Local category, Page 2514
Port Authority reports 3rd bus driver tests positive for coronavirus
A third Port Authority bus driver tested positive for coronavirus, authority officials said Thursday. The driver works out of the West Mifflin garage and has not been to work since March 13, according to spokesman Adam Brandolph. The employee has been in self-quarantine since March 23. Brandolph said that, upon...
Tornado causes critical damage to New Kensington church bell towerVideo
One of the bell towers at St. Mary of Czestochowa in New Kensington is so badly damaged from Wednesday’s tornado that it has to be removed, Msgr. Michael Begolly said in a message to parishioners. A structural engineer has told church officials that the bell tower on the left side...
Allegheny County reports 2 more deaths, 39 new coronavirus cases
Two more people in Allegheny County have died from the coronavirus, county health officials said Thursday, bringing the countywide total to 12. The 39 newly reported cases bring the county’s running total to 759 since the first local case was identified on March 14. The number of new cases in...
UPMC launches trials of coronavirus drugs, including hydroxychloroquine
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC on Thursday launched a new, global effort they say could speed up the process for testing covid-19 treatments. “We don’t have the luxury of time,” Dr. Derek Angus, UPMC chair of critical care, said during a news conference. Multiple...
Arnold Council, New Kensington-Arnold School Board schedule virtual meetings
The New Kensington-Arnold School Board and Arnold Council have each scheduled their first virtual meetings — for the same night. Government bodies have begun holding virtual meetings in response to the covid-19 pandemic. Both meetings will be held Tuesday using Zoom, a computer-based service that connects users by video and...
Gov. Wolf closes Pennsylvania schools for rest of academic year
Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday announced that all schools will stay closed for the rest of the academic year. “We must continue our efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus during this national crisis,” Wolf said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision, but closing schools until...
Mt. Pleasant Food Pantry distribution scheduled April 21
The Mt. Pleasant Food Pantry will distribute food beginning at 9:30 a.m. April 21 at the Mt. Pleasant Church of God, located at 936 West Main St. Pantry coordinator Marie Ochaba reminds participants that, per Westmoreland County Food Bank directive, the food box distribution will be drive-thru only. She said...
Police: Rostraver man shot while assaulting his elderly mother
A Rostraver man was hospitalized early Thursday after being shot while assaulting his elderly mother, township police said. Christopher N. Visnich, 37, was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. His leg wound was not believed to be life-threatening, police said. Officers were called at 2 a.m. Thursday to an...
Carnegie Mellon partners with Facebook to gather coronavirus data from residents
Carnegie Mellon University is partnering with Facebook to gather data from U.S. residents who are experiencing symptoms of covid-19. Researchers at the university hope to use the data to forecast the spread of the pandemic and its potential weight on hospital systems. Some Facebook users will soon see a link...
‘Happy’ 90-year-old dances down Hempfield Manor hallwaysVideo
A walker now might help Sarah “Dolly” Ponchak with her balance, but she still doesn’t miss a beat. To prove it, staff at Hempfield Manor — where Ponchak lives — recently danced down the nursing home hallways with the 90-year-old. Her family and others posted a video posted on the...
Adapting: Warrendale home builder adapting to construction cutbacks amid coronavirus
Editor’s note: Adapting is a regular series spotlighting the ways a global coronavirus pandemic is changing the everyday lives of people in Western Pennsylvania. Matt Moritz is still working as coronavirus spreads across the world. The 39-year-old Marshall man is president of Eddy Homes, a Warrendale-based family home building business....
3 Jeannette dwellings damaged in early-morning fireVideo
A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of a fire that damaged three homes in Jeannette early Thursday. A fire at 824-½ Gaskill Ave. spread to homes on either side of it shortly after 4 a.m., according to fire Chief Bill Frye. No injuries were reported. The fire...
South Fayette reminds residents: Flush only toilet paper
South Fayette Township is reminding residents that toilet paper is the only product that should be flushed down toilets. In an alert on the township website, residents are asked not to flush baby wipes, paper towels, napkins, tissues and “flushable” wipes — items that people have resorted to using because...
Food bank hosting distribution at PPG Paints Arena
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will hold a drive-up food distribution Friday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Organizers plans to serve 1,300 vehicles between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the parking lots adjacent to the arena. The event is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Police....
Franklin Regional art students send portraits overseas to Malaysia
Members of Franklin Regional’s National Art Honor Society may be stuck at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, but their artwork continues to make a difference in the lives of others. Most recently, it made a difference by way of the Memory Project, which promotes intercultural awareness and friendship through art....
The Stroller, April 9, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Send information of charitable events to The Stroller Is your company or organization making or collecting equipment for health professionals? Is your club or church going to sponsor a community blood drive? The Stroller will publish information about community drives and collections at Triblive.com. Send information to vndnews@tribweb.com. Drive-by birthday...
Portion of Northern Pike in Monroeville to close Monday
Northern Pike in Monroeville will be closed starting Monday between Abers Creek Road and Valerie Circle to repair a landslide. PennDOT officials said the closure would begin at 9 a.m. weather permitting. Monroeville officials expect the $1.36 million project to last through June 29, depending on the weather, according to...
2nd covid-19 case confirmed at Presbyterian SeniorCare facility in Washington County
A resident at a Presbyterian SeniorCare Network community in Washington has tested positive for covid-19, the second confirmed case at the Washington County facility. SeniorCare officials made the announcement in a news release Wednesday night. “Although we did not have any residents who had exhibited any covid-19 related symptoms, we...
The Heinz Endowments joins foundations shifting millions to emergency needs during pandemic
Western Pennsylvania’s largest grant-making foundations are banding together to get money quickly into the hands of those who need it the most to survive the coronavirus pandemic and statewide shutdown. They’re shifting funding priorities, earmarking new pots of money toward covid-19 emergency relief for things like food, shelter and protective...
Pittsburgh Police: Missing Perrysville boy found
A boy who went missing in the Perrysville area has been found and returned safely home, according to Pittsburgh Police. Authorities said Jordan Boyd, 11, went missing sometime Wednesday. Police called for the public’s help locating him Wednesday evening. On Thursday morning they announced he had been found....
Greater Latrobe cancels prom, plans summertime event for seniors
Greater Latrobe students will have to make do without a high school prom this year. But district officials hope a proposed summertime “Senior Spectacular” will give members of the Class of 2020 a similar celebratory experience. “We hope it’s going to be a very memorable event,” said district Superintendent Georgia...
2 tornadoes, storms in Alle-Kiski Valley leave widespread damage in wake
Monica Taylor said her house started shaking early Wednesday when a storm rolled through New Kensington, then she worried the house might come off its foundation. “The house felt like it was about to come up off the ground,” Taylor said. The National Weather Service later determined a tornado touched...
County report shows few covid-19 cases in predominantly black Pittsburgh neighborhoods
The Allegheny County Health Department released an interactive dashboard Wednesday that shows how many covid-19 cases have been reported in each Pittsburgh neighborhood. Among the neighborhoods reporting the most cases in the city are Squirrel Hill South, with 18 cases; Glen Hazel, 14; Shadyside, 13; Highland Park, 11; Squirrel Hill...
Westmoreland struggles to get a handle on covid-19 infections as county logs first death
Westmoreland County officials struggled to get a handle on the local impact of covid-19 infections Wednesday, even as the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced the county’s first death related to the disease caused by the coronavirus. County officials learned of the death when local media reported on the state’s daily...
Police looking for 2 men they say robbed Mt. Oliver gas station
Authorities are looking for two men, one who was armed with an AR-style rifle, that robbed a Mt. Oliver gas station early Wednesday morning. The robbery was reported at 5:30 a.m. at the Sunoco gas station in the 400 block of Brownsville Road. Mt. Oliver Police were called to the...
