Local category, Page 2364
S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes marks 50th anniversary in Pittsburgh this yearVideo
Wooden puzzles, action figures, card and board games may seem old-fashioned to those playing the latest electronics or virtual reality contraption. However, it’s those hand-held items and more that has kept S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes around for half a century. Owner Jack Cohen, 73, of Shadyside, said he’s grateful...
More people willing to share location data for contact tracing, new study shows
A new study shows more people across the country choosing to share their phone’s location data during the pandemic, allowing entities to more easily track the pandemic. Researchers from three universities hoped to gauge the public attitude toward digital contact tracing using smartphones, which have always gathered location data on...
Idlewild & SoakZone curtails summer schedule to 3 days per week
Idlewild & SoakZone announced it will be open only three days per week for the remainder of the 2020 season. Beginning the final week of July, the Ligonier Township amusement park will be open only Fridays through Sundays. It also will be open on Labor Day, Sept. 7. After a...
Fire at Springdale plant sends firefighter to hospital
A firefighter was taken to a hospital for possible heat exhaustion Friday after battling a fire at the Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale. Multiple fire and EMS companies responded to the plant along the 100 block of Porter Street around 5:40 p.m. Springdale fire Chief Kevin Wilhelm said insulation on...
Searchers find body of 13-year-old girl who went missing in Monongahela River in West Mifflin
The body of a 13-year-old girl who went missing in the Monongahela River on Friday has been found, West Mifflin police said Saturday. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified her as Kristina Rai. The search began at about 6 p.m. Friday when the girl was reported missing in the water...
Baldwin-Whitehall School District reopening plans released amid school transitions
Baldwin-Whitehall School District officials are planning around the covid-19 pandemic while transitioning former elementary school students to a repurposed middle school. The aging K-5 W.R. Paynter Elementary School closed in June. Those children will be moved to the J.E. Harrison Middle School, also referred to as Harrison Education Center. The...
New AHN Cancer Institute-Allegheny General opens Monday
Allegheny Health Network plans to open its new 90,000-square foot AHN Cancer Institute-Allegheny General on Monday morning. It’s the centerpiece of Highmark and AHN’s $300 million expansion of cancer care throughout Western Pennsylvania, according to an AHN statement. The institute will serve as a hub for Allegheny Health Network’s community...
Allegheny Intermediate Unit appoints new executive director
A new executive director took over the Allegheny Intermediate Unit this week, the organization announced Thursday. Robert Scherrer, who has served as an administrator at several local school districts throughout his career, was appointed to the position in February and started work on Monday. Scherrer will serve as executive director...
Westmoreland DA files suit against opioid companies for costs of overdoses
The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office this week filed a lawsuit against nearly two dozen opioid distributors and manufacturers as part of a legal action that seeks financial restitution for addiction and overdoses attributed to the drugs. The lawsuit mirrors litigation filed in 2017 by county commissioners and is now...
What the spike in covid-19 hospitalizations means in Allegheny County
Health officials had predicted it, and now it’s here. Following several weeks of high daily case counts, hospitalizations in Allegheny County have steadily increased, with a record 22 hospitalizations reported Friday. In the past 19 days, the county has topped 200 new cases eight times, averaging 182 cases per day....
Pittsburgh native and former U.S. attorney Harry Litman rising in the podcast world with ‘Talking Feds’
In the crowded world of podcasting, Pittsburgh native Harry Litman is getting attention with “Talking Feds,” a weekly examination of legal and political topics with working experts in the field. Litman’s bona fides are in order: He served as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania (1998-2001) after nearly...
Life experiences help mold Sojourner House leader’s understanding of clients’ challenges
For De’netta Benjamin-Miller, the new executive director of Sojourner House, it wasn’t until life hit her with its ugliness that she was able to find the beauty in a calling she gets to answer every day. “It was through therapy where I found myself,” she said. Benjamin-Miller, 45, of Homewood...
PNC to close 52 branches, including 9 in Western Pa.
PNC Financial Services plans to permanently close 52 branch offices. In a filing with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the financial powerhouse said it intends to close nine branch offices in Western Pennsylvania, including offices in downtown Greensburg, Indiana, North Versailles, Elizabeth, Mt. Lebanon, West Mifflin, Bridgeville...
Legal experts: Mask requirements likely don’t violate Americans with Disabilities Act
Cries from across the country claiming constitutional rights are being stripped away by mask requirements might not be as valid as some people think. Mask requirements, put in place to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, are being challenged with lawsuits claiming they violate the Americans with Disabilities Act....
Police: Speed a factor in Gilpin man’s fatal crash
Speed was a probable cause of a fatal crash that killed a 26-year-old Gilpin Township man Tuesday night, police said. Christian Joshua Cuffia died after losing control of his car on Ice Pond Road, near Shearer Road around 7:30 p.m. The car traveled about 80 feet off the road before...
Harrison teacher adapts to pandemic with outdoor Kindermusik classes
For 19 years, Christa Beck has encouraged local children to move with the music at her Kindermusik program. A pandemic wasn’t going to stop that. Beck described Kindermusik as “interactive music and movement classes that focus on whole-child development using music.” She feels strongly that children need such programs —...
Judge who overturned Unity couple’s convictions in teen rape case to oversee retrial
A Westmoreland County judge refused to remove himself from the pending retrial of a Unity couple convicted two years ago in the rape of a teen girl. Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said prosecutors failed “to assert any rational, objective basis” for his recusal in the cases of Bruce...
Photos: Tull Family Theater in Sewickley reopens
The Tull Family Theater in Sewickley welcomed patrons back during a soft opening Friday. In an effort to keep customers healthy and safe, and in addition to government guidelines requiring limited occupancy and mask-wearing, the theater installed a new air purification and ionization system and are spraying virucide — a...
Virtual retreat equips Western Pa. teachers with tools for online education
When the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools across the nation, it wasn’t just students and parents who were tossed headlong into a brand-new challenge. Many teachers, counselors and principals faced the same dilemma. “All of a sudden, we found ourselves having to write game plans and blueprints for something that...
Clear skies expected this weekend following bouts of rain
The Pittsburgh region can expect to see clear skies and high temperatures over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The sunny forecast comes days after bouts of rain moved through the area this week. Yesterday’s showers brought close to an inch of rain at Pittsburgh International Airport, Meteorologist...
North Hills releases preliminary plan for return to school
North Hills school officials have released a preliminary plan for a return to school on Aug. 25 that offers students the option of enrolling in the district’s Online Academy or attending classes in person. The school board is expected to make a final decision on which plan to follow during...
Hempfield looking to implement solar farm feeVideo
Hempfield officials are looking to implement a solar farm fee. The fee would make the township more attractive to solar farm projects by putting permit costs in line with other municipalities, said Patrick Karnash, director of planning and zoning. As it stands now, those wanting to build a solar farm...
Linden Gym in Sharpsburg set to host Adidas-sponsored basketball tournament
Sharpsburg’s Linden Gym will be in the spotlight next week after being selected to host an Adidas-sponsored basketball tournament. The TD Sports Shootout is Aug. 1-2 and features athletes that range in age from eighth grade to high school juniors. Of particular local interest are the Sharpsburg Wolves, who use...
For young adults with nowhere to go after foster care, federal program offers hopeVideo
Leibrynn Russell doesn’t know where in Allegheny County she’ll be living soon, but she knows it will be in a house and not on the streets — a place where a quarter of the 20,000 teenagers who age out of the foster care system each year will end up within...
Portion of Route 28 down to single lane this weekend
Motorists should plan for single-lane traffic restrictions along southbound Route 28 this weekend from Millvale to O’Hara. Work will begin at 7 p.m. tonight and last through 8 p.m. Saturday, PennDOT announced. The project spans the Highland Park Bridge to the Millvale exit. Crews from Gulisek Construction will be patching...
