Regional News category, Page 237
Fayette County asks groups to register in preparation for expanded coronavirus vaccinations
Fayette County businesses, agencies and other groups are being asked to register with the county emergency management agency in preparation for upcoming eligibility for the coronavirus vaccine, according to an announcement. Several Fayette County officials this week met as a coronavirus vaccine planning task force to coordinate a local response...
Wine mystery boxes offered through Pennsylvania-owned Fine Wine and Good Spirits website
After a year of heightened liquor sales because of the coronavirus pandemic, state officials are offering a package that could help switch up those go-to quarantine drinks. Boxes of wine are available for purchase on the Fine Wine and Good Spirits website, which promotes the sale as “uncork a new...
Pittsburgh literary voices praise Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem
President Biden welcomed the youngest inaugural poet in history, 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, who earned widespread praise for her performance. Gorman, a Black woman from California, received rave reviews from local literary voices as well as celebrities such as Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and “Hamilton” playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda — for the...
Shapiro: Stimulus payments delayed for those who used tax preparation companies
Pennsylvania residents who had their federal income tax returns prepared by a company may see a delay in receiving their stimulus checks. Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Thursday that when companies like H&R Block and Intuit prepare a person’s taxes, they use temporary bank accounts. This caused a problem in...
Bernie Sanders memes take over the internet during, after inauguration
Bernie Sanders may not have stolen the show during Wednesday’s presidential inauguration. But he clearly won the internet. At President Joe Biden’s inauguration, a few moments stood out among the festivities: the poem recited by 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, the collage of colorful coats worn by all the women involved in...
Virtual photo exhibit to document Pennsylvania’s covid-19 experience
Down through American history, photographers have documented both good times and bad. Some of the most striking images have come from wars and economic turmoil such as the Great Depression. With Americans now living with the covid-19 crisis, Pennsylvania’s first lady Frances Wolf has announced the launch of a statewide...
Butler, Beaver and Clarion 911 among several counties experiencing outages
Butler County Emergency Service experienced outage problems early Thursday, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Residents needed to call an alternate number for 911 — that is 724-287-7769. The phone outages began Wednesday afternoon and extended to emergency services in Clarion and Beaver, along with 10 other counties. Clarion County...
Arconic donates more than $80K to local nonprofits for sustainability and social equity
Pittsburgh-area nonprofits were among organizations worldwide benefiting from $360,000 in grants from the Arconic Foundation promoting environmental sustainability and social equity. Arconic, an Alcoa spinoff with roots in the Alle-Kiski Valley, is headquartered in Pittsburgh. It has a research center in Upper Burrell and a building and systems business site...
Corps of Engineers can start $22 million Ohio River project; funding steady for Allegheny River
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work plan for fiscal year 2021 includes a $22 million jump on upper Ohio River lock projects, while funding remains stable for the Allegheny River locks operations. The work plan details how the Corps divvies up its money to its districts across the country,...
State gives $4.8 million to train long-term care workers, including $2 million in the region
The Department of Labor & Industry on Wednesday awarded $4.8 million in Direct Care Worker Training Grants to increase quality of services, offer specialty certifications and create more career opportunities for personal care assistants, home health aides and certified nursing assistants in Pennsylvania. “As demand increases for essential services provided...
Pa. lawmakers react to swearing-in of Biden, Harris
Congressmen and senators representing Southwestern Pennsylvania weighed in on Wednesday’s swearing-in of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris with messages focusing largely on Biden’s call for unity in addressing the major problems facing the nation. Here’s what they had to say in statements and on social media:U.S. Sen....
Presidential pardons have roots in Southwestern Pennsylvania
When former President Donal Trump issued more than 140 acts of clemency in his final hours in the White House, he was exercising a presidential power that has its roots in Southwestern Pennsylvania. “George Washington, his first pardons were — ironically enough — two individuals that participated in the Pennsylvania...
Water rates unchanged in new Westmoreland municipal authority budget
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water rates will remain unchanged for the third straight year under a 2021-2022 operating budget approved Wednesday. Authority board members unanimously voted to adopt the nearly $104 million budget that allocates about $7.3 million for routine capital improvement projects and maintenance of the water and...
Not enough covid vaccine to go around, top Western Pa. doctors warn
Top medical leaders in Western Pennsylvania warned Wednesday there is no adequate vaccine supply to meet demand prompted by expanded eligibility in the state, according to a strongly worded letter from the group. Leaders issued the letter in response to the state’s push to get more vaccines into arms, including...
Things to do in Western Pa.
Paint outdoors with the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley, or make a Valentine shadowbox at home with The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Learn about ongoing preservation efforts at Fallingwater or the history of the world’s largest architectural plaster cast in Carnegie Museum of Art’s Hall of...
Trib Total Media $1 million Shop Local Marketing Grant program extended
Trib Total Media will extend its 2021 Shop Local Marketing Grant program, following a strong response from local businesses that claimed the first allotment of funds. The program was launched in April 2020 in the jaws of the pandemic. It supports locally-owned businesses by matching their advertising purchases — in...
Western Pa. teachers struggle to get information on vaccine distribution
As the state expands the first priority group for the covid-19 vaccine, educators in Western Pennsylvania are struggling with inadequate and often conflicting messages about when teachers and staff could receive their first doses. Teachers and staff inside school buildings fall into Phase 1B of the federal and state guidelines...
Harris vice presidency marks several ‘firsts’
When Alyson Holt pursued a degree in electrical engineering, she was keenly aware of how few fellow students looked like her. “Women were 6% of the students,” said Holt, 48, of Murrysville. Holt came from a family full of technology careers — both grandfathers were engineers, and her grandmother and...
State police in Indiana seek help identifying snack theft suspect
Pennsylvania State Police in Indiana are seeking help to locate a retail theft suspect. The suspect is accused of stealing three snack items from 3 Square Market in Indiana Mall on Jan. 15. Police said the actor entered the store at about 3 p.m. and took a Snickers candy bar,...
Proposed National Garden of American Heroes would include Clemente, Carnegie, more
President Donald Trump on Monday issued an amended executive order that added more than 200 people to be honored with statues in the National Garden of American Heroes. And there just might be enough for a Western Pennsylvania section: • 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks, who later served...
Colleges, universities in Western Pennsylvania could get more than $200M in new stimulus reliefVideo
Colleges and students struggling to make ends meet in a pandemic economy will get a $21 billion boost from the latest infusion of coronavirus stimulus, with more on the way, should Congress take up President-elect Joe Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus package. The U.S. Department of Education recently released projections...
Covid pandemic changes Day of Service
Like so many other activities and events over the past 10 months, the covid pandemic has impacted volunteer opportunities Monday on the National Day of Service, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Colleges and universities in the region that might have volunteer opportunities for students and staff on National...
Jim Brewster looks forward after tight, tense Pa. Senate race: ‘At the end of the day, you’re supposed to shake hands’Video
State Sen. Jim Brewster knew the initial Jan. 5 swearing-in for members of his chamber could get dicey. He had been declared the winner of the 45th District race by the Pennsylvania secretary of State, and a legal ruling from the state Supreme Court concurred. But his Republican opponent, Nicole...
Western Pa. hospitals struggle to minimize waste of covid vaccine doses
As they refine a complicated distribution strategy, health care workers in Western Pennsylvania have been forced to give covid vaccine doses to people who are not in top priority groups to avoid wasting precious leftover shots. After long days of vaccinating front-line health care workers, nurses have described calling friends...
Snow band moves through Pittsburgh area; mid-30 degrees expected Sunday
While a snow band racked up an inch or two in the Pittsburgh area by early afternoon and up to four inches on the ridges, the region is forecast to be done with any substantial snowfall this weekend. Expect the same old winter gray days for Saturday afternoon into Sunday...
