Regional category, Page 216
Western Pa. health experts: Relaxed mask rules ‘long overdue’
Health experts in Western Pennsylvania said it’s no surprise outdoor mask-wearing is no longer part of federal health guidance. From the beginning of the pandemic, data has shown outdoor transmission of covid-19 to be a rare event. “I think that this was a long overdue step, but it was completely...
Pittsburgh region jobs rise in March, still behind 1 year ago
The seven-county Pittsburgh region added 9,000 jobs in March, but the economy still has 76,500 fewer jobs than a year ago, just before the pandemic took hold, according to state labor data released Tuesday. The Pittsburgh region — Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties — saw the...
Here come the 80s: Wild weather not unusual for April, experts say
The tail end of April has been both lion and lamb in terms of weather. A little less than a week ago, Southwestern Pennsylvania recorded more than an inch of snowfall and a low temperature of a balmy 32 degrees. About 1.6 inches fell, according to the National Weather Service,...
California, Clarion and Edinboro could be renamed under consolidation plan
California, Clarion and Edinboro universities will get a new name under a consolidation plan likely to be approved Wednesday for a 60-day public comment period. The necessity for a single name as well as a pledge to keep all three campuses open and fully operational are among the points made...
Attorney for ‘Pink Hat Lady’ says mesh mask was not meant to mock the court
The attorney for a Mercer County woman charged in the Capitol riot who was ordered to explain why she wore a see-through mask against court orders said Monday she never intended to violate the conditions of her release. In a 14-page response filed Monday, Rachel Powell apologized to the court...
Elon Musk, Starlink look to stars to fill internet broadband gaps, including across Western Pa.Video
Dictated by the peaks and dips of Western Pennsylvania’s rolling landscape, internet service is often spotty — even nonexistent — for thousands of people based on topography and a lack of infrastructure for high-speed internet services. But an ambitious project by billionaire Elon Musk promises lofty goals for those struggling...
Study: Fungal disease killing over 90% of 3 bat species in Pa., elsewhere
Southwestern Pennsylvania bats were part of a new large national study that flagged a die-off nationally of more than 90% of certain bats in less than 10 years. The bats in question are the northern long-eared, little brown and tri-colored bats. Researchers also found declines in Indiana bat and big...
Local health systems look to CDC guidance on resuming J&J covid vaccinations
U.S. health advisers on Friday urged resuming covid-19 vaccinations with Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot, saying its benefits outweigh a rare risk of blood clots — in line with Europe’s rollout. Federal health officials uncovered 15 vaccine recipients who developed a highly unusual kind of blood clot, out of nearly...
Biden spokeswoman: Pandemic ‘exposed what a problem we have on our hands’ in U.S. nursing homes
The pandemic shined a spotlight on problems that plagued low-performing nursing homes scattered across Western Pennsylvania and the rest of the nation long before covid-19 struck the United States, White House press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged Friday. As vaccinations ramp up and covid-19 hospitalizations go down, the Biden administration intends...
What to do with your covid-19 vaccination card
You’ve gotten your covid-19 vaccine dose and accompanying small, white vaccination card. Now what do you do? Take a picture of the card for backup purposes. No selfie required. The card from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention serves as official documentation. The cards contain important information about a...
Emergency pet pantry needs donations to keep it stocked
When humans are in crisis, organizations like the Red Cross, fire departments and food banks are there to help. But who is there for the pets affected by those emergencies? Westmoreland/Fayette/Allegheny County Animal Response Team established a pet pantry to provide food and other supplies to furry friends whose owners...
Aliquippa man gets federal prison time for possessing cocaine, gun, ammunition
An Aliquippa man has been sentenced to just over five years in prison for possession of cocaine, a gun and ammunition. Antoine Cummings, 37, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison following his conviction on narcotics trafficking and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted...
Butler County Prison inmate charged for illegally possessing cell phone in jail
A Butler County Prison inmate was charged with illegally possessing a cell phone in jail. William Kelly Penn, 36, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of possessing contraband while in prison, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced Wednesday. Penn, a federal detainee...
State trooper in Beaver tried to fix ticket for friends, police say
A Pennsylvania State Police trooper faces misdemeanor charges after he tried to make a traffic ticket disappear for friends, authorities said Thursday, according to charges filed by PSP internal affairs. Trask Alexander, a trooper from Troop D in the Beaver County barracks, is charged with tampering with records, tampering with...
Savini makeup school grad wins contest to spend 1st night in ‘Buffalo Bill’s House’Video
When Jeannette Milo was a student at Tom Savini’s makeup effects program in Monessen, she watched movies such as “Silence of the Lambs” with the goal of one day working on such a film. Little did she know, a decade later, she’d be the first person to spend the night...
State police seize $17.7 million worth of illegal drugs during first 3 months of 2021Video
State police seized nearly $5.6 million worth of cocaine during the first three months of 2021. Troopers seized 253 pounds of cocaine in January, February and March, according to state police data. That’s almost as much of the drug as troopers confiscated during all of 2020. The number of drug...
Michael Keaton partners with Pittsburgh-area developer to locate new plant in region
As Michael Keaton prepares to reprise his role as Batman in an upcoming movie, the Pittsburgh-area native also is a partner in a business venture that could create more than 300 jobs in the region. Keaton, a Robinson native, is partnering with Emsworth developer Craig Rippole and Nexii Building Solutions,...
Earth Day ’21: environmental issues past and present still present challenges
Fifty-one years after the founding of Earth Day, with the first on April 22, 1970, the manmade pollution and resulting problems created by global warming and climate change remain the biggest threat to the planet, environmental scientists say. “Certainly, the biggest concern is climate change, because it has so many...
State greenlights $48 million in transportation infrastructure projects
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Financing Authority on Wednesday approved more than $48 million for 116 new multi-modal transportation infrastructure projects in 45 counties, including a dozen in Allegheny, Armstrong and Westmoreland counties. The authority approved two Alle-Kiski Valley projects, including a $200,000 Rankin Street revitalization project in Arnold and $375,000 for...
Feds: Somerset County man admits role in West Virginia cocaine-heroin ring
A Somerset County man could receive a 20-year federal prison sentence and be fined $1 million when he is sentenced this summer after admitting this week to participating his role in a drug trafficking ring in West Virginia, authorities said. Lance Smith, 47, of Confluence, admitted to his role in...
New GAP trail marker installed in Cumberland, Md.
Travelers on the Great Allegheny Passage will see a new marker at the start or end of their journey on the 150-mile trail that goes through Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy on Wednesday unveiled a 48-inch granite medallion set in the ground at Mile 0 in Cumberland, Md.,...
South Fayette Capitol riot suspect has covid, hearing delayed
A status conference for a South Fayette man charged in the Capitol riot case was postponed Wednesday after he recently tested positive for covid-19. Jorden Mink, 27, is charged with 10 counts, including assaulting, resisting or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon; civil disorder and committing an act of physical...
Things to do in Western Pa.: April 21, 2021
Carnegie Science Center is celebrating Earth Week with both on-site and virtual programming, with topics including the crisis of ocean plastics. On a lighter note, there’s a pop-up drive-in movie coming to Pittsburgh Zoo and a slate of Oscar-nominated films at Pittsburgh-area Cinemark theaters. Other events cater to aspiring actors,...
Snow, yes. But cold could set record; freeze warning issued
Pittsburgh could break a nearly 150-year-old weather record for this day but not because of the late April snow being seen this morning. The record for the lowest high temperature has stood since 1875, when the high was only 41 degrees. Today’s high is expected to be colder, at just...
Medical marijuana program in Pa. celebrates 5-year anniversary
Diana Briggs remembers the days when her son Ryan suffered through 400 seizures a day. She believes the legalization of medical marijuana — five years ago — in Pennsylvania changed his life. Ryan, who went through a medical emergency at birth 21 years ago, is now a special-needs adult with...
