Top Stories category, Page 1517
U.S. ‘wasted’ months before preparing for virus pandemic
WASHINGTON — After the first alarms sounded in early January that an outbreak of a novel coronavirus in China might ignite a global pandemic, the Trump administration squandered nearly two months that could have been used to bolster the federal stockpile of critically needed medical supplies and equipment. A review...
No covid-19 testing at home yet but quicker options coming
WASHINGTON — Home testing for the new coronavirus may sound like a good idea, but U.S. regulators say it’s still too risky. They’ve stopped companies that quickly launched home-testing kits until they can show their products can accurately detect the virus. For now, the only way Americans can get tested...
Palm Sunday services held without public; some on rooftops
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis celebrated Palm Sunday Mass in the shelter of St. Peter’s Basilica without the public because of the coronavirus pandemic, while parish priests elsewhere in Rome took to church rooftops and bell towers to lead services so at least some faithful could follow the familiar ritual....
Caregiver at Washington County senior home tests positive for coronavirus
A caregiver at an assisted living center in Washington County has tested positive for covid-19, according to the Presbyterian SeniorCare Network. On Saturday, the facility reported a personal care aide at Southminster Place, the Washington campus of Presbyterian SeniorCare Network, tested positive. “The team member, who has not been at...
State police cite 2 people in Westmoreland County for ‘purposely coughing’ on workers
A worker at a fast-food restaurant in Hempfield and two staff members at a doctor’s office in Unity claim they were assaulted and harassed Saturday in separate incidents by people who purposely coughed on them, claiming to have coronavirus. State police said they will charge a 48-year-old North Huntingdon woman...
Westmoreland County company turns out vital parts for coronavirus test kits
The frontline fighters against the coronavirus in Westmoreland County most certainly include medical professionals, first responders and other health care workers treating patients. But workers at Latrobe-based Carclo Technical Plastics are quietly supporting their efforts through the manufacturing of tiny plastic collection tubes used around the globe in coronavirus testing...
2nd Port Authority bus driver tests positive for coronavirus
A second Port Authority of Allegheny County bus driver has tested positive for coronavirus, officials announced Saturday. The driver, who works out of the West Mifflin garage, has been self-quarantining since April 1, according to spokesman Adam Brandolph. The driver has not worked since March 21. No other information was...
Lower Burrell restaurant ‘honored to help,’ gives out 700 free meals
The Villa Ballanca restaurant in Lower Burrell gave out 700 free take-out meals Saturday. The restaurant owners posted an invitation on Facebook that it was serving “to-go” meals between noon and 3 p.m. The invitation read, in part, that the effort was “for those who are in need, trying to...
Pittsburgh pays tribute to 3 fallen officers on 11th anniversary of Stanton Heights ambush
Western Pennsylvania’s law enforcement leaders paid tribute Saturday morning to the three Pittsburgh police officers killed by a gunman during a Stanton Heights ambush 11 years ago. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto joined Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich at the bureau’s Zone 5 station for a brief ceremony in honor of...
Trump says ‘toughest’ weeks ahead as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States was heading into what could be its “toughest” weeks as coronavirus cases swell nationwide. He warned states not to inflate their needs for critical medical equipment. “There will be a lot of death, unfortunately. There will be death,” Trump...
Greensburg diocese announces new coronavirus restrictions, church closures
The Catholic Diocese of Greensburg on Saturday announced church closures and limitations on funerals, weddings, baptism and confession and other restrictions in response to the covid-19 pandemic. “We are entering into a particularly critical moment for our society,” Bishop Edward C. Malesic said in a statement. “Our president and our...
Trump says second coronavirus panel with economic focus ‘good idea’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said the notion of creating a second White House coronavirus task force to examine how best to reopen the country’s economy was a “good idea.” Trump tweeted an endorsement Saturday of a plan offered by Dana Perino, former press secretary to President George W. Bush....
West Virginia county bans liquor sales to out-of-state residents including Pennsylvanians
Western Pennsylvanians will have to look somewhere besides one popular neighboring West Virginia county to buy their liquor. The Monongalia County Health Department issued a public health order effective noon Saturday until further notice banning the sale of liquor to anyone without a West Virginia driver’s license or state identification....
Editorial: Be shocked, but not surprised, by massive unemployment
The numbers are exploding as more people are affected by the coronavirus epidemic. Not just the number of people who are diagnosed with the disease, now topping a million worldwide and 266,000 in the United States. Not just the number of people who have died — some 7,000 nationally and...
With Holy Week services canceled, North Huntingdon church holds ‘drive-thru’ offeringVideo
Circleville United Methodist Church member Gretchen Fischer shook her head as she adjusted her protective mask as she spoke with a fellow parishioner outside of the North Huntingdon church Saturday. “Ugh. Whenever I talk, my glasses keep fogging up wearing this mask,” Fischer said. Welcome to church life during the...
Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, Greensburg to livestream Holy Week activities
Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and Greensburg officials have announced that Holy Week activities will be livestreamed as churches remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. “This Holy Week will be unlike any other that I’ve ever celebrated, and the same is true for you, too,” Bishop David Zubik said via press...
3 injured in fire at Plum manufacturing facilityVideo
Three people were taken to a hospital Saturday after being involved in a fire at a Plum manufacturing facility. The fire started shortly before noon at Affival Inc., a metallurgy-based manufacturing firm specializing in cored wire products. Workers handling titanium and calcium powder reported a machine “had caught fire or...
Westmoreland County reports 25 new coronavirus cases, second largest daily increase
Westmoreland County saw its second biggest single-day increase in coronavirus cases since the pandemic hit the county in mid-March. Twenty-five new cases were reported in the state health department’s update Saturday, bringing Westmoreland’s total to 135. That’s a 23% increase from the previous day. The health department reported 34 more...
Pennsylvania coronavirus cases top 10,000, state reports 34 new deaths
Thirty-four more people died of covid-19 complications in Pennsylvania between Friday and Saturday, bringing the state’s death toll to 136 as total confirmed cases crest 10,000. The state reported 1,597 new cases as of noon Saturday — the largest single-day increase since Pennsylvania’s first two patients tested positive for the...
Trib finalist in 2 categories for prestigious international journalism competition
The Tribune-Review has been named a two-time finalist in a prestigious international journalism competition for its documentary marking the first anniversary of the 2018 attack on the Tree of Life synagogue and an initiative to engage a younger audience through an eSports platform. It was announced late last week that...
Allegheny County reports 3rd covid-19 death, 16% jump in confirmed coronavirus cases in one day
The Allegheny County Health Department reported Saturday that a third person in the county has died from covid-19. The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Allegheny County jumped by 16% from Friday to Saturday as the countywide total climbed to 552. County health department officials also reported a...
PennDOT announces Route 837 has reopened in West Mifflin
PennDOT has announced Route 837 in West Mifflin has reopened to traffic Friday after a landslide closed the highway March 28. The road was closed in both directions between the Boswell Oil Company in Dravosburg and the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge due to a landslide last weekend. Crews from Allison Park Contractors...
‘Recovery’ search for Kennedy Townsend’s daughter, grandson
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Authorities were conducting a “recovery” search for the daughter and a grandson of former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, after a canoe they were paddling in the Chesapeake Bay didn’t return to shore, the family said Friday. The missing relatives were identified as Maeve Kennedy Townsend...
Parkway West westbound lanes reopen after Findlay crash involving wrong-way driver
Parkway West westbound lanes reopened to traffic after 11:30 p.m. Friday, following a wreck between the Moon Business Loop and the McClaren Road interchanges, according to PennDOT. Findlay Township Police confirmed that two vehicles were involved in a wrong-way crash. Westbound traffic was temporarily detoured via the Moon Business Loop...
Teen hospitalized after shooting in Penn Hills
A teenage boy who was walking from Pittsburgh was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being shot Friday in Penn Hills, police said. The boy was shot once in the buttocks with a small-caliber weapon at about 5:30 p.m. while he was walking in the 200 block...
