Local category, Page 2352

Allegheny County Health officials reported 177 new covid-19 cases Friday, representing a slight dip after a record-setting 233 on Thursday, but still far above what the county was seeing just two weeks ago. Five more people were hospitalized since Thursday’s 11 a.m. data was released. The running county case-count stands...

A North Hills church has set up an around-the-clock resource called a “blessing box” to help residents who need help with food and other essential items. “Our church leadership was desperate to do something helpful for people during the stay-at-home orders and subsequent time period,” said the Rev. Niki Atkinson,...

Tarentum’s Zoning Hearing Board determined that the borough’s zoning ordinance does not, in effect, exclude billboards everywhere in town. The ruling is part of an ongoing debate regarding a request from America First Enterprises to install an LED billboard at 107 E. Fourth Ave. Elevated on a pole, it would...

A Derry Township man is in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond after state police said he fled from troopers trying to arrest him on a parole warrant. Justin James Jones, 35, is charged with flight to avoid apprehension and disorderly conduct. Police said they saw Jill Cherie Kratzer, 37,...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District will hold a virtual public meeting 6 p.m. Wednesday to kick off the Youghiogheny River Lake Master Plan revision. The corps is seeking public input about environmental and recreational subjects to consider during the master plan revision process. The plan guides the...

Need milk? Schneider’s Dairy, the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department and the American Dairy Association North East have a truckload to give away. The organizations will host a drive-through milk giveaway Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of Robert F. Nicely Elementary School in Greensburg. There...

A section of Keystone Road in Hempfield will close beginning Wednesday for maintenance of a railroad crossing. Crews from Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad are scheduled to begin work at 8:30 a.m. The closure, between Eckman Way and Huff Avenue, is expected to continue until 3:30 p.m. Aug. 3. PennDOT has designated...

The body of a man who fell into a creek while hiking in McConnells Mill State Park in early May has been recovered. Jeff Hanby II, 38, was found Thursday by search crews, according to a park official. Hanby fell into Slippery Rock Creek on May 2 while hiking along...

Popular overlook Beam Rocks, which was defaced with graffiti in April, will return to its natural state later this summer. Fifteen volunteers were tapped to help clean the sandstone outcroppings on the border of Westmoreland and Somerset counties in Forbes State Forest. Bureau of Forestry environmental education specialist Rachael Mahony...

Pittsburgh firefighters spent nearly three hours battling a fire early Friday morning at the former Horace Mann School in the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood that authorities say likely was started by fireworks. Firefighters encountered heavy smoke coming from the roof of the vacant building on Shadeland Avenue when they arrived just...

Two pedestrians were struck by a vehicle early Friday morning in Mt. Pleasant Township, according to firefighters who responded to the scene. The incident happened shortly after 2:30 a.m. along East Main Street near the intersections with Yoder Avenue and Maple Street, according to a state police dispatcher. One victim,...

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. Freeport Theatre Festival to open 2020 season The Freeport Theatre...

While Kennywood and Sandcastle park officials postponed reopenings due to the rise in positive coronavirus cases in Allegheny County, Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier Township will open its gates to the general public as scheduled on July 11. Jeff Croushore, director of marketing at Idlewild and SoakZone, said the park’s...

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will hold its second free fishing day of the year Saturday when anyone can fish legally on waterways in the state without a license. However, they must still obey state fishing regulations. The commission offers these days on holiday weekends when many people are...

The Richard King Mellon Foundation plans to add another $10 million to its earlier $15 million covid-19 response grant package, officials announced Thursday. The $25 million total commitment includes a new $2.5 million higher-education initiative, aimed at helping area colleges and universities safely reopen in the fall. “Education always is...

Kennywood and Sandcastle will postpone a planned reopening Monday, park officials announced Thursday. Allegheny County officials announced additional restrictions on businesses and public gatherings amid a weeklong spike in covid-19 cases. “While we are looking forward to the start of our summer season, we understand the reasoning behind the recent...

Three employees at the Penn Hills Shop ‘n Save supermarket tested positive for covid-19 infections Tuesday and Wednesday, according to store officials. A representative said the store remains open for business while the staff has stepped up sanitizing procedures that already were in place. The three employees are quarantined at...

There is good news for travelers who use the ramps impacted by the I-579 “Cap” Urban Connector project. The ramps from Seventh Avenue and Bedford Avenue to southbound I-579 will reopen to traffic at 6 a.m. Friday morning. The ramps have been closed since Jan. 4 to allow construction of...

A Lower Burrell man who survived four bouts of cancer and a lengthy fight against covid-19 passed away Wednesday night after a Hodgkin’s Lymphoma recurrence. Fred Szoch, 69, had recently spent 75 days in the hospital, including 21 days on a ventilator, battling covid-19. He hailed his recovery as a...

Levin Furniture stores in Hempfield, Monroeville, Wexford, Curry Hollow and 13 other locations around Pittsburgh and Cleveland will reopen at 11 a.m. Friday with former owner Robert Levin at the helm. Levin sold his family’s chain of stores in 2017 to Art Van Furniture but later structured a $25.7 million...

Westmoreland County government and court offices will be closed Friday in observance of the July 4 holiday. Federal and state offices are also closed on Friday. All courthouse operations and court proceedings will resume on Monday, July 6....

This is anything but a normal Fourth of July holiday weekend. But there still are ways to safely gather with family and some — the operative word being some — friends while staying safe during the current spike in covid-19. “It is going to be a different holiday,” said Dr....

Local supporters of President Trump are planning a boat parade and rally in Pittsburgh on Saturday, saying they are encouraging participants to wear masks and maintain social distance in response to a soaring covid-19 infection rate in Allegheny County. Tricia Cunningham of Washington Township, founder of the local grassroots group...