Regional category, Page 210
Holy Spirit Academy in New Castle to close
Holy Spirit Academy, the Catholic school serving students in pre-K through eighth grade in New Castle, will close at the end of the academic year, the Diocese of Pittsburgh said Thursday. The Rev. Joseph McCaffrey, pastor at Holy Spirit Parish, submitted his request to close the school to Bishop David...
Lawsuit contends company and Pa. health department knew of contact tracing data breach for months
Officials in the company contracted to handle Pennsylvania’s covid-19 contact tracing efforts were aware in November of possible security breaches in their program and failed to take any action, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Harrisburg. The complaint, filed by Lisa Chapman of New Kensington, seeks class-action status. It...
Washington County hunter bags turkey in 49 states to fulfill U.S. Super Slam
A Pennsylvania hunter has completed one of the most challenging goals in turkey hunting. Travis Thompson of Bulger, Washington County — formerly of Davidsville, Somerset County — has harvested a mature gobbler in 49 states. The accomplishment is what the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) calls the U.S. Super Slam....
Paddling sojourn on Conemaugh, Kiski rivers returns after pandemic hiatusVideo
Paddlers will have an opportunity to explore the “Past, Present and Future” of a key local waterway when the Stony-Kiski-Conemaugh Rivers Sojourn returns on June 3-6, after last year’s cancellation because of covid-19 pandemic concerns. The 44-mile float downstream from Johnstown to Apollo, on mostly flat water, is appropriate for...
Covid restrictions to lift, but businesses still finding hiring workers difficult
Businesses across the region welcomed Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement Tuesday lifting covid-19 restrictions by Memorial Day, but they expressed cautious optimism alongside frustration as they now face the challenge of filling job openings. “It should be great, but on the other hand, we’re all in the same boat looking for...
Covid vaccine appointments available today at Heinz Field
People seeking a covid-19 vaccination can get one Wednesday through a Giant Eagle-sponsored clinic at Heinz Field. Dick Roberts, spokesman for the O’Hara-based company, said appointments remain available at the event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Giant Eagle partnered with Pittsburgh Public Schools for the clinic, with a specific...
1 killed, 1 hurt in Fayette crash
A Uniontown woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Fayette County Monday and a man was seriously injured, according to state police. Linda L. Lewis, 76, was pronounced dead at the scene on Morgantown Road in South Union. She was the passenger in a car being driven by Bernard...
‘Getting Pittsburgh Vaccinated’ and other Facebook groups offer neighborly resources
Leighann Bacher started the Facebook page “Getting Pittsburgh Vaccinated” with a few other women, thinking she might share some resources with other residents of Hampton. Four months later, the page has nearly 40,000 members. After making her own vaccine appointment and helping members of her family do the same, she...
Western Pa. venues weigh pros, cons of vaccinated-only spectator sections
Pittsburgh entertainment venues soon might join others across the country in separating fans into vaccinated sections — another trend in efforts to encourage mass vaccination against covid-19, while growing audiences back to pre-pandemic levels. The Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday proposed the idea in a petition to the state. Fans in...
Attorney General: 2 more people arrested in 2017 double homicide in Somerset County
Two more people were arrested for their involvement in a double homicide that occurred in rural Somerset County in 2017, officials with the state Attorney General’s office said. Marekus Benson and Deandre Callender are facing several charges for conspiring with two previously arrested defendants to kidnap and murder Damien Staniszewski...
Who are the Western Pa. residents charged in Capitol insurrection?
In some ways, the people from Western Pennsylvania who were arrested in the Capitol riot match the findings of national studies conducted by the Chicago Project on Security and Threats. Most of them are employed, and several own their own businesses — including a couple who owns a contracting company...
Understanding the Capitol riot suspects and their motivationsVideo
Three months after a group of rioters attempted to halt the certification of the presidential election results by breaching the U.S. Capitol, 401 people have been arrested. Of those, Pennsylvania’s 38 arrests rank behind only Texas and Florida, with 39 each. Eleven of those charged in Pennsylvania come from the...
Ribbon cut on new 1.5-mile section of 9/11 National Memorial Trail in SomersetVideo
Somerset County and other officials cut the ribbon Friday in Garrett for the first 1.5 miles of the newly developed off-road section of the 1,300-mile-long 9/11 National Memorial Trail. Currently, the recreational trail is a patchwork of about 55% off-road trails and 45% roads connecting the three 9/11 memorial sites...
Calling the Class of 2021: Join TribLIVE’s virtual graduation
TribLIVE is celebrating the graduating Class of 2021 with our second annual virtual graduation. Do you know a graduating student who deserves recognition for his or her achievement? Submit their information and a photo by clicking the link below, and we’ll include them in our celebration of this year’s graduating...
Why allergy season is worsening in Western Pa.
As temperatures rise, allergy symptoms are ramping up for many seasonal sufferers — especially in the Pittsburgh region. Pittsburgh ranks as the fifth most challenging place to live with seasonal allergies, according to a recent report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. “This report validates what everyone who...
AG Shapiro: 5 charged in drug ring that brought $400K of fentanyl from Philly to Butler
Four Butler women and a Philadelphia man face charges brought by a statewide grand jury for their alleged roles in a drug ring that investigators say trafficked an estimated $400,000 worth of fentanyl from Philadelphia to Butler County. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the drug operation involved at least...
Mask mandate for air travel, public transportation extended through Sept. 13
Travelers will be required to wear face masks inside airports and on planes, buses and trains through Sept. 13. The mask mandate, in place since the beginning of February, was set to expire May 11. Transportation Security Administration officials said Friday the new extended timeline is consistent with covid-19 guidance...
Mental health advocacy group honors school club, officials with regional Innovations Awards
Students at Greater Latrobe Senior High received kisses when they entered the school on Valentine’s Day last year. Members of the school’s Aevidum Club handed out Hershey’s Kisses chocolate candies as a gesture of caring and inclusion for their fellow students. The holiday can be a sad one for some,...
250 million birds will pass through Western Pa. this spring — starting now
An estimated 250 million birds are expected to pass through Southwestern Pennsylvania this spring, according to Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Powdermill Nature Reserve in Cook Township, Westmoreland County. The bird feeders and hummingbird feeders are hung. Binoculars are at the ready. The onslaught has begun: Wednesday morning, researchers at...
Youth soccer association treasurer from Beaver County admits to stealing $100,000
The former treasurer of a youth soccer organization in Beaver County admitted to stealing $100,000 for personal expenses. Jenessa Tolejko, 35, of Beaver pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of wire fraud, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced Thursday. Tolejko served as treasurer of the Brighton Township-Beaver...
West Virginia man admits to stealing $2.5 million in mining equipment
A West Virginia man pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to five thefts of specialized mine equipment that occurred in Armstrong and Indiana counties. Eudell Dickerson, 46, of Beckley, W.Va., pleaded guilty to two counts before Chief U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak. The court was advised of...
Beaver County tax collector pleads guilty to embezzling $1M from Center Township, school district
The elected tax collector for Center Township in Beaver County admitted to embezzling $1 million from the township and school district and filing a false tax return. Jeanne Bowser, 62, of Aliquippa pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of wire fraud and filing false income tax returns, Acting United...
Addiction treatment providers in Pa. face little state scrutiny despite harm to clients
This investigation is a joint project of KHN, a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues, and Spotlight PA, an independent, collaborative newsroom dedicated to producing investigative journalism for all of Pennsylvania. When Ian Kalinowski was at work, his mom usually texted him. So when he saw her...
Pa. drug overdose deaths rose in 2020, likely fueled by pandemic, officials say
Overdose deaths in Pennsylvania ticked upward in 2020 after two years of relatively stable numbers, something officials say is likely the ripple effect of a pandemic that caused an influx of stress and isolated people from their support systems. “The uncertain, stressful and isolating nature of the pandemic has caused...
President Biden name-checks Pittsburgh in speech to CongressVideo
President Joe Biden invoked the Steel City in his speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, asking why wind turbine blades can’t be made in Pittsburgh rather than Beijing, China — essentially challenging U.S. businesses to bring manufacturing jobs back from overseas. President Biden: "There is simply...
