Western PA Local News category, Page 2618
Harrison shuts down public works department after employee’s relative tests positive for covid-19
Harrison shut down its public works department and closed its municipal building to the public after a family member of a public works employee tested positive for covid-19, township Manager Rich Hill said Wednesday. The department has a total of 10 employees, consisting of eight workers and two supervisors, Hill...
Wolf allows gun stores to reopen on limited basis during coronavirus shutdown
Pennsylvania firearms dealers may now operate on a limited basis, according to a revised list of businesses that can or cannot continue physical operations under Gov. Tom Wolf’s order mandating closures to slow the spread of covid-19. Under the order, sporting goods stores remain among businesses considered “non-life-sustaining” and are...
Jewish Community Center hosts blood drives, provides take-home meals in PittsburghVideo
The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh is working to find ways to help the community during its closure. The JCC has been closed to normal operations since March 14, the center’s Squirrel Hill buildings on Darlington Road were bustling Wednesday as it hosted a blood drive and worked to...
Highlands delays meeting to fill school board vacancy
Highlands School District has delayed a special meeting to fill a vacancy on the school board. A seat in Region 2 became vacant when Misty Chybrzynski, former board president, resigned upon moving out of the region. Region 2 includes Brackenridge and the Natrona area of Harrison. The board had scheduled...
Cheswick passes resolution allowing public meetings by telephone
Cheswick is taking steps to hold borough council meetings by telephone if necessary during the coronavirus pandemic. Council passed a resolution last week authorizing it and other boards to hold public meetings by telephone. The public would be able to listen in and comment on issues during the meetings. “We...
Covid-19 testing, distancing play role in record-breaking flu season
On one hand, efforts to slow the spread of covid-19 likely have contributed to a declining number of new flu cases in recent weeks, state Department of Health spokeswoman Brittany Lauffer said Wednesday. On the other, increased testing to identify covid-19 cases and people’s concern about the illness likely have...
Mayor Bill Peduto predicts Pittsburgh heading for deficit in 2020
Pittsburgh will end 2020 with a deficit for the first time in years, and Mayor Bill Peduto said there’s no way to predict when the economic situation might improve. Peduto, who left self-quarantine Wednesday, spent the day conducting media interviews. He told the Tribune-Review that he expects a significant decline...
$50 million state aid package, future recovery help, ready for Gov. Wolf’s signature
Both the state House and Senate passed a $50 million recovery package Wednesday intended to help families and businesses deal with the growing economic fallout from the coronavirus threat. According to press releases sent by several Republican senators, Senate agreed Wednesday the package after the House had done so earlier....
5 more cases of coronavirus in Westmoreland County; total up to 16
Five more confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported in Westmoreland County on Wednesday, bringing the total to 16. The Pennsylvania Department of Health released updated figures about noon. Statewide, cases exceeded 1,000, with eastern counties reporting the highest totals. Four more patients died, according to the state’s figures. Philadelphia County...
The Stroller, March 26, 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. Knead Community Café...
Sheetz gives workers $3-per-hour raise during virus outbreak
Sheetz announced Wednesday that it is giving its workers an extra $3 per hour during the coronavirus outbreak. In a release, the company said the pay raise will run through April 23. “Our employees are the heart and soul of Sheetz and their commitment to serve our customers and communities...
Deer Lakes asks students, teachers to share photos of their home classrooms
The Deer Lakes School District wants its students and staff to feel like they’re together even though they’re apart. On the district’s first day of remote learning due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials asked students, staff and teachers to share pictures of themselves and their temporary classrooms. “While we’re working...
Pa. coronavirus cases top 1,000; 4 more deaths reported
Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania crested 1,000 Wednesday, health officials said, and four more patients have died. From Tuesday to Wednesday, 276 new cases were identified, according to Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine. The cases now total 1,127. She noted 11 deaths in the state, up from seven reported deaths...
Chevron to donate $260,000 to region’s food banks, fire companies
Food banks and volunteer fire companies across the region are in line for an infusion of cash, courtesy of Chevron, the energy company active in the Marcellus Shale region. Officials on Wednesday said the company is donating $60,000 — $10,000 to each to food banks in Allegheny, Fayette, Greene, Washington...
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education says on time graduation for high school seniors a priority
Ensuring that high school seniors graduate on time is among his top priorities as Pennsylvania grapples with the prospect of an extended school shutdown because of covid-19 fears, Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera said Wednesday, stressing that the school year cannot be extended beyond June 30. “We’ve put a full...
‘Greg and Donny’ take on ‘Dat Virus’ in Western Pa. styleVideo
“Greg and Donny” are back – and they’re dealing with “Dat Virus.” The web comedy sketch series, created by Johnstown natives Jeff Skowron and Matt Yeager in 2009, has been on a break since about 2016. The gang – including Kim Cea and Tamera Gindlesperger-Fisher – has gotten back together...
Komen Pittsburgh Race for a Cure postponed until September
The 28th annual Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure has been postponed until September due to the coronavirus. Originally scheduled for May 10, the event will take place Sept. 13 at Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park. Raising money for the Susan G. Komen Greater Pennsylvania nonprofit organization, it attracts over...
Allegheny County reports 30 new coronavirus cases; total hits 88
Allegheny County reported 88 active coronavirus cases Wednesday, up from 58 on Tuesday, marking the biggest single-day increase since the county first began reporting cases. Of the 88 active cases, 13 individuals were hospitalized. That total does not include the two Allegheny County residents who have died from complications from...
Employee at Kane Community Living in Glen Hazel tests positive for coronavirus
An employee at a Kane Community Living Center tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Wednesday, though they noted the employee doesn’t work with residents. Dennis Biondo, director of the Kane centers, said the employee at the Glen Hazel location has not worked since Thursday. “There are no positive cases...
Pandemic financial pressures build for Pittsburgh region’s nonprofit sector
A brewing economic storm, fueled by a pandemic whipping up gale-force financial headwinds, is threatening to batter more than 1 million nonprofit organizations across the nation already struggling with increased demands for services. A plummeting stock market — down some 10,000 points, or about a third, in a month —...
Pittsburgh garbage collection resuming Thursday after workers sent home
Pittsburgh sent home its environmental services workers with pay Wednesday morning after they voiced concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, but they will resume normal trash pickup on Thursday, officials said. Residents scheduled for garbage pickup on Wednesday should leave their bags at curbside for collection on Thursday, according to the...
Police seek suspect in Salem pizzeria burglary
State police are looking for information about a burglary at a Salem pizzeria in which about $1,000 was taken from an ATM. Someone broke into Kelley’s Pizzeria on Route 22 Sunday between 1:30 and 3 a.m. A pry bar and grinder were used to damage the ATM and steal the...
Resident of Loyalhanna Care Center tests positive for coronavirus
A woman who is a long-term resident of the Loyalhanna Care Center in Derry Township is among the Westmoreland County residents who have tested positive for covid-19. Kelly Pynos, administrator of the skilled nursing facility, said the woman exhibited symptoms on Monday and was transferred to a local hospital. Pynos...
Experts: Domestic violence threat rises as economic downturn, stay-at-home order linger because of coronavirus
Domestic violence advocates say they are seeing an influx of calls related to the coronavirus, and many fear it will only continue as orders to stay home drag on. “Isolation is always a tool of an abusive person,” said Michelle Gibb, director of the Alle-Kiski Area Hope Center in Tarentum....
Pennsylvanians can apply for help with home heating bill through state LIHEAP program
Pennsylvania residents can apply for grants to help with home heating bills through April 10, according to Peoples Gas. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides income eligible people with one-time grants for heating bills whether they rent or own their homes. Pennsylvanians earning up to 150% of the...
