Local category, Page 2605
State Supreme Court Justice Wecht self-quarantines family after son has presumed coronavirus
An Indiana Township man is recovering from a presumed case of the coronavirus, while officials in Fox Chapel Area School District are warning that two of the man’s siblings were at the high school Monday after being in contact with him. Pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht identified the man as his...
Highlands settles former principal’s federal lawsuit
Highlands School District has settled one of two federal lawsuits accusing the district and its superintendent of violating employees’ leave rights. The school board approved a settlement with Heather Bigney, former principal of Highlands Early Childhood Center, at a meeting Monday. A lawsuit filed by former fourth-grade teacher Jason Smith...
Allegheny County confirms 1 new coronavirus case, 3 presumptive positives
Another new case and three presumptive positive cases of covid-19 have been confirmed in Allegheny County, officials announced Tuesday morning. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Allegheny County to seven. The new confirmed case is a patient in their 60s who is hospitalized. The health department said...
Amtrak to suspend Pennsylvania passenger trains
Amtrak will suspend its passenger rail service between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia beginning Wednesday and all of its passenger service in Pennsylvania will be shut down as of Thursday because of a reduction in demand for the service, the railroad said. Amtrak runs a morning train daily between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia,...
Pittsburgh-based American Eagle closing all stores in U.S., Canada
American Eagle Outfitters has closed all stores in the United States and Canada, citing the most recent government recommendations about the spreading coronavirus. The clothing outlet says it hopes to reopen retail stores on March 27, but it will reevaluate as time goes by. American Eagle had already closed some...
Portable toilets replace public restroom facilities along Pa. Turnpike
Travelers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Tuesday discovered no public toilets or fast food at any of the 17 service plazas along the 360-mile toll road. As of midnight, the commission locked the restrooms at all service plazas in response to the coronavirus pandemic, in an effort to safeguard employees...
Westmoreland County Community College classes go online
Westmoreland County Community College classes will resume via “remote teaching” Wednesday, college officials tweeted Tuesday. The school previously cancelled classes Monday and Tuesday to comply with the governor’s orders on social distancing. All classes, including those conducted at its Advanced Technology Center, will be conducted from off site locations for...
1 killed, 1 hurt in Parkway North crash
A Pittsburgh man was killed in a one-vehicle crash Monday on the Parkway North in Ross, according to state police. Michael Mario Steven Smith, 27, was traveling north at 5 p.m. when the vehicle he was in lost control, hit an embankment and became airborne before landing on its roof,...
Pittsburgh doctor discusses attempts to avoid coronavirus ‘nightmare’Video
The director of the World Health Organization is calling the covid-19 pandemic the “defining global health crisis of our time.” Western Pennsylvania municipalities are entering their first week of widespread school closures and restrictions on bars, restaurants, entertainment venues, and other businesses in an effort to prevent the spread of...
Coronavirus derails Penn-Trafford student’s dreams of competing in Irish dancing world championshipVideo
A Penn Township teenager’s dreams of competing in the World Irish Dancing Championships in Ireland next month were dashed when the U.S. government imposed a 30-day ban on travel to the Republic of Ireland in hopes of slowing the spread of the coronavirus that causes covid-19. “I was pretty devastated....
The Stroller, March 17, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is your go-to place for local meeting notices, charitable events and volunteer opportunities. Information for The Stroller may be dropped off or mailed at least a week in advance to: The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084, email vndnews@tribweb.com or fax 724-226-4677. Send cancellations...
Allegheny suspends poll-worker training, limits trips for seniors at Kane centers
Allegheny County officials on Monday announced several changes in county government operations related to the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Elections The county’s Elections Division is suspending all poll-worker training and all public voting system demonstrations at libraries through March 27. Voting system demonstrations will continue 8:30 a.m. to 4:30...
Superintendent believes 1st Beaver County coronavirus case is part of Aliquippa School District
Beaver County officials confirmed Monday night that a resident has been diagnosed with covid-19, and the person is believed to be a member of the Aliquippa School District community, Superintendent Peter Carbone said. In an alert posted on the school district website, Carbone said he has “reliable information” that the...
Pittsburgh Diocese postpones sacraments, limits attendance at weddings, funerals
The Diocese of Pittsburgh has postponed or cancelled some sacraments, cancelled all parish events and ordered limited attendance at weddings and funerals because of coronavirus concerns. According to a directive issued Monday by Bishop David Zubik, until further notice, attendance at all weddings and funerals conducted under diocesan auspices should...
‘Nonessential’ business owners grin and bear state-ordered closure
Owner Melanie McCoy hopes she’ll be able to bounce back from closing her Hempfield beauty salon for two weeks, beginning Tuesday. But, she admits, she’s scared as she joins other area “nonessential” establishments that will be idled as part of a statewide closure of such businesses Gov. Tom Wolf ordered...
Gyms, day cares among nonessential businesses closing; banks, repair shops, convenience stores stay openVideo
The Legends of Pittsburgh bustled Monday with hand sanitizer-armed gym rats sweating through one more hard workout before the coronavirus pandemic cut off access to their club indefinitely. Monday marked their last chance to do so for at least the next two weeks. The fitness center anchoring a corner of...
Greensburg Diocese suspends Mass, cancels fish fries amid coronavirus spread
The Diocese of Greensburg has suspended public Masses, canceled Lenten fish fries and modified other church events due to the spread of coronavirus in the region. “Tuesday will be our final day of public Masses until further notice,” diocese officials write in a news release Monday. “Where possible, churches will...
‘People rely on us’: Western Pa. restaurant owners adjust to life as takeout-only service
Rich Cupka had to close his two South Side bars, Cupka’s Cafe and Cupka’s Cafe II , but he plans to make good use of the time off. He’s ordered paint and floor stripper and plans to immediately begin sprucing up his establishments. His South Side coffee shop Cup Ka...
PennDOT closes driver, photo license centers, extends expiration dates
All driver license centers and photo license centers in Pennsylvania are closing for two weeks, PennDOT said. Expiration dates for driver licenses, identification cards, vehicle registrations, and safety and emissions inspections will be extended due to the coronavirus outbreak. For driver licenses, photo ID cards and learner’s permits scheduled to...
Pittsburgh region’s foundation community responds to coronavirus pandemic
Pennsylvania’s largest foundations and a group of philanthropic institutions Monday announced the creation of a $4 million Emergency Action Fund and additional pledges of up to $6 million in aligned coordinated efforts to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus. The region’s four largest foundations—the Heinz Endowments, the Richard King Mellon...
Leechburg restaurants step up by offering free meals to students
Some Leechburg area restaurants are getting creative during the coronavirus crisis. Three restaurants—CoCo Coffeehouse, Fox’s Pizza Den and Cicero’s Bar and Grill—are offering free takeout meals beginning Monday and Barefoot Bar and Grill in Gilpin Tuesday for Leechburg area students during the state mandated school closures ordered by Gov. Wolf....
Pennsylvania State System universities suspend off-site internships
College students working on off-site internships are among the latest group facing an interruption in their semester due to coronavirus precautions. On Monday, officials at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education ordered all graduate and undergraduate students from the 14 state-owned universities working at off campus placements including professional...
Western Pennsylvania food distributions help keep children fed
Kate Heller was grateful Monday that Riverview School District is continuing to provide both breakfast and lunch to its students while schools are closed statewide due to the coronavirus pandemic. Heller walked to Verner Elementary in Verona to pick up breakfast and lunch for her son, Chris, 8, and daughter,...
‘Riding the storm’: Westmoreland shops add delivery to bolster business
Some local businesses are finding ways to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic by venturing into new territory — delivery. Orders have exploded for Greenhouse Winery, based in Sewickley Township, since starting a wine delivery service last week, said general manager Steve Helinski. They saw 12 orders the first day...
Westmoreland County first responders safeguard against coronavirus
The coronavirus may be relatively new, but Penn Township Ambulance’s director of operations believes anyone calling for help will notice very little, if any, change in response from emergency workers. “The term coronavirus is certainly new, but we’ve responded to contagious diseases before … hepatitis, tuberculosis cases to name a...
