Regional News category, Page 246
A look inside schools’ reopening decisions
Gary Peiffer was “cautiously optimistic” at the beginning of this school year. The superintendent of Greensburg Salem School District felt ready for the district’s planned hybrid model. Federal CARES Act funds had been used to purchase laptops, cleaning materials and plastic barriers. Teachers had gone through training for new remote...
Looking to get a covid-19 test? Here are some of your options
As the number of covid-19 cases explodes in the region, more residents are seeking tests and face a number of options. And depending on where you go, waiting for results might take longer, according to health officials. While there are a number of covid-19 testing sites in the region, many...
Week in review: Pitt picked for covid study, Wexford pastor new Youngstown bishop, mask order issued, casino debutsVideo
Here are some of the top Tribune-Review news and feature stories from around the region for the week of Nov. 15-21, 2020. For more details on these and other stories, follow the links below or see Triblive.com. Pitt chosen to lead NIH trials in covid-19 care for patients with blood...
How to safely celebrate Thanksgiving during the pandemic
Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with large family feasts and lots of friends. This year, health officials are urging people to scrap those plans in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic. Department of Health Secretary Rachel Levine has urged people to nix any gatherings, large or small, to celebrate the upcoming...
Nov. 20: Here is covid-19 data from select Western Pa. colleges
Western Pennsylvania is home community to several colleges and universities, attracting students from around the state and country. During the coronavirus pandemic, many are tracking the number of positive covid-19 cases as they emerge on campus. University of Pittsburgh Enrollment: About 30,000 students Number of new cases: There were 98...
Region’s international student enrollment declined with global pandemic
A flood of international students who fueled growth at the region’s colleges and universities for the last decade is waning in the face of the global pandemic. Fall enrollment numbers show international enrollment at nine local universities and Penn State declined by about 2,500, or approximately 12%, this fall as...
Why a vaccine won’t end the covid pandemic
With vaccine distribution likely weeks away, spirits have been buoyed at the thought of a literal shot in the arm after months of covid-19 anxiety and fatigue. While that optimism is just fine, experts say, many states face months of continued mitigation measures before vaccination becomes a reality. “Though these...
‘Dangerous trajectory’ for Pittsburgh area hospitals as covid cases surgeVideo
A region known for its expansive hospital networks is beginning to see alarming trends in covid-19 hospitalizations and facility capacity. “We’re on a very, very, very dangerous trajectory right now,” said Dr. Tom Walsh, an infectious disease specialist at Allegheny Health Network. “We’re seeing rapid, exponential increases and if we...
Owl be darned — Rockefeller Center Christmas tree survival tale not surprisingVideo
It’s actually not unusual, given the circumstances, that a cute Northern saw-whet owl, found in the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center recently, is healthy and still adorable. The saw-whet owl is so named because its call, not the typical hoo-hoo, but rather a mechanical toot-toot, sounds like the sharpening of...
Contact tracer jobs dry up just as WCCC launches training program
Those contact tracer jobs that sounded like a lifeline to workers left unemployed in the midst of the pandemic are gone. A spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health said the state filled all of its 1,000 positions for contact tracers — hired to track down people who had close...
Covid forces Punxsutawney Phil to go virtual; no crowds on Gobbler’s Knob in February
Say it ain’t so, but the covid-19 pandemic will keep thousands of people from witnessing whether Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow atop the famed Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney on Feb. 2 and forecasts six more weeks of winter. Even though people want to see Phil’s prognostication in person for the...
Time to string the lights: Temperatures to reach 60s in Western Pa.
From snow flurries to 60s in a couple of days, this week’s weather is proving to be a late-autumn roller coaster ride. The National Weather Service is predicting warmer than usual temperatures in the 60 degree or above range through Sunday. It appears to be part of the dry weather...
Covid testing available at these AHN sites
Allegheny Health Network is offering covid-19 testing at the following community sites.Citizens Hospital, 651 Fourth Ave., New Kensington: Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.AHN McCandless, 9335 McKnight Road: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Forbes Hospital, 2600 Haymaker Road, Monroeville: Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 1...
Community partners to broadcast free Wi-Fi for schoolchildren from top of Cathedral of Learning
Students in New Kensington, Coraopolis and Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood will soon have access to free, at-home internet. Four community partners — Meta Mesh Wireless Communities, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and the Keystone Initiative for Network-based Research (KINBER) — have formed Every1online, a program to provide high-speed internet...
Autumn rains help end drought watch in Armstrong and Butler counties
The state Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday lifted the drought watch for 10 counties including Armstrong and Butler. The drought was also lifted in Blair, Cambria, Clarion, Erie, Fayette, Huntingdon, Indiana, and Mifflin counties. In August, the DEP and the Commonwealth Drought Task Force, declared a drought watch for...
Shoppers stock up on supplies as covid-19 cases climb againVideo
When the coronavirus pandemic hit the area in the spring, there was a mad dash to grocery stores to stockpile on essential supplies — and as cases spike, it may be happening again. In the early days of the pandemic, baking supplies, paper products and cleaning staples were in short...
Indiana jail guard, inmate indicted on cell phone smuggling charges
A corrections officer and inmate at the Indiana County Jail have been indicted in connection with what federal prosecutors described as a scheme to smuggle cell phones into the lockup. The indictments against Alex Lewis, 25, formerly of Home, and Rashon Richardson, 30, were unsealed Monday. A grand jury found...
Wreck slowing traffic along westbound Pa. Turnpike near New Stanton
Traffic is snarled along the westbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike between Donegal and New Stanton because of an crash. According to PennDOT, the the right lane in the westbound direction is closed near mile marker 85 along Interstate 76. The wreck occurred at around 7 a.m. There were no...
Snow showers could make driving dicey north of Pittsburgh
Motorists traveling through the region north of Pittsburgh Tuesday morning are likely to encounter scattered rain and snow showers that could intensify and limit visibility in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. The rain showers are expected to change to snow at around daybreak and continue through much...
WPIAL bans Peters Township band after investigating ‘blackface’ allegations
The Peters Township marching band is prohibited from performing at any WPIAL event until the school district submits a plan to “eradicate the social and racial insensitivity displayed by the marching band and its director/supervisors,” the WPIAL announced Tuesday. The ban lasts at least six months. The discipline was the...
Edinboro University president announces departure amid merger study
Just 16 months after assuming office, Guiyou Huang, president of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, announced Monday that he is leaving in January to become president of Western Illinois University. Huang’s departure comes as officials at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education work on the second phase of a study...
Levine plans no new Pennsylvania restrictions as covid cases continue to rise
Covid-19 cases continue to rise along with the percentage of people who are testing positive for the virus, but Pennsylvania’s top health official said Monday there are no plans to put harsher restrictions in place again. “We have no plans to go back to red-yellow-green or any type of scheme...
Get free Sheetz coffee every week during the holidays
If you don’t already have a Sheetz customer rewards card, it might be a good time to get one — especially if you are a coffee drinker. Today, Sheetz announced a new holiday coffee program designed to keep customers and employees safe during the holiday season. To maintain social distancing...
Covid cases in Butler County prompt change to Seneca Valley instruction
The Seneca Valley School District has announced changes to its instruction model after being notified that the number of covid-19 cases is surging in Butler County. Students in grades 11 and 12 will continue using remote learning with live streaming for all classes through Jan. 4, the district announced on...
Power still out for many after winds sweep through the region, toppling trees and utility lines
Service has been restored for all but a handful of the nearly 3,500 Duquesne Light customers who lost power on Sunday when high winds swept through Southwestern Pennsylvania, toppling trees and downing power lines. But a majority of the more than 10,600 local customers of West Penn Power who lost...
