Regional News category, Page 245
Community Foundation of Westmoreland County director moving to Pittsburgh Foundation
Officials at the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County are launching a search for a new executive director, following the announcement Tuesday that Phil Koch is moving into a new post at The Pittsburgh Foundation. Koch will maintain his post with the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, where he served for...
Trib Total Media expands scholarship program with Scholarship for Diversity in Media
Trib Total Media is expanding its Journalism Scholarship Program with the Scholarship for Diversity in Media. The new scholarship will be awarded to a student who is culturally, ethnically or racially diverse and studying journalism, communication or English writing. The scholarship will include financial assistance of up to $7,500 a...
Casino gambling revenue increased across Pennsylvania in October, report shows
As casinos work to rebound after being forced to shutter this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic, overall gaming revenues were up in October compared to the same period last year, according to new figures from Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Total gaming revenues from across the state hovered around $320.2...
Send a holiday card, support a worthy local cause
Even with some people turning to electronic holiday greetings, sending cards by mail is still a treasured tradition. Americans purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards each year, including 1.6 billion Christmas cards, according to the Greeting Card Association, an industry trade group. That makes Christmas cards the most popular type...
Snow falling with 3 to 4 inches expected in Pittsburgh area
Snow fell as expected in the Pittsburgh area Tuesday morning, but it did not have much impact on the morning rush hour. “Because the ground temperature is slightly warmer than the air, it doesn’t look like it’s accumulating on the roads,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Shannon Hefferan. “We still...
West Virginia hospitals to trim elective surgeries as coronavirus cases soar
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Hospitals across West Virginia will reduce elective surgeries to ensure there is enough space to accommodate coronavirus patients as the number of cases continues to surge, Gov. Jim Justice said Monday. Hospitals will be able to maintain their available bed capacities “at this moment,” Justice said at...
Winter weather advisory issued for Pittsburgh region, 2 to 4 inches of snow expected
Between 2 and 4 inches of snow is expected to fall in the Pittsburgh area Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. A winter weather advisory for the region, including areas of eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia, runs from 1 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday. A...
Military plane dumps fuel over Westmoreland County en route to emergency stop at Pittsburgh airport
A Pennsylvania Air National Guard refueling plane forced to make an emergency return to Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday morning dumped fuel over the Jeannette-Penn Township-North Huntingdon and Manor areas, according to the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety and state Air National Guard. The KC-135 Stratotanker was forced to...
ATV driver killed on Route 51 in Fayette
A Uniontown man was killed early Saturday morning on Route 51 near Smock Road when the all-terrain vehicle he was driving the wrong way collided head-on with a car, state police in Belle Vernon said. The victim, Jeremiah Pletcher, 22, was driving the ATV southbound in the northbound lanes of...
Week in Review: New covid-19 mitigation orders, WPXI anchor announces retirement, pickle balloon popsVideo
In an effort to curb the spread of covid-19, state officials this week issued a one-night ban on alcohol sales the day before Thanksgiving, one of the biggest drinking nights of the year. New orders by Gov. Tom Wolf also scaled back the maximum capacity for indoor and outdoor gatherings....
Few people venture out early for Black Friday dealsVideo
Carl Laird wasn’t going to let fears over the pandemic stop him from his 19-year tradition of Black Friday shopping. Shortly after 5 a.m., the 40-year-old from Rillton had already been to Dunham’s for gun ammunition and to Walmart for pajamas. But Laird was one of only a handful of...
Holiday baking traditions survive changing times amid growing coronavirus casesVideo
Large family gatherings might be out for some because of covid-19, but many in the region aren’t giving up on baking and other holiday food traditions. Pat Frye, 75, of Monroeville, sitting with a friend over a coffee at Oakmont Bakery, said she and her daughter will still get together...
Operation Santa Claus returns in year of extreme need
Operation Santa Claus has been helping Western Pennsylvania families with the gift of a holiday meal for 36 years, and this year may prove to be the most challenging in the long history of the nonprofit organization. “The need is greater than ever this year. We’re trying our best to...
Seneca Valley moving all students to online-only classes to help curb jump in covid-19 cases
Seneca Valley School District students in kindergarten through sixth grade will switch to online-only instruction on Tuesday and continue with remote learning until at least Jan. 4 to help tamp down the increase in covid-19 cases the region is experiencing. The southern Butler County school district previously announced that students...
West Virginia’s Republican governor blasts mask critics
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice blasted critics of his mask mandate Wednesday, saying he would not follow the lead of other Republican governors rejecting the advice of public health experts. “I don’t want to be South Dakota,” Justice said at a news conference. He then played a...
Rite Aid expands covid-19 testing program
WILKES-BARRE — Asymptomatic testing will now be available for individuals 13 and older at existing Rite Aid testing sites, the company announced Tuesday. To continue to provide its customers with an essential service during the pandemic, Rite Aid is updating its covid-19 testing program through its partnership with the U.S....
Pa. attorneys urge court to toss petition of Rep. Mike Kelly, Sean Parnell
Attorneys for Pennsylvania election and state government officials filed their response to a lawsuit by U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, and Republican congressional candidate Sean Parnell, calling their request to throw out the results of Pennsylvania’s general election “simply breathtaking.” “While draped in the driest of historical arguments, petitioners’ claim...
Turkey-trot fundraisers challenged by pandemic
Turkey-trot fundraisers across the region are being slowed down this year by the covid-19 pandemic, which is reducing participation and forcing many of the events to go virtual. The 29th annual Greensburg Turkey Trot has 235 runners and walkers signed up for this year’s virtual event, down from more than...
Pittsburgh region stood up to ‘Big Snow’ during 1950 Thanksgiving weekendVideo
Carl Huszar’s father and uncle had to walk several miles to get milk from a North Huntingdon farm because the roads were impassable. Faye Dames Matty, who now lives in Fort Myers, Fla., learned her father made it all the way from the Virginia military base where he was stationed...
School districts must sign off on covid-19 safety procedures or go virtual by month’s end
School districts in Westmoreland, Armstrong and Allegheny counties have until 5 p.m. Nov. 30 to switch to full remote instruction or affirm that they are complying with the state’s covid-19 safety measures. Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Rachel Levine announced the new directive Monday for all public schools...
Congressman Mike Kelly, Sean Parnell seek injunction to stop Pa. election certification
The Republican congressman and congressional candidate challenging Pennsylvania’s mail-in ballot system that led to more than 2.6 million such votes being cast in the Nov. 3 election are seeking an emergency injunction to halt the certification of the state’s election results. An initial complaint filed with Commonwealth Court by U.S....
Pa. to ban alcohol sales at bars, restaurants for 1 night
State officials laid out new covid-19 mitigation efforts but stopped short of issuing a statewide stay-at-home order, instead advising Pennsylvanians to stay home and putting a one-night ban on alcohol sales Wednesday. New orders also scale back the maximum capacity for indoor and outdoor gatherings, capping outdoor limits for the...
Johnstown police dog dies in line of duty after warehouse break-in
An attempted burglary inside a Cambria County warehouse Sunday ended with five people in custody, and a veteran Johnstown Police K-9 died during a search for the suspects. Johnstown Police Department Interim Chief Chad Miller said K-9 Titan was assisting in the search through a five-story building when he fell...
Here’s where to see drive-thru Christmas lights in Western Pennsylvania
Driving around town to see the neighbors’ decorations has long been a holiday tradition. But if you want something on a grander scale — say, lasers or 1 million twinkling LED lights — try one of these holiday displays, sure to impress even the most skeptical Scrooge. Holiday Laser Show...
Members of North Catholic hockey team move to remote learning after reported covid-19 case
Members of the varsity hockey team at North Catholic High School in Cranberry are moving to remote learning after a covid-19 case was reported among someone associated with the team. John Benzing, assistant principal at the Diocese of Pittsburgh school, said members of the varsity hockey team will miss practices...
