Local category, Page 2549
Lawsuit alleges Brighton Rehab performed coronavirus drug experiments on residents
A class-action lawsuit alleges that lack of oversight by the state Department of Health allowed Brighton Rehabilitation in Beaver County to perform drug experiments on patients under the guise of clinical trials to prevent coronavirus. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, alleges that the department has scaled down...
Richard Baumhammers still on death row 20 years after killing spree
On a cloudy Friday afternoon 20 years ago Tuesday, an unemployed immigration lawyer went on a killing spree. It started next door to his parents’ Mt. Lebanon home, where he killed his Jewish neighbor. He went on to shoot five more people, all ethnic or racial minorities. Richard Baumhammers, 54,...
Coronavirus cases spike at Allegheny County Jail
Cases of covid-19 at Allegheny County Jail more than doubled overnight, with at least 24 inmates testing positive as of Tuesday, data show. At least three jail employees also have tested positive for coronavirus, county-reported figures show. Several test results for both inmates and staff members are pending. “Confined areas...
Coronavirus pandemic can be alarming for Western Pa. allergy sufferers
For most people, opening a window or stepping outside for a breath of fresh air is a welcome respite, especially during Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home order. But for those with allergies, pollen from trees and grass can bring misery. The allergens can cause a runny nose, malaise, watery eyes and coughing —which...
Roberta Groner running virtual Pittsburgh Marathon for good cause
Pittsburgh area native Roberta Groner worked as a nurse for more than a decade at UPMC Presbyterian, and the mission of those in emergency care facilities throughout the county in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is a cause close to her heart. The 42-year-old Groner, a Seneca Valley graduate...
How cool has Pittsburgh been in April? January had a warmer day
Everything about April 2020 has been unusual, including the temperature. It’s been cold out there. So far, no day in Pittsburgh has risen above 70 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. If the pattern holds, it would be the first time in weather service annual records the highest recorded...
Allegheny Township police investigating assault near Tredway Trail
Allegheny Township police are looking for a man who allegedly assaulted a woman in the township earlier this month. Police Chief Duane Fisher on Tuesday said the assault happened in the early evening hours of April 11 in the parking area by the Braeburn docks, close to the end of...
Proposed Pa. bill could provide financial assistance to fire, EMS amid pandemic
In an effort to aid fire and EMS companies in financial need during the coronavirus pandemic, state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Carmichaels, proposed a bill that would provide crisis grants to eligible companies. House Bill 2413 would establish a one-time program to provide grants to first responders in need. To qualify,...
Kiski Township woman accused of burning 1-year-old’s arm with cigarette
A Kiski Township woman is accused of burning a 1-year-old girl’s arm with a cigarette, according to Kiski Township police. Police on Tuesday charged Lisa Marie Culp, 46, with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children and simple assault. She was released on a $15,000 unsecured bond. Police say the...
Forbes Hospital reveals the smiles behind the masks with new ID badges
A smile does a lot of good. But recently, most of those smiles of hospital workers have been totally covered by a protective shield to curb the spread of covid-19. So to make them more visible again, Colleen Scarantine, a manager of patient safety at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, is...
Public safety officials: Don’t hesitate to call 911 over covid-19 concern
Pittsburgh-area medical personnel and public safety officials don’t want residents hesitating to call 911 if they have an emergency, especially if that hesitation is out of fear of going to a hospital during the coronavirus pandemic. “We don’t want anyone making their personal health situation worse by not calling 911...
Carnegie Mellon braces for coronavirus financial losses, potential delay of fall semester
Carnegie Mellon University is freezing hiring and salaries and will reduce executive pay as the Pittsburgh school grapples with uncertainties created by the coronavirus pandemic, President Farnham Jahanian said Tuesday. In a lengthy letter to the university community, Jahanian said officials also developed an array of contingency plans for the...
Pittsburgh announces millions in funding for coronavirus aid programs
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s Office announced plans Tuesday to distribute about $12.6 million in federal grant money to more than a dozen organizations that are helping cash-strapped residents and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. The plans include $4.2 million in Emergency Solutions Grants to help fund homeless shelter improvements, homeless...
Road work to resume Friday in Penn Hills, South Hills and Collier
Work is scheduled to resume this Friday on sections of three roads, the Allegheny County Department of Public Works said Tuesday. The department said the work, expected to begin at 7 a.m. May 1, will lead to “short stoppages in work zones” on the following roads: • Nadine Road between...
Uncertainty surrounds hearings for Pennsylvania prison inmates
The coronavirus pandemic could delay freedom for prison inmates scheduled for clemency hearings in June as uncertainty continues over when restrictions will be lifted and how hearings can be held within social-distancing guidelines. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said in a call with reporters Tuesday that “dozens” of inmates were set...
Greensburg police charge 2 women with promoting prostitution
A Rhode Island woman charged this month with prostitution told Greensburg police a city woman paid for her to fly to Western Pennsylvania for a visit and to “make some money,” police said. Greensburg police this week arrested Nicole Vickers, 28, on charges that she was promoting prostitution following an...
Felicity Huffman’s daughter accepted into Carnegie Mellon after admissions scandal
A year after her parents were at the center of the nationwide college admissions scandal, Sophia Macy announced her new college plans will bring her to Pittsburgh. Macy, the daughter of actors Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy, was accepted into Carnegie Mellon University, People reported late Monday. Her updated...
East Suburban clinic reports data breach affecting 500 patients
East Suburban Sports Medicine Center, an athletic training and physical therapy center with branches in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, announced a data security breach that affected more than 500 Pennsylvania residents. Last spring, two patients told center officials that, when they ran a Google search for their names, the results...
North Huntingdon woman raises money for Excela staff who saved her husband from covid-19
After her high school sweetheart spent 20 days hospitalized on a ventilator, Karyl Nicholas of North Huntingdon was relieved to finally talk to him by phone. The day the tube was removed — April 19 — is a bright spot in what has been nerve-wracking weeks for the family of...
Pittsburgh opens community gardens, asks public to observe coronavirus guidelines
Pittsburgh on Tuesday announced that community gardens and city Adopt-A-Lot sites are open for cultivation, but officials urged the public to observe coronavirus guidelines while working the soil. More information about Adopt-A-Lot sites can be found here. More information about community gardens can be found here. The city released the...
Volunteer at Pittsburgh Public Schools tests negative for covid-19
Pittsburgh Public Schools announced Tuesday that a staff volunteer who had been ill has tested negative for covid-19. The district alerted staff and families of a potential exposure to covid-19 over the weekend. A staff volunteer who had distributed laptops and instructional packets at Pittsburgh Milliones in the Hill District...
Support group, fundraiser updates in Westmoreland County
Support groups Sage’s Army Inc. is hosting these online support groups via Zoom: • Coffee Break, 4-6 p.m. every first Friday of the month, beginning May 1: For women who have family members or friends struggling with addiction. Meeting ID is 946 202 392. Log on at zoom.us/j/946202392. • Grief...
Delmont library organizes ‘May the Fourth Be With You’ virtual trivia night
Delmont Public Library employees will mark the unofficial Star Wars holiday, “May the Fourth Be With You,” with an evening of virtual trivia. Teams or individuals will have a chance to earn a $10 or $20 gift card to Kings Family Restaurant by placing first or second after answering 20...
Mt. Pleasant Area students rally to save prom amid pandemic
As seniors grapple with the idea of missing out on graduation and other end-of-the-year events as the coronavirus spreads across Western Pennsylvania, a group of Mt. Pleasant Area students decided there was one event they weren’t willing to miss — prom. In the days following an announcement that the school’s...
Hempfield Area reschedules graduation, cancels prom
Hempfield Area students will have to wait almost two more months to receive their diplomas after school officials pushed graduation to July amid the coronavirus pandemic. Graduation is rescheduled for July 18 rather than the original May 29 date, according to a letter from the district. July 19 will act...
