Local category, Page 2498
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...
First Pittsburgh patients treated with plasma from coronavirus survivors at UPMC
UPMC doctors have started treating covid-19 patients with blood plasma from survivors — a technique not proven for coronavirus but successfully used to fight off outbreaks of measles and influenza. “The patients and the families of infected individuals who are in ICUs are really desperate for a therapy, and that’s...
$425,000 Cash 5 ticket sold at Fayette County convenience store
A Pennsylvania Lottery Cash 5 ticket worth $425,000 was sold at a Fayette County convenience store, according to state lottery officials. The winning ticket matched all five balls drawn, 01-12-22-33-34, to win the jackpot for April 19. Prokopovitch Pitt Stop Market, located along Route 201 in Fayette City, will receive...
More than $7,000 worth of personal protective equipment donated in West Mifflin
When West Mifflin #3 Fire Chief Joe Hlasnick received a donation of more than $7,000 worth of personal protective equipment, he knew the community was behind first responders. “It opened my eyes to a lot of things,” he said. “The idea this is a severe situation and the fact there...
Report: Pittsburgh region among worst in nation for air quality
The Pittsburgh region was again ranked among the worst regions in the nation for air quality by the American Lung Association. Allegheny County received straight “F” grades for air quality. The association’s yearly State of the Air report, released Tuesday, evaluated air quality data from the three-year period from 2016...
1 more coronavirus death reported in Westmoreland
Officials said late Monday that a woman died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, bringing the death total to 25. The death was reported to the coroner’s office and added to the total Coroner Ken Bacha is providing on his department’s website. He is being notified of virus-related deaths sooner...
Norwin plans dates for commencement
Norwin school officials are proposing a number of dates in May, June, July and August to hold senior graduation ceremonies at the high school stadium. In an email sent to parents last week, Superintendent Jeff Taylor said the district is looking at May 22 at 7 p.m. or a rain...
Evidence of possible squatter found at abandoned Jeannette house that caught fire
Firefighters found evidence of a squatter living in an abandoned Jeannette house while extinguishing a fire there Friday night, said Fire Chief Bill Frye. The Lavelle Street blaze appears to have started in a second-floor bedroom. A state police fire marshal and Jeannette officers are investigating the cause, Frye said....
Pittsburgh police investigating 2 overnight robberies
Pittsburgh police are investigating two robberies that happened early Tuesday, one in Brookline and the other in Squirrel Hill, spokesman Maurice Matthews said. Officers from Zone 6 responded to reports of a robbery in the 1100 block of Brookline Boulevard around 2:30 a.m. Police said they were told two men...
Parkway East outbound reopened after vehicle fire
Parkway East outbound lanes that were closed early Tuesday morning because of a vehicle fire have reopened, according to an Allegheny 911 dispatcher. UPDATE: Fire department activity on I-376 eastbound between Exit 74 - Beechwood Blvd and Exit 77 - Edgewood/Swissvale. All lanes closed.— 511PA Pittsburgh (@511PAPittsburgh) April 21, 2020...
