Allegheny County News category, Page 321
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....
Despite pandemic, UPMC rakes in record-high $23.1 billion in 2020 revenue
The coronavirus pandemic did not thwart UPMC from raking in a record-high $23.1 billion in 2020 operating revenue — nearly $2.5 billion more than the nonprofit health system generated in 2019 and $10 billion more than it did five years ago, data released Friday show. UPMC Chief Financial Officer Ed...
John DeFazio, former Allegheny County Council president and pro wrestler, diesVideo
Former professional wrestler Johnny DeFazio, who parlayed his athletic prowess into a seat on the Allegheny County Council, died Friday morning. He was 80 and lived in Shaler. A cause of death was not yet known. DeFazio first made a name for himself as “Jumping Johnny DeFazio” on the popular...
Sen. Robinson’s bill to boost veterans donations when renewing driver license passed unanimously by Pa. Senate
A measure introduced by a South Hills lawmaker to increase the amount of money that can be donated to help military veterans when a resident renews their vehicle documents was approved unanimously by the Pennsylvania Senate. Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Bridgeville, was the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 96, which increases...
Allegheny County sees most reported covid cases in a month — 1 from March 2020
Allegheny County reported the most additonal covid cases in over a month Friday, with at least one positive test coming from last March, according to the county Health Department. There were 412 additional covid-19 cases reported, the most since Jan. 23 (464 cases). Cases were mostly confirmed via PCR tests,...
TSA catches 2 guns in a day at Pittsburgh International, 7 so far this year
Twelve hours after security officers stopped a Texas woman with a loaded handgun at Pittsburgh International Airport, officers caught another handgun Thursday on a Monroeville woman who said she forgot the gun was in her purse. “This traveler’s forgetfulness was a careless mistake that will hit her wallet because, like...
Man critically wounded in Wilkinsburg shooting
A man was critically wounded in a shooting Thursday night in Wilkinsburg, according to Allegheny County police. The shooting was reported shortly before 9:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of Montier Street, an Allegheny County 911 dispatch supervisor said. First responders found a man with a gunshot wound to the...
Giant Eagle fills online appointments for Heinz Field covid vaccination clinic
All online appointments have been booked for a multi-day mass covid vaccination clinic at Heinz Field in March. Giant Eagle announced the clinic late Thursday afternoon, in partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Appointments could be made starting Friday morning for the clinic days: March 2-5, with a “significant number of...
Food Podcast: Adagio Health resumes speaker series; 1st part features food bank CEO Lisa Scales
Adagio Health, a nonprofit organization focused on providing health care services in underserved communities, will host the Adagio Health: Better Health Outcomes Speaker Series, beginning Thursday. The first part of the series will feature Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank President & CEO Lisa Scales alongside Feeding Pennsylvania Executive Director Jane...
Woodland Hills hosts summit on tough topics with Western Pa. high schools
Mental health. Racial injustice. Student grief and loss. Economic hardships. Self-care in a pandemic. Cultural discrepancies. Misrepresentation in media. These were topics explored by Western Pa. high schoolers on Thursday. A virtual Student Summit organized by students at Woodland Hills High School included peers from Aliquippa, Mt. Lebanon, Hampton, Gateway,...
TSA catches 5th gun this month at Pittsburgh International Airport
TSA agents at Pittsburgh International Airport caught another gun the airport’s security checkpoint on Thursday, the fifth in February alone, officials said. It’s the sixth time since the start of the year a traveler has been caught with a gun at the checkpoint. That’s roughly one gun every nine days....
Allegheny County to administer Pfizer vaccine at Castle Shannon site
The Allegheny County Health Department will start administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at its Castle Shannon distribution site next week. County officials said the health department received four trays of the Pfizer vaccine to be used for first doses. Appointments are required to receive a dose — and individuals must be...
