Regional News category, Page 295
Week in review: Cornavirus sweeps nation, causes local leaders to take actionVideo
As the coronavirus continues to spread across Western Pennsylvania, several actions were taken by local leaders to help keep communities safe. Here’s a look at what happened this week. Businesses investigated After Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to temporarily shutter last week, a handful were investigated by local...
Butler County added to growing list of areas under Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order
Butler County on Friday joined the growing list of Pennsylvania counties under Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order. The order was scheduled to take effect at 8 p.m. Friday and continue until April 6. Individuals must stay at home “unless someone’s life depends on your leaving,” according to the order. In...
Congressman Mike Kelly of Butler tests positive for covid-19
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly said Friday that he has tested positive for covid-19. The Republican from Butler, 71, said his symptoms are not severe and that he will continue to work from home until they subside completely. “My symptoms remain mild, and I will serve the 16th District from home...
Average U.S. gas price falls below $2 a gallon
The national average price of gasoline has fallen below $2 a gallon for the first time in four years, price-watching service GasBuddy announced Friday. The last time the U.S. average was $1.99 a gallon was March 23, 2016. In Pennsylvania, the top 10 lowest prices ranged from $1.55 to $1.79...
PUC asks residents to delay digging projects during covid-19 emergency
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is asking the public and businesses to delay nonessential digging projects. “While the Pennsylvania One Call system has remained fully operational through this pandemic, we join them in asking consumers, businesses and contractors to not begin any nonessential construction,” PUC Commissioner John F. Coleman Jr....
Experts: Little worry about groceries transmitting coronavirus
Relax, your food isn’t trying to kill you — probably. While grocery stores have increased sanitation measures amid the coronavirus pandemic, some consumers are worried they have more cleaning to do when they get their goods home. Pittsburgh-based infectious disease and critical care physician Dr. Amesh Adalja doesn’t think shoppers...
Nonprofits adjust services, volunteer opportunities to keep serving communities
As businesses close and workers face drastic pay cuts, the need for functioning nonprofit organizations has never been greater, said Phil Koch, executive director of the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County. Unfortunately, those nonprofits are facing the same challenges as everyone else. “Many of our nonprofit organizations rely on events...
Pennsylvania reports 531 new coronavirus cases as total tops 2,000Video
Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania rose by more than 500 from Thursday to Friday, bringing the total statewide to more than 2,000. The state Department of Health reported 531 new positive tests, the second day in a row in which new cases topped 500. The total stands at 2,218. That total...
Pittsburgh region population slide continues, led by losses in Westmoreland County
The Pittsburgh region continues to lose residents, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Population estimates for Westmoreland County once again show a downward trend, something local officials have been combating for at least a decade. The county’s population declined by 16,172 between 2010-20, the largest loss of...
Western Pa. colleges donate protective gear for first responders, health care workers
A number of colleges and universities across Western Pennsylvania are donating supplies to first responders, hospital workers and others on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic. Saint Vincent The switch to online learning means lab procedures are suspended for the rest of the spring semester at the Unity college’s...
Solitary scenes from Uniontown amid coronavirus pandemic
As Western Pennsylvanians practice social distancing and businesses temporarily close as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Tribune-Review photographer Sean Stipp explored Uniontown and the surrounding area on Thursday. Fayette County has eight reported coronavirus cases, a number that has increased throughout the week. Pennsylvania reported 560 new cases Thursday,...
Monroeville lab looks to help fill gap in covid-19 testingVideo
A Monroeville lab that handles molecular and genetic testing has ramped up to offer testing for covid-19, beginning with senior citizens and staff working at care facilities it services. MHS Labs began testing patient samples on Thursday and had completed a few dozen tests by midday Friday, said Sean Waters,...
Army Corps looks at Western Pa. sites for possible overflow medical facilities
The Army Corps of Engineers’ Pittsburgh District has begun evaluating possible alternate medical sites that would be used in the event hospitals are overrun treating patients with covid-19. The number of covid-19 cases in Western Pennsylvania has not stretched medical systems to the point where more space is needed to...
Need work? Here are companies that are hiring during coronavirus pandemic
There are still some businesses hiring as the covid-19 pandemic continues to devastate the labor market. Foremost are retail jobs like those at Giant Eagle. The O’Hara-based grocery chain has been busy and it is working to offer temporary jobs to those who have been impacted by the shutdown. Giant...
Uniontown lawyer suspended after charges of money laundering
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board will temporarily suspend Uniontown attorney Tancredi Williams Calabrese, who was arrested last month on charges of money laundering. “It has been found that his continued practice of law is causing immediate and substantial public or private harm because of his misappropriation of entrusted...
Pa. new jobless claims jump to 649,000 since March 15
Pennsylvania has seen almost 650,000 new claims for unemployment compensation in less than two weeks — an indication of just how hard the governor’s order closing non-life-sustaining businesses and its ripple effect has slammed the state’s economy. Gov. Tom Wolf said he expects the figure to climb to 800,000 through...
Pennsylvania reports 560 new coronavirus cases as state total tops 1,600
Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania jumped by more than 500 from Wednesday to Thursday, according to state health officials, and five more people have died. The state Department of Health tallied 560 new cases, bringing the statewide total to 1,687. That’s a 50% increase in 24 hours. That total includes 45...
Fate of new businesses uncertain in face of coronavirus pandemicVideo
Dan Czerpak wondered every day whether opening a barbecue joint in Greensburg during a pandemic was the right move. He weighed the pros and cons regularly leading up to Pit Take’s opening on March 20, a day after the first two cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Westmoreland County....
How communities are staying connected while respecting social distanceVideo
There are plenty of sayings to inspire us in these trying times: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Or, alternatively, “When life gives you lemons, take out the salt and the shot glasses and fill them up with tequila.” So...
Warm temperatures, heavy rain expected this weekend in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh will experience unseasonably warm temperatures in the next few days, reaching the mid-60s Thursday. A warm front is approaching from the Southwest, National Weather Service meteorologist Lee Hendricks said, pumping warm, moist air into the region. It's a beautiful day today. @NWSPittsburgh is reporting high temperatures & sun through...
Grants available to small businesses impacted by coronavirus
For Peggy Meier, finding a business or economic disaster loan as the coronavirus continues to spread across the country means saving her company. Meier, who operates John Meier and Sons Hardware in Murrysville, now in its third generation, is contemplating temporarily shuttering — a decision she has been wrangling with...
Comcast offering free on-demand content during outbreak
Comcast announced Thursday it is opening up some of its premium content and some on-demand offerings for free to customers to help them deal with being stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak. In a release, the company said the content is available for Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and...
Western PA Diaper Bank seeking donations to help with distribution
Typically, one in three American families experiences what the Western PA Diaper Bank calls “diaper need.” As a result, the bank distributed 24,000 diapers last week to low- and moderate-income families in an effort to support those impacted by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. “The unexpected demand is...
Pennsylvania Sens. Casey and Toomey happy with virus rescue bill
Pennsylvania Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey didn’t see eye-to-eye in the days leading up to the U.S. Senate’s agreement on a historic $2 trillion emergency bill. But they are both glad the deal was struck shortly after midnight on Wednesday. The Senate passed the bill late Wednesday night, following...
Butler County reports 1st death from covid-19
A patient at Butler Memorial Hospital has died of covid-19, marking the first death in Butler County attributed to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, officials said Wednesday. No details were immediately available about the person who died, such as their age, residence or any underlying health conditions. The...
