Local category, Page 2359
Pa. to provide $3 million for preschool early intervention pandemic-related supplies
With the start of the first full school year of the covid-19 era getting closer and concerns about safety increasing, Gov. Tom Wolf is taking preemptive measures to keep Early Intervention preschoolers safe. The governor announced he is setting aside about $3 million for Preschool Early Intervention Programs serving children...
Bell Township man’s race car, hearse make memorial victory lap at Lernerville SpeedwayVideo
The crowd of about 150 people at Lernerville Speedway on Wednesday afternoon was quiet until the roar of the sprint car owned by the late “B-Dog” Hawkins brought applause and tears. A popular local race car driver, Brandon D. “B-Dog” Hawkins, 26, of Bell Township was a union laborer who...
Briefs: Murrysville glass recycling event set for SeptemberVideo
Murrysville officials will partner with Republic Services to host a Sept. 19 glass recycling “pop-up” event at Veterans Field, 4170 Sardis Road. The collection will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and accepted types of glass include all colors of bottles, jars and jugs. Caps, lids and labels are...
Port Authority reports 3 new covid-19 cases
Three more Port Authority of Allegheny County employees have tested positive for covid-19, spokesman Adam Brandolph said. The new cases bring the number of covid-19 cases involving Port Authority employees to 32. Two of the new cases are bus drivers: one based in Collier and the other in Ross. Both...
Police investigating after New Ken’s Habitat for Humanity ReStore burglarized
A New Kensington nonprofit store dedicated to helping the less fortunate is still open for business despite being burglarized earlier this week, its executive director said. Habitat for Humanity Allegheny Valley said someone broke into Habitat’s ReStore, which resells donated goods in the city’s Parnassus neighborhood, and made off with...
Public comments could lead to ‘minor changes’ to Springhill Road project in Harrison
Allegheny County received more than 100 comments about a project to create a shared pedestrian and bicycle lane on Springhill Road in Harrison. The path would be between North Canal Street and McWilliams Drive. Springhill Road, now four lanes up and down the hill, would be reduced to three lanes,...
Point Park University, IUP partner on human resources programs
Two of the region’s universities have partnered to form a path for students to receive a master’s degree in human resources — a business specialization that focuses on the administrative duties and policies in an organization. Point Park University students who receive a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management can...
Penn Hills School District’s reopening plans to focus on hybrid learning
Penn Hills School District officials plan to welcome students back to school with a hybrid in-person learning model, as well as a continued online learning option for families who might not be comfortable sending children back into the buildings. Administrators are expected to officially present the two options during a...
Struggling restaurant owners tell Pa. lawmakers: ‘We’re limping along here’Video
With a $20,000 monthly mortgage payment, the owner of a Hempfield brewpub told state legislators his business is barely breaking even under a state-mandated 25% customer capacity order. “We’re limping along here, and we need help,” said Greg Cammerata, owner of IronRock Tap House. Cammerata and IronRock executive chef Arnold...
Construction company exec picked to fill McCandless town council vacancy
McCandless council has filled the vacancy for Ward 3 representative with a project manager for a construction company that specializes in building health care facilities. Council voted unanimously July 27 to appoint Mike Tarle to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of first-term councilman Chuck Mazur, who stepped down...
I-579 ‘cap’ project remains on schedule despite pandemic; 1st concrete slabs set into place
Construction of a “cap” linking the Hill District to Downtown Pittsburgh remains on schedule despite restrictions necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, PennDOT officials said Wednesday. The nearly $30 million I-579 Urban Connector, known as the I-579 “Cap,” is still on pace to open in 2022, according to PennDOT. The first...
Census Bureau to send out emails to spark response rates
The Census Bureau is making one last effort to contact people who have not yet responded to the once-a-decade survey by sending out emails. Households in low-responding census tracts will receive an email from 2020census@subscriptions.census.gov encouraging people to fill out the form online, as well as informing them why the...
Fayette County closes courthouse in response to growing number of coronavirus cases
Fayette County government and court officials halted general operations at the courthouse and surrounding facilities in Uniontown in response to growing numbers of staffers who have tested positive for coronavirus. Commissioners Wednesday instituted a two-week closure and required most county employees to work from home while limiting court operations. Commissioner...
Western Pa. residents among those receiving ‘mystery seed’ packets
Shawn O’Mahony of Penn Hills ordered a bunch of seeds online to jump-start his 2020 garden. So, when a couple of packets he didn’t recognize showed up in the spring, it didn’t seem like a big deal. “I received two of them a couple months ago,” O’Mahony said. “They were...
Feds charge 8 in Pittsburgh protests that turned violent
A federal grand jury indicted eight people in connection with damage and vandalism during protests May 30 in Downtown Pittsburgh. Most of those indicted were in some way connected to the destruction of two Pittsburghpolice cruisers that were set ablaze during protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in...
Cicadas abuzz around Western Pennsylvania as summer progresses
The annual cicadas are buzzing in Western Pennsylvania, as the large insects emerge from underground for the hottest months of summer. Cicadas are best known for their noises — mating calls coming from the males — that can be heard from dawn till dusk. Joe Stavish, manager of community education...
Woodland Hills School District reopening plan begins with online classes
Woodland Hills School District on Tuesday released a plan for reopening its schools, beginning with virtual instruction. The academic year will begin on Aug. 24, as planned, but there will be no students in the classrooms. Per the document outlining the plan, schools may reopen for in-person classes after “14...
Westmoreland County adds 24 new coronavirus cases, 1 death
On Wednesday, Westmoreland County continued its streak of daily double-digit coronavirus cases for the month of July. In their latest report, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 24 new cases, bringing the county’s total to 1,351. The state also reported one new death, as the county’s toll climbed to 45....
South Main Street in Greensburg to close Thursday during Pence visit; Rally for Black Lives to be held, too
Drivers traveling through Greensburg on Thursday may have to find an alternate route. Part of South Main Street will be closed at some point Thursday morning to accommodate a Cops for Trump rally with Vice President Mike Pence, said Tom Bell, fire chief and public works director. But an exact...
New VP named to oversee development of 2 state casinos, including Westmoreland siteVideo
A 25-year gambling industry veteran will lead the expansion of two new casinos in Pennsylvania, including the soon-to-be mini casino in Hempfield. Joe Billhimer was named executive vice president of the Maryland-based Cordish Gaming Group, a division of The Cordish Companies, which owns the $150 million casino under construction at...
Pitt’s School of Public Health welcomes students with opera about obstetrician who championed hand-washing
With uncertainty hanging over the campus during the pandemic, the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health was kicking around socially distanced ideas of how to welcome students back. That’s when the school hit upon the notion that a screening of a modern opera about the “father of sanitation...
CORE launches social media campaign to promote organ donation
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) launched a social media campaign to spread awareness and recruit new organ donors. The campaign, dubbed #JustOne, aims to demonstrate how many lives just one new organ donor could save. “The very fact that one donor can save eight lives showcases the...
Update: Shaler road reopens after crash
Route 8 in Shaler has reopened after a morning crash. A portion of the road closed around 8:45 a.m. after a vehicle crash at Spencer Lane Extension. Police suggested a detour from Butler Plank Road to Mount Royal Boulevard. According to a social media post from Shaler police, the road...
Allegheny County hits triple digits of new coronavirus cases for 7th straight day
Allegheny County recorded new coronavirus cases in triple digits for the seventh straight day on Wednesday. The Allegheny County Health Department reported 125 new cases, along with five additional deaths and 10 new hospitalizations. The five deaths attributed to coronavirus happened from July 14-24 and ranged in age from 70...
Fox Chapel committee to examine removing word ‘Squaw’ from street, trail names
A new committee in Fox Chapel will examine the impacts of the word “Squaw” and its use in borough street and trail names. The issue has become hotly debated in recent months, with several residents requesting local governments to replace the word, saying it is a slur against Native American...
