Top Stories category, Page 1489
Tune in to livestreamed performances by local and national artistsVideo
Artists, entertainers and musicians are continuing to bring their art to fans through a variety of livestreaming platforms on both a local and national level. Concert promoter Live Nation has created Live From Home, a virtual music hub that features hundreds of performances to choose from. This week, the free...
10th resident dies from coronavirus at Kane’s Glen Hazel nursing home
A 10th resident has died from the coronavirus at the Kane Regional nursing home in Glen Hazel, according to data from Allegheny County. Of 96 residents tested for covid-19 at the county-owned long-term care facility, 62 have tested positive for the virus. Seven residents have been hospitalized, and 22 have...
Seth Rogen’s Pittsburgh-filmed movie ‘An American Pickle’ to debut on HBO Max
Having wrapped up filming in Pittsburgh last fall, Seth Rogen’s new comedy, “An American Pickle,” will have its debut not on the big screen but via HBO Max. HBO announced Monday that its streaming service has acquired the rights to the film and will be released under the platform’s Warner...
Truck found in Pa. lake believed linked to decade-old crime
FLEETVILLE — A box truck found at the bottom of a northeastern Pennsylvania lake over the weekend is believed to have been used in a crime spree more than a decade ago, authorities said. On Saturday night, a man on a fishing boat noticed what appeared to be a vehicle...
Animal Friends seeks donations amid shutdown
A local animal shelter has issued a plea for donations to help it provide services after its regular sources of income dried up because of the coronavirus pandemic. “Despite having to make the heartbreaking decision to cut back our staffing … we remain committed to keeping our most critical and...
4 head to hospital after ceiling collapses at Washington County nursing facility
Four men were taken by ambulance to Washington Hospital after a ceiling collapsed Monday evening at a nursing home in Washington County. The collapse was reported just before 9:20 p.m. at The Grove at Washington in the 1100 block of West Wylie Avenue in Canton Township, according to a Washington...
Trump says coronavirus testing ‘not a problem,’ but doubts persistVideo
WASHINGTON — The White House released new guidelines Monday aimed at answering criticism that America’s coronavirus testing has been too slow, and President Donald Trump tried to pivot toward a focus on “reopening” the nation. Still, there were doubts from public health experts that the White House’s new testing targets...
Wolf urges health care professionals to report race data related to coronavirus
Gov. Tom Wolf is calling on medical professionals to report race and ethnicity data of those who test positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. About 69% of race data is unreported, Wolf said during a press conference Monday afternoon, “and there is little data when it...
Coronavirus is expected to reduce meat selection and raise pricesVideo
DES MOINES, Iowa — Meat isn’t going to disappear from supermarkets because of outbreaks of the coronavirus among workers at U.S. slaughterhouses. But as the meat plants struggle to remain open, consumers could face less selection and slightly higher prices. Industry leaders acknowledge that the U.S. food chain has rarely...
Covid-19 crisis will keep ‘furries’ away from Pittsburgh this summer
The furry folk won’t be coming to Pittsburgh this summer. Citing the covid-19 pandemic, organizers on Monday announced cancellation of the 2020 Anthrocon, an annual gathering of adults who dress like animals. It had been scheduled for July 2-5 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. “Without an end in...
9th employee at Port Authority’s West Mifflin garage tests positive for coronavirus
Port Authority of Allegheny County on Monday reported that another employee has tested positive for covid-19. Eleven employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, including nine at the West Mifflin bus garage. The latest employee to test positive works in maintenance at the garage, Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph said....
Community fundraisers support families displaced by Lawrenceville fire
Bryn Young had left her mother’s house in Lawrenceville only 30 minutes earlier when she got a call from her sister. The house is on fire, she said, and panic immediately set in. Young, 20, heard what sounded like an explosion over the receiver. The fire destroyed three homes in...
Judge rules former Leechburg police chief Diebold must remain in jail during pandemic
Michael Diebold, the former Leechburg police chief, will remain in jail as he awaits a hearing to determine if he violated parole terms for a sex offense, a Westmoreland County judge ruled. Diebold contended ongoing serious health problems put him at risk should he contract coronavirus and sought an early...
Levin makes good on promise to help former employees
When Robert Levin’s attempt to rescue his family’s former furniture store empire collapsed last month, the former CEO of Levin Furniture promised he wouldn’t forget the 1,200 workers left hanging when Art Van Furniture filed for bankruptcy. Concerned that hundreds of employees who had worked for Levin Furniture for decades...
Western Pennsylvanians venture out as curbside liquor pickup expandsVideo
Cars, SUVs and pickups pulled up to a Fine Wines & Good Spirits store in Penn Hills on Monday as residents scrambled to purchase liquor with the opening of most state stores across Pennsylvania for curbside delivery. Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board spokesman Shawn Kelly said the agency last week opened...
Scenic Beam Rocks area in Forbes State Forest defaced by spray paint vandals
Officials are seeking information on vandals who spray painted graffiti at a popular natural overlook, Beam Rocks, along the border of Somerset and Westmoreland counties in Forbes State Forest. A hiking trail off Laurel Summit Road leads to the sandstone outcroppings — some 90 feet tall — that provide adventurers...
Pennsylvania golf courses, marinas, private campgrounds can reopen this week
Golf courses, marinas and some campgrounds will be permitted to open Friday as Pennsylvania officials move toward a gradual reopening of a state economy halted by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to private campgrounds, guided fishing trips will be allowed to resume Friday. All of those businesses must follow life-sustaining...
Pennsylvania officials issue guidance on resuming elective surgeries
Hospitals and surgical centers in Pennsylvania can resume elective procedures that have been halted for weeks by the coronavirus pandemic. State Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said Monday such surgeries and procedures may begin again as long as hospitals still would be ready for a potential surge in covid-19 cases....
Officials: Pennsylvania coronavirus reporting largely lacks mandated race, ethnicity data
Health care systems still aren’t providing crucial race and ethnicity data when reporting coronavirus cases to the Department of Health, leaving a wide swath of some vulnerable populations unaccounted for, officials said Monday. A mandate from Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine says facilities and providers include demographic data along...
Construction projects can begin in Pittsburgh on Friday
Pittsburgh will allow construction projects to begin in the city starting on Friday under protocols established by the state and construction industry, the Mayor’s Office announced Monday. Gov. Tom Wolf last month shuttered most construction projects to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. The governor last week announced that...
Pittsburgh councilwoman says coronavirus has led to more discrimination complaints
Pittsburgh would ban discrimination based on a person’s citizenship or immigration status under legislation City Council is scheduled to introduce on Tuesday. Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, the sponsor, said the Pittsburgh Human Relations Commission has experienced an uptick of discrimination complaints since the coronavirus pandemic began. The complaints contend people have...
Confiscated note unravels drug scheme at Westmoreland jail, investigators report
A sheet of paper left in the Westmoreland County Prison library helped investigators unravel a yearlong scheme that used mail to deliver drugs to the Hempfield lockup, officials reported in court documents. Corrections officers listened to inmate phone conversations to intercept pieces of mail, and county detectives staked out the...
Police: Somerset man severely beaten, subjected to Russian roulette at ‘house party’
Pennsylvania State Police say a 21-year-old Somerset County man was duped into attending a “house party,” where he was severely beaten and subjected to “Russian roulette.” Charles D. Sleasman, 22, of Plum and Eric Flamm, 24, of Somerset were arraigned on assault charges after allegedly tying the man’s hands and...
Pennsylvania reports fewer than 900 new coronavirus cases, 47 deaths
Dozens of new coronavirus deaths in Pennsylvania have pushed the statewide death toll to nearly 1,600 and hundreds more people tested positive, according to state health officials. The 47 new deaths reported to the Department of Health throughout the day Sunday brought the confirmed total to 1,597. Another 885 people...
Supreme Court rules insurers can collect $12B under health care law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that insurance companies can collect $12 billion from the federal government to cover their losses in the early years of the health care law championed by President Barack Obama. Insurers are entitled to the money under a provision of the “Obamacare” health law...
