Top Stories category, Page 1521
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...
Pa. sees 10 more deaths, 693 new coronavirus cases as total tops 4,000
Ten more people have died from the coronavirus in Pennsylvania, and the state added nearly 700 new cases of the virus between Sunday and Monday, state health officials said. Deaths in the state now total 48, and 693 new cases bring the statewide total to 4,087. It’s the largest one-day...
Pittsburgh closing basketball courts, city overlooks
Pittsburgh is closing outdoor basketball courts in parks and city overlooks and suspending its street sweeping program to further guard against the spread of covid-19. The city on Monday reported that groups of people failed to follow social distancing guidelines to remain at least six feet apart while enjoying warm...
‘Hamilton’ returning for PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh seasonVideo
The 2020-21 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season will mark the return of the megahit Tony Award-winning musical “Hamilton.” In addition, it will feature the Pittsburgh premiere of the 2019 best musical winner: “Hadestown.” Presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Broadway Across America, the season also will feature the 2019...
Allegheny County adds 25 coronavirus cases, total reaches 290
Allegheny County reported 25 new cases of the coronavirus Monday, bringing the countywide total to 290. That total does not include two Allegheny County residents who have died from complications from covid-19. More than 37,000 people across Pennsylvania have been tested for covid-19, according to figures released by the state...
How would overwhelmed hospitals decide who to treat first?Video
NEW YORK — A nurse with asthma, a grandfather with cancer and a homeless man with no known family are wracked with coronavirus-induced fevers. They are struggling to breathe, and a ventilator could save their lives. But who gets one when there aren’t enough to go around? Health care workers...
Wolf administration lays off about 2,500 state employees amid coronavirus outbreakVideo
HARRISBURG — The Wolf administration has laid off about 2,500 part-time and seasonal employees and interns as the financial fallout from the coronavirus deepens, straining Pennsylvania’s cash flow, Spotlight PA has learned. The affected workers, which include temporary clerical staff and employees who help out in departments across state government...
North Shore police memorial vandalized
A memorial to law enforcement officers near Heinz Field was vandalized. A profane anti-police message was spray painted in yellow on the Allegheny County Law Enforcement Officers Memorial on North Shore Drive, according to Pittsburgh police. The vandalism was on the part of the memorial facing the Allegheny River. The...
Pittsburgh police seek suspect in fatal Homewood shooting
A woman was found shot in Homewood early Monday morning, according to Pittsburgh police. Officers responded to a 911 call for a person shot in the 7000 block of Monticello Street just before 2:20 a.m. The woman was found inside a residence with a gunshot wound. Medics pronounced her dead...
Gas prices continue plummeting, averaging $2.27 a gallon in Pittsburgh area
Gasoline prices are continuing to fall but, unlike the national average, the average in the Pittsburgh area remains above $2 per gallon, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. The national average has fallen under $2 per gallon for the first time in more than four years, caused by an unprecedented drop...
Power outages reported across Pittsburgh region
Duquesne Light and West Penn Power were both reporting power outages in the Pittsburgh area early Monday morning. As of 6 a.m., Duquesne Light had about 350 outages. Most were in Churchill, 106; Hampton, 97; and Ross, 68. By 10:30, outages were down to about 170, while still focused with...
With an eye on ICU beds, Pa. hospitals prep for surge in coronavirus patients
As coronavirus cases continue to grow, hospitals across the state are doing what they can to prepare for a surge of critical patients that officials fear could overwhelm the health care system. More than half of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, however, have fewer than 20 intensive care beds, according to data...
Trump adds 30 days to distancing guidelines as virus spreadsVideo
WASHINGTON — Bracing the nation for a grim death toll, President Donald Trump on Sunday extended the voluntary national shutdown for a month, bowing to public-health experts who told him the coronavirus pandemic could claim over 100,000 lives in the U.S., perhaps significantly more, if not enough is done to...
9 more residents of Beaver County nursing home diagnosed with covid-19
Nine more residents of a Beaver County nursing home tested positive for covid-19, said the home’s medical director. Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center started testing residents Friday, and 10 positive covid-19 cases were confirmed by Saturday morning. On Sunday, Dr. David Thimons, the center’s medical director, said there were another...
2 residents of St. Barnabas Nursing Home in Richland test positive for covid-19
Two residents at St. Barnabas Nursing Home in Richland are in quarantine after testing positive for covid-19, a spokesman confirmed Sunday. “They’re in a separate section of the building as well as separate rooms,” said Jim Lauteri, a spokesman with St. Barnabas Health System. St. Barnabas has five assisted-living facilities...
School districts develop plans, implement online learning
Kiski Area School District, like many other districts, will begin teaching students remotely this week, relying on Google tools, email and the cooperation of parents to stream lectures and distribute assignments. It’s going to be a challenge, Superintendent Tim Scott said. But at this point, there are few options. “We’re...
Priest who serves in Pittsburgh’s Oakland-area grouping tests positive for covid-19
A priest who had been in isolation as a result of being exposed to someone else who tested positive for covid-19 has himself been diagnosed with the disease, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said. The Rev. Adam Potter, who served as an assistant priest for the parishes in the city’s...
2 people hurt in multi-vehicle collision on Route 65
Two people were taken to the hospital following a multi-vehicle collision in Bellevue on Sunday, according to authorities. The crash occurred just after 2:30 p.m. on the 4200 block of Route 65, also known as Ohio River Boulevard, an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said. The collision closed in the highway...
Artist transforms Uptown tiger into ‘Tiger King’ portrait of Joe Exotic
Pop culture is a big part of Jeremy Raymer’s art, and he knows the value of having a finger on the pulse of the cultural zeitgeist. So when a friend mentioned the old tiger’s head, painted on a wall near the intersection of Moultrie Street and Tustin Street behind the...
6 additional covid-19 cases reported in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County’s covid-19 case count rose by six overnight, as figures released Sunday by state health officials show 47 confirmed cases. That is up from 41 cases in figures released yesterday. There have been no deaths related to the virus in the county, which has been under a stay-at-home order...
Pennsylvania reports 4 more deaths, 643 new cases of coronavirus
Four more people in Pennsylvania have died from covid-19, increasing the statewide coronavirus death toll to 38, state health officials said Sunday at their daily briefing. The state reported 643 new cases of covid-19. A total of 3,394 residents had tested positive as of noon Sunday. Confirmed cases are now...
Gov. Wolf orders Beaver, Centre, Washington County residents to stay home
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf has extended his order for residents to stay at home in most circumstances to almost one-third of Pennsylvania’s counties amid an increase in coronavirus cases and a dozen more deaths that brought the total to 34 for the outbreak. The governor on Saturday extended the...
