Top Stories category, Page 1521
U.S. coronavirus death toll eclipses China’s
NEW YORK — The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus climbed past 3,500 Tuesday, eclipsing China’s official count. Elsewhere around the world, hard-hit Italy reported that the infection rate appears to be leveling off and new cases could start declining, but that the crisis is far from over. Spain struggled...
PennDOT to restart work on emergency highway, bridge projects
PennDOT said Tuesday it will get back to work on emergency and critical highway and bridge projects. On March 17, Gov. Wolf paused the normal highway and bridge construction program to minimize covid-19 exposure for PennDOT and private sector employees. Tuesday’s announcement means that some 61 emergency and critical road...
Allegheny County will alert first responders to addresses of covid-19 patientsVideo
Allegheny County will begin flagging the addresses of confirmed covid-19 cases in its 911 database as a way of notifying first responders about potential exposure. Dr. Debra Bogen, director of Allegheny County Health Department, said in a letter sent Tuesday to county Emergency Services Director Matthew Brown that the health...
State police warnings to non-life-sustaining businesses surpass 100
More than 100 businesses received warnings in the first eights days since Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the closing of all non-life-sustaining operations to slow the spread of covid-19, Pennsylvania State Police reported Tuesday. On Monday, state police issued 11 warnings, bringing the total to 107 since enforcement of the order...
Police responding to fewer calls as more people shelter in place during coronavirus outbreak
Police departments across Southwestern Pennsylvania are receiving fewer calls as residents stay at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. In Greensburg, police calls decreased by 27% for the last two weeks of March compared to the same period in 2019, said Chief Chad Zucco. Police received 818 calls during that period...
Walmart to temperature test employees, provide masks and gloves
Walmart will now perform temperature checks on its employees in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, company officials announced Tuesday. Employees will have their temperature tested when they arrive at work. Any employee with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher will be paid for coming to work...
6 new cases in Westmoreland County, 14 more deaths statewide
Westmoreland County reported six new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday as the statewide death total jumped by 14 and new cases by more than 750, state officials said. The county total now stands at 61. The first cases were diagnosed March 19. The 756 new cases diagnosed across the state...
Pa. reports 14 more deaths, 756 new coronavirus cases
Fourteen more people have died from the coronavirus in Pennsylvania, and the state added more than 750 new cases over the course of a day, state officials said Tuesday. Across the state, 63 people have died since the first case of covid-19 was reported on March 6. The total number...
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo diagnosed with covid-19
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo revealed Tuesday he has been diagnosed with covid-19. The network reported it broke the news to employees in an internal memo. The anchor also tweeted the news himself. pic.twitter.com/e9Ym9jeT2R— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) March 31, 2020 “Soooo in these difficult times that seem to get more...
Allegheny County reports 35 new coronavirus cases as total tops 300
Allegheny County reported 35 new cases of the coronavirus Tuesday, bringing the countywide total to 325. That’s compared to 25 new cases added to the Allegheny County case count Monday, 46 added Sunday and 61 added Saturday. It’s still too soon to tell if changes in the daily case count...
Mt. Pleasant man killed in East Huntingdon hit-and-runVideo
State police in Greensburg are trying to identify a motorist who struck and killed a pedestrian early Tuesday in East Huntingdon and then fled. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s office and state police remained at the scene along Mt. Pleasant Connellsville Road. Trooper Stephen Limani said Robert “Bobby” Sheele, 64, of...
Shapiro: Pennsylvanians can’t be evicted during covid-19 pandemic
Landlords are not permitted to evict tenants during the state of emergency spurred by the covid-19 pandemic, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Tuesday. All courts have been closed to eviction proceedings since March 18 through at least April 3 as part of a statewide shutdown to halt the spread...
Pittsburgh couple’s virus song goes viral on YouTubeVideo
A Pittsburgh couple used their housebound time to fight back at coronavirus with a parody song. Claire and Mel Vatz based their “We’re All Home Bound” on the Simon & Garfunkel classic “Homeward Bound.” The couple sent the video to about 35 friends and family Sunday night. The YouTube video...
Trump declares federal disaster in Pennsylvania over coronavirusVideo
HARRISBURG — President Donald Trump declared a major disaster in Pennsylvania late Monday night. Trump’s order allows for federal assistance to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by the coronavirus pandemic. “The President’s action makes Federal funding available to Commonwealth and eligible local governments and...
How dire projections, grim images dashed Trump’s Easter planVideo
WASHINGTON — The two doctors spread out their charts on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. The projections were grim: Even if the U.S. were to continue to do what it was doing, keeping the economy closed and most Americans in their homes, the coronavirus could leave 100,000 to...
Pittsburgh Public Schools announce updated plan for online instruction
Pittsburgh Public Schools will begin district-wide online instruction on April 16, according to a letter sent to families Monday. Per the district’s updated plan, this week will be dedicated to teachers and instructional staff learning to teach remotely. Technology will be distributed to identified students on Thursday, April 9. The...
Former WYEP ‘Soul Show’ host Stephen Chatman dies of covid-19
Stephen Chatman was a different kind of radio host. His former colleagues at WYEP remember him as easygoing at the microphone — never formal. He spoke to listeners like he was talking with friends, casually and unhurried. “It was that really personal aspect that he brought,” said Michael Canton, WYEP’s...
‘Masks for all’ movement grows while medical officials still recommend targeted use
The debate over who should wear a face mask is continuing as some health experts and lawmakers urge the public to wear a mask when they go out to run an errand or visit a communal space. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends that anyone who is...
2 Beaver County nursing home residents with covid-19 have died, medical director says
Two residents of Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center who tested positive for covid-19 have died, its medical director confirmed Monday. Dr. David Thimons said the two residents had advanced dementia and were in hospice care when they died. They were in a unit that was converted specifically to treat the...
Port Authority’s new electric buses take the road for first time
The Port Authority of Allegheny County’s two new electric buses were on the road for a first time Monday, hauling passengers from Pittsburgh’s Downtown to Point Breeze and back, an authority official said. Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph said officials chose the 88 Route to test performance on a fairly...
More than 844,000 unemployment claims filed in Pa. in 2 weeks
Pennsylvania has seen 844,684 new unemployment claims since March 15, state Department of Labor and Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak said Monday. “That eclipses anything we’ve experienced for a weekly total, and maybe even a yearly total,” Oleksiak said. That number is up from about 650,000 claims reported Thursday for a...
Gov. Wolf closes Pa. schools and businesses indefinitely, extends stay-at-home order
Gov. Tom Wolf extended school and business closures indefinitely and also extended the stay-at-home order in place for some Pennsylvania counties until at least April 30. “Until now, I’ve been saying ‘another two weeks, another two weeks,’ ” Wolf said during a virtual news conference Monday. “Now I’m going to...
Pittsburgh pothole patching on hold during coronavirus pandemic
Pittsburgh’s usual spring pothole patching blitz is on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a city official. The Department of Public Works is operating with skeleton crews, but will respond to emergencies and fix large damage-causing potholes when notified, according to Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto....
8 new coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County, state total tops 4,000
Westmoreland County reported eight new coronavirus cases between Sunday and Monday, according to state health officials. The total number of cases rose to 55, up from from 47. The state recorded 693 new cases of covid-19 and now has 4,087. Eleven more people have died from the virus, bringing that...
Pa. state prisons under quarantine following inmate covid-19 diagnosis
Inmates in Pennsylvania’s 25 state prisons were quarantined to their cells following the first diagnosis of covid-19 in an inmate at State Correctional Institution at Phoenix, located near Philadelphia. Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel announced the quarantine at 10 p.m. Sunday. It is the latest move to contain and...
