Western PA Local News category, Page 2415
Census Bureau: In-person census counts to ‘present low risk’ of transmitting coronavirus
As in-person counting efforts kick off across the country for the decennial census, bureau officials are working to keep staff and members of the public safe from the coronavirus. “Participation in 2020 census interviews should present a low risk of transmission of covid-19,” according to the Census Bureau. In-person enumerators...
Allegheny County judge adds protections to moratorium on evictions
Allegheny County Commons Pleas President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark issued an order Friday protecting renters from eviction for the rest of the month. The temporary order covers county residents not protected by Gov. Tom Wolf’s moratorium on evictions during the covid-19 pandemic. The governor’s executive order does not impact evictions...
DUI, drug cases among those recently handled by Judge Zucco in Plum – Aug. 7, 2020
District Judge Linda Zucco recently handled the following cases. Charges were filed by Plum police unless otherwise noted. Held for court • Patrick McAndrew, 23, of Oakmont on charges of simple assault, harassment and receiving stolen property. Oakmont police filed the charges Feb. 14. Waived preliminary hearings • Matthew Plance,...
Hempfield plans to play fall sports despite state recommendation
Hempfield plans to proceed with fall sports despite Gov. Tom Wolf’s recommendation they be delayed until 2021. In a letter posted on the district’s website, Superintendent Tammy Wolicki wrote school officials plan to move forward with their athletic health and safety plan passed by the board in June. The plan...
Shaw memorial motorcycle run rides again; scholarship awarded to Lower Burrell man
The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t hampered interest in a fundraiser that preserves the legacy of a New Kensington police officer who was killed in the line of duty. The third Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship Ride and Event, set for Aug. 16, is sold out, with ride slots still open for...
Allegheny County prosecutor continues coronavirus recovery, denied workers’ comp claim
Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney Ted Dutkowski has been home from the hospital nearly twice as long as he was in. He still cannot walk a flight of stairs — up or down — without struggling to breathe. His oxygen saturation rate regularly drops, even with the slightest exertion. Dutkowski,...
Jail Oversight Board to review housing policies for transgender inmates
For years, the Allegheny County Jail has been subject to criticism for how it houses transgender inmates, and it currently is defending a lawsuit filed over the issue in 2017. On Thursday, members of the Jail Oversight Board agreed to begin a review of the facility’s classification process for transgender...
Resident artists to take on leading roles for Pittsburgh Opera
The coronavirus pandemic has been particularly hard on performing artists, wiping out gigs for thousands of singers, actors, dancers and musicians. There is one group of singers who will benefit however — this year’s resident artists for the Pittsburgh Opera. Often relegated to supporting roles, the 2020-21 resident artists will...
PIAA decision to postpone sports by 2 weeks met with excitement, concerns
Jody Brockett nervously awaited the PIAA’s announcement Friday as to whether high school athletics would proceed in the fall. Her daughter Leah, a freshman, plays soccer at Burrell. She feared the season would be canceled. She worried about her daughter, who has been having a hard time coping with the...
Pandemic won’t stop West Leechburg boy from raising money for Alzheimer’s research
When life hands you a pandemic, you still make lemonade — to find a cure. “Even though there is a virus, Alzheimer’s is still out there and I want to make my ‘Joe Joe’ happy and not make anyone else suffer from this,” said Brody Toy, 8, of West Leechburg....
Wolf to distribute $10.5 million in grants to career and technology centers
Gov. Tom Wolf announced Thursday that $10.5 million in CTC Equity grants will be dedicated to the state’s Career and Technical Education Centers. The money is to help the centers implement health and safety plans and resume operations. “Our communities depend on having these highly skilled students complete their education...
Steelers and U.S. Steel donate to Mon Valley school districts
Clairton, South Allegheny, West Mifflin and Woodland Hills School Districts will each receive a $3,600 donation from a partnership between U.S. Steel and Pittsburgh Steelers. The donations will go toward funding technology needs for remote learning in each of the Mon Valley districts. “Of the many challenges brought on by...
Tickets for Walmart Drive-in movie experience sold out in Pittsburgh area
From Aug. 14 to Oct. 21, Walmart Supercenters across the country are offering 320 free, socially distanced drive-in movies in 160 store parking lots, shown in partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival. All locations in the Pittsburgh area are sold out, including Walmart stores in North Huntingdon and West Mifflin....
Westmoreland master gardeners take Monarch Migration Celebration online
Penn State Master Gardeners of Westmoreland County’s 2nd annual Monarch Migration Celebration has gone virtual, with seven weeks of activities to help children and their families learn more about monarch butterflies. The original celebration, held last September, was a single-day live event that drew about 150 participants. Organizers were hoping...
Report: State hotline fielding more calls about student suicide, self-harm concerns
Reports of suicidal or self-harming thoughts by Pennsylvania students reported to the state’s Safe2Say Something tip line increased after schools shut down in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an analysis by Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Between July 2019 and March 13, 17% of all tips received by...
Chef Kevin Sousa makes house calls with fancy meals
Many people slogging through the pandemic deeply miss going out to a fancy restaurant. While some are open at reduced capacity, the fine-dining establishment Superior Motors in Braddock is among those closed for the foreseeable future. So Superior Motors’ chef Kevin Sousa has decided if people can’t come to the...
Deer Lakes modifies back to school plan before next week’s vote
Deer Lakes School District released additional details regarding its modified reopening plan, which the school board is expected to vote on next week. A key modification to the plan applies to the district’s in-person learning option, which was made based on community feedback, district officials said. Should the district not...
Shaler Area School District opts to delay start of school, begin with remote learning
Shaler Area students will start the school year late and when they do, it will be with a 100% virtual learning plan. The school board on Aug. 6 delayed the start of the 2020-21 school year to Sept. 8 and also approved a remote learning model for all students for...
Jury quickly convicts man in 2019 Ligonier Township arson case
It took a Westmoreland County jury an hour Friday to convict a man of burning his Ligonier Township home last year. Brian W. McVicker, 55, of Laughlintown was found guilty of felony arson as well as risking catastrophe and criminal mischief in connection with a fire at a home he...
Goats help rid Frick Park of invasive plants
There are several ways to get rid of invasive plants. There are herbicides. There are weed wrenches. There’s the option of simply yanking them from the ground. And there are goats. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy opted for goats to handle the invasive plants at Clayton Hill in Frick Park. This...
Upper Burrell drops proposal to allow ATVs on township roads
Upper Burrell Supervisors are no longer considering allowing all-terrain vehicles on township roads. Supervisors floated the idea recently after seeing the interest in Gilpin Township, which recently opened some township roads to ATVs. Both Gilpin and Upper Burrell are rural municipalities where many residents own ATVs. Westmoreland County as a...
News briefs: Free school supplies for students available in Sharpsburg
Youth Empowerment Project of Sharpsburg, along with Sharpsburg Family Worship Center, will distribute free school supplies for students. The event will be 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 15 at 600 Clay St., Sharpsburg. Visit sfwc.org to register for a time slot or call 412-799-0701. —- There will be a single-lane...
Union says Port Authority mask message policy violates Free SpeechVideo
A union for transportation workers has accused Port Authority of Allegheny County of violating the Free Speech rights of its employees, after the entity updated its dress code policy to prohibit masks that contain a political or social protest message. The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 85 sent a letter...
Lawsuit against Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh accuses priest of rape
A man who immigrated to the United States at age 13 from Italy is suing the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, alleging that he was sexually assaulted by a priest at Immaculate Conception Parish in Bloomfield twice in 1967. The lawsuit, filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, also names as...
Greensburg considers plans for garage destroyed by fire as coronavirus limits options
Greensburg officials are still considering options to replace the public works garage destroyed by fire last year, but talk of seeking a new location for the building has been scuttled due to the financial uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. “We can’t look elsewhere because of covid-19,” said public...
