Regional News category, Page 228
Spring is here: 5 facts about the equinox
Saturday is the first day of spring — also known as the vernal equinox. Here are five questions answered to help you understand the science of the season. What’s an equinox? For two moments every year the sun passes directly above the equator — once in March and once in...
Person dead after being struck by train near Route 837 in Washington County
A person was struck and killed by a train traveling near Route 837 and Jones Lane in Carroll Township, Washington County, on Friday afternoon. The Washington County Coroner’s Office said the victim was struck shortly before 4 p.m. along the Norfolk Southern Railway tracks that run between Route 837 and...
Butler County man charged with homicide, assault in death of girlfriend’s unborn infant
Police say a Butler County man became so enraged when his pregnant girlfriend could not find him a cigarette that he choked and beat the woman, causing her to miscarry and ultimately killing the child. Damien Large, 19, was charged earlier this week with the Christmas Day assault on the...
Small pharmacies ‘beyond frustrated’ as Pennsylvania locks them out of vaccine process
As Pennsylvania officials work to roll back the number of covid-19 vaccine providers in an effort to streamline the process, several businesses across the region have learned they are slated to no longer receive first doses. Efforts to curtail the number of providers began in February, when Acting Secretary of...
Western Pa. districts welcome new student social distancing guidelines
News of updated student social distancing guidelines was met with enthusiasm Friday at Burrell School District, where Superintendent Shannon Wagner said about 70% of students have chosen in-person learning throughout the school year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines will allow schools to relax social distancing measures in...
West Virginia announces 20 more unreported covid-19 deaths
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Friday that 20 coronavirus deaths went unreported, on top of the 165 deaths he announced last week that were previously not publicized. The Republican governor vowed a “complete investigation, all the way down, to pinpoint exactly where the shortcomings are.” Those...
More colleges signal fall reopening as stimulus begins to flow
Two more Pittsburgh-based universities — Carlow and Point Park — plan to return to full in-person operations this fall. Friday’s announcements, the most recent in a series at local universities, came as the U.S. Department of Education announced an expanded list of areas new federal stimulus money can underwrite. Those...
‘Poundemic’ pitfalls: Trade bad quarantine food habits for healthy choicesVideo
Have you heard the term “poundemic”? It describes the unhealthy eating habits and subsequent weight gain that have plagued many during the pandemic, said Dawn Davoli, a registered dietitian and nutritionist for Excela Health. “I’d say our eating habits tanked a little bit in the past year,” she said. “When...
Report: Pennsylvania casino revenues down slightly in FebruaryVideo
Following a strong start to the year, Pennsylvania casinos last month saw a slight drop in gambling revenue as they work to recoup from the economic impacts of the covid-19 pandemic. In February, revenues posted by casinos across the state came in at $301.9 million, a decrease of $2.36 million,...
Tree of Life hosts virtual interfaith covid-19 memorial service
Local religious leaders remembered the victims of the covid-19 pandemic with a virtual memorial service one year after the first coronavirus-related death in Pennsylvania. The Tree of Life congregation on Thursday evening hosted the online event, which they called “Covid-19 One Year Later: A Service of Remembrance, Healing and Renewal.”...
Searchers in rural Indiana County rescue elderly man suffering from hypothermia
An 88-year-old Indiana County man who became disoriented and wandered away from his parked vehicle early Thursday was located by a team of searchers, according to state police. Trooper Clifford Greenfield said the man was found laying on the ground after two hours and was taken to an area medical...
In hard-hit restaurant industry, hiring more staff is tall order in Western Pa.
A sign seeking job applicants hangs in the window of Anchor Inn in Harrison. It’s been there for about six months. That sign has garnered only two applicants, owner Joe Kolek said Thursday. “Everybody’s got ‘help wanted’ signs,” Kolek said. “I think everybody is in the same boat trying to...
5,000 covid-19 vaccine appointments to open at 2 pharmacies in Penn Township and Indiana Co.
More than 5,000 appointments for the covid-19 vaccine will be available next week through two area Mainline Pharmacy Group locations. Bushy Run Pharmacy, in Penn Township, and Blairsville Pharmacy, in Indiana County, have appointments available for those who qualify in phase 1A of the state’s vaccination plan. This phase includes...
Things to do in Western Pa.: March 18, 2021
What’s your musical pleasure? Country or classical, sacred or show tunes? There’s something on tap for every ear, along with an array of art exhibitions and other entertainment happenings. The details are here, in this week’s Big List. Art • What a drag: The Westmoreland Museum of American Art will...
Google announces expansion of Bakery Square campus
Google is about to make its large footprint in Bakery Square even larger. Thursday morning, the company announced plans to expand its Bakery Square campus by adding three new floors this year, bringing its total footprint in the building to 320,000 square feet. Google said it will be taking the...
Signature Dishes: Poutine at House of 1000 Beers in New KensingtonVideo
This is part of an ongoing series highlighting Signature Dishes at locally owned restaurants in the region. See Trib Total Media’s new online directory of restaurants, Dine Local, at dinelocal.triblive.com. Created in the Canadian province of Quebec, this steamy mountain of french fries smothered in gravy, pulled pork and cheese...
PNC closing 3 more Pittsburgh-area branches
PNC will close three more bank branches in the Pittsburgh area in June. The branches that will close June 11 are in McCandless, Oakdale and Ambridge. Each will be consolidated with another location, bank spokeswoman Marcey Zwiebel said. The closings are driven by changes in the way customers are doing...
In a first for UPMC, this drive-thru clinic treated 500 vaccine seekers eager to roll up their sleeves
Five hundred people got their first dose of the Moderna vaccine at the launch of a drive-thru clinic Wednesday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. The hospital system is partnering with the Pittsburgh Penguins to continue a covid-19 community vaccination event series. On Monday, the two teamed up...
IUP announces plans for in-person commencement
Indiana University of Pennsylvania Wednesday joined a growing chorus of universities announcing plans for in-person commencement this spring Officials said plans call for as many as six ceremonies May 7 and 8 for May and August 2021 graduates. Plans include a ceremony for graduates receiving master’s and doctoral degrees on...
Beaver federal credit union head charged with embezzling $2 million
The former president and CEO for the credit union at International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union No. 712 in Beaver was charged in federal court this week with embezzling more than $2 million. Stacey Shaw, of Industry, is charged by criminal information with embezzlement and willful failure to file...
Indiana Co. man charged with shooting at woman at Taco Bell, indicted on federal gun charge
An Indiana County man was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday — months after police said he shot at a woman who had a protection from abuse order against him. Todd Matthew Jaksoh, 33, of Indiana, was indicted on one count of illegally possessing a weapon while subject...
Despite pandemic, these Western Pa. lawmakers cashed in on taxpayers’ dime
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. Despite the coronavirus pandemic and a lengthy statewide shutdown, Pennsylvania state lawmakers — led by Democrats in the House — still...
Police: Beaver County man killed by son in connection with alleged Publishers Clearing House scam
A Massachusetts man accused of killing his father in Beaver County’s New Sewickley Township told authorities he did so to spare his father humiliation over being duped in a Publishers Clearing House scam, court records show. Michael Miklaucic, 57, of Plymouth, Mass., is charged with homicide in the death of...
Many Pa. indoor venue owners say Wolf’s easing of restrictions isn’t enough
While many in the hospitality industry cautiously celebrated the coming return of bar service and 2 a.m. last calls, others in the entertainment industry expressed dismay at the comparatively low capacity levels covid-19 restrictions keep them at. Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday announced he would roll back a slew of...
86-mile stretch of Pa. Turnpike to close this weekend for bridge project
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is scheduled to close in both directions for several hours this weekend between New Stanton and Breezewood. Turnpike officials said the closure will begin at 11 p.m. Saturday and reopen to traffic by 6 a.m. Sunday as part of a bridge removal project. The closure is necessary...
