Local category, Page 2590
Experts: Little worry about groceries transmitting coronavirus
Relax, your food isn’t trying to kill you — probably. While grocery stores have increased sanitation measures amid the coronavirus pandemic, some consumers are worried they have more cleaning to do when they get their goods home. Pittsburgh-based infectious disease and critical care physician Dr. Amesh Adalja doesn’t think shoppers...
Nonprofits adjust services, volunteer opportunities to keep serving communities
As businesses close and workers face drastic pay cuts, the need for functioning nonprofit organizations has never been greater, said Phil Koch, executive director of the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County. Unfortunately, those nonprofits are facing the same challenges as everyone else. “Many of our nonprofit organizations rely on events...
2 firefighters injured trying to save West Deer teen from fatal blaze
Two firefighters who responded to a two-alarm house fire Thursday in West Deer suffered minor injuries trying to rescue the teenage girl who was trapped inside, a fire chief said. Dayanna Shaffer, 14, reported the fire by calling 911 from an upstairs bedroom about 9:15 a.m., said Josh Wiegand, fire...
Kane Center residents test positive for coronavirus days after employee also did
Two residents in a Kane Community Living Center have tested positive for the coronavirus, Allegheny County officials said Friday. Both residents live in the Glen Hazel facility, where an employee tested positive for covid-19 earlier this week. Dennis Biondo, executive director of Kane, said in a statement the residents were...
Westmoreland County under stay-at-home order as confirmed coronavirus cases grow
Westmoreland County residents have been ordered to stay at home. Gov. Tom Wolf announced an additional nine Pennsylvania counties will be under restrictions as part of the state’s efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The new order, which is in effect from 8 p.m. Friday through April 6,...
Western Pa. health systems provide masks to staff to combat covid-19 spread
Health care systems in Western Pennsylvania are working to equip all employees in clinical areas of its hospitals with protective masks. UPMC said it is also providing masks to staff and visitors to hospitals after they pass a screening test. Westmoreland County-based Excela Health, which has hospitals Greensburg, Latrobe and...
Pennsylvania reports 531 new coronavirus cases as total tops 2,000Video
Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania rose by more than 500 from Thursday to Friday, bringing the total statewide to more than 2,000. The state Department of Health reported 531 new positive tests, the second day in a row in which new cases topped 500. The total stands at 2,218. That total...
UPMC experts on coronavirus: ‘We are prepared for a surge we hope never arrives’
Experts at UPMC said Friday they believe community spread of the coronavirus might be less intense locally than in other parts of the country. Dr. Graham Snyder, chief of infection prevention, said that out of 1,743 covid-19 tests done by UPMC facilities, 141 have been positive — about 8%. He...
Allegheny County adds 25 coronavirus cases, total reaches 158
Allegheny County reported 25 additional active cases of the coronavirus Friday, bringing the total to 158. That’s compared to the one-day increase recorded from Wednesday to Thursday, when the county reported 45 new cases. That total does not include two Allegheny County residents who have died from complications from covid-19....
Pittsburgh region population slide continues, led by losses in Westmoreland County
The Pittsburgh region continues to lose residents, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Population estimates for Westmoreland County once again show a downward trend, something local officials have been combating for at least a decade. The county’s population declined by 16,172 between 2010-20, the largest loss of...
Wigle Whiskey donating hand sanitizer to Pittsburgh Public Safety
Pittsburgh-based Wigle Whiskey is donating all of the hand sanitizer it is making to the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department for distribution across Allegheny County. The company last week announced it would begin making City of Champs Sanitizer in its Strip District distillery after receiving approval from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control...
Family safe after fire tears through house in PlumVideo
Monica Hanner had lived in her home in Plum’s Kellywood Estates for 11 years, but she didn’t really know her neighbors. And some of her neighbors said they didn’t really know her. That didn’t stop them from offering their help after Hanner’s Emerald Drive home was severely damaged, if not...
Western Pa. colleges donate protective gear for first responders, health care workers
A number of colleges and universities across Western Pennsylvania are donating supplies to first responders, hospital workers and others on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic. Saint Vincent The switch to online learning means lab procedures are suspended for the rest of the spring semester at the Unity college’s...
Greensburg restaurants giving away gift cards to help closed businesses
Ordering takeout at a Greensburg area restaurant this week could score you a gift card to one of the local businesses that have closed during the coronavirus pandemic. The Greensburg Community Development Corp. and the Downtown Greensburg Project have teamed up for the giveaway, buying about $1,000 worth of gift...
The Stroller, March 27, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Send cancellations to The Stroller The Stroller will publish news of cancellations and events that will still occur in the upcoming days. If your non-profit has to cancel or change an event or is helping members of the public, please send information to The Stroller at vndnews@tribweb.com. Stroller to recognize...
Solitary scenes from Uniontown amid coronavirus pandemic
As Western Pennsylvanians practice social distancing and businesses temporarily close as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Tribune-Review photographer Sean Stipp explored Uniontown and the surrounding area on Thursday. Fayette County has eight reported coronavirus cases, a number that has increased throughout the week. Pennsylvania reported 560 new cases Thursday,...
Monroeville lab looks to help fill gap in covid-19 testingVideo
A Monroeville lab that handles molecular and genetic testing has ramped up to offer testing for covid-19, beginning with senior citizens and staff working at care facilities it services. MHS Labs began testing patient samples on Thursday and had completed a few dozen tests by midday Friday, said Sean Waters,...
Allegheny County Jail employee tests positive for covid-19
An Allegheny County Jail employee has tested positive for covid-19, county officials said Friday. The employee did not provide direct care to inmates at the jail and has not been at work since March 19, according to county spokeswoman Amie Downs. “At this time, there are no positive cases of...
Man critical after being shot in Pittsburgh’s North Side
A man was in critical but stable condition Thursday night after he was shot in Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood. City public safety officials said officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert for shots fired shortly after 9 p.m. along the 2600 block of Linwood Avenue. Police are investigating after a man...
Port Authority bus driver tests positive for covid-19
Port Authority of Allegheny County officials said Thursday that one of their bus drivers tested positive for covid-19. The driver is under medical supervision and was exposed to the coronavirus outside of work, according to Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph. He said the authority followed all of the protocols recommended...
Allegheny County judge details how to pay child support, handle custody and district judge’s matters
Allegheny County’s residents with legal proceedings while the courts are closed were given additional guidance Thursday on how to do business when the county courtrooms are closed during the coronavirus pandemic. President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark amended her March 16 order shutting down the courtrooms and district judges offices, to...
17 Pittsburgh first responders in quarantine or isolation; none have tested positive for covid-19
A total of 17 Pittsburgh first responders — including two medics and 15 firefighters — are staying home in quarantine or isolation after learning they could have been exposed to covid-19, officials said. None have tested positive for covid-19, the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, or...
Greensburg lender aids shutdown-battered borrowers; delays April payment
A Greensburg-based small business commercial lender has decided to forgo collecting payments from its borrowers in April to give them a break during the economic downturn caused by the shutdown over the spread of the coronavirus. The Progress Fund, a nonprofit community development financial institution, is giving all of its...
State Health Department reverses order shutting down dentists during covid-19 crisis
Pennsylvanians facing dental emergencies can once again see their dentists or an oral surgeon. After consulting with leaders in organized dentistry, the Pennsylvania State Department of Health has reversed its decision ordering all dental offices to stop performing emergency procedure during the covid-19 crisis. “These updated guidelines are effective immediately,”...
Tractor-trailer catches fire, snarls traffic on I-79 southbound near Wexford exit
A tractor-trailer caught fire on Interstate 79 late afternoon Thursday, snarling traffic for more than an hour, initial reports indicated. Emergency dispatchers sent firefighters to the site of the incident on I-79 at Mingo Road in Marshall Township shortly before 5 p.m., an Allegheny County 911 shift commander said. There...
