Local category, Page 2573
Leechburg hires third full-time police officer amid coronavirus pandemic
Leechburg has a third full-time police officer. Borough council during a special meeting Thursday hired Miranda Tasker as a full-time police officer at a salary of $21 an hour. Tasker has worked part time for the borough’s police department since November. With her hire, the borough now has three full-time...
Deer Lakes schedules virtual board meetings
The Deer Lakes School Board, like other government bodies, scheduled virtual meetings in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The school board will hold an agenda meeting on April 14 and a voting meeting on April 21. Both start at 7 p.m. The meetings will be available via Zoom conferencing, as...
Port Authority sets rider limits on buses, light rail
The Port Authority of Allegheny County will limit the number of riders allowed on buses at one time starting Monday in an effort to maintain social-distancing guidelines and slow the spread of the coronavirus. • No more than 10 riders will be allowed on a 35-foot bus • No more...
Harmar closes township parks, soccer complex because of coronavirus
Harmar parks and the township soccer complex will be closed until further notice due to coronavirus concerns. Township police posted the announcement Thursday on their Facebook page. “Due to increased instances in which individuals utilizing our parks have not been following the CDC social distancing recommended guidelines, we have to...
Westmoreland County government offices closed on Good Friday
The Westmoreland County Courthouse, district courts and other government offices will be closed in observance of the Good Friday holiday. Friday’s closing was previously scheduled and not part of the county’s coronavirus response plan. Government offices are expected to reopen 8:30 a.m. Monday....
No hotheads allowed: All who enter Westmoreland County Courthouse have temperature taken
Steve and Sarah Zolock knew they were healthy but a quick check as they entered the Westmoreland County Courthouse confirmed their unofficial diagnosis. The Zolocks, who traveled from their Rostraver home on Thursday to renew permits to carry concealed guns, were required to complete a cursory screening before they were...
Pennsylvania issues update on licensing waivers granted during coronavirus response
State officials have issued 30 licensing waivers since the Department of State last month said it would clear hurdles to allow more professionals to respond to the coronavirus disaster declaration. “During this unprecedented emergency, the Department of State is committed to reducing as many burdens as possible for licensees to...
Western Pa. grocers try to keep customers, workers safe as government discourages shopping tripsVideo
Grocery stores around the Pittsburgh region continue to do all they can to keep customers and employees safe and healthy during an escalating coronavirus pandemic that prompted federal officials to warn people to avoid supermarkets. Along with social distancing, at the top of the list for most area grocers is...
North Versailles man hopes to continue Army service through pandemic response
Bill Roland never hesitated when he was called to serve his country, and fighting the coronavirus pandemic is no different. After receiving an email from the VFW asking for retired military medical personnel to join the front lines, the 69-year-old former Army nurse immediately volunteered. “I’ve been medical since 1988,”...
Cleanup underway at Rostraver’s Cedar Creek Park after storm topples 65 trees
Cedar Creek Park in Rostraver is expected to remain closed until at least Saturday as work crews clean up more than 65 trees felled during Wednesday morning’s storm. “Many of them were 60-to-80-foot pine trees and it will take a couple of days to clear,” said Greg McCloskey, director of...
Highlands schedules special meeting to name school board officers
The Highlands School Board scheduled a second special meeting in as many weeks. The board will meet virtually at 7 p.m. Monday to elect board officers. Meetings are being held virtually because of the covid-19 pandemic. Residents will be able to participate in the meeting through a Zoom livestream video...
Why a Pittsburgh-area family opted for unproven hydroxychloroquine for sick dad
Bob Schrecengost, a resident at Caring Heights in Kennedy, is one of the 759 Allegheny County residents diagnosed with covid-19. The McKees Rocks native turns 77 on Friday. Schrecengost has dementia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and has battled two recent non-covid-19 respiratory infections. Those conditions led his daughter, Lisa...
Pennsylvania officials: Enjoy the outdoors, but stay close to home
Try your luck catching a trout, but do it close to home. That was the message Thursday from state officials, who reminded residents that, no matter what outdoor recreation or exercise you choose, keep your distance from others. “People should recreate close to home. There’s a high interest right now...
Answering the Call: Pittsburgh pulmonologist describes caring for patients during coronavirus pandemicVideo
Dr. Tiffany DuMont is a pulmonologist who works in the intensive care unit at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. She has led much of the covid-19 planning for the hospital. In a video interview with the Trib, DuMont described the pressure of her job and how she is taking care...
3 more in Pittsburgh police department test positive for coronavirus
Three more Pittsburgh police employees tested positive for coronavirus, Public Safety officials said Thursday. An instructor in the police academy, an officer in the administrative branch and a police recruit all are at home in self-isolation, according to spokeswoman Cara Cruz. A firearms instructor tested positive earlier this week, prompting...
Animal Friends to host pet food distribution for low-income pet owners
Animal Friends will host a drive-thru, free pet food distribution for low-income pet owners Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Ohio Township campus. The distribution will be a no-contact drive-thru pick up. Motorists should stay in their cars while Animal Friends’ staff members and volunteers load food...
Westmoreland County reports 7 additional coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County reported seven new cases of coronavirus on Thursday as the statewide total grew by nearly 2,000 new cases. The new cases bring the county’s running total to 190 since the first two cases were reported on March 19. The county saw its first death on Wednesday. The 1,989...
Pennsylvania sees nearly 2,000 new coronavirus cases, but ‘curve has changed’
Nearly 2,000 new coronavirus cases were reported in Pennsylvania, state health officials said Thursday, and 29 more people have died. With 1,989 new cases, the running total of covid-19 cases statewide reached 18,228 since the virus was first identified here on March 6. The latest numbers represent about a 12%...
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...
