Regional category, Page 254
Struggling restaurant owners tell Pa. lawmakers: ‘We’re limping along here’Video
With a $20,000 monthly mortgage payment, the owner of a Hempfield brewpub told state legislators his business is barely breaking even under a state-mandated 25% customer capacity order. “We’re limping along here, and we need help,” said Greg Cammerata, owner of IronRock Tap House. Cammerata and IronRock executive chef Arnold...
Census Bureau to send out emails to spark response rates
The Census Bureau is making one last effort to contact people who have not yet responded to the once-a-decade survey by sending out emails. Households in low-responding census tracts will receive an email from 2020census@subscriptions.census.gov encouraging people to fill out the form online, as well as informing them why the...
Fayette County closes courthouse in response to growing number of coronavirus cases
Fayette County government and court officials halted general operations at the courthouse and surrounding facilities in Uniontown in response to growing numbers of staffers who have tested positive for coronavirus. Commissioners Wednesday instituted a two-week closure and required most county employees to work from home while limiting court operations. Commissioner...
Cicadas abuzz around Western Pennsylvania as summer progresses
The annual cicadas are buzzing in Western Pennsylvania, as the large insects emerge from underground for the hottest months of summer. Cicadas are best known for their noises — mating calls coming from the males — that can be heard from dawn till dusk. Joe Stavish, manager of community education...
CORE launches social media campaign to promote organ donation
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) launched a social media campaign to spread awareness and recruit new organ donors. The campaign, dubbed #JustOne, aims to demonstrate how many lives just one new organ donor could save. “The very fact that one donor can save eight lives showcases the...
Local lawmaker calling for end to sportsbook tax
A Pennsylvania lawmaker is calling for the elimination of “unnecessary” taxes on legal sportsbook operators. Regulated sports betting operators are required by the Internal Revenue Code to pay a 0.25% federal excise tax on all wagers as well as a $50 annual tax for every employee engaged in receiving bets,...
Pittsburgh jobless rate dips slightly to 12.5% in June
The Pittsburgh region’s jobless rate dropped again in June, falling slightly to 12.5%, because of an increase in nonfarm jobs, the state said Tuesday. The unemployment rate fell by 1.4 percentage points, continuing a decline from a high of 17% in April for Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and...
In meeting with Jill Biden, Pittsburgh schools union leader supports delay for in-person instruction
While school districts in Southwestern Pennsylvania finalize their fall reopening plans, some educational leaders are advocating for stronger safety guidelines and a delay to in-person instruction. On Tuesday, in a virtual campaign stop for the Joe Biden presidential campaign, Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, and U.S. Sen Bob Casey, D-Scranton,...
Keeping Pa. private colleges closed will hurt small communities, officials say
The covid-19 pandemic has upended procedures for colleges and universities throughout the country, and many of Pennsylvania’s private institutions are struggling to find the best path forward, officials said Tuesday. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has hosted Facebook Live conversations with industry leaders semi-regularly during the pandemic. On Tuesday, he met...
State: Brighton Rehab nursing home failed to get proper approval to use hydroxychloroquine on residents
Residents of a Beaver County nursing home that is the site of one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the country were given an experimental drug without approval from the state health department, inspection records show. Hydroxychloroquine, typically used to treat malaria, was administered to 205 of the 435 residents...
Power mostly restored after Monday’s storms roll through region
Power was expected to be restored by about 6:30 a.m. to the last of the homes affected by Monday’s storm-related outages, according to the West Penn Power website. There are about 40 customers without electricity in Westmoreland County and less than 10 in Allegheny County, after storms rolled through the...
Drivers need not worry about ‘big jumps’ in gas prices for now, analyst says
Gas prices are stuck in neutral, with oil prices not rising despite a small rebound in demand for fuel, an industry analyst said. A small rise in gasoline demand last week appears likely to continue into this week, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “The recovery...
Family of Monroeville man says he ‘died happy’ on raceway
James “Big Jim” Baker’s death at Keystone Raceway last week was exactly the way he’d have wanted to go out. For this, his family said, they are grateful. “He’d say, ‘If I die in that car, I’ll die happy,’ ” his daughter, Nichole Baker, said of her father. “He died...
Pennsylvania child care facilities struggling under pandemic conditions
Families and facilities across Pennsylvania face a mounting challenge when it comes to child care during the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Monday. “I think we can all agree that we’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Diane Barber, executive director of the Pennsylvania Child Care Association, a nonprofit advocacy...
Murrysville, McCandless ranked among safest towns by security company
Murrysville and McCandless are among the top 50 safest cities in the U.S., according to the latest rankings from home security and safety advisory company SafeWise. Pennsylvania makes the list several times, with seven towns among SafeWise’s top 50 including Buckingham Township (11), Upper Saucon Township (27), Upper Allen Township...
Planet Fitness to require all members to wear masks starting Aug. 1
Starting Aug. 1, members of Planet Fitness won’t just be banned from grunting. They’ll be banned from going bare-faced too. The fitness club company said the mandatory mask mandate for all members and employees was put in place to ensure that all gym members can “gym confidently in a safe...
Dick’s Sporting Goods joins other retailers closing on Thanksgiving
Dick’s Sporting Goods joined a growing number of retailers that will be closed on Thanksgiving. The Findlay-based national chain announced Monday that all of its stores, including Dick’s, Field & Stream and Golf Galaxy, would be closed for the holiday. “We are so thankful to our teammates for their hard...
Jobless could wait months for stimulus if $600 aid is altered, says Pa. official
If Congress makes drastic changes to the $600-a-week program that has delivered $14.5 billion to the state’s unemployed since the covid-19 shutdowns in mid-March, thousands of Pennsylvania’s jobless workers may not get any extra federal aid for months, a state labor official said Monday. With the state’s unemployment compensation system...
1 of 2 suspects in Butler purse theft arrested in Florida
One of two men charged with robbing a Butler County woman in June was apprehended in Florida, according to state police. State police allege that Marcos Roman, 38, currently of Butler and Ramon Enrique Acevedo-Carrasquillo, 34, of Ocala, Fla. followed a woman home from a store and forcibly took her...
30 years later, Americans with Disabilities Act still lauded but ‘work is never done’
When Dick Thornburgh witnessed the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act 30 years ago, he knew his son’s life would be changed forever. The Pittsburgh native and former Republican Pennsylvania governor was the U.S. attorney general at the time. Leading the Justice Department, he was integral in working out...
Trib Total Media hires first class of Jim Borden Memorial scholars
Trib Total Media’s first class of Jim Borden Memorial Scholarship winners has started work at the Tribune-Review amid the coronavirus pandemic and a hectic news environment. The scholarship, named for the Tribune-Review’s late managing editor, offers financial assistance up to $30,000 — paid in $7,500 annual installments — for college...
Chestnut Ridge golf resort near Blairsville sells for $2.4 million at auction
Chestnut Ridge Golf Resort & Conference Center sold to an online bidder Saturday for $2.4 million. But the winning bidder’s identity will not be available until paperwork and payment is finalized, said Sherman Hostetter, owner of Hostetter Auctioneers of Beaver Falls. The auction of the 345-acre golf course and resort...
Police: Butler man faces ethnic intimidation charges after graffiti found outside Black family’s home
A 44-year-old Butler man allegedly admitted spray painting graffiti derogatory toward Blacks on a sidewalk outside a Black family’s home, according to city police. Butler police charged Philip Anthony Rienzi Friday with criminal mischief and ethnic intimidation, both misdemeanor offenses. According to police, a pedestrian reported the graffiti on East...
Week in Review: Turnpike hike, Ligonier chase and Derry homicideVideo
A Derry woman was killed in an apparent case of mistaken identity, turnpike drivers without an E-ZPass are facing a major price hike, and Allegheny County is inspecting businesses to make sure they’re following coronavirus rules. Here’s a look back at some of the week’s top stories: Turnpike Hike Turnpike...
Legal experts: Mask requirements likely don’t violate Americans with Disabilities Act
Cries from across the country claiming constitutional rights are being stripped away by mask requirements might not be as valid as some people think. Mask requirements, put in place to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, are being challenged with lawsuits claiming they violate the Americans with Disabilities Act....
