Local category, Page 2401

With pro and college sports shut down for most of March due to the covid-19 crisis, Pennsylvania’s retail and online sportsbooks took a big hit in monthly revenue. But online casinos and poker exploded to a new record. Coronavirus shutdowns cost sportsbooks $220 million in wagers during March, according to...

The University of Pittsburgh’s Emphysema COPD Research Center will participate in two new national lung health studies, including one that focuses on covid-19, as it partners with the American Lung Association’s Airways Clinical Research Centers Network (ACRC). Long on the forefront of research in asthma and COPD, the network includes...

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will hold another drive-up distribution at its Duquesne headquarters Monday. The distribution, which runs from noon to 3 p.m., will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 vehicles. Each vehicle will receive two boxes. The food bank is asking attendees to begin lining up no...

Sitting at home all day, many of us are asking ourselves how we can help others during this pandemic. Read The Stroller daily for announcements of how everyone can ease the pressure and stress of others, even while maintaining social distancing. Information for The Stroller should be emailed to vndnews@tribweb.com....

Getting paid based on commission rather than salary, whether it is selling cars, insurance, or houses, can be tough — especially when the state closes a worker’s business as part of a sweeping effort to stop the spread of coronavirus. Howard Hanna Real Estate Service, the largest real estate firm...

A state police fire marshal was called to investigate late Thursday as firefighters battled flames that engulfed an abandoned house in the West Bolivar section of Fairfield, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. Crews from Bolivar, Fairfield and New Florence fire departments were dispatched just before 11 p.m. to...

A male victim was in stable condition after a shooting Thursday night in Pittsburgh’s Upper Hill, city police said. Police initially found no evidence of gunfire when they responded at about 7:20 p.m. to a Shotspotter alert for the 3100 block of Iowa Street. Then they were told about the...

Staff at a popular Swissvale eatery known for its Battleship and Destroyer subs had a sinking feeling Thursday when no one showed up to claim an afternoon order of 300 sandwiches. But, according to Triangle Bar and Grill staff member Rob Bradica, all turned out well. The surplus sandwiches —...

Penn-Trafford officials have set two alternative dates this summer to hold the commencement ceremonies that were canceled for May 26 because of Gov. Wolf’s order banning large gatherings and the closing of schools in the state. Commencement is now scheduled for June 26. But if that date must be postponed,...

A Clairton man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh early this month has turned himself in to authorities. Devlin Clifford Jr., 20, allegedly killed Esam Tanzim Hossain, 23, of San Jose on April 1, according to Pittsburgh police. Hossain was found shot in...

A Pittsburgh nonprofit has tapped funding from the Hillman Foundation to provide loans and grants to organizations in Allegheny and Beaver counties that are experiencing economic distress during the covid-19 pandemic. New Sun Rising announced Thursday it has used $100,000 in seed money from the Hillman Foundation to create a...

Federal officials green-lighted Pennsylvania’s request to boost the payments for some food stamp recipients — but rejected the state’s attempt to send extra money to all of them. The state Department of Human Services received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service to issue a limited...

A 59-year-old Washington Township man was accused Thursday of sexually soliciting a minor in Maryland, state police said. Donald Henry Loughner of Washington Township, was detained by Kiski Valley state police on a warrant issued Thursday by Washington Township District Judge Jason Buczak. The warrant was based on information from...

A driver died after he lost control of a box truck, which crashed into a pole in Pittsburgh’s East End on Thursday morning. A spokeswoman for Pittsburgh Public Safety said a passenger in the truck said they managed to steer the truck into a pole and out of the path...

Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday he has not yet decided precisely when to end Pennsylvania’s pandemic-spurred lockdown, and he warned that a persisting shortage of testing capacity remains a major hindrance to doing so. ”I have been considering when we end this phase from the time I put it into...

A West Newton man was arrested after a woman reported she was dragged by his car and injured Thursday during a domestic argument that went on for 40 miles. Cornell J.T. Dirico, 26, was arrested by Rostraver Police outside his residence in the 200 block of West Main Street at...

The general contractor that completed construction of Latrobe Elementary School in December 2018 has filed suit against the building architect, seeking $1.3 million in damages related to a four-month project delay. Nello Construction of Carnegie filed the civil complaint this week in Westmoreland County Court, claiming that Axis Architecture breached...

The Mt. Pleasant Area School Board and teachers ratified a new five-year contract Wednesday, even as students and teachers — separated by the coronavirus shutdown — worked from their homes. The board approved the contract retroactive to Sept. 1, 2018, and extending through Aug. 31, 2023, by an 8-1 vote....

Beaver County officials said Thursday they are frustrated about differing state reports on how many nursing home residents have coronavirus as they grapple with one agency’s report that Brighton Rehabilitation has more than 100 cases. The state Department of Health is reporting 70 cases total across two of the county’s...

When covid-19 began spreading across the United States, Excela Health officials looked to someone who had helped in the past to plan for the future. “Our Quality and Safety Departments asked Dave Byers, who retired last year as Excela Health’s director of safety, if he would be willing to join...

Nearly 450,000 people have applied to vote in the June 2 primary by mail-in and absentee ballots, and the number is expected to grow as people look for an alternative to voting in person because of coronavirus concerns, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State. The agency is urging voters...

A 16-year-old boy was reported in stable condition after being shot Wednesday in Pitcairn. Allegheny County Police said borough officers responded to a call for shots fired around 7:10 p.m. at the intersection of Fourth Street and Highland Avenue. Authorities said police found evidence of a shooting along the 500...

University of Pittsburgh junior Kathryn Fleisher has been awarded a 2020 Harry S. Truman Scholarship, one of 62 students in the country to win the prestigious award and the 13th in Pitt’s history. The Truman Scholarship is awarded to students who excel in their commitment to public service. Following the...