Western PA Local News category, Page 2592
Franklin Regional board votes to restart Sloan construction project
The Franklin Regional School District will restart the Sloan “elementary campus” project later this month despite concerns by four of its nine school board members. “There’s really no certainty when a good time to move forward is,” said board member Gary English. “I think we should err on the side...
Signs of encouragement appear in windows across Western Pa.
It’s a sign of the times. People hunkered down in their homes waiting for the coronavirus pandemic to recede can’t help sending messages to the outside world. While many are dispatching to a broad audience via social media, others are taking a rather analog approach. Messages of support and encouragement...
Platinum Ridge workers spread messages of hope with sidewalk chalk
The messages are simple but uplifting. The front of the Platinum Ridge skilled nursing facility in Brackenridge was covered Tuesday morning with colorful and encouraging messages created by its workers. The goal: To help alleviate the tension and uncertainty of the coronavirus crisis. “We want to make everybody happy when...
Pennsylvania reports 60 more coronavirus deaths as total hits 584
Sixty more people across Pennsylvania died from the coronavirus, state health officials said Tuesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health said 1,146 new cases of covid-19 were reported Monday, bringing the state’s running tally to 25,345. There were 1,366 new cases reported Monday and 1,178 on Sunday. The death toll now...
2nd Monroeville firefighter charged with having sexual contact with minor
A Monroeville volunteer firefighter was arrested and charged last week with having inappropriate sexual contact with a 10-year-old girl. Ryan Costa, 26, of Monroeville is the municipality’s second volunteer firefighter in April to have been charged with inappropriate sexual contact with a minor. Gregory Allen Lauffer, 23, of Monroeville was...
Pittsburgh plans to refinance $161M in debt
Pittsburgh is preparing to refinance $161 million in debt while interest rates remain low, a move that officials say will result in significant savings. Margaret Lanier, the city’s treasurer and finance director, said the refinancing of nearly $161.3 million would cover capital bonds issued in 2012, 2014 and 2018. She...
Allegheny County reports 3 more coronavirus deaths, 17 new cases
Three more Allegheny County residents have died from the coronavirus, bringing the countywide total to 24, health department officials reported Tuesday. The people who died from the coronavirus ranged in age from 56 to 103. The Allegheny County Health Department also reported 17 new cases of covid-19, increasing the countywide...
Pitt-Greensburg seeks input for planned New Kensington mural
Community members are being invited to share their ideas for a mural planned for the side of the Walt’s Deli building in New Kensington. The mural is a project of the Community Arts and Reintegration Project (CARP), administered by the Center For Applied Research at the University of Pittsburgh at...
Allegheny Health Network opens Braddock, North Side coronavirus testing sites
Allegheny Health Network has launched new coronavirus testing sites in Braddock and Pittsburgh’s North Side, the health system announced Tuesday. The Braddock testing site is located at the AHN Urgent Care at 501 Braddock Ave. The North Side testing site is at 1004 Arch St., at the former Divine Providence...
Charges filed in fatal Greensburg fentanyl overdose
Two Greensburg women are accused by police of drug delivery resulting in death in connection with a February fatal overdose, according to court papers. Jamie Lynn Dickant, 34, is accused of supplying a fatal dose that killed Justine Baker, 32, on Feb. 11, city police said. Baker’s spouse, Mary Elizabeth...
Missing Fayette County woman discovered safe, troopers say
A Fayette County woman missing since last week was found safe, according to Pennsylvania State Police in Uniontown. Karissa Nicola, 30, was reported missing after she didn’t return from a walk along East Main Street in New Salem on Friday, police said. Troopers said public tips aided authorities in locating...
15 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Westmoreland County
Two more people died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, bringing the current death toll to 15, officials reported Tuesday. The majority of the county’s fatalities are linked to senior living communities, said Coroner Ken Bacha. The two most recent deaths occurred at hospitals, but were people who had been...
Baldwin-Whitehall announces adjusted graduation, prom dates
For Baldwin-Whitehall School District Superintendent Dr. Randal Lutz, the class of 2020 commencement was personal – his youngest daughter, Jenna, is a part of the senior class. Lutz said that he had the privilege of handing his older daughter, Carly, her diploma four years ago, and he always envisioned doing...
Pittsburgh police cruiser damaged in hit-and-run, driver sought
Pittsburgh police are searching for the driver of a vehicle that crashed into a police SUV then fled, pubic safety officials said The hit-and-run happened about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 1500 block of Brighton Road in the city’s California-Kirkbride neighborhood. Officers were leaving the Zone 1 station when the...
Drive-in theaters face uncertainty as coronavirus continues to spread
Drive-in theaters appear tailor-made for social distancing: Expansive fields of grass let vehicles park more than six feet apart, providing families with a safe night out in relative isolation. Yet drive-ins are subject to the conditions facing most businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. Local drive-ins have sat empty since Gov....
Carnegie Science Center offers resources for online classes
Now that the covid-19 crisis has forced Pennsylvania schools to turn to online instruction for the remainder of the academic year, Carnegie Science Center is offering to help educators. The resources being offered include educational activities, videos and lesson plans on Carnegie Science Center’s new Online Educator Resources page. The...
The Stroller, April 14, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Small Acts of Kindness Erin Wagner-Haggerty of Allegheny Township would like to recognize Dawn Smith-Galia of Tarentum for making over 500 cotton face masks with replaceable melt blown filters. Masks are placed in bags of three along with treats and handmade thank-you cards with a poem and have been donated...
South Fayette students win big in Heinz History Center contest
South Fayette students were among those recently honored by Senator John Heinz History Center. More than 350 students in grades six through 12 from around the region competed in this year’s National History Day competition. This year’s theme was “Breaking Barriers in History,” in the categories of documentaries, exhibits, historical...
Giant Eagle to have one-way aisles to combat coronavirus
Be sure to follow the traffic patterns the next time you’re in Giant Eagle. In an effort to step up the company’s fight to slow the spread of coronavirus, the supermarket chain is implementing one-way aisles. One-way signs will be added to the floors of each aisle to direct shoppers...
Richard King Mellon Foundation contributing $15M in coronavirus-related grants
The Richard King Mellon Foundation has approved distributing $15 million in grants to combat the covid-19 pandemic. The foundation said it is taking a three-pronged approach, with money going toward health care innovation and technology initiatives; emergency operations grants to support struggling nonprofits; and economic development grants to support recovery...
6 employees at Smithfield Foods plant in Arnold test positive for coronavirus
Six employees at the Smithfield Foods plant in Arnold tested positive for the coronavirus. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776 President Wendell Young said four people reported positive tests last week, and two more tested positive as of Monday. He said those individuals have not been to work for...
Latrobe OKs new stormwater fee, but delays collection
Latrobe property owners will be asked to pay a new stormwater management fee, but not just yet. City council this week voted to create a new department to take charge of state-mandated stormwater management efforts, including reducing the flow of sediments into Loyalhanna Creek. It also established an annual supporting...
Arnold Palmer runway widening begins, despite rain
Rainy weather didn’t stop contractors from starting work Monday on a project that will give pilots a bigger target when they land at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. General contractor Golden Triangle Construction began stockpiling stone that will be used this year as it widens the runway from 100 feet to...
Humane Animal Rescue adds emergency boarding during coronavirus
Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh is trying to make life a little easier for area pet owners during the covid-19 crisis. The organization is now offering emergency boarding for pet owners who are ill and unable to care for their pet due to covid-19. Both dogs and cats are being...
Pennsylvania bill would ensure full pay for first responders stricken with coronavirus
State Rep. Eric Nelson this week proposed an amendment to state law that will ensure police and firefighters continue to be paid should they have to miss work because of the coronavirus. Nelson, R-Hempfield, said the proposed legislation will expand the state’s Heart and Lung Act that requires certain emergency...
