Local category, Page 2497
Ligonier Valley Police warn of potential telephone solicitation scam
Ligonier Valley Police warned area residents Tuesday of a possible phone scam in the form of a bogus charitable solicitation. Police reported several area residents were solicited recently for donations to an area firefighter’s association that is believed to be a scam. “Ligonier Fire Companies and police never call you...
Derry Twp. nursing home with coronavirus cases tests positive for Legionella bacteria
A Westmoreland County nursing home already infected with the coronavirus now has tested positive for the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ Disease. Department of Health officials on Tuesday confirmed that a water sample recently tested at the Loyalhanna Care Center in Derry Township was positive for Legionella, a bacteria that causes...
Franklin Regional earns another ‘Best Communities for Music Education’ award
Classes may not be meeting in person and buildings may be closed, but there is still plenty happening in and around the Franklin Regional School District: • The district earned a “Best Communities for Music Education” designation from The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation for its commitment to...
Grant will help Pittsburgh Promise students during coronavirus pandemic
The Richard King Mellon Foundation has approved a $1.3 million grant for the Pittsburgh Promise to help high school seniors and college students navigate the coronavirus pandemic. Pittsburgh Promise Executive Director Saleem Ghubril said Tuesday that the money would help Pittsburgh high school seniors complete college applications. It will also...
Pittsburgh Council aiming to turn vacant land into urban gardens
Pittsburgh City Council is considering plans to provide city residents with free fresh produce by ramping up urban farming on vacant land owned by the public. Council on Wednesday will debate three bills designed to facilitate urban agriculture. One would direct the Finance Department to identify vacant properties owned by...
West Deer approves $20K in repairs for vandalized sports fields
Repairs to sports fields at two West Deer parks damaged when three teenagers did donuts on them with a pickup last year should be completed soon, Township Manager Dan Mator said Tuesday. Mator said the repairs to Nike Site Park, located off Route 910, began Thursday, a day after the...
CMU develops contact tracing app using ultrasound technology
A Carnegie Mellon University professor has created a smartphone app to trace people’s exposure to covid-19, using a technology that he says is more accurate than software proposed by tech giants. Known as “contact tracing,” the process has been widely debated in the U.S., especially after tech companies Apple and...
Brentwood cancels July 4 celebrations due to coronavirus
Brentwood Borough announced the cancelation of its three-day Fourth of July Celebration, including the parade and 37th Annual Firecracker 5K, via a Facebook post Monday night. Brentwood Police Chief Adam Zeppuhar, who wrote the post, said that it was a decision made by borough council. “Depending on what kind of...
Report: Nearly all Pa. restaurants made layoffs during pandemic; more closures expected
Nearly all Pennsylvania restaurants have laid off employees during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey by the National Restaurant Association. Primanti Brothers furloughed more than 1,500 employees across its nearly 40 locations, though it has since hired several hundred back, according to Adam Golomb, the Pittsburgh-based chain’s chief marketing...
McDonald’s to give free meals to first responders, health care workers
McDonald’s will give out free breakfasts, lunches and dinners to first responders and health care workers to thank them for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. The restaurant chain said it will provide the Thank You Meals from Wednesday through May 5 at participating restaurants. The meals will be served...
Sen. Kim Ward plans telephone town hall to talk about coronavirus
State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, will hold a telephone town hall Wednesday afternoon about the coronavirus pandemic in Westmoreland County. Ward said she will be joined by Coroner Ken Bacha and Excela Health emergency medicine Dr. Heather Walker at 2:40 p.m. Constituents can listen to the discussion by phone or...
UPMC to test all patients for covid-19, even those without symptoms
Health giant UPMC will begin testing all asymptomatic patients for covid-19 as it looks to clear the way for restarting some of its shuttered but medically necessary surgeries. Officials at the Pittsburgh-based health system announced Tuesday the universal testing will begin with all patients requiring hospitalization for surgery or other...
Group founded by Mt. Lebanon native aims to supply 100,000 masks to people
A Mt. Lebanon college student and three of his friends have a noble goal: To raise enough money to buy and distribute 100,000 disposable masks by June 1 to those who need them. As of Tuesday, the Covid Response Network had distributed 38,000 masks that it was able to get...
Murrysville teen shifts nonprofit’s aim to encourage front-line health care workersVideo
When Anup Nadesan and Joseph Bonfiglio started a tennis nonprofit called My Ground Strokes last summer, their goal was to teach the game to children with developmental disabilities. Through a partnership with East Suburban Citizens Advocacy and the Rashid Hassan Elite National Tennis Academy, both based in Murrysville, My Ground...
Here are the areas in Westmoreland County with the most coronavirus cases
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus is now being released by ZIP code in Pennsylvania. The state Department of Health map includes information for all 67 counties. The ZIP codes in Westmoreland County with the highest numbers of confirmed cases are Latrobe (15650) with 68, Greensburg (15601) with...
Pittsburgh seeking lifeguards if pools open this summer
Pittsburgh is recruiting lifeguards to work at city pools in anticipation of opening this summer if the coronavirus restrictions are lifted. The city needs lifeguards to work at the city’s 18 outdoor pools and is offering two free lifeguard training courses for candidates to become certified or update certifications. Officials...
Audubon secures $1.2M grant to help preserve Buffalo Creek watershed
The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania has received a $1.2 million federal grant to help preserve the Buffalo Creek watershed, one of the wildest, untouched natural areas in the Pittsburgh region. Audubon and other environmental organizations will provide a range of services, including planting chestnut trees, helping landowners preserve environmental...
Mt. Pleasant Food Pantry clients line up 1 hour early for distributionVideo
Mt. Pleasant Food Pantry coordinator Marie Ochaba wasn’t sure how clients would react to two major changes in the monthly food distribution program Tuesday. First, the scheduled food giveaway at Mt. Pleasant Church of God was held a week early due to a scheduling conflict. Second, the Westmoreland County Food...
Gov. Wolf: Increase in coronavirus testing needed before large-scale reopening of Pennsylvania
A day after Gov. Tom Wolf laid the groundwork for a gradual reopening of businesses in Pennsylvania, he warned in a call with reporters Tuesday that a much more robust coronavirus testing system will need to be in place for any wide reopening of the state. “We are working with...
Freezing conditions could kill plants, burst pipes, weather service warns
A freeze warning will be in effect from midnight to 10 a.m. Wednesday. Temperatures in the upper 20s are expected, according to the National Weather Service. The warning covers parts of Western Pennsylvania, east-central Ohio and northern West Virginia. The cold will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation and could...
Harrison seeking bids for work on roads, alleys
Harrison is considering making improvements along nearly two dozen roads and alleys this year. The township has budgeted $450,000 for road work. Most of that — almost $408,000 — is expected to be spent on repairing and resurfacing 16 roads and alleys. About $40,000 is expected to be spent seal...
Duquesne Light drops late fees, expands payment assistance
More than 152,000 Duquesne Light customers will receive payment assistance on their electricity bills, the company announced Tuesday. Duquesne Light is extending its discontinuation of shutoffs and is waiving late fees until at least June 1. The company also is expanding eligibility for its Hardship Fund, a payment assistance program,...
Pennsylvania refines coronavirus reporting, adding 360 deaths as total tops 1,500
Pennsylvania’s coronavirus death toll pushed past 1,500 on Tuesday as state health officials continue to refine how they are reporting cases and deaths. The Pennsylvania Department of Health said 360 new deaths related to covid-19 were reported throughout the day Monday. The number of deaths statewide now stands at 1,564....
Allegheny County reports 12 more coronavirus deaths, including 42-year-old
Allegheny County reported 12 new deaths from the coronavirus Tuesday, including one person who was 42 years old, the youngest person to have died from the virus in the county so far. This brings the countywide total to 67 deaths. Of that total, 55 people were confirmed to have covid-19...
Former Latrobe shelter dog nominated for national Hero Dog awardVideo
When Grace Coleman began bringing her dog Penny to her office, she hoped it would help brighten her co-workers’ days. She never expected the spaniel mix, adopted from Action for Animals in Latrobe, to become one of the most effective employees at Crisis Center North, which works with domestic violence...
