Western PA Local News category, Page 2622
Hempfield couple who tested positive for covid-19 after cruise describe what it’s like to have virus
Lisa Duffy thought the cigarette smoke in the casino of the Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship was responsible for the nagging cough she developed late in her trip to the Caribbean. When the ship docked March 14 in Port Canaveral, Fla., she felt great, with none of the fatigue she usually...
Allegheny River Boulevard to go down to single lane
Allegheny River Boulevard will be closed to a single lane through March 27, PennDOT announced Monday. The road will be reduced to a single lane from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. as crews from Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority clean inlets along the road between Washington Boulevard and Nadine Road....
Long line of people in cars at Kennywood wait to get food donations
Kennywood Park was closed, but a long line of cars snaked their way into its parking lot Monday. Normally, when this many people show up at the West Mifflin amusement park, they are anticipating a day of fun. Instead, on a dreary Monday morning, they were here for food. For...
Westmoreland police departments begin ‘non-life-sustaining’ business checks
are enforcing Gov. Wolf’s order similar to all the other Westmoreland County Departments. Local police investigated a small number of reports of non-life-sustaining businesses still operating after Gov. Tom Wolf ordered enforcement of their closures starting at 8 a.m. Monday to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Wolf’s order prohibits...
JCC of Greater Pittsburgh works to fight blood shortage during covid-19 outbreak
The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh is responding to the need for blood donations during the covid-19 outbreak by holding nine blood drives at its Squirrel Hill and South Hills locations in the coming weeks. The blood drives will be held in cooperation with Vitalant Pittsburgh, formerly known locally...
Westmoreland prison officials screening inmates to help avoid coronavirus outbreak
Westmoreland officials said Monday there are no comprehensive plans to reduce the inmate population at the county jail in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Throughout Pennsylvania, officials have begun releasing inmates from local lockups. Westmoreland officials said there is no dire need to take similar action at the facility in...
Penn Hills native describes situation in Italy as ‘tragic, depressing and emotional’
Italy is in complete lockdown with residents confined to their towns and prohibited from venturing farther than 200 meters (about 650 feet) from their homes, according to a Penn Hills native who has lived in the country for more than 10 years. James Zanella, who lives in the northern Italian...
Police: Jeannette man threatened to stab state troopers after shoplifting arrest at Walmart
A Jeannette man angry after his arrest for shoplifting at a Walmart on Sunday threatened to stab police with a pen before troopers confiscated a knife hidden in his waistband, according to court documents. Anthony M. Inks, 32, was arraigned Monday before Export District Judge Charles R. Conway on charges...
Western Pa. teachers posting motivational, inspirational selfies for studentsVideo
Teachers in the region have taken to self-portraiture to let their students – or “kids” – know they care for them through the coronavirus pandemic. The teachers’ selfies have appeared in compilation videos made by staff at Deer Lakes and Mars Area school districts, and Penn Hills School District is...
PLCB: Wine, liquor sales set record day before state stores closed
Pennsylvania’s decision to close its Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores on March 17 because of the coronavirus pandemic triggered the highest single-day sales in at least a decade, according to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. The PLCB reported about $29.9 million in sales on March 16, the day the...
New Kensington-Arnold eliminates 3 food distribution sites
New Kensington-Arnold School District is eliminating three locations where grab-and-go meals for students can be picked up. The sites — Valley Junior-Senior High School, St. Joseph’s School and New Kensington city hall — are being closed effective Tuesday because of a lack of participation, the district said in a statement...
Lack of details on local coronavirus cases frustrates Westmoreland officials
Westmoreland County officials are frustrated with the lack of specific information disseminated about local coronavirus cases from the state health department. “We learn more from the media than from anywhere else,” Roland “Bud” Mertz, public safety director, said Monday. Mertz said he’s asked but has been unable to get any...
Peduto seeks support from state, federal government
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Monday called on state and federal government officials to approve financial aid for workers, small business and cities struggling to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Peduto, who has been in self-quarantine since March 14, signed letters asking Congress to provide $250 billion in relief for...
Carnegie Mellon, Carlow, Cal U and Slippery Rock cancel spring commencement
Carnegie Mellon, California, Carlow and Slippery Rock universities joined the growing list of colleges and universities across the country canceling or postponing spring commencement ceremonies. Those decisions follow growing urgency in pronouncements from public health experts cautioning against public gatherings of 10 or more people. Carnegie Mellon Monday morning announced...
6 deaths reported in Pa. from coronavirus pandemic; state cases jump to 644
Deaths from the coronavirus in Pennsylvania jumped to six statewide, health officials said Monday, the same day the state saw its highest one-day increase in positive cases. In addition to one death in Allegheny County, a second person has died in Northampton County. Monroe, Montgomery and Lackawanna counties have each...
Oakmont Bakery hosts 10,000 free sandwiches giveawayVideo
Kindness filled the air during a rainy Monday morning in Oakmont as free sandwiches made their way into trunks and passenger seats, destined for churches, nursing homes and hungry families’ kitchens. In all, 10,000 sandwiches made from 2,500 pounds of deli meat and 400 pounds of cheese were handed out...
Cops: Hempfield man jailed after ‘domestic’ altercation inside Walmart
A 37-year-old man who allegedly brawled with his girlfriend Saturday inside a Walmart in Hempfield and later scuffled with state troopers outside after refusing to surrender was jailed on criminal charges. Anthony J. Villa was charged by state police with multiple counts of harassment, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness after...
Allegheny County reports 8 new cases of covid-19, total now at 48; 6 people hospitalized
There are 48 confirmed cases of covid-19 in Allegheny County, according to figures released Monday by the Allegheny County Health Department. Of those cases, six people are hospitalized. The county recorded its first coronavirus death Saturday, a person in their late 60s who was being treated at Jefferson Hospital. The...
Pa. state parks, forests extend facilities closure
Facilities at Pennsylvania’s parks and forests will be closed until the end of April in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced Monday that an initial 14-day closure instituted on March 17 will be extended until April 30. Trails,...
Pittsburgh Diocese offers parishioners virtual updates
With weekday and Sunday Masses canceled due to the spread of the coronavirus, Bishop David Zubik and other priests of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh are turning to YouTube and social media to update parishioners on events taking place in their churches. “This is going to be an important week...
Unprecedented drop in gas prices will continue, industry analyst says
The coronavirus pandemic has destroyed global demand for oil, leading to the lowest oil prices in 18 years, an industry analyst said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a collapse in prices, even including the Great Recession,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “What we’re witnessing...
Woman, 65, killed in vehicle-pedestrian accident in Fayette County
Fayette County officials reported a 65-year-old woman was killed after she was struck by a vehicle in North Union Township Monday morning. The coroner’s office identified the pedestrian as Amy Morris, 65, who lived in nearby Hillside Manor Personal Care Home on Oliver Road. She was pronounced dead at the...
Second eaglet hatches in Hays bald eagle nestVideo
Two days after Pittsburgh received its first eaglet of the season, another one hatched, according to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. The eaglet, which is the 11th for the Hays bald eagle couple, hatched around 6:40 a.m. Monday, officials confirmed. The first eaglet hatched at 7:40 a.m. Saturday. The...
Carlynton continues lunch program
Carlynton School District continues their free lunch program for students Monday. Distribution sites remain the same as last week: • 10 to 11 a.m., Carnegie Elementary School and Carnegie Borough Building • 11 a.m. to noon, Crafton Elementary School • Noon to 1 p.m., St. John Lutheran Church, 601 Washington...
Washington County woman run over by tractor, killed
A Washington County woman died Sunday after she was run over by a tractor, according to Coroner Tim Warco. Elizabeth McCord, 60, was run over at 3 p.m. in Buffalo Township at the intersection of Jolly School and Mounts roads near her home. She was pronounced dead in the emergency...
