Local category, Page 2559
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...
Norwin proposes 2.9% hike in school taxes
North Huntingdon, Irwin and North Irwin property owners will pay 2.9% more in school real estate taxes for 2020-21 fiscal year under a $76.4 million tentative budget unanimously approved Monday by the Norwin School Board. The proposed tax increase would raise the millage by 2.4 mills to 84.8 mills for...
The Stroller, April 21, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Sitting at home all day, many of us are asking ourselves how we can help others during this pandemic. Read The Stroller daily for announcements of how everyone can ease the pressure and stress of others, even while maintaining social distancing. Information for The Stroller should be emailed to vndnews@tribweb.com....
Norwin cancels musical for this school year, plans to recast in fall
Norwin School District has postponed its production of “The Little Mermaid” and will recast it in the fall in what Superintendent Jeff Taylor said Monday was “one of the most difficult decisions” he has made since taking over the leadership of the district in July 2019. The decision, announced Friday...
Highlands School Board names new solicitor for district
The Pittsburgh law firm Andrews & Price has been named the new solicitor for Highlands School District. The firm replaces Weiss Burkardt Kramer effective Tuesday. Highlands didn’t disclose payment or other contract details. School board members Bob Betts and Debbie Beale voted against the change during a meeting Monday that...
Spirit to resume limited flights from Arnold Palmer airport to Orlando
Spirit Airlines is slated to resume limited flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport on May 3, a little less than a month after suspending all service at the Unity facility. The sole commercial carrier at the airport south of Latrobe, Spirit is expected to resume mid-day flights from Latrobe to...
CMU to launch website tracking covid-19 activity based on Google, Facebook surveys
Carnegie Mellon University is launching a website this week that uses data from Facebook and Google surveys to try to pinpoint covid-19 activity nationwide. Data from the Facebook surveys alone, broken down to a county level, show that Beaver County has the highest percentage of residents with covid-19 symptoms, compared...
Steelers great Troy Polamalu donates gift cards to furloughed Westmoreland workers
More than 400 furloughed Westmoreland County government workers will have a meal courtesy of Steelers’ Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu and his wife. County officials said Monday the former Steelers great donated gift cards to local restaurants to help employees who were temporarily removed from the payroll as government services...
Police: Body found in Plum identified as Whitehall woman missing for a year
Nearly a year after she was reported missing, Elizabeth Wiesenfeld’s remains were found Sunday, Allegheny County police said. Wiesenfeld, 67, of Whitehall, had been missing since April 30, 2019. In September, Douglas Berry, 48, was charged with homicide in connection with her death, but authorities had been proceeding with the...
Westmoreland County Blind Association making thousands of masks, selling for $3 each
When the Westmoreland County Blind Association announced it had masks for sale for $3 apiece, the response was predictable but still overwhelming, said Executive Director Tim Miller. “When I got in, the phones were ringing nonstop, and they really haven’t stopped since,” he said. As of Monday afternoon, the association...
Pittsburgh-area restaurants sue Erie Insurance over coronavirus losses
Two local restaurant owners are suing their insurance provider, claiming the company has refused to honor claims for damages to their businesses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Joseph Tambellini and HTR Restaurants Inc. filed separate lawsuits Friday in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas against Erie Insurance Exchange. Both...
