Top Stories category, Page 1526
Western Pa. dentists upset about state order to stop emergency surgeries
Pennsylvanians dealing with dental emergencies and needing to see a dentist or an oral surgeon are out of luck. The Pennsylvania State Department of Health has ordered all dental offices to stop performing emergency operations during the covid-19 crisis, effectively shutting the offices down. ”Right now I would say that...
Chloroquine, home remedies are not the answer to treat coronavirus, experts say
The Pittsburgh Poison Center joined doctors nationwide Tuesday in urging people to steer clear of ingesting any form of chloroquine, concocting a home remedy or raiding a shared medicine cabinet under the misguided notion that doing so might prevent or treat covid-19. Chloroquine, in particular, is a drug used to...
Coronavirus emergency impacts Waste Management, County Hauling garbage services
Waste Management announced Tuesday it is temporarily suspending some services throughout Western Pennsylvania during the coronavirus emergency. Beginning Wednesday, the company said it is suspending collection of bulk items such as furniture, carpet, mattresses and appliances; spring and bulk cleanups; and collection of yard waste such as grass clippings, brush...
Need food? There’s a stocked pantry on a porch in Dormont
A Dormont woman is doing her part to help those who need it, while continuing to practice recommended social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. Carla Chugani has a food pantry on her porch stocked with necessities donated by others who want to help. The pantry, on the porch of Chugani’s...
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo demands help as state coronavirus cases surge above 25,000
NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo offered a grim update on the exploding coronavirus pandemic Tuesday, saying New York is in the grip of a frightening “spike” with 25,665 people now infected in the state and 210 dead. Speaking at the Javits Center in Manhattan, where the state is stockpiling...
Penn State confirms case of covid-19
Penn State reported its first case of covid-19 on its University Park campus on Tuesday. An alert was sent to students and the rest of the university community. No information about the individual was immediately available. “It is up to public health authorities to determine what information is shared publicly...
Fake meme claims hunting and fishing seasons are canceled in Pennsylvania
A meme circulating on social media channels falsely claims that the Pennsylvania Game Commission has canceled all hunting and fishing seasons for 2020. But as the commission noted on its official page, it “has not suspended, altered or changed any hunting regulations, seasons or bag limits in response to the...
Online sports bettors turn to pingpong as leagues postpone seasons
At a time when bettors would typically be placing wagers on March Madness brackets and NHL playoff favorites, Pennsylvania sports enthusiasts are instead putting their money on Russian pingpong. That’s according to figures released Tuesday by Rush Street Interactive, which operates the Bet Rivers.com app, the online and mobile sports betting...
Self-quarantined Pittsburgh cops were not exposed to coronavirus, officials say
Pittsburgh police officers who were self-isolating after they responded to a Monday call where a person had symptoms of covid-19 are back on duty after test results confirmed the person didn’t have the disease, city Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri said. The officer responded to a two-vehicle crash at noon...
Dow has best day since 1933 as Congress nears deal on coronavirus aid
NEW YORK — The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged to its best day since 1933 as Congress and the White House neared a deal on Tuesday to inject nearly $2 trillion of aid into an economy ravaged by the coronavirus. The Dow burst 11.4% higher, while the more closely followed...
Trump hoping to see economy reopened by Easter amid pandemic
WASHINGTON — With lives and the economy hanging in the balance, President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is hoping the United States will be reopened by Easter as he weighs how to relax nationwide social-distancing guidelines to put some workers back on the job during the coronavirus outbreak. Trump’s optimism...
Westmoreland coronavirus cases increase to 11
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Westmoreland County rose to 11 on Tuesday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That’s an increase from eight confirmed cases on Monday that were reported by Westmoreland County officials. The three additional cases come as Pennsylvania recorded 207 new cases in...
Heavy rainfall totals in forecast for Western Pa. through the weekend
Some rather significant rainfall totals are in store for Western Pennsylvania this week and through the weekend. The National Weather Service is forecasting rain overnight and then from late Thursday through Sunday, with an 80 percent to 90 percent chance Friday and Saturday. WPXI-TV meteorologist Scott Harbaugh is saying that...
Armstrong County’s ACMH Hospital reports first case of covid-19
ACMH Hospital in Kittanning reported Tuesday that it is treating its first patient with covid-19. The hospital did not release details about the patient or their condition. It said it has notified the state Department of Health about the case, and is working to identify and contact people with whom...
Coronavirus testing at Pittsburgh Zoo parking lot draws another big crowd
It was, well, a zoo at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium again Tuesday. People in their vehicles lined the parking lot of the zoo in hopes of getting tested for the coronavirus. The Central Outreach Wellness Center is offering drive-thru testing in the lot between 11 a.m. and 4...
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto ending self-quarantine
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is ending his self-quarantine Wednesday and will begin working in his office, according to a city officials. Peduto spokesman Tim McNulty said the mayor “feels great” and will be conducting media interviews Wednesday by phone and Skype. Peduto, 54, of Point Breeze, has been working from...
Pennsylvania reports 207 new coronavirus cases, bringing total to 851
Pennsylvania recorded more than 200 new cases of the coronavirus in one day, state health officials said Tuesday. The 207 new cases brought the statewide total to 851, including 58 cases in Allegheny County. Deaths in the state are now at seven — a second person in Allegheny County died...
Pennsylvania State Police issue 17 new warnings Tuesday to businesses that failed to close
Pennsylvania State Police issued 17 more warnings Tuesday to businesses deemed “non-life-sustaining” that were still operating, bringing the two-day total to 44. Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday ordered any Pennsylvania business that does not serve a life-sustaining purpose to close in an effort to slow the spread of covid-19. “As...
Corrections officers push Pennsylvania to stop inmate transfers
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state corrections officers’ union wants the state prison system to stop all transfers of inmates as a preventative measure against potential spread of the new coronavirus from one institution to another. Meanwhile, more businesses are challenging Gov. Tom Wolf’s order closing the physical locations of businesses determined...
Where to get tested for covid-19 in Western Pa.
Hospital systems and clinics in the region have started offering drive-thru and walk-in covid-19 testing for patients and members of the public who meet certain conditions. Here are the sites where testing is available in the region: UPMC UPMC will test “select, symptomatic” cases, according to the system’s website, at...
Dr. David Dausey: America, brace for impact
David Dausey, Ph.D., an epidemiologist, is provost and vice president of academic affairs at Duquesne University and a professor in Duquesne’s John G. Rangos School of Health Science. He is also a distinguished service professor of health policy at Carnegie Mellon University. If Italy is any guide, in the upcoming...
PennDOT reopens 23 rest stops on Pennsylvania interstates
PennDOT has reopened 23 of the state’s 30 rest areas, which had been closed to slow the spread of coronavirus. The department partially reopened 13 facilities last week but kept indoor restrooms closed while providing portable restrooms and handwashing facilities. Those 13 are among the 23 rest areas returned to...
Allegheny County identifies 2nd covid-19 fatality; active cases up to 58
A second Allegheny County resident has died because of complications from covid-19, Allegheny County Health Department officials announced Tuesday. The victim was identified as Ofelia Rousseva, 78, of the Greenfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. She was found unresponsive in a residence along the 800...
Mark Cuban unleashes on Twitter, imploring Congress to pass stimulus bill
Pittsburgh-area native and billionaire Mark Cuban unloaded on Congress in a profanity-laced Twitter tirade Tuesday, imploring Democrats and Republicans to come together on a stimulus deal to help save the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Mt. Lebanon entrepreneur and owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks unleashed after a tweet...
Olympics to be postponed until 2021Video
TOKYO — The IOC announced a first-of-its-kind postponement of the Summer Olympics on Tuesday, bowing to the realities of a coronavirus pandemic that is shutting down daily life around the globe and making planning for a massive worldwide gathering in July a virtual impossibility. The International Olympic Committee said the...
