Top Stories category, Page 1411
State Police Liquor Control issues 44 warnings for pandemic compliance
Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement officers issued 44 warnings this week for licensed liquor establishments failing to follow covid-19 requirements, officials said Friday. Liquor Control Enforcement officers visited 3,904 businesses from Monday through Thursday. These compliance checks were unannounced and focused on areas with high covid-19 transmission rates. Officials...
Pirates confirm starting right fielder Gregory Polanco has tested positive for covid-19
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting lineup suffered a big blow with the announcement Gregory Polanco has tested positive for covid-19, which threatens to force the right fielder to miss the start of the season. Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed the positive test Friday afternoon after receiving consent from Polanco to go...
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says cancer has returned, but won’t retireVideo
WASHINGTON — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Friday she is receiving chemotherapy for a recurrence of cancer, but has no plans to retire from the Supreme Court. The 87-year-old Ginsburg, who spent time in the hospital this week for a possible infection, said her treatment so far has succeeded in...
How delays in covid-19 test results hamper virus control
Delays in the reporting of coronavirus test results are making it more difficult to control the outbreak, health experts said. “If you’re waiting seven days for a test result, the value of that test becomes much less useful,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Pittsburgh-based fellow with the Infectious Diseases Society...
Westmoreland County reports 28 new coronavirus cases, no deaths
Westmoreland County has reported double-digit cases of cornavirus for the 17th consecutive day. The county on Friday reported 28 new coronavirus cases, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, bringing the total to 1,117. Of those, 1,085 are listed as confirmed and 32 are probable cases. Westmoreland County coronavirus by...
Ex-West Penn employee accused of videotaping co-workers in bathroom
A former West Penn Hospital employee spied on co-workers in the bathroom by using a small video camera he taped to a chair and then downloaded the recordings to his personal laptop, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office alleges in charges filed Friday. The camera footage led to the arrest...
Pa. nursing home data used to track covid-19 deaths, cases riddled with errors
Data posted online this week by the Pennsylvania Department of Health show 76,336 residents at an Elk County nursing home have died from covid-19. The home is licensed to house 138 residents. The state listed 133 deaths at an Erie facility that previously reported no cases among residents or staff....
Allegheny County reports 240 new coronavirus cases, 17 additional hospitalizations
The latest new batch of coronavirus cases reported in Allegheny County turned higher Friday, after two days of declines. The county reported 240 new cases, out of 2,118 total tests conducted from June 29 through July 16. That brings the county’s total cases to date to 5,990. Of the total...
Allegheny County reopens indoor dining at 25% capacity; restaurateurs weigh in
Indoor dining will resume in Allegheny County after an order issued Friday by health officials eased some coronavirus restrictions. It goes into effect at 5 p.m. Friday. The new order rescinds the county’s July 8 order that prohibited indoor dining, and largely follows the statewide order issued Wednesday. Indoor dining...
Here’s the pitch: Pirates set to begin unprecedented season amid coronavirus pandemic
For the first time in 293 days, a game between two Major League Baseball teams will be played at PNC Park. The Pirates host the Cleveland Indians in an exhibition game at 7:05 p.m. Saturday — with the game being carried on radio and television. It’s the first of three...
Floating cinema coming to Pittsburgh in September
A floating cinema equipped with social distancing boats is coming to Pittsburgh Sept. 16-20. The location for the aquatic theater and movies to be shown have not been announced yet. The cinema will be made up of 12 to 24 mini-boats, each holding up to eight people. Tickets will require...
Bishop Malesic followed ‘servant leadership model’ in Greensburg diocese, headed to Cleveland
Jennifer Miele got a glimpse into the heart and soul of Bishop Edward Malesic soon after he assumed his duties in the Diocese of Greensburg in 2015. “On day one, he gave me his cellphone number and said to use it any time,” said Miele, a former television news reporter...
Mother of Duquesne University student who fell to his death is still seeking answersVideo
On Freedom Corner in the Hill District, Dannielle Brown sits, as she has for days, surrounded by photos of her late son and his bright smile. She’s on a hunger strike as she pushes for answers and changes, both of which she’s been fighting for since her son’s death Oct....
5 more workers test positive for covid-19 at Beaver County ethane cracker site
Five more workers have tested positive for covid-19 at Shell Chemicals’ ethane cracker construction site in Beaver County, a company spokesman said in a statement. That brings the total number of positive tests to 18 since the pandemic began, Shell spokesman Michael Marr said in an update. A covid-19 testing...
Plum residents show support for, opposition to school director over Facebook post
Plum residents had mixed reactions to a controversial post by a school board member in a private social media page. More than a dozen people came to Thursday night’s special meeting with many calling for the resignation of board member Amy Wetmore for her comments on the Black Lives Matter...
Quick getaways may offer safer vacation spots during pandemic for Western Pennsylvanians
For many families, summer vacation may look a little different this year. A survey conducted by MyBioSource.com, a biotechnological products distribution company, found that 51% of Pennsylvanians are more likely to vacation locally in their own state this summer to avoid traveling by plane and reduce the risk of contracting...
Giant Eagle defends mask policy in answer to lawsuit
Giant Eagle is defending itself after a lawsuit filed by more than 30 people claims the grocery chain’s face mask policy is discriminatory toward disabled shoppers. In a response to a consolidated federal lawsuit that names 35 plaintiffs but specifically cites plaintiff Josiah Kostek, lawyers for Giant Eagle called for...
Plum School District officials approve reopening plan, options for parents
Plum School District’s reopening plan gives parents a choice to maintain their children’s distance learning or send them back into school next month. The plan, which is available for review at the district’s website, was approved by an 8-1 vote at a special meeting Thursday night. School Director Michelle Stepnick...
Gov. Wolf yanks virus funding from rebellious Lebanon County
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf followed through on his threat to yank covid-19 funding from a county that defied his shutdown orders, while his administration targeted bars, restaurants and large gatherings statewide Thursday in an effort to prevent a wider resurgence of the virus that officials say could jeopardize students’...
Live! Casino Pittsburgh gears up for hiring more than 500 positions in Hempfield
Officials with Live! Casino Pittsburgh at the Westmoreland Mall are starting to fill more than 500 positions needed to open the $150 million facility. Under construction in the former Bon-Ton store, the casino will include 750 slot machines and 30 table games. It is expected to open before Thanksgiving. Job...
Longtime Pittsburgh City Hall reporter Bob Bauder retires from Trib, capping 31-year career
A former steelworker who became a journalist when the mills closed is retiring from the trade Friday. Tribune-Review reporter Bob Bauder, 66, has covered the Pittsburgh City Hall beat for the Trib for nine years. In all, Bauder has worked 31 years as a reporter. After graduating from Hopewell High...
Hempfield resident confronts maskless county controller at commissioners meeting
Westmoreland County Controller Jeffrey Balzer said Thursday he won’t comply with the governor’s edict or the county’s mandate that face coverings are a must at the courthouse. Balzer refused to wear a mask during a county commissioners meeting and briefly engaged in a heated discussion with a Hempfield resident who...
Mt. Pleasant man jailed after shooting handgun, driving lawn tractor while DUI, police say
A Mt. Pleasant man who allegedly fired a handgun outside his home after an argument with his wife and then rode a lawn tractor down Main Street while displaying the gun surrendered Wednesday to borough police. David T. Howland, 32, was arraigned Thursday on 23 criminal counts including driving under...
Nonprofit has recruited 31,000 volunteers willing to undergo human challenge covid-19 vaccination trial
A grassroots group of scientists and researchers has brought together more than 31,000 volunteers worldwide — including from Western Pennsylvania — who are willing to take part in a human challenge trial to test potential covid-19 vaccines. A human challenge trial in this case would involve participants being administered a...
From masks to buses to recess, Pa. unveils guidance for schools finalizing reopening plans
State officials released a slew of recommendations Thursday regarding how Pennsylvania schools can safely reopen in the fall, addressing everything from lunch and recess to busing and extracurricular activities. Whether in-person classes resume will be left to each individual school district, all of which have been charged with creating a...
