Top Stories category, Page 1511
Pa. Department of Health to provide county EMS agencies more details on covid-19 cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health will release additional information about the location of covid-19 patients to county emergency management agencies beginning Friday. Citing the privacy provisions of the 1955 Disease Prevention and Control Act, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which holds daily briefings on the statewide case count, previously refused...
Port Authority sets rider limits on buses, light rail
The Port Authority of Allegheny County will limit the number of riders allowed on buses at one time starting Monday in an effort to maintain social-distancing guidelines and slow the spread of the coronavirus. • No more than 10 riders will be allowed on a 35-foot bus • No more...
Applications for mail-in ballots surge as lockdown continues
Applications for mail-in ballots are surging across Pennsylvania, even as President Trump repeatedly condemns mail-in voting as a scheme that could hamper GOP chances to prevail at the polls. According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, the number of applications for mail-in ballots increased from 179,172 on April 1 to...
Western Pa. grocers try to keep customers, workers safe as government discourages shopping tripsVideo
Grocery stores around the Pittsburgh region continue to do all they can to keep customers and employees safe and healthy during an escalating coronavirus pandemic that prompted federal officials to warn people to avoid supermarkets. Along with social distancing, at the top of the list for most area grocers is...
North Versailles man hopes to continue Army service through pandemic response
Bill Roland never hesitated when he was called to serve his country, and fighting the coronavirus pandemic is no different. After receiving an email from the VFW asking for retired military medical personnel to join the front lines, the 69-year-old former Army nurse immediately volunteered. “I’ve been medical since 1988,”...
Cleanup underway at Rostraver’s Cedar Creek Park after storm topples 65 trees
Cedar Creek Park in Rostraver is expected to remain closed until at least Saturday as work crews clean up more than 65 trees felled during Wednesday morning’s storm. “Many of them were 60-to-80-foot pine trees and it will take a couple of days to clear,” said Greg McCloskey, director of...
‘You can’t relax’: New York coronavirus deaths up, but hospital trends hopeful
NEW YORK — New York state posted a record-breaking increase in coronavirus deaths for a third consecutive day even as a surge of patients in overwhelmed hospitals slowed, while isolation-weary residents were warned Thursday the crisis was far from over. The number of deaths rose by 799 to more than...
Why a Pittsburgh-area family opted for unproven hydroxychloroquine for sick dad
Bob Schrecengost, a resident at Caring Heights in Kennedy, is one of the 759 Allegheny County residents diagnosed with covid-19. The McKees Rocks native turns 77 on Friday. Schrecengost has dementia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and has battled two recent non-covid-19 respiratory infections. Those conditions led his daughter, Lisa...
Pennsylvania officials: Enjoy the outdoors, but stay close to home
Try your luck catching a trout, but do it close to home. That was the message Thursday from state officials, who reminded residents that, no matter what outdoor recreation or exercise you choose, keep your distance from others. “People should recreate close to home. There’s a high interest right now...
Answering the Call: Pittsburgh pulmonologist describes caring for patients during coronavirus pandemicVideo
Dr. Tiffany DuMont is a pulmonologist who works in the intensive care unit at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. She has led much of the covid-19 planning for the hospital. In a video interview with the Trib, DuMont described the pressure of her job and how she is taking care...
3 more in Pittsburgh police department test positive for coronavirus
Three more Pittsburgh police employees tested positive for coronavirus, Public Safety officials said Thursday. An instructor in the police academy, an officer in the administrative branch and a police recruit all are at home in self-isolation, according to spokeswoman Cara Cruz. A firearms instructor tested positive earlier this week, prompting...
Animal Friends to host pet food distribution for low-income pet owners
Animal Friends will host a drive-thru, free pet food distribution for low-income pet owners Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Ohio Township campus. The distribution will be a no-contact drive-thru pick up. Motorists should stay in their cars while Animal Friends’ staff members and volunteers load food...
Westmoreland County reports 7 additional coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County reported seven new cases of coronavirus on Thursday as the statewide total grew by nearly 2,000 new cases. The new cases bring the county’s running total to 190 since the first two cases were reported on March 19. The county saw its first death on Wednesday. The 1,989...
Pennsylvania sees nearly 2,000 new coronavirus cases, but ‘curve has changed’
Nearly 2,000 new coronavirus cases were reported in Pennsylvania, state health officials said Thursday, and 29 more people have died. With 1,989 new cases, the running total of covid-19 cases statewide reached 18,228 since the virus was first identified here on March 6. The latest numbers represent about a 12%...
Port Authority reports 3rd bus driver tests positive for coronavirus
A third Port Authority bus driver tested positive for coronavirus, authority officials said Thursday. The driver works out of the West Mifflin garage and has not been to work since March 13, according to spokesman Adam Brandolph. The employee has been in self-quarantine since March 23. Brandolph said that, upon...
Tornado causes critical damage to New Kensington church bell towerVideo
One of the bell towers at St. Mary of Czestochowa in New Kensington is so badly damaged from Wednesday’s tornado that it has to be removed, Msgr. Michael Begolly said in a message to parishioners. A structural engineer has told church officials that the bell tower on the left side...
Allegheny County reports 2 more deaths, 39 new coronavirus cases
Two more people in Allegheny County have died from the coronavirus, county health officials said Thursday, bringing the countywide total to 12. The 39 newly reported cases bring the county’s running total to 759 since the first local case was identified on March 14. The number of new cases in...
UPMC launches trials of coronavirus drugs, including hydroxychloroquine
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC on Thursday launched a new, global effort they say could speed up the process for testing covid-19 treatments. “We don’t have the luxury of time,” Dr. Derek Angus, UPMC chair of critical care, said during a news conference. Multiple...
Gov. Wolf closes Pennsylvania schools for rest of academic year
Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday announced that all schools will stay closed for the rest of the academic year. “We must continue our efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus during this national crisis,” Wolf said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision, but closing schools until...
Police: Rostraver man shot while assaulting his elderly mother
A Rostraver man was hospitalized early Thursday after being shot while assaulting his elderly mother, township police said. Christopher N. Visnich, 37, was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. His leg wound was not believed to be life-threatening, police said. Officers were called at 2 a.m. Thursday to an...
‘Happy’ 90-year-old dances down Hempfield Manor hallwaysVideo
A walker now might help Sarah “Dolly” Ponchak with her balance, but she still doesn’t miss a beat. To prove it, staff at Hempfield Manor — where Ponchak lives — recently danced down the nursing home hallways with the 90-year-old. Her family and others posted a video posted on the...
Record 16.8 million have sought U.S. jobless aid since virusVideo
WASHINGTON — With a startling 6.6 million people seeking jobless benefits last week, the United States has reached a grim landmark: More than one in 10 workers have lost their jobs in just the past three weeks to the coronavirus outbreak. The figures collectively constitute the largest and fastest string...
3 Jeannette dwellings damaged in early-morning fireVideo
A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of a fire that damaged three homes in Jeannette early Thursday. A fire at 824-½ Gaskill Ave. spread to homes on either side of it shortly after 4 a.m., according to fire Chief Bill Frye. No injuries were reported. The fire...
Food bank hosting distribution at PPG Paints Arena
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will hold a drive-up food distribution Friday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Organizers plans to serve 1,300 vehicles between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the parking lots adjacent to the arena. The event is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Police....
2nd covid-19 case confirmed at Presbyterian SeniorCare facility in Washington County
A resident at a Presbyterian SeniorCare Network community in Washington has tested positive for covid-19, the second confirmed case at the Washington County facility. SeniorCare officials made the announcement in a news release Wednesday night. “Although we did not have any residents who had exhibited any covid-19 related symptoms, we...
