Regional category, Page 278
Pandemic cancels some National Nurses Week events, celebration takes new forms
The coronavirus pandemic and related social distancing rules have prompted Western Pennsylvania hospitals to cancel a slew of activities scheduled to begin this week to recognize nurses. Plans are still in the works, however, to celebrate the region’s thousands of nurses working on the front lines, hospital officials say. “This...
The day ‘all hell broke loose’; local lives lost, forever changed in Kent State shootingVideo
“What if you knew her // And found her dead on the ground // How can you run when you know?” “Ohio” (1970) • Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young The search for justice thrust upon a young Laurel Krause has now reached a half century. On May 4, 1970, a...
Giant Eagle limits sale of ground meat; local grocer bucks national trend
Giant Eagle announced it is temporarily limiting the purchase of ground beef and on-sale meat items to two of each per transaction. The supermarket chain had limited some meat purchases before, early in the pandemic in March, according to Dick Roberts, a Giant Eagle spokesman. Meat isn’t disappearing from supermarket...
How Natrona Heights photographer John Filo captured the horror of Kent State killings
John Filo couldn’t get out of Ohio fast enough. It was early afternoon on May 4, 1970, and he was driving with rolls of film he had hidden in his red Volkswagen Beetle. The film contained photos Filo had just taken — images of the killings of unarmed students protesting...
Search at McConnells Mill resumes Sunday for man who fell into creek
A search is resuming Sunday morning for a man who fell from a hiking path in McConnells Mill State Park into Slippery Rock Creek on Saturday, a state park official. Park ranger Supervisor Bryan Moore said early Sunday morning that emergency personnel gathered at the park to resume the search...
Pennsylvania reports 64 more covid-19 deaths, total cases top 48K; nursing home cases approach 10K
Pennsylvania health officials reported 1,334 new cases of covid-19 and 64 more deaths as of Saturday morning, bringing the statewide coronavirus death toll to 2,418. Hospitals now are treating 2,673 patients with the disease, and 555 people are on ventilators — six fewer patients than were on ventilators as of...
Week in Review: Pooling resources for covid-19 workers; 20th anniversary of Baumhammers shooting spree; local tie to ancient fossil findVideo
Here are some of the top stories from the week of April 26: • Corporations, foundations pool resources to provide front-line workers with masks Corporations and foundations across the region are partnering with a Duquesne-based textile company to produce more than 360,000 washable cloth masks for essential workers in nursing...
Why your hair appointments will have to wait even in the yellow phase
Hair, nail and massage appointments will have to wait even after a Pennsylvania county moves into the yellow phase in which coronavirus-related restrictions will begin to ease. “Those facilities — such as hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, massage parlors — are not opening because it is impossible to practice social...
Report: Pennsylvania school districts stand to lose $1B in local revenue due to pandemic
Pennsylvania’s school districts are projected to lose up to $1 billion in local revenue for the 2020-21 school year because of the covid-19 pandemic, according to an association of the state’s school business managers. “Every school district tax source and other nontax revenue will suffer a precipitous decline for the...
Teeing off: Pennsylvania golfers back on courses after state eases restrictions
Golfers hit the links again Friday across Western Pennsylvania on the first day courses were allowed to reopen. Gov. Tom Wolf announced the move this week to rollback restrictions on outdoor recreational activities. In addition to golf, that included marinas, some campgrounds and guided fishing tours. Golf courses must follow...
Completion of Ohiopyle PennDOT project delayed
A construction project in Ohiopyle will not be done by Memorial Day because of delays related to the coronavirus pandemic and CSX railroad, PennDOT officials said Friday. Construction crews are now aiming for July 3 to wrap up work on the $12.4 million project designed to improve pedestrian safety in...
Game Commission seeking information on fatally injured osprey in Indiana County
The state Game Commission is investigating how an osprey was fatally injured this week in rural Indiana County, north of Blairsville. Game commission Officer Chris Reidmiller said the eagle-like hawk was discovered Tuesday by area residents in a farm field in Blacklick Township with a severe injury to one of...
Ohio extends stay-at-home order through May 30
Ohio has extended its stay-at-home order through May 30, the governor’s office announced late Thursday. The state issued a schedule for some businesses to begin reopening this month, but Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s statewide stay-at-home order for residents will not end until 11:59 p.m. May 29. The full text of...
Even if coronavirus restrictions ease, many Americans remain wary of resuming everyday activities
Nearly half of Americans say they won’t be ready to return to public spaces until the coronavirus outbreak is over, even as Pennsylvanians learned Friday that restrictions have been eased in certain parts of the state. According to a CBS News poll of 2,106 people, 48% of respondents said they...
May brings broader return of PennDOT road work under eased covid-19 restrictions
PennDOT crews and contractors will ramp up work on area road and bridge projects in May, under state guidelines for phasing in construction work during the covid-19 pandemic. Among the first projects expected to proceed in Westmoreland County are work on a truck-climbing lane on Route 356 in Allegheny Township,...
Covid-19 concerns cancel Jimmy Stewart Airshow in Indiana County
Indiana County officials have canceled the Jimmy Stewart Airshow, planned for June 6 and 7, because of coronavirus concerns. The cancellation notice, posted late this week on the Indiana County Jimmy Stewart Airport website, indicates the show organizers “take the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, performers, vendors and...
State appoints ‘temporary manager’ for covid-stricken Beaver nursing home
State officials have entered into an agreement to appoint a temporary manager at the Beaver County long-term care facility where more than 50 people have died from covid-19. The Long Hill Co., based in Shelton, Conn., became the temporary manager for the Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in mid-April, according...
Trib ups grant fund to $1 million
It was a million dollar moment for businesses throughout the region Thursday when Trib Total Media expanded its advertising grant program from $250,000 to $1 million, meeting an overwhelming first-day demand for funds aimed at helping companies regain their footing amid the covid-19 crisis. Just seven hours after the application...
Report: More federal cash needed for a safe, secure 2020 election
A $400 million federal boost to help cover increased election costs nationwide this year because of the coronavirus pandemic is far less than the actual amount needed, according to a report authored in part by a University of Pittsburgh researcher. The report, “Ensuring Safe Elections: Federal Funding Needs for State...
Sheetz to extend pay increase for employees during pandemic
Sheetz announced Thursday it is extending its extra pay for employees until June 4. When the $3 an hour increase was announced March 25, it was set to run through April 23, for all employees working during the pandemic. “This extension is to express our continued gratitude for our hardworking...
Pennsylvania auditor general will look into how state handled business waivers
State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale will audit how the state managed the waiver process used to give businesses exemptions to Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown order. “Some business owners complained that the department’s waiver process was too slow and not transparent enough,” DePasquale said. The announcement came a day after Senate...
Herd immunity with coronavirus stirs debate, but experts say it comes at a deadly cost
Critics of coronavirus-related shutdowns have pointed to Sweden’s path toward “herd immunity” as justification for advocating an end to stay-at-home orders, even as some infectious disease experts warn the Swedes’ methods could be deadly. Building herd immunity has gained popularity in some circles as an alternative to widespread shutdowns and...
Gov. Wolf: No decision yet on which areas of Pennsylvania could move to ‘yellow’ phase on May 8
A day before state officials were set to announce what parts of Pennsylvania could see coronavirus restrictions eased, Gov. Tom Wolf said his administration hadn’t yet decided which areas will be included. “We haven’t even made the list up yet,” Wolf told reporters when asked what Pennsylvanians can expect from...
Census surveys could help small businesses post-pandemic
Greg Cammerata, a Hempfield restaurant owner, is hopeful a new survey rolled out by the U.S. Census Bureau will bring additional aid to small businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re not a corporate place,” said Cammerata, who owns IronRock Tap House. “We’re local people that did this restaurant. We don’t...
Nemacolin to reopen with limited occupancy, private butlers
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington plans to partially reopen its five-star hotel — Falling Rock — on May 8. Private butlers will provide each guest with a customized itinerary and will be available 24/7 via phone call, text or video for assistance. All guests will receive a mask, hand sanitizer...
