more in-person learningVideo
Pine-Richland School District officials plan to gather more parental data as they work to offer five-day in-person learning to more grade levels in the next several weeks. A survey is will be posted today asking parents of students in grades 4-12 if they want full online learning, five-day in-person instruction...
New acting U.S. attorney named for Western District of Pa.
Longtime federal prosecutor Stephen R. Kaufman on Monday was named acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Kaufman joined the office in 1988 and most recently served as first assistant U.S. Attorney. He served as head of the criminal division from 2010 to 2018. Among his notable cases...
Police searching for man who fled after being pulled over along Route 28 in Harmar
Pennsylvania state police still were searching Monday for a man who fled from state troopers after they pulled him over on Route 28 in Harmar on Friday. Police identified the driver as Anthony Dwayne Smith Jr., 28, from the Pittsburgh area. At about 5:30 p.m., police say, they spotted Smith’s...
As St. Philip Catholic School in Crafton faces closure, group appeals decision
St. Philip Catholic School in Crafton is scheduled to close as part of a merger, but a group of parents is determined to reverse Bishop David Zubik’s decision. The Diocese of Pittsburgh announced in February the school would merge with St. Margaret of Scotland School in Green Tree and that...
Covid cases continue to climb at Allegheny County Jail
The number of inmates at Allegheny County Jail who are positive for covid-19 has doubled in the last week. As of Sunday, 76 inmates were positive for the novel coronavirus, with another 27 tests pending, according to the county’s website. Also on Monday, six pods at the jail were in...
Allegheny County’s covid numbers saw dramatic decline in February
Allegheny County saw its covid numbers drop dramatically in the month of February, recording 53% fewer new cases than in January. February’s total new cases in the county added up to 7,301. In January, that number was 15,559. It was the second largest month-to-month decline during the entire pandemic. The...
Pittsburgh zoo reopens with enhanced safety measures
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium reopened Monday with modified hours and safety precautions meant to limit the risk of covid-19. Through April, the zoo will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with entry gates closing at 3 p.m. Beginning Memorial Day weekend, gates will close at 4...
WWII code-breaker, Julia Parsons of Forest Hills, to be honored for 100th birthday and top-secret serviceVideo
Julia Parsons knows how to keep a secret. She was tight-lipped about one for more than 50 years. Parsons, 99, of Forest Hills, was a code-breaker in World War II. She served in the U.S. Navy’s WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), after graduating from Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie...
West Mifflin nonprofit travels to Texas to help animals in need
When Walter Schwarz and Dave Stash received a call from the Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team for a mission to Houston, Texas, they didn’t think twice about going. By Friday, the duo had packed a suitcase within 24 hours of learning of the mission that would send them driving to...
313 new coronavirus cases reported in Allegheny County, 11 deaths
Allegheny County on Saturday recorded 313 new coronavirus cases, as case counts have seen a relative bump up and hospitalizations have significantly increased. Reports haven’t reached 500 cases in nearly six weeks and the county hasn’t reported any 1,000-case days in the past eight weeks, according to data from the...
Several officials and business owners rally against a proposed PennDOT I-79 bridge tollVideo
A proposed toll to pay for a bridge widening project along I-79 in the South Fayette area is unnecessary and would cause undo hardship to motorists, as well as residents and business owners of several nearby communities, according to state and local officials. “This toll is a tax,” state Sen....
