Regional News category, Page 263
‘Covid cannot be used as a cover-up’: Brighton Rehab residents, families outraged by lax oversight during outbreak
As death became a constant at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in mid-April, so did certain daily rituals, according to some of the more than dozen residents, families and current and former staff members interviewed during a Trib investigation. Family members’ frantic pleas for updates about loved ones locked down...
After months of uncertainty at the top, Brighton Rehab has manager in place through end of year
A state-appointed manager will oversee operations at the troubled Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center at least through the end of the year, signaling some consistency after months of uncertainty about who is in charge. State officials confirmed Allaire Health Services, installed in mid-May to temporarily manage the facility where 73...
Veil of silence: As outbreak spun out of control, Brighton Rehab ownership group remained mum. It still does.
A knock on the door at two Long Island addresses listed for the owners of Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center did nothing to lift a veil of silence surrounding the company since 73 patients and a housekeeper at the Beaver County nursing home died earlier this year. The reporter who...
Daughter ready to run 10th Great Race in honor of her mother, a victim of amyloidosis
The Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race is about much more than running. For Ashley Gerken, it’s a tribute to her mother, who died of amyloidosis in 2008. The Great Race donates $1 per runner to amyloidosis research through the Richard S. Caliguiri Fund. The race is named...
Rare blazing star wildflowers in bloom in Butler County prairieVideo
The sea of tall, purple wildflowers known as blazing stars at Jennings Environmental Education Center are a rarity for Western Pennsylvania, and they won’t last much longer than this weekend. The flower is as exotic as its habitat: a prairie that was first preserved by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and...
Census Bureau: In-person census counts to ‘present low risk’ of transmitting coronavirus
As in-person counting efforts kick off across the country for the decennial census, bureau officials are working to keep staff and members of the public safe from the coronavirus. “Participation in 2020 census interviews should present a low risk of transmission of covid-19,” according to the Census Bureau. In-person enumerators...
PIAA decision to postpone sports by 2 weeks met with excitement, concerns
Jody Brockett nervously awaited the PIAA’s announcement Friday as to whether high school athletics would proceed in the fall. Her daughter Leah, a freshman, plays soccer at Burrell. She feared the season would be canceled. She worried about her daughter, who has been having a hard time coping with the...
Tickets for Walmart Drive-in movie experience sold out in Pittsburgh area
From Aug. 14 to Oct. 21, Walmart Supercenters across the country are offering 320 free, socially distanced drive-in movies in 160 store parking lots, shown in partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival. All locations in the Pittsburgh area are sold out, including Walmart stores in North Huntingdon and West Mifflin....
Report: State hotline fielding more calls about student suicide, self-harm concerns
Reports of suicidal or self-harming thoughts by Pennsylvania students reported to the state’s Safe2Say Something tip line increased after schools shut down in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an analysis by Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Between July 2019 and March 13, 17% of all tips received by...
Police: Washington man who ran through I-70 traffic was on methamphetamine
A Washington man was cited Friday after state police said he jumped over the center concrete barrier on Interstate 70 multiple times in Washington County, just over the Westmoreland border. Troopers identified the man as Jordan Simon, 31, and said he was under the influence of methamphetamine after having an...
All lanes of I-79 in Butler County open after scene of multi-vehicle crash cleared
All lanes of Interstate 79 have been reopened near Zelienople, Butler County, after a multi-vehicle crash with injuries shut the roadway down in both directions early Friday morning, according to state police. The wreck occurred in the northbound lanes shortly before 6 a.m. between the Zelienople and Portersville/Prospect exits, according...
Gov. Wolf’s recommendation to postpone high school sports gets mixed reactions
Gov. Tom Wolf’s recommendation that youth sports be postponed until Jan. 1 was met Thursday with mixed reactions. Wolf’s suggestion that “we don’t do any sports until Jan. 1” first came during a morning news conference when he was asked about spectators at high school sporting events. By the afternoon,...
Pepperoni used to coax trapped wiener dog to freedomVideo
Firefighters in Beaver County had to use a good bit of sweat and a little bit of bait to free a dog that became trapped under a building on Wednesday afternoon. Shortly after 2 p.m. a rescue crew from the City of Beaver Falls Fire Department was dispatched to a...
Washington County woman accused of locking sister in cage wanted for skipping hearing
A Washington County woman accused of locking her adult sister in a cage is wanted on a bench warrant for allegedly skipping a court hearing, Tribune-Review news partner WPXI reported. Leona Biser, 51, originally was charged in January by the state Attorney General’s Office. She allegedly kept her 53-year-old sister...
Better Business Bureau issues warning about possible scams related to census
The Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania issued a warning regarding potential phishing scams related to the census. The census, which determines how federal funds are distributed along with the number of congressional seats each state is allocated, has been sending emails encouraging people to respond to the once-a-decade survey...
Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure goes virtual this year
Thousands of Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure participants may not be gathering in Schenley Park this year, but event organizers are not letting that stop their mission. The race, which typically draws 15,000 people to the Flagstaff Hill section of the park, will celebrate its 28th year virtually, said...
Citizens Bank, Trib Total Media, Pittsburgh Cares now accepting 2021 Champions in Action applications
Applications for a 2021 Champions in Action award are being accepted by Citizens Bank, Trib Total Media and Pittsburgh Cares until Aug. 21. The program is seeking nonprofit applicants for work done related to covid-19 relief. “Applications will be accepted … from nonprofit organizations focused on solving post-pandemic social needs...
Maryland men arrested in alleged 3-county robbery spree
Police arrested two Maryland men early Wednesday for an alleged armed robbery spree that authorities say spanned three counties. Rexford Enoch Prince-Wright, 23, and Elijah Sayon, 22, both of Hagerstown, face robbery charges in connection with four incidents early this week, according to Allegheny County Police Sgt. Todd Dolfi. County...
Some community yard sales proceed, others are scrapped, amid pandemic concerns
Treasure-seekers can expect plenty of room to maneuver on Friday when they check out the used household items Barbara Phillips will be offering for sale at her Derry Borough home. Given the importance of social distancing during the covid-19 pandemic, Phillips said, “I’m trying to make sure my walkways are...
Woman trying to save pets rescued from burning home in New Castle
Firefighters in New Castle, Lawrence County, rescued a woman from a burning house after she went back inside to retrieve her pets. The fire broke out in the kitchen of the home along East Lutton Street shortly after midnight, according to Tribune-Review news partners WPXI-TV. Authorities told the television station...
Allegheny, Westmoreland school districts reveal plans for upcoming classes
In March, school districts across the state were ordered closed by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf to help curb the spread of coronavirus. Now, they are now developing new health and safety protocols in an effort to restart instruction in the coming weeks. Some will begin with online instruction, some will...
Census Bureau announces date change for in-person counts
Local communities could be left scrambling after the Census Bureau confirmed there will be one less month to collect population counts vital for determining how federal funds are dispersed and the number of representatives each state has in Congress. The final date for collecting the once-a-decade survey is Sept. 30...
U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb: Investigate state health department over coronavirus oversight at Brighton Rehab
U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb on Tuesday renewed his criticism of the Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County, calling for an additional investigation into how the Pennsylvania Department of Health oversaw the facility during the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter dated Monday to the federal Centers for Medicare &...
National Guard captain from Washington County targets Pittsburgh Half Marathon after leukemia battle
What happened there? What was that about? In October 2019, those questions scrambled through Jason Mounts’ mind. A quick, three-mile run wiped him out. It was supposed to be just a warm-up for an extended workout. But he was whipped. That was odd for Mounts. A former soccer player at...
2 men die in head-on Mercer County motorcycle crash
Two men in their 20s died Sunday in a head-on crash involving two motorcycles in Mercer County, according to state police. State police identified the deceased as Garrett J. Arnold, 22, of Greenville, and Cage C. Shook, 22, of Hadley. The crash happened around 1:45 a.m. on County Line Road...
