Regional category, Page 277

Local and federal agencies are setting up websites dedicated to combating the spread of misinformation, rumors and scams related to the coronavirus. They include advertisements and sales pitches for products promising a cure for covid-19, phone and email campaigns asking people to provide personal information in exchange for supplies like...

More than a dozen residents in a Morgantown, W.Va., nursing home have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and 76 tests are still pending, officials said Wednesday. Sixteen residents and four employees at Sundale, which houses 98 residents, have the virus, according to Dr. Carl Shrader, medical director of the...

If you order Primanti Bros. to go Thursday, the restaurant chain will throw in a free beer — and bring it to your car. The company turned its bartenders to “cartenders” as restaurants shut down in-house dining during the coronavirus pandemic. “As we were going through this crisis, we tried...

Pennsylvania firearms dealers may now operate on a limited basis, according to a revised list of businesses that can or cannot continue physical operations under Gov. Tom Wolf’s order mandating closures to slow the spread of covid-19. Under the order, sporting goods stores remain among businesses considered “non-life-sustaining” and are...

On one hand, efforts to slow the spread of covid-19 likely have contributed to a declining number of new flu cases in recent weeks, state Department of Health spokeswoman Brittany Lauffer said Wednesday. On the other, increased testing to identify covid-19 cases and people’s concern about the illness likely have...

Both the state House and Senate passed a $50 million recovery package Wednesday intended to help families and businesses deal with the growing economic fallout from the coronavirus threat. According to press releases sent by several Republican senators, Senate agreed Wednesday the package after the House had done so earlier....

Sheetz announced Wednesday that it is giving its workers an extra $3 per hour during the coronavirus outbreak. In a release, the company said the pay raise will run through April 23. “Our employees are the heart and soul of Sheetz and their commitment to serve our customers and communities...

Food banks and volunteer fire companies across the region are in line for an infusion of cash, courtesy of Chevron, the energy company active in the Marcellus Shale region. Officials on Wednesday said the company is donating $60,000 — $10,000 to each to food banks in Allegheny, Fayette, Greene, Washington...

Ensuring that high school seniors graduate on time is among his top priorities as Pennsylvania grapples with the prospect of an extended school shutdown because of covid-19 fears, Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera said Wednesday, stressing that the school year cannot be extended beyond June 30. “We’ve put a full...

Domestic violence advocates say they are seeing an influx of calls related to the coronavirus, and many fear it will only continue as orders to stay home drag on. “Isolation is always a tool of an abusive person,” said Michelle Gibb, director of the Alle-Kiski Area Hope Center in Tarentum....

Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana patients have been stocking up during the coronavirus pandemic, and the state temporarily has loosened regulations to make it easier for them to get product. “The influx of patients is at an all-time high this week. We’re seeing so many new patients,” said Chris Kohan, co-founder of...

Pennsylvanians dealing with dental emergencies and needing to see a dentist or an oral surgeon are out of luck. The Pennsylvania State Department of Health has ordered all dental offices to stop performing emergency operations during the covid-19 crisis, effectively shutting the offices down. ”Right now I would say that...

Penn State Extension is offering a free, one-hour webinar Wednesday on how farmers markets can still operate with the threat of the coronavirus. The discussion, to start at 3 p.m., will focus on strategies to control the spread of the coronavirus at farmers markets. Visit their website for details. Penn...

The nonprofit Solar United Neighbors co-op is already taking advantage of modern technology when it comes to outfitting their homes with solar panels. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, members of the group will take advantage of some additional technology to conduct free online webinars on converting to solar energy, including one...

Some rather significant rainfall totals are in store for Western Pennsylvania this week and through the weekend. The National Weather Service is forecasting rain overnight and then from late Thursday through Sunday, with an 80 percent to 90 percent chance Friday and Saturday. WPXI-TV meteorologist Scott Harbaugh is saying that...

Pennsylvania State Police issued 17 more warnings Tuesday to businesses deemed “non-life-sustaining” that were still operating, bringing the two-day total to 44. Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday ordered any Pennsylvania business that does not serve a life-sustaining purpose to close in an effort to slow the spread of covid-19. “As...

As restaurants and local businesses struggle under recent closures, some national chains took to social media in an attempt to encourage dine-out options. Tuesday has been dubbed “The Great American Takeout” by more than 100 restaurant companies in the United States. Consumers are being asked to order at least one...

Hospital systems and clinics in the region have started offering drive-thru and walk-in covid-19 testing for patients and members of the public who meet certain conditions. Here are the sites where testing is available in the region: UPMC UPMC will test “select, symptomatic” cases, according to the system’s website, at...

Sheetz officials announced menu changes Monday in response to the coronavirus. The Altoona-based convenience store chain temporarily eliminated self-serve coffee and beverages along with bakery items like doughnuts and muffins to help stop the spread of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The changes went into effect at 4...

Butler County officials announced nonessential county personnel would be temporarily furloughed starting Tuesday. Director of Human Resources/Chief Clerk Lori Altman said department heads still were evaluating staff Monday and they would have more definitive numbers Tuesday of how many of the county’s estimated 550 employees would be laid off. Cuts...

Giant Eagle is installing clear Plexigas dividers at all of its checkout and customer service areas in an attempt to protect employees and customers from the spread of covid-19. The dividers will be installed at Giant Eagle groceries, pharmacies and GetGo stores. The company began installing the dividers over the...

A state trooper and the suspect he was chasing were injured Saturday after falling into a 75-foot ravine in Somerset County. Trooper Justin Dorazio was injured during the foot pursuit with Christopher Eric Fisher, 45, of Rockwood, who was accused of assaulting and threatening another man with a handgun. Dorazio...

Pennsylvania’s decision to close its Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores on March 17 because of the coronavirus pandemic triggered the highest single-day sales in at least a decade, according to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. The PLCB reported about $29.9 million in sales on March 16, the day the...