Regional category, Page 199
Covid cases in Westmoreland, Allegheny up for 2nd straight month
After seeing numbers decline earlier in the summer, covid cases increased for a second straight month in Pennsylvania and Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Cases As of Wednesday’s covid report, the Pennsylvania Department of Health saw 22,269 new cases of covid-19 in the past seven days, averaging 3,181 cases per day....
Photo gallery: Ida’s remains drench Western Pennsylvania region
The remnants of Hurricane Ida moved across parts of Western Pennsylvania late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning. Despite losing its tropical depression status, Ida’s impact was definitely felt on residents — on their streets and in their homes. Some of the heaviest rainfall dropped early Wednesday, with several areas of...
Pittsburgh region jobless rate drops slightly as end to unemployment supplement looms
The Pittsburgh region’s jobless rate dropped slightly in July, falling to 6.2%, the lowest rate this year and less than half of the jobless rate a year ago, the state reported this week. The unemployment rate for the seven-county region fell 0.1 of a percentage point in July, based on...
Pitt experts anticipate major flu surge this season, urge flu shots
This year’s flu season may be severe with up to half a million more flu hospitalizations than usual, according to new studies from University of Pittsburgh researchers. Two studies released Tuesday — both led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health — indicated that waning...
Remnants of Ida move across Western Pa., bringing heavy rainfalls, flooding
Heavy rains thrashed Pennsylvania on Wednesday as the remnants of Hurricane Ida churned across the area, dropping several inches of rain and causing flood damage across parts of the region. By about 9 p.m., 2.3 inches of rain had fallen at the National Weather Service’s Pittsburgh office in Moon, according...
Legal experts say Wolf administration has authority to issue mask mandate
Republican leaders in Pennsylvania said Tuesday that in issuing a school mask mandate, Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration are trying to circumvent the will of the people expressed through the passage in May of a constitutional amendment. Legal experts said that the emergency powers amendment approved by voters in...
Here are rain total predictions for Western Pa. as Ida approaches
Meteorologists predict rain totals will be higher in regions south of Pittsburgh when the remnants of Hurricane Ida arrive in Western Pennsylvania. After devastating parts of Louisiana, Hurricane Ida became a tropical storm as it began a northward journey Monday. Local officials in Western Pennsylvania began preparing for significant rainfall...
84 Lumber looks to add 35 regional employees at Hempfield hiring event
Building materials supplier 84 Lumber scheduled a hiring event Wednesday in Hempfield as it looks to fill 35 positions at five locations in the Pittsburgh region. Job seekers can interview for openings from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott, 700 Power Line Drive. Candidates can connect...
‘Season of shivers’ awaits in winter 2021-22, according to Old Farmer’s Almanac
Sounds like you best have long underwear on your Christmas list this year. The 2022 Old Farmer’s Almanac, which goes on sale Tuesday, is calling for the winter of 2021-22 to be a “season of shivers.” “This winter will be punctuated by positively bone-chilling, below-average temperatures across most of the...
Remnants of Hurricane Ida to bring heavy rain, potential flooding to Western Pa.
After wreaking havoc on Louisiana, the remnants of Hurricane Ida will travel toward Western Pennsylvania, bringing rain and potential flooding Tuesday and Wednesday. Ida, which became a tropical storm as it slowed over Mississippi on Monday morning, caused widespread damage and power outages in Louisiana before moving north. The storm...
Western Pa. doctors encourage flu shots ahead of potential ‘twindemic’
As health experts implore people to be vaccinated against covid-19, they’re also reminding everyone to get an annual flu shot. Flu shots — which are safe to get in conjunction with covid-19 vaccines or boosters — could help keep flu cases low this year, health experts said, though some worry...
Indiana County man killed by DUI driver, state police say
State police say a drunk driver struck and killed a 52-year-old Indiana County man who was riding his lawn tractor, cutting grass. Douglas Dalessio of West Mahoning, near Smicksburg, was flown from the scene of the 5:29 p.m. crash Friday along the 1300 block of Barnard Road, according to state...
Mutual Aid Ambulance named Mt. Pleasant Township EMS provider
Repeating a scene that has become more common in recent years, another municipality — Mt. Pleasant Township — is turning to Mutual Aid Ambulance Service to provide coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Township supervisors last week unanimously approved a resolution that calls for Greensburg-based Mutual Aid...
‘I wasn’t getting better’: Fox Chapel woman endures battle with long haul covid
More than a year and a half after she contracted covid-19, Andrea Berlin almost feels completely normal. The Fox Chapel native-turned-Londoner said she fell ill with the virus in March 2020 — early in the pandemic by most standards — and she thinks she probably picked it up on the...
Schools prepare for a mixed bag as kindergarten enrollment numbers bounce back
Nicole Roberts Bitar was encouraged to see the numbers ramping up for kindergarten registration in the New Kensington-Arnold School District this summer. Last year, the district was among many across the U.S. that saw kindergarten enrollment decline unexpectedly as families weighed their options: Should they send their 5- and 6-year-olds...
911th Airlift Wing joins Afghanistan evacuation
The 911th Airlift Wing based at the Pittsburgh Air Force Reserve Station has joined in the evacuation of refugees in Afghanistan. It’s an airlift operation that senior government officials are calling one of the largest in history. The region’s Airlift Wing was one of at least eight Air Force Reserve...
The dangerous life of young bald eagles: McKeesport bird electrocuted, Harmar bird injury healsVideo
Young bald eagles live dangerously with different outcomes — a Harmar bald eagle’s leg healed recently while a young eagle was electrocuted on a power pole near McKeesport. Although bald eagles continue to thrive in the region, young eagles throughout the state lead perilous lives. Only about 50% of them...
Butler officer who shot and killed man who stabbed him remains in critical condition
A Butler police officer remained in stable but critical condition Friday, days after a violent confrontation that left the officer injured and the suspect dead, authorities said. Butler City Police Chief Bob O’Neill identified the injured officer as 27-year-old Michael Sulerud. Sulerud was responding to a call just before 7...
Former soccer association treasurer gets probation for $100K theft
The former treasurer of a Beaver County youth soccer association who pleaded guilty to embezzling $100,000 from the organization will serve probation rather than prison time, a judge ruled Friday. Jenessa Tolejko, 35, must serve five years of probation and repay $100,000 in restitution, according to the sentence imposed by...
Deputy coroner: Indiana County man died in crash
JOHNSTOWN — An Indiana County man died Wednesday from injuries he sustained following a two-vehicle crash in Indiana County, Cambria County Chief Deputy Coroner Joseph Hribar said Thursday. Ronald W. Shearer, 82, of Indiana was driving a Toyota Tacoma southbound on Old Route 119 Highway North in White Township at...
Dig deeper: Extend growing season with these fall gardening tips
One thing that distinguishes fall gardening from spring gardening is the pace, said Elizabeth Pesci of Greensburg. “In the spring, there are so many things that have to be done on a schedule; but in the fall, you can take your time and go a little slower,” said Pesci, who...
Police: New Castle man survives suicide attempt as officers go to make arrest
Police said a New Castle man tried to kill himself with a shotgun after they surrounded his house to arrest him for allegedly sexually assaulting a child. City police went to a home in the 200 block of Park Avenue shortly before 3 a.m. Aug. 25 to arrest Stephen Karenbaur...
Allegheny County, RIDC ink deal to develop Carrie Furnace site in Rankin
Part of the former Carrie Furnace steelmaking site along the Monongahela River near Braddock is to be redeveloped for contemporary commercial use. It’s intended to include flexible technology space, research and development, workforce education, light manufacturing and assembly, and even a place for film production. The redevelopment plan that targets...
KISS concert in Burgettstown canceled after front man Paul Stanley tests positive for covid
Thursday night’s KISS concert the Pavilion at Star Lake was canceled after front man Paul Stanley tested positive for covid, according to a post on the band’s website. “Everyone on the entire tour, both band and crew, are fully vaccinated,” the post read. “The band and their crew have operated...
Reporter David Kaplan leaving WTAE after 6 years
Reporter David Kaplan is leaving WTAE after six years as a journalist in Pittsburgh. Kaplan made the announcement on his verified Twitter account. “This town cares deeply about the neighborhood, (and) it was always a priority for me to capture that,” Kaplan wrote Wednesday evening. “Not quite ready to say...
