Top Stories category, Page 1493
Nearly all Pennsylvania liquor stores to open for curbside pickup
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board will open most liquor stores across the state for call-in orders and curbside pickup service starting Monday. PLCB Chairman Tim Holden said Friday that 565 of the state’s nearly 600 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores would take a limited number of orders on a...
1 more coronavirus-related death reported in Westmoreland County
The Westmoreland County coronavirus death toll stands at 27, according to the coroner. A woman’s death was added to a total that is being provided by Coroner Ken Bacha, who said the majority of the county’s deaths are tied to nursing and personal care homes. He is being notified of...
Self-employed Pennsylvanians report confusion, glitches when applying for financial assistance
More than 78,000 self-employed Pennsylvanians have applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance since the state introduced the program last week — but several who were interviewed say the process has been marred by confusion and technical glitches. “You’re just kind of in the dark, and just hoping that something comes through,”...
Trump touts idea of injecting disinfectant, light into the body to combat coronavirusVideo
President Trump suggested that medical experts should somehow try to find a way to inject light or disinfectants into the human body as a means to kill coronavirus — methods that are either not possible or highly dangerous. Trump touted the idea Thursday after William Bryan, who leads the Department...
Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese now allows weddings, funerals, confession — with restrictions — during covid-19 pandemic
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has scaled back some of its safety protocols and will allow limited public celebrations of certain sacraments during the covid-19 pandemic. Officials announced these changes Thursday: • Weddings may now be celebrated, but with no more than 10 people including the priest/deacon officiant. Couples must...
Congress passes expanded small-business loan funding to address coronavirus shutdowns
WASHINGTON — With unemployment claims topping 26 million in the last five weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic, the House voted Thursday to approve another half-trillion dollars in federal relief to replenish a depleted small-business loan program and provide money for hospitals and testing. The bill includes $310 billion for...
Port Authority to increase safety protocols at West Mifflin garage after 5th worker there tests positive for covid-19
Port Authority officials announced new safety protocols will be put in place at its West Mifflin garage after another employee tested positive for covid-19. Spokesman Adam Brandolph said Thursday that a fifth garage worker, who last worked on Monday and is at home in quarantine, was diagnosed with the novel...
Allegheny County votes to consolidate primary polling locations
More than 85% of polling places in Allegheny County could be closed for the June 2 primary election, as the county Board of Elections voted Thursday to drastically consolidate in-person voting locations. Legislation signed by Gov. Tom Wolf in March to move the primary, originally scheduled to be held Tuesday,...
MedExpress offers covid-19 testing at select offices across Pittsburgh region
Select MedExpress urgent care offices across the Pittsburgh region are offering covid-19 testing. Included are locations in Jeannette, Monroeville (Mosside Boulevard), Mt. Lebanon and Robinson (Steubenville Pike.) Each of those locations offers drive-up service, allowing people to be screened and tested for covid-19 without leaving their vehicles. Other locations may...
Pennsylvania jobless claims climb to 1.6 million
Fewer Pennsylvanians filed new jobless claims last week, new figures show, but the impact of coronavirus-related shutdowns across the state since mid-March has resulted in nearly 1.6 million workers filing claims. More than 196,000 workers filed initial claims for the seven-day period beginning April 12, down some 42,000 claims from...
Pennsylvania liquor stores rake in $2.3M in first days of curbside sales, with more to open
Pennsylvania liquor stores fulfilled more than 25,000 orders for about $2.3 million in the first three days of curbside sales, and there are plans to expand the number of stores participating in the program, according to the Liquor Control Board. There were about 6,000 orders fulfilled statewide Monday — the...
Western Pa. farmers markets to open with covid-19 twists, precautionsVideo
There will be no Saturday morning chatter among friends picking up produce and other goodies at the Lynch Field farmers market in Greensburg. Exercisers won’t stream out of the Aerobic Center to get in line with empty reusable bags. Instead, shoppers will stay in their vehicles in the parking lot...
‘We’re going to rebuild,’ Yinzers In the Burgh owner says after fire
Jim Coen isn’t going to let the coronavirus pandemic and a four-alarm fire that heavily damaged his Strip District business stop him from selling all things black-and-gold. “We’re going to rebuild,” Coen said Thursday. “We’re just waiting to see what we’re going to be able to do.” The Wednesday night...
Here’s what happens in each of Pennsylvania’s reopening phases
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday laid out a color-coded phased plan for reopening the state region by region. Some regions — the Northwestern and Northcentral parts of the state, most likely — will start moving into a phase of fewer restrictions beginning May 8. The state is currently in...
Gov. Wolf: Coronavirus data not only factor for reopening Pennsylvania
For all the criteria and data-driven guidelines Gov. Tom Wolf has laid out for reopening a locked-down Pennsylvania, the decision-making process will not be guided entirely by the data, the governor said Thursday. The objective criteria are “not a hard and fast rule,” Wolf said during a call with reporters....
Pennsylvania reports 1,369 new coronavirus cases, changes how it reports deaths
Pennsylvania added more 1,300 coronavirus cases, state health officials said Thursday, pushing the statewide total past 37,000. The 1,369 new positive cases were recorded between 12 a.m. Wednesday and 12 a.m. Thursday. The state’s running case count now stands at 37,053. The Department of Health had begun providing the number...
Allegheny County reports 61 new coronavirus cases, lowers death toll based on data error
The Allegheny County Health Department on Thursday corrected figures released this week related to deaths from the coronavirus, subtracting five deaths and bringing the countywide total to 69. The county also reported 61 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus Thursday, a significant increase compared to relatively low case counts reported...
Mask fogging your glasses? 10 tips for keeping lenses clear
People who wear glasses put up with numerous indignities. They can be uncomfortable, they’re easy to lose or break, they get in the way when you’re trying to kiss your boo. And they fog up at the most inconvenient times — especially now when we have to wear face masks...
NFL Draft HQ: Who Steelers might pick, position breakdowns, mock drafts
The 2020 NFL Draft will be very different from year’s past. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the seven-round event will proceed as scheduled starting Thursday night and continuing through Saturday. But it will not be held in Las Vegas and will be missing any of the circus-like atmosphere it had garnered...
Westmoreland County adds 1 new coronavirus death, toll rises to 26
A man died of the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, bringing the death toll to 26, officials said Thursday. The death was added to a list that is being provided by Coroner Ken Bacha, who has said the majority of the county’s deaths are tied to nursing and personal care homes....
Coronavirus pushes U.S. unemployment toward highest since DepressionVideo
WASHINGTON — Unemployment in the U.S. is swelling to levels last seen during the Great Depression of the 1930s, with 1 in 6 American workers thrown out of a job by the coronavirus. More than 4.4 million laid-off Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, the government said Thursday. In...
Shady Side Academy planning on-campus commencement in summer
Shady Side Academy seniors will have an on-campus commencement despite the still-unfolding coronavirus outbreak. Leaders said Thursday they are committed to celebrating the school’s seniors, even if the event doesn’t resemble their traditional ceremony. “Several groups are exploring alternate options for end-of-year events across the four campuses,” Jen Roupe, director...
Fire badly damages Yinzers sports store in Pittsburgh’s Strip DistrictVideo
A major fire Wednesday night in Pittsburgh’s Strip District left a city firefighter injured and a business badly damaged. Flames and heavy smoke could be seen coming from Yinzers In The Burgh along the 1700 block of Penn Avenue. City Fire Chief Darryl Jones said crews responded to a fire...
Another Port Authority worker tests positive for covid-19
Port Authority officials reported another employee who worked at the agency’s West Mifflin garage tested positive for covid-19. Spokesman Adam Brandolph said Wednesday the maintenance person last worked on April 10 and has been in self-quarantine at home since then. It’s the fourth worker from the garage and eighth Port...
‘Sassiness,’ ‘true grit’ help 2 elderly patients survive covid-19 at Excela Frick HospitalVideo
Everson’s James Toth and Yvonne Demagall of Mt. Pleasant are survivors. At ages 89 and 92, respectively, each has survived a battle with cancer. And, now, after weeks in Excela Frick Hospital, each is at home with family recovering from coronavirus infections. Dozens of hospital staff gathered Wednesday to celebrate...
