Top Stories category, Page 1497
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...
Gov. Wolf: Northcentral, northwestern Pa. to be among first to reopen for business
Residents of northcentral and northwestern Pennsylvania are projected to be the first in the state to be released from Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order, and many retail stores in those areas should be able to reopen, under a statewide plan released Wednesday night. Wolf wants to begin easing some pandemic...
State Sen. Ward says covid-19 induced pain reaches across the state economy
The coronavirus is cutting a swath from hospital executive suites to Westmoreland County residents waiting weeks for unemployment checks, state Sen. Kim Ward told constituents during a teleconference Wednesday. The Westmoreland County lawmaker said she has reservations about the transparency of some of the decisions surrounding the state shutdown and...
Auto insurance companies sending money directly to customers as result of covid-19
Auto insurance companies are offering financial relief to customers while stay-at-home directives reduce the number of people driving during the coronavirus pandemic. Companies offering relief assistance include Erie Insurance, GEICO, Progressive, State Farm, Allstate and Travelers. Erie Insurance said it would provide $200 million in dividends directly to personal and...
Mineo’s Pizza in Squirrel Hill delivering pies in new ways during pandemic
Mineo’s Pizza House in Squirrel Hill will bring the pie to its customers. For a limited time, the pizza shop is offering delivery. This hasn’t happened in its 61 years of business, except for a short time in the 1970s. The covid-19 pandemic has restaurants exploring different ways to stay...
State awards $5.1M in grants to aid with remote learning during school closure
Nearly 100 school districts and schools statewide are getting part of nearly $5.1 million in state grants to help pay for remote learning efforts while classrooms are closed during the covid-19 pandemic. The grants can be used to buy laptops, tablets and internet hot spots; paper, postage and shipping; and...
Answering the Call: Pittsburgh nurse talks about impact of coronavirus on ICUVideo
Amber Holshue is a senior professional nurse II working in the adult intensive care unit at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. She has been an ICU nurse at Magee for four years. The covid-19 outbreak has made her work even more challenging. The hospital now cannot have visitors in the ICU ,...
Pittsburgh airport hosts hundreds for Community Food Bank distribution
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank distributed packages to hundreds of people in cars Wednesday during a drive-up giveaway at Pittsburgh International Airport. Officials said they served 812 vehicles from 1 to 3 p.m. in the airport parking lots. More than 40,000 pounds of food was distributed. Each care received...
During a pandemic, a simple cough can turn into a weapon
A woman coughs on a state trooper and claims she has coronavirus. A man coughs on a medical employee who is wearing a mask, telling her the mask won’t help her. The pandemic surging across the country has turned into a sick joke — and perhaps something more sinister —...
Pennsylvania boosting efforts to promote voting by mail
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is boosting its efforts to get voters to cast their primary election ballots by mail, saying it would help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The administration sent 4.2 million postcards to primary voters and is mounting an awareness campaign on radio, television, social media, streaming...
Here are the ZIP codes in Allegheny County with the most coronavirus cases
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus is now being released by ZIP code in Pennsylvania. The state Department of Health map includes information for all 67 counties. Allegheny County has also reported positive cases at the municipal level using an online map since late March. In Allegheny County,...
Town hall focuses on lack of resources for Pittsburgh black communities during coronavirus pandemic
The covid-19 pandemic has put a “glaring spotlight” on the inequities in social systems that hurt black families, community leaders said during a virtual town hall Tuesday. “All of these things make a perfect storm for the African American community,” said Trisha Gadson, CEO of Macedonia Family and Community Enrichment....
Lawsuit claims IUP manager fired for notifying staff of possible covid-19 exposure
A former supervisor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania claims in a lawsuit he was fired for telling employees a fellow worker had been exposed to coronavirus. Donald Woolslayer, the school’s director of facilities since 2016, claims he was terminated on March 31 — the day after he emailed a notification...
Adapting: Versatile Monroeville caterer changes business model in face of coronavirus restrictions
Editor’s note: Adapting is a regular series spotlighting the ways the global coronavirus pandemic is changing the everyday lives of people in Western Pennsylvania. Javid Shojaie has owned and operated Jaden’s Catering in Monroeville for 26 years. Before catering became part of its name, the business was a restaurant. The...
North Huntingdon man claiming to have coronavirus accused of coughing, spitting on troopers
A North Huntingdon man charged with burglary allegedly fought, coughed and spit on two state troopers, claiming he had coronavirus. Joseph R. Good Jr., 35, of Westmoreland City, was jailed Tuesday on multiple other criminal charges including aggravated assault and risking a catastrophe. State police charged Good with burglary, criminal...
Coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County hit 300
The coronavirus death toll in Westmoreland County remained at 25 on Wednesday while the total number of cases there hit 300, according to state and county officials. The state Department of Health reported nine new cases of covid-19 from 12 a.m. Tuesday and 12 a.m. Wednesday. County coroner Ken Bacha...
Pennsylvania reports 58 more coronavirus deaths as total cases top 35,000
The coronavirus death toll in Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,600 as the total number of positive cases rose by 1,156, state health officials reported Wednesday. The 58 new deaths bring the statewide total to 1,622. That includes 1,325 confirmed deaths and 297 probable deaths. Department of Health officials are defining confirmed...
