Top Stories category, Page 1486
Pittsburgh controller: City could face major layoffs in 2021 without federal aid
Pittsburgh should be able to pull through the coronavirus economic fallout with the help of a significant surplus, but would have to consider massive layoffs in 2021 without assistance from the federal government, the city controller said Thursday. Controller Michael Lamb briefed reporters through a teleconference on the state of...
Westmoreland coronavirus death tally holds steady; total cases up to 391
Westmoreland County recorded five more cases of the coronavirus Thursday as deaths stayed steady at 30, according to state and county data. The new cases bring the countywide total to 391, according to numbers from the state Department of Health. The new cases were reported throughout the day Wednesday. The...
All Pittsburgh students will receive passing grades, as district struggles to meet tech needs
All students in Pittsburgh Public Schools will receive passing grades for the fourth quarter, district leaders announced Thursday in a virtual news conference. “The grading guidelines are designed to hold students harmless,” said David May-Stein, chief of school performance. “Not all kids are going to be able to do this...
Herd immunity with coronavirus stirs debate, but experts say it comes at a deadly cost
Critics of coronavirus-related shutdowns have pointed to Sweden’s path toward “herd immunity” as justification for advocating an end to stay-at-home orders, even as some infectious disease experts warn the Swedes’ methods could be deadly. Building herd immunity has gained popularity in some circles as an alternative to widespread shutdowns and...
Pennsylvania reports 97 more coronavirus deaths as total cases top 45,000
The state Department of Health on Thursday reported almost 100 new coronavirus deaths along with almost 1,400 new positive cases of the virus. The 97 deaths recorded Wednesday bring the statewide death toll to 2,292, according to state data. The 1,397 new cases, reported during the same time frame, bring...
Gov. Wolf: No decision yet on which areas of Pennsylvania could move to ‘yellow’ phase on May 8
A day before state officials were set to announce what parts of Pennsylvania could see coronavirus restrictions eased, Gov. Tom Wolf said his administration hadn’t yet decided which areas will be included. “We haven’t even made the list up yet,” Wolf told reporters when asked what Pennsylvanians can expect from...
Nemacolin to reopen with limited occupancy, private butlers
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington plans to partially reopen its five-star hotel — Falling Rock — on May 8. Private butlers will provide each guest with a customized itinerary and will be available 24/7 via phone call, text or video for assistance. All guests will receive a mask, hand sanitizer...
Trump harshly blames China for coronavirus pandemic; a lab ‘mistake’?Video
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday speculated that China could have unleashed the coronavirus on the world due to some kind of horrible “mistake,” and his intelligence agencies said they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from...
Tuition freeze, early retirement incentives approved for Pa. state universities
Citing financial challenges families are facing in the coronavirus pandemic, officials with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education froze tuition for the second consecutive year. The move is the first time in the state system’s 38-year history that it has frozen tuition two years in a row. Base tuition...
Allegheny County reports 8 more coronavirus deaths, 16 new cases
The Allegheny County Health Department reported eight more deaths and 16 additional cases of the coronavirus Thursday, bringing the countywide case count to 1,289. There have been 94 deaths. Of the 94 reported deaths, 84 are listed as confirmed cases of covid-19, while 10 are considered probable. The youngest person...
Cops: Fayette County woman said she spent stimulus money on drugs
A woman who told state troopers that she spent most of her federal CARES Act stimulus check on drugs became irate early Tuesday after marijuana, THC wax, and 70 anti-anxiety pills were confiscated from her during a traffic stop in Rostraver, police said. Trooper Randy Williams said Madison M. Beeghley,...
Voice analysis research in Pittsburgh could help doctors screen for coronavirus symptoms
You know it when you hear it: a friend’s voice sounds scratchy, a parent struggles to finish a sentence without pausing to take a few breaths. Something doesn’t sound right, and maybe it’s time to see a doctor. Doctors at Allegheny Health Network and researchers with the technology startup Telling.ai...
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,...
30 million have sought U.S. unemployment aid since virus hitVideo
WASHINGTON — More than 3.8 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the U.S. economy slid further into a crisis that is becoming the most devastating since the 1930s. Roughly 30.3 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the six weeks since the coronavirus outbreak...
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...
McKeesport man accused of sex assault, drug possession at Kennedy Twp. hotel
Allegheny County sheriff’s deputies arrested a McKeesport man Wednesday on allegations of possessing drugs and sexually assaulting a female employee at the Hilltop Inn in Kennedy Township. Maurice Ebore, 39, was taken to the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh to await arraignment. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were at...
Pittsburgh crash critically injures bicyclist; responding medic suffers attack
A bicyclist was critically injured after crashing into a tree and falling down a Pittsburgh hillside, city police said. The crash happened at about 6 p.m. in Nine Mile Run Hollow, near the 1200 block of Commercial Street. Park rangers, firefighters and medics assisted in rescuing the male cyclist, who...
Biden assault allegation prompts GOP attacks, Dem worriesVideo
WASHINGTON — A sexual assault allegation is raising Joe Biden’s first big challenge as the Democrats’ presidential nominee, fueling Republican attacks and leaving many in his own party in an uncomfortable bind. Biden’s campaign has denied the allegation from his former Senate staffer, Tara Reade, who has said Biden assaulted...
No mass testing for Allegheny County Jail despite coronavirus uptick
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald on Wednesday shrugged off the idea of mass testing at the county jail, where at least two dozen inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus. About 1,100 inmates have been released since mid-March, the result of growing fears of covid-19 spreading in congregate settings such...
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...
County officials say Allegheny County on track for reopening
Allegheny County data on cases of the coronavirus show that the county is on track to start reopening, but decisions about that timeline will be made at the state level, county officials said during a press briefing Wednesday. “Our numbers are encouraging and look to be in line with what...
Pittsburgh doctors say coronavirus patients having strokes, blood clots
When Allegheny Health Network doctors studied images of Mark Romutis’ brain, they made an unusual but significant discovery. The covid-19 disease afflicting Romutis, the interim police chief of Ambridge, had somehow triggered blood clots. The doctors likened them to a traffic jam in the bloodstream. “It’s as if the Fort...
Restaurants become pop-up grocers as FDA restrictions loosen during pandemic
The Carlton restaurant, a mainstay of Downtown Pittsburgh, has found a creative way to generate much-needed revenue since the coronavirus pandemic forced its closure. Early this month, the upscale eatery in the BNY Mellon Center began curbside sales of wine from its extensive cellar. It’s now offering packaged steaks, chicken...
