Western PA Local News category, Page 2590
Westmoreland jail inmates asking court for release over coronavirus fears; Allegheny has released nearly 1,000
The population at the Westmoreland County Prison has dropped 22% since March 1 as inmates seek release to protect themselves should the coronavirus get inside the jail. Warden John Walton said officials there have identified 67 inmates between ages 22 and 80 who have chronic medical conditions that could make...
Online sales keep Western Pa. breweries, distilleries, wineries in business during coronavirus pandemic
In the age of coronavirus, we drink alone. But sales figures from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, based on heavy traffic to its Fine Wine & Good Spirits website, and reports from distilleries and wineries in the region since the covid-19 pandemic shut down the Keystone State a month ago...
Police, detectives investigating abuse of New Kensington 2-year-old
A New Kensington man is accused of assaulting a 2-year-old child who police said had to undergo “life-saving measures” after being taken to a Pittsburgh hospital last month. City police and Westmoreland County detectives have been investigating since March 26, when police and paramedics were called to the 1100 block...
More than 300 free meals served daily in Freeport-Buffalo Township area, donations sought to continue
A Freeport Realtor and a community activist are serving 320 free meals, five days a week to the unemployed, the elderly, frontline workers and anyone else in need.. No questions are asked. No waiting list. Just home cooked meals from scratch. And you can donate if you like. The food...
Gateway working on graduation, prom, ‘Gator Gala’ dates
Despite Gov. Tom Wolf’s order that schools close for the remainder of the academic year, events planned for Gateway’s high school seniors will likely still occur. They just might be on different days, depending on how the coronavirus affects stay-at-home orders, said Mary Beth Cirucci, school board president. Graduation is...
Online map provides zoning info for Greensburg developers
A new online map provides at-a-glance zoning information for developers and property owners in Greensburg. The tool is the latest effort in the city’s ongoing campaign to reduce confusion and red tape in development. It allows people to search for specific properties and see zoning districts at a glance. It...
Pennsylvania launches task force to address coronavirus outbreaks among minorities
The governor’s office on Wednesday announced a new task force aimed at analyzing and addressing disproportionate coronavirus outbreaks in minority communities across Pennsylvania. The goal of the Covid-19 Response Task Force for Health Disparity is to identify disparities and make recommendations to Gov. Tom Wolf on how to address the...
Cops: 3 SCI-Somerset inmates to be charged with assaulting guards
Three inmates at SCI-Somerset will be charged with assault after allegedly throwing feces at corrections officers in the state prison’s restricted housing unit earlier this month, state police said. The first of two alleged incidents happened on April 6 in the Somerset Township facility when two corrections officers were walking...
How should you spend your stimulus check? Here is what experts say
The check is not in the mail. But that big coronavirus stimulus check — up to $1,200 for singles, $2,400 for married couples and an extra $500 for each qualified child — might be in your bank account if the IRS has direct deposit information on you. Some families will...
Coronavirus pandemic continues to impact financial health of colleges, universities
Less than a month into a shutdown that forced colleges and universities across the country to transition to online classes, covid-19 is exposing new fractures in higher education. When students were forced to leave campus months before the end of the spring semester, residential campuses had to come up with...
Pittsburgh planning extension of trail from the Point to Highland Park Bridge
Pittsburgh is planning to purchase a nine-block section of abandoned rail line in the Strip District for an extension of a riverfront trail that officials hope will someday run unobstructed from Point State Park to the Highland Park Bridge. City Council this week introduced a resolution that would authorize officials...
Allegheny Health Network receives $100k gift for personal protective equipment
Allegheny Health Network received a gift of $100,000 for support during the covid-19 pandemic, the hospital network announced Wednesday. The money, donated to the network’s Covid-19 Assistance Fund, will be used to buy personal protective equipment and other necessary supplies at AHN Jefferson Hospital in Jefferson Hills. The gift was...
Pennsylvania orders businesses to turn away customers who don’t wear masks
Customers and employees will soon be required to wear masks inside businesses still operating, and those who don’t wear masks will be denied entry, state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Wednesday. The order, which includes dozens of other requirements, will go into effect 8 p.m. Sunday. It dictates...
Police arrest East Liberty man accused in spitting at Edgewood Giant Eagle
An East Liberty man accused of spitting on a Giant Eagle employee April 1 in Edgewood was arrested Wednesday in Braddock by Allegheny County Sheriff’s detectives. Brandon Thompson, 23, was found at about 12:20 p.m. in a house in the 400 block of Library Street in Braddock. He was found...
Rite Aid in Monroeville to begin self-swab testing for covid-19
Rite Aid pharmacies are joining the effort to help Western Pennsylvanians get tested for covid-19. Starting Thursday, the Rite Aid at 4111 William Penn Highway in Monroeville will begin drive-up testing by appointment for people showing possible symptoms of the highly contagious coronavirus disease, the company announced Wednesday. The person...
Arnold trims road paving project to fit city’s budget
Arnold is trimming a planned road paving project to fit it into the city’s budget, and doing that changed which company is the apparent low bidder. Arnold opened bids last week from nine companies for the Fifth Avenue and Freeport Road street improvements, said city Engineer Mark Gera said. Youngblood...
Harrison Sheetz challenges other stores to use extra $3 an hour to help less fortunateVideo
Jobi Balog knows that not everyone has been able to put food on their table during the coronavirus pandemic — let alone get an extra $3 an hour in pay as Sheetz workers received. Because of that, the manager of the Sheetz gas station and convenience store in Harrison decided...
Delmont hikes sewage rates by $6.50 per month
Delmont Council voted to raise its portion of monthly sewage rates by $6.50 as the borough implements one state consent order while continuing to negotiate another. Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday to institute the rate hike, which brings the borough’s portion of sewage revenue to $35 per month, per household....
Franklin Regional board opts not to add ‘sunset clause’ for Sloan bond payments
Franklin Regional school board director Ed Mittereder compares the district’s construction-related bond debt to a series of car payments. “We all look forward to the day when we pull that last coupon and make that last payment,” Mittereder said. “That sigh of relief comes the following month, when the money...
Victim in fatal New Kensington motorcycle crash identified
New Kensington police on Wednesday identified the man who died after the motorcycle he was driving hit a deer on Sunday. Police Chief Bob Deringer identified the man as James R. Snyder, 49, from the North Hills area. Snyder died from his injuries at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison. The...
Employee at McDonald’s in Allegheny Township tests positive for coronavirus
An employee at the McDonald’s restaurant in Allegheny Township has tested positive for covid-19, causing a temporary closure of the restaurant along Hyde Park Road. Owner Dan Delligatti said the site is being sanitized and is expected to reopen when cleaning is complete. “Our highest priority is to protect the...
Highlands considering operating autism classroom at high school
Highlands School District is considering operating its own autism classroom at its high school next school year in a move that would save the district $231,000. The district signed a contract for autism services with the nonprofit Merakey Innovative Care and Education Solutions six years ago. Merakey spokeswoman Trish Pisauro...
Who is tracking your smartphone data during coronavirus pandemic?
Smartphone companies have always gathered data on their users. But in the weeks since the covid-19 pandemic gained traction in the U.S., special attention has been given to data’s role in curbing the spread of the disease. Experts say data can be used to trace individuals’ contact with others who...
Greensburg Diocese to broadcast, stream Divine Mercy service
Bishop Edward C. Malesic of the Greensburg Diocese will lead a Divine Mercy service that will be broadcast and streamed Sunday in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “Faith During Crisis: Lord, Have Mercy!” will be aired at 2 p.m. on WTAE-TV and will be available immediately afterward on the diocese’s...
Pennsylvania coronavirus deaths rise to 647 as total cases top 26,000
Coronavirus deaths in Pennsylvania crested 600 on Wednesday, though the total number of new cases remained below 1,200 for the second straight day. In numbers reported throughout Tuesday, 63 more people died from the virus statewide, bringing the death toll to 647. The Department of Health reported 1,145 new cases....
