Top Stories category, Page 1506
Who is tracking your smartphone data during coronavirus pandemic?
Smartphone companies have always gathered data on their users. But in the weeks since the covid-19 pandemic gained traction in the U.S., special attention has been given to data’s role in curbing the spread of the disease. Experts say data can be used to trace individuals’ contact with others who...
Pennsylvania coronavirus deaths rise to 647 as total cases top 26,000
Coronavirus deaths in Pennsylvania crested 600 on Wednesday, though the total number of new cases remained below 1,200 for the second straight day. In numbers reported throughout Tuesday, 63 more people died from the virus statewide, bringing the death toll to 647. The Department of Health reported 1,145 new cases....
Allegheny County reports 2 more coronavirus deaths, 11 more cases
Allegheny County health officials reported two more coronavirus-related deaths and added 11 new cases to the countywide tally Wednesday, pushing the total deaths to 26 and cases to 904 since the first case was reported March 14. The 11 new cases are compared to 17 new cases reported Tuesday, 19...
Stocks sink following grim data on economic hit from coronavirus
NEW YORK — Selling swept Wall Street Wednesday after a dismal lineup of reports made clear how historic the coronavirus crunch has been for the economy. Markets are already bracing for what’s forecast to be the worst downturn since the Great Depression, but Wednesday’s data was even more dispiriting than...
‘Unwritten billboards’: Mt. Pleasant Township residents remember past messages on rock
Down the winding Kecksburg Road in Mt. Pleasant Township sits a rock that for years has been a point of encouraging — and sometimes profane — messages. Protruding next to the road, the gray rock is stained blue, with white letters reading “Stay healthy,” referencing the coronavirus pandemic. Other colors...
Pittsburgh Public Works employee dies from coronavirus complications
A truck driver from Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works Environmental Services Bureau has died from covid-19, officials said Wednesday. He is the first city employee to die from the coronavirus, officials said. “I am praying for his family, friends and co-workers in these tragic times. The pandemic may be global...
College students cope with shortcomings of online learning during coronavirus
Ironic and goofy humor fills this Facebook page. There’s a picture of a tombstone that reads “Here lies my motivation to do online college classes.” There are GIFs and memes repurposing lines from “Parks and Recreation” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Each post is a lighthearted joke, and each one has received...
Ticketmaster changes refund policy on coronavirus-related postponements
With stadiums, arenas and concert halls quiet in Western Pennsylvania and around the world because of the coronavirus pandemic, shows are being postponed. And that is leaving many who have bought tickets waiting to see whether the show goes on, and often without an option to get their money back....
3 more coronavirus deaths reported in Westmoreland County
Two women and a man died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, upping the death toll to 18, officials said Wednesday. The deaths were added to a total provided by Coroner Ken Bacha, who is being notified of deaths related to the virus sooner than the state Department of Health....
Goodwill stores in Pa. open no-contact donation centers
Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania is accepting donations again after closing its 27 stores in the state a month ago amid nonessential business shutdowns because of the coronavirus pandemic. No-contact, self-service donation areas at each of the organization’s store locations in Pennsylvania opened this week to accept donations from 9 a.m....
Giant Eagle employee in Beaver County tests positive for covid-19
Giant Eagle has confirmed that another one of its employees has tested positive for covid-19. The person works at the store in Rochester, Beaver County, according to a release on the company website. The company said the affected worker was last in the Rochester store on April 6. The store...
5 things to know on what would have been Tax Day
It’s tax day, or at least it would have been. When coronavirus turned the world on its axis, Congress and the Pennsylvania General Assembly reacted quickly to provide temporary relief. So, here are five things you need to know today: 1. The deadline for filing federal income tax returns has...
Report: Trump’s name to appear on coronavirus stimulus checks; action to cause delayVideo
President Trump’s name is expected to appear on the coronavirus stimulus relief checks sent from the Internal Revenue Service, the Washington Post reported late Tuesday. The addition is said to delay the delivery of the paper checks by several days, according to the report. It will be the only time...
Indiana firefighter waiting on stimulus check finds $8.2 million in bank accountVideo
Surprise! An Indiana volunteer firefighter went to an ATM to withdraw $200 from his checking account only to find out he was a millionaire after looking at his receipt. According to Chicago-based television station WGN 9, Charles Calvin, of New Chicago, Ind., said he glanced down at his receipt and...
Trump directs halt to payments to WHO during virus pandemicVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he was cutting off U.S. payments to the World Health Organization during the coronavirus pandemic, accusing the organization of failing to do enough to stop the virus from spreading when it first surfaced in China. Trump, who had telegraphed his intentions last...
WPXI anchor David Johnson’s in-laws both die of coronavirus
The parents of WPXI-TV news anchor David Johnson’s wife Nancy both died of covid-19 within hours of each other in a Florida hospital, Johnson said in a Facebook post. “My wonderful in-laws, Nancy’s parents Gerald and Arline Polinsky, passed away peacefully last night in a hospital in Florida,” Johnson wrote...
The next big coronavirus challenge: 5 important things to know right now
Have covid-19 cases peaked in Western Pennsylvania? When can we all get back to regular life? There are no definitive answers, but the Tribune-Review reached out to an infectious disease expert to help try to make sense of these questions and others. Pittsburgh-based Dr. Amesh Adalja, a fellow of the...
Harvard scientists: Some in U.S. will have to continue social distancing measures until 2022Video
Health researchers from Harvard contend some people in the United States will have to continue social distancing measures for another two years. The findings, published Tuesday in the journal Science, show that until a vaccine is found and testing becomes widely available, prolonged or intermittent social restrictions — such as...
Fayette, Westmoreland residents support dairy farmer struggling through coronavirus pandemicVideo
Ben Brown said he was nervous Tuesday morning when he answered the telephone call from his wife, Mary Beth, as he was busy in the barn during a 24-hour shift pasteurizing milk on the family’s dairy farm in Fayette County. “The farm store wasn’t supposed to open for another hour...
Mom, son say Aramark fired them after they self-quarantined for possible coronavirus exposure
Two former employees of the Aramark industrial laundry facility in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood are accusing the Aramark Uniform and Career Apparel company of unfair labor practices. Angela Smith, 42, and her son, Kendall Smith, 21, both of Duquesne, said they were fired from their jobs at the facility after...
Gov. Wolf says states — not president — should decide when to lift coronavirus restrictions
Gov. Tom Wolf said he believes it should be left to state governments — not the president — to decide when and how to loosen restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. “We had the responsibility for addressing the needs that we all had, and that involved closing...
Pennsylvania’s mail-in, absentee ballot applications surge for June primary
Pennsylvania counties have processed about 283,000 absentee and mail-in ballots for the June primary, and requests from Democrats are three times more common than from Republicans, state elections officials said Tuesday. The Department of State said 89,000 absentee ballot requests have already been processed, with the June 2 primary still...
Three Rivers Arts Festival canceled as Pittsburgh Cultural Trust extends suspensions
Another signature Pittsburgh event has been canceled. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced Tuesday that the Three Rivers Arts Festival would be axed as the trust’s suspension of events was extended into mid-June because of the coronavirus pandemic. “As we continue to follow the leadership of Gov. Wolf and our public...
Shop ‘n Save donates $10,000 to Western Pa. food banks
The Shop ‘n Save grocery store chain is donating $10,000 to benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and Westmoreland County Food Bank as demand for their services has soared during the coronavirus crisis. The donation, funded by the brand’s independent retailers, is equivalent to 50,000 meals. “The customers and...
Signs of encouragement appear in windows across Western Pa.
It’s a sign of the times. People hunkered down in their homes waiting for the coronavirus pandemic to recede can’t help sending messages to the outside world. While many are dispatching to a broad audience via social media, others are taking a rather analog approach. Messages of support and encouragement...
