Local category, Page 2341
71 Fayette Co. inmates test positive for coronavirus; courthouse reopening for business
More than half of the inmates at the Fayette County Prison tested positive for covid-19 as county officials prepare to reopen its courthouse Thursday after a two-week closure. The county has seen big jumps in the number of confirmed cases in recent days, and 32 county employees have tested positive...
Lamp Theatre remains dark as 3 workers cut
Hurt by the cancellation of shows since mid-March because of the covid-19 shutdowns, coupled with a public as hesitant about mingling in crowds as performers were cautious about traveling, The Lamp Theatre in Irwin has furloughed its three employees. With revenue slowed to a trickle, The Lamp Theatre decided it...
O’Hara Council meeting Zoom bombed before residents continue park-renaming argument
People who tuned into O’Hara Council’s Zoom meeting Tuesday night got an earful that wasn’t about township parks or sewers. Council was the victim of at least two Zoom bombers who unloaded a barrage of vulgarities throughout the first 20 minutes of the remote meeting. The pranksters were able to...
AG Shapiro confirms investigation into embattled Brighton Rehab nursing home in Beaver CountyVideo
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has launched a criminal investigation into the embattled Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County, the Tribune-Review has learned. A spokesperson for Shapiro confirmed Wednesday morning his office is exploring whether criminal charges are warranted related to the “conditions and practices” at the Brighton...
Westmoreland County adds 18 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County added 18 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The new cases — all confirmed — bring the county’s total to 1,573 cases. There were 260 new tests reported, for a daily positivity rate of 6.92%. Overall, the county’s positivity rate since the outbreak...
Pittsburgh restaurant closed for week after violating covid-19 regulations
Seven, a restaurant and nightclub in Downtown Pittsburgh, was ordered by the Allegheny County Health Department to close for seven days for violating covid-19 regulations. The health department’s report cited several violations of covid-19 mandates, including employees not wearing masks — a violation of Gov. Tom Wolf’s mandate for universal...
Allegheny County reports 13 new coronavirus deaths
Allegheny County added 13 new deaths attributed to coronavirus to its totals Wednesday, but some of the deaths reach back into July. The county Health Department’s report brings the total covid-19 related deaths to 273. It was the highest single-day report since the outbreak began in March, with previous reports...
Board recommends suspension of Allegheny County judge for alleged racial comments
The Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board on Wednesday referred charges against Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Mark V. Tranquilli to the state Court of Judicial Discipline and recommended that he be suspended. The allegations against him include six counts of judicial misconduct, including that he engaged in “racial or other harassment,”...
Aspinwall eyes improvements to reduce stormwater overflow to section of Alley A
Aspinwall is eyeing improvements to a section of Alley A that are expected to help reduce stormwater overflow. The cost of the project is $268,660. Work will target a section of Alley A from Center to Western avenues and is expected to be started in the near future, according to...
Delmont will update, modernize its burning ordinanceVideo
If you want to have a fire in a Delmont driveway fire pit on Friday, technically you had to notify the fire department in writing by Monday. “I was looking at it and I thought, ‘This is nuts. Who does this?’” Councilman Bill Marx said. With that in mind, Delmont...
Western Pa. leaders working to exceed census response rates from 2010
Fewer people have responded to the 2020 census across Western Pennsylvania than in 2010, new data shows. According to the Pennsylvania State Data Center, several area counties, including Allegheny and Westmoreland, are about 5 percentage points behind self-response rates recorded in 2010. That means fewer people so far have responded...
Neighbors pleased with youth group’s efforts at fighting blight in Jeannette
For years, Paul and Paula Hassinger were met with blight the moment they took a step outside their West Jeannette front door. Now, the abandoned houses across 12th Street looks much better after a Murrysville church group ripped out some overgrown weeds and brush last month, but the Hassingers still...
Pittsburgh’s North Shore restaurants endure summer without sports fans
Rico Lunardi opened the third location of Slice on Broadway, his local pizza chain in 2016 at PNC Park. He guesses he missed only five or six Pirates game nights since he opened the spot with a street entrance on Federal Street. “I will never be a professional athlete, but...
Township makes truck payment on behalf of East Huntingdon’s cash-strapped fire department
East Huntingdon Fire Chief Brian Kite knew $61,000 was a lot of money to request from the township. But the department’s $61,000 annual fire truck payment was looming. With several months worth of canceled fundraisers and a firemen’s club ordered closed by the state, the money was going to otherwise...
The Stroller, Aug. 12, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your non-profit organization going to have a fundraiser? Send information to The Stroller at least a week in advance to vndnews@tribweb.com or The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on Twitter @VNDStroller for a daily link...
Westmoreland community events: Aug. 12
Sale Fairview Church of God rummage sale is set for Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The church is located on Route 982, between Laurelville and Kecksburg in Mt. Pleasant Township. Meeting Post-pandemic life will be the topic for the next meeting for the Socrates Café at the Delmont Public Library....
Delmont-Salem Rotary proposes service project at Delmont parklet
In 1907, the first-ever Rotary Club project was the construction of a single-stall men’s restroom in Chicago. Some 113 years later, the Delmont-Salem Rotary Club is looking to the past for its 2021 service project: proposing to build a restroom at Delmont’s Rose Wigfield Parklet. Incoming club president Harold Hicks...
Plum’s stormwater task force gets new member, public meeting in the works
Plum’s stormwater task force has a new member and may have its first public meeting soon. Council appointed resident Bill Chapla on Monday night to fill one of the two vacancies on the committee that was created to address flooding issues. “I was affected by last year’s flooding on Pine...
Gateway School Board allows Grace Life Church to continue services at high school despite concerns
The Gateway School Board narrowly voted down an administrative recommendation Tuesday to place a temporary moratorium on all facility rentals amid ongoing concerns of spreading covid-19. The vote, 5-4, means outside groups can continue to rent school district buildings throughout the school year. Those in favor of stopping facility rentals...
Plum School District officials approve later start date, opening with hybrid model
Plum School District officials have pushed back the first day of classes and plan to start in-person schooling with half the students at a time. The school board approved the changes at a special meeting Tuesday night. Opening day has been moved from Aug. 19 to Wednesday, Sept. 2. Superintendent...
Mt. Pleasant PTO hoping to buy $40,000 in air-conditioning units for elementary buildings
Almost every child wants to look cool when they go back to school. In Mt. Pleasant Area School District, parent-teacher organization members want children to feel cool as well. The group hopes district officials will allow them to buy about $40,000 worth of portable air-conditioning units for its elementary schools,...
Sewickley councilman resigns, mayor to step down at end of the year
Sewickley officials seek to fill a vacancy on council by next month, and plan to appoint a new mayor early next year. The resignations of both Councilman Hendrik van der Vaart and Mayor Brian Jeffe were addressed by council Tuesday night. Van der Vaart submitted his letter of resignation Friday....
Monroeville nursing home reports 47 covid-19 cases, after reporting zero last week
A Monroeville nursing home has reported 47 cases of covid-19 to state health officials, after reporting none a week ago. Long-term care facility data from the state’s Department of Health shows that Monroeville Rehabilitation & Wellness Center reported zero cases of covid-19. In numbers updated on Tuesday, the center reported...
McKeesport man charged by feds in fentanyl overdose death case
A McKeesport man is accused of dealing the fentanyl that caused an overdose death last year, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Rahde “Raw” Williamson, 25, who formerly lived in Duquesne, faces drug and weapons charges stemming from two grand jury indictments returned last week, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said. One...
As Post-Gazette employee representatives consider a strike, analysts say strategy can be dicey
A strike is “in the arsenal” for newspapers to use in labor negotiations, said Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst for the Poynter Institute. But it’s “sort of the atomic bomb,” he said. Edmonds, referring to a potential strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, said these work stoppages once were commonplace...
