Local category, Page 2377

Catholic churches in both the Greensburg Diocese and Pittsburgh Diocese will be permitted to reopen their doors for private prayer beginning May 15, diocese officials have announced. Pittsburgh Diocese officials also eased restrictions on weddings and funeral Masses from having no more than 10 people in attendance to no more...

Universities that bring thousands of students to Southwestern Pennsylvania every fall are offering reassurances that they hope to reopen shuttered classrooms and dormitories in August. Although the region is scheduled to begin reopening on May 15, colleges and universities are not yet permitted to resume face-to-face operations in classrooms and...

Pittsburgh orthodontist David Pechersky knows he has a lot of patients who need him right now and, like many in his profession, he’s been frustrated by his inability to see them. “I’ve got patients with braces who haven’t been seen for three or four months, because we schedule eight to...

Greensburg Salem School District postponed its already-delayed graduation ceremony for another three weeks, and is planning a drive-in ceremony that will allow attendees to watch from their cars. Graduation will be held 6:45 p.m. July 9 in a parking lot at Westmoreland County Community College. The district is looking into...

People across Western Pennsylvania could receive a census packet on their doorsteps starting next week as the bureau resumes some operations halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. On May 13, questionnaire packets will be left at households that typically do not receive mail at their physical address, said Susan Licate,...

The Greensburg Community Development Corporation is conducting an anonymous survey of city business owners to learn more about how they’ve been affected by the coronavirus shutdown. “We know they have been negatively impacted, but we want to see how Greensburg compares to the rest of the country,” said corporation Executive...

A woman had to be airlifted to a Pittsburgh hospital this week for treatment of a serious head injury after allegedly being assaulted by a Hempfield man, state police said. Brian J. Halko, 38, was charged by state police with aggravated assault, criminal mischief, harassment and simple assault after the...

Both the Westmoreland Cultural Trust and Old Joe Club Charities were able to hold their largest annual fundraisers before the coronavirus prompted a statewide lockdown. The Trust’s Party at the Palace and Old Joe’s Men’s Night Out both took place in February, about a month before event cancellations began to...

Beaver County officials blasted Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday for his decision to keep their county under the most restrictive pandemic-related guidelines, while the county’s district attorney declared he wouldn’t prosecute business owners who choose to flout the continued restrictions. Commissioners and lawmakers got ahead of Wolf’s 2 p.m. announcement...

Someone dumped sand in a revolving door at Pittsburgh’s City Hall on Thursday night, hours after city officials reported a public works crew put sand in a shuttered neighborhood skateboard park to prevent repeated break-ins. Public safety spokesman Chris Togneri said police were investigating the sand dumping in a doorway...

Allegheny and Westmoreland are among the counties Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday can begin the first phase of a gradual reopening and easing of coronavirus-related restrictions. A majority of the Southwest and South-Central counties will proceed to the yellow phase of the tiered reopening plan on May 15. That includes...

Authorities seized hundreds of suspected marijuana plants during a raid on the home of a 66-year-old Penn Hills man, according to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. Kenneth Creekmore will face charges of drug possession and possession with intent to deliver, District Attorney spokesman Mike Manko said. Police from numerous...

Lower Burrell Council will hold its regular monthly meeting via a telephone conference 7 p.m. Monday, but residents cannot access it in real time. The public is being asked to submit comments and questions prior to the meeting. While residents can view council’s agenda online and later, the meeting transcript,...

Pennsylvania added 200 more coronavirus deaths to its toll on Friday along with more than 1,300 new cases of the virus, state health officials said. The new numbers bring the statewide death toll to 3,616. Of those deaths, 2,458 — 68% — have been in long-term care facilities. The total...

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is changing the location and day of operation for its popular Market Square farmers market as a safety precaution during the coronavirus pandemic. The partnership announced Friday that the market will open May 17 in a parking lot at 11th Street and Waterfront Place in the...

Allegheny County officials reported 16 additional cases of covid-19 and two more deaths Friday, bringing the total to 1,455 confirmed or probable cases and 119 deaths countywide. The county reported 45 cases Thursday — the biggest single-day increase in reported cases in two weeks — but attributed that increase to...

A 13th resident died from coronavirus at Kane Community Living Center’s Glen Hazel location, according to data from Allegheny County. At least 110 residents at the long-term care facility have been tested for covid-19, and 71 have tested positive. Four tests are pending. A total of 174 people reside in...

Officials in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties applauded Gov. Tom Wolf’s decision Friday to move most of Southwestern Pennsylvania to a phase of eased coronavirus restrictions, though many said the decision was overdue. “It’s a step in the right direction,” Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes said. “This should’ve happened a week...

Nearly 150 emergency service vehicles in Westmoreland County got a thorough cleaning for free last month from Premier Automation in Monroeville. Nine employees at the engineered solutions company volunteered for more than a week to clean 148 fire trucks, police cars, ambulances and other vehicles, according to an announcement from...

Francois Clemmons vividly recalls a come-to-Jesus meeting with Fred Rogers 52 years ago, as if it happened yesterday. Clemmons, who had spent a good portion of his life struggling with his sexuality, was coming into his own as a gay man. He was frequenting a gay club behind the Greyhound...

The Leechburg Area School Board has awarded a contract to add artificial turf to Leechburg’s Veterans Memorial Stadium. The district will pay South Carolina-based Sprinturf roughly $1 million to install the turf and add a track one-eighth of a mile long. Business Manager Brad Walker said the district obtained a...

The coldest temperatures ever recorded in May in the Pittsburgh area are expected overnight Friday into Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. A freeze warning is scheduled to run from midnight to 9 a.m. Saturday, with the low temperature expected to get down to 26 degrees, meteorologist Michael...