Regional category, Page 279
Pandemic-fueled rush on meat keeps Western Pa. markets working harder to satisfy demand
Area meat markets say demand for their products is skyrocketing as customers look to stock their freezers during the covid-19 pandemic. How long that boom will last could depend on whether predictions of widespread meat shortages come true. Because of health-related constraints on social gatherings, Marylou Miller is resigned to...
It’s a beautiful day to join Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh’s ‘Neighborhood Singalong’Video
Kids bored? Can’t go to the museum? Why not help send a message of music to the world? The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is inviting housebound children and families to snap a few photos, record their version of the classic “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and...
Western Pa. high school students struggle to make college plans during pandemic
Lydia Musser had her heart set on attending college outside of Pennsylvania. The Kiski Area senior, 18, had campus visits scheduled throughout March at East Carolina University, the University of Tampa and West Virginia University. Then, all of her visits were canceled. She’s now planning to attend Duquesne University instead,...
Pennsylvania American Water seeks 24% rate hike over 2 years
Water and sewer bills could increase by nearly 24% over a two-year period for Pennsylvania American Water customers if state regulators approve a rate-hike request. Officials said the utility has invested more than $1.6 billion in infrastructure improvements, including replacement of more than 427 miles of aging water and sewer...
Trib Total Media bolsters local business recovery with $250,000 advertising grant program
We are in this together. At no other time have those words been truer than today, when locally owned businesses search for answers about how and when their operations will reopen and reconnect with customers. Trib Total Media is putting those words into action by offering homegrown businesses matching grants...
Pittsburgh area March jobless rate rises, economist sees 16% in April
The Pittsburgh region’s unemployment rate jumped to 6% in March, but local economists predict the worse is yet to come because the jobless data was collected before the coronavirus-ordered shutdown of the state’s economy. “I’m pretty certain the region is looking at something above 16% (jobless rate) for April,” said...
Bill would allow Pennsylvania restaurants to serve to-go cocktails during pandemic
At least one local restaurateur thinks a proposed bill that would allow restaurants to sell liquor products to-go is “too little, too late.” House Bill 327, which the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed Tuesday, would allow a restaurant or hotel with a valid liquor license that lost more than 25%...
Pittsburgh food bank hosting drive-up distributions in Beaver, Greene counties
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will host two more drive-up distributions this week that can provide food boxes for more than 3,000 vehicles in Greene and Beaver counties. The food bank will distribute food boxes from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Franklin Township. The...
Lawsuit alleges Brighton Rehab performed coronavirus drug experiments on residents
A class-action lawsuit alleges that lack of oversight by the state Department of Health allowed Brighton Rehabilitation in Beaver County to perform drug experiments on patients under the guise of clinical trials to prevent coronavirus. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, alleges that the department has scaled down...
Coronavirus pandemic can be alarming for Western Pa. allergy sufferers
For most people, opening a window or stepping outside for a breath of fresh air is a welcome respite, especially during Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home order. But for those with allergies, pollen from trees and grass can bring misery. The allergens can cause a runny nose, malaise, watery eyes and coughing —which...
How cool has Pittsburgh been in April? January had a warmer day
Everything about April 2020 has been unusual, including the temperature. It’s been cold out there. So far, no day in Pittsburgh has risen above 70 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. If the pattern holds, it would be the first time in weather service annual records the highest recorded...
Public safety officials: Don’t hesitate to call 911 over covid-19 concern
Pittsburgh-area medical personnel and public safety officials don’t want residents hesitating to call 911 if they have an emergency, especially if that hesitation is out of fear of going to a hospital during the coronavirus pandemic. “We don’t want anyone making their personal health situation worse by not calling 911...
Police: 3 to be charged in Ellwood City stabbing
Ellwood City police expect to obtain arrest warrants this week for three people in connection with a weekend domestic dispute and stabbing in the 200 block of Hillside Avenue. Ellwood City police said charges will range from aggravated and simple assault to violation of a protection from abuse order. According...
Uncertainty surrounds hearings for Pennsylvania prison inmates
The coronavirus pandemic could delay freedom for prison inmates scheduled for clemency hearings in June as uncertainty continues over when restrictions will be lifted and how hearings can be held within social-distancing guidelines. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said in a call with reporters Tuesday that “dozens” of inmates were set...
Official: Pennsylvania may have passed coronavirus peak, but surges still possible
The state’s top health official said Tuesday she believes Pennsylvania has passed its coronavirus peak but cautioned that outbreaks and surges remain possible. Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said the data and trends point toward the state being past the highest point for new cases and deaths, but she...
Customs officials: 1,600 counterfeit Roku remotes seized en route to Butler County
Customs and Border Protection officials operate by a simple philosophy: the more popular something is, the more likely that someone in the world is busy creating a counterfeit version. So with millions of Americans streaming billions of television shows and movies amid the coronavirus quarantine, customs officials in Pittsburgh were...
4 head to hospital after ceiling collapses at Washington County nursing facility
Four men were taken by ambulance to Washington Hospital after a ceiling collapsed Monday evening at a nursing home in Washington County. The collapse was reported just before 9:20 p.m. at The Grove at Washington in the 1100 block of West Wylie Avenue in Canton Township, according to a Washington...
Wolf urges health care professionals to report race data related to coronavirus
Gov. Tom Wolf is calling on medical professionals to report race and ethnicity data of those who test positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. About 69% of race data is unreported, Wolf said during a press conference Monday afternoon, “and there is little data when it...
Western Pennsylvanians venture out as curbside liquor pickup expandsVideo
Cars, SUVs and pickups pulled up to a Fine Wines & Good Spirits store in Penn Hills on Monday as residents scrambled to purchase liquor with the opening of most state stores across Pennsylvania for curbside delivery. Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board spokesman Shawn Kelly said the agency last week opened...
Connellsville resident gets informal parade to celebrate 100th birthday
Connellsville resident Mary Frazier celebrated her 100th birthday in style with a parade of firefighters and police officers outside her apartment balcony. Frazier lives at Connellsville Towers senior community, where community manager Leah Bierer and her staff organized the celebration. Well-wishers were encouraged to drive through Connellsville Towers on Thursday...
Billboard advertising shifts during pandemic
Putting up a billboard is a lot like drilling for oil, according to Ben Wallace, chief operating officer of Penneco. He’d know. Penneco is a Delmont-based oil and gas company with a subsidiary — Penneco Outdoor Advertising, which owns about 30 billboards across southwestern Pennsylvania. Both sides of the business...
Pennsylvania golf courses, marinas, private campgrounds can reopen this week
Golf courses, marinas and some campgrounds will be permitted to open Friday as Pennsylvania officials move toward a gradual reopening of a state economy halted by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to private campgrounds, guided fishing trips will be allowed to resume Friday. All of those businesses must follow life-sustaining...
Pennsylvania Game Commission launches ‘Call of the Outdoors’ podcast
Country music star Blake Shelton and Outdoor Channel’s “Bone Collector” founder Michael Waddell are making guest appearances in the new Pennsylvania Game Commission podcast series, “Call of the Outdoors.” The series, hosted by Game Commission marketing director and world turkey-calling champion Matt Morrett, will highlight wildlife, hunting, habitat and conservation...
Community colleges expect an enrollment spike because of pandemic
Community colleges may become a more viable option for students this fall, as the covid-19 pandemic continues to alter various aspects of higher education. In Western Pennsylvania, schools are preparing for a myriad of possibilities but remain uncertain exactly how the pandemic will affect them, said Stuart Blacklaw, provost at...
Average gas prices in Pittsburgh area remain over $2 a gallon
Pennsylvania is among a dozen states where average gasoline prices remain over $2 a gallon, despite nine straight weeks of declines. Pennsylvania’s statewide average is about $2.03 a gallon, according to the price-tracking service GasBuddy. The average price is slightly higher in the Pittsburgh area, at $2.15 a gallon, GasBuddy’s...
