Top Stories category, Page 1536
‘Ridiculous’ run on supermarkets leaves workers, shoppers shaking their heads
After working in supermarkets since the 1980s, Michael Moses, manager of Golden Dawn in New Kensington, never has seen anything like the influx of customers and buying sprees over the last several days. One of the few stores that still had toilet paper and paper towels left Saturday afternoon, Golden...
Amid coronavirus, Comcast makes Wi-Fi network free, expands unlimited data to all
With businesses and schools closed and thousands of residents now working and studying from home during the coronavirus outbreak, Comcast announced Saturday it will make its Xfinity Wi-Fi services free for everyone for the next 60 days. “During this extraordinary time, it is vital that as many Americans as possible...
Giant Eagle changes shopping hours over coronavirus pandemic
Giant Eagle temporarily is changing its store hours because of the coronavirus pandemic. Beginning Sunday, all Giant Eagle and Market District supermarkets will open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m., seven days a week, the company announced Saturday. GetGo stores adjacent to supermarkets will operate on the same...
Officials: 2 coronavirus cases reported in PittsburghVideo
Two Pittsburgh residents from the same household are the first in Allegheny County to test positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which still does not appear to be widespread in Western Pennsylvania, health officials said Saturday. Neither affected person required treatment at a hospital, Allegheny County Health...
Pa. attorney general reports hundreds of price-gouging complaints as coronavirus spreads
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro says his email tip line has received more than 200 complaints of price gouging by stores around the state as consumers scramble to buy supplies while coronavirus continues to spread. More than 100 complaints of suspect gouging reached Shapiro’s office in the first two days...
Westmoreland County declares state of emergency to prepare for coronavirusVideo
Westmoreland County Commissioners declared a state of emergency Saturday morning, a move officials said will enhance government efforts to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The emergency declaration gives county officials the ability to quickly activate emergency personnel and pay for needed responses, county officials said during a courthouse news conference....
UPMC develops coronavirus test, will begin screenings next weekVideo
UPMC on Tuesday will begin testing patients for the novel coronavirus in a secure facility in Pittsburgh’s South Side, officials announced Saturday, the same day public health authorities revealed the first two positive tests in Allegheny County. Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMC’s chair of emergency medicine, called the federal testing capabilities...
Latest on coronavirus: Gov. Wolf urges closure of some ‘non-essential’ spaces; St. Patrick’s party continues in Pittsburgh
In an effort to speed up the testing for people with symptoms of the coronavirus that causes covid-19, the region’s largest health system announced Saturday it has created its own in-house test. UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh laid out the details at a news conference. Later Saturday, health officials...
Western Pa. voices from Italy give a glimpse of a locked-down life amid coronavirus pandemic
In Italy, the daily message on TV, radio and the internet is “Io resto a casa,” meaning, “I stay at home.” Streets are deserted. The Italian government has closed all non-essential establishment and events. Residents are restricted to their home villages and face a fine and possible imprisonment if caught...
No new jury trials to be picked March 16-20, Allegheny County judge says
Jurors summoned for service in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas for any day during the coming week will not be required to report for duty. No new jury trials will be picked from Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 20, so those potential jurors will not be required...
Woman reported missing in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh police seek public assistance in locating a missing woman. Authorities said Chakia Ausbrook, 35, was last seen Friday on Bunkerhill Street in Highland Park. She was wearing a maroon sweatshirt with white stripes down the sleeves and black sweat pants. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to...
Rivers Casino closes due to caution regarding coronavirus
The Rivers casino on Pittsburgh’s North Side will close for the next two weeks. The casino announced at about 9 p.m. Friday that it would close as of midnight Sunday, for 14 days. The process will begin Sunday night and continue into Monday morning. “Although there have been no known...
Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show canceled due to coronavirus concerns
The Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show has been canceled as a result of coronavirus concerns. Officials said the event, which started March 6 and was scheduled to run through Sunday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, was halted in response to guidelines issued by the Allegheny County Health Department....
New Kensington police say officer killed suspect after he aimed shotgun at officers
Westmoreland County detectives continue to investigate the circumstances that led New Kensington police to fatally shoot a man Friday. Detective John Clark said the county district attorney’s office investigators are still interviewing witnesses and following up on information regarding the incident. Officers responded to multiple calls reporting a man with...
‘You’re in for it’: Western Pa. restaurants brace for coronavirus slowdown
Kevin Joyce said it’s “white knuckle” time for Pittsburgh’s hospitality industry. The owner of The Carlton Restaurant and Eadie’s Kitchen and Market, both Downtown, said food and beverage establishments across the city are feeling the impact of coronavirus. He said his restaurant was booked for Friday night with a Celine...
District leaders lament ‘very poor planning’ in Gov. Wolf’s decision to close schools
It had taken all day, but finally, the New Kensington-Arnold School District had a plan. Schools would be closed to students Monday, just Monday, so teachers and administrators could prepare for a potential transition to online learning — a growing possibility as the number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the...
Mayor Peduto bans gatherings of 250 or more in city; Allegheny County encourages sameVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto declared a state of emergency in the city Friday evening and prohibited all public gatherings of more than 250 people. The ban on gatherings goes into effect at 9 a.m. Monday and is subject to City Council ratification. The emergency declaration is in effect for seven...
Washington County hit with 1st Western Pa. coronavirus case
Washington County is the first in Western Pennsylvania to have a presumed positive case of the novel coronavirus, according to state officials. The case was added to the growing list of Pennsylvania cases during a 5 p.m. update by the state Department of Health. Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine...
Trump declares coronavirus pandemic a national emergency
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is declaring the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency, as Washington struggles with providing Americans with relief and officials race to slow the spread of the outbreak. Speaking from the Rose Garden, Trump said, “I am officially declaring a national emergency.” He...
U.S. hospitals brace for ‘tremendous strain’ from new virus
U.S. hospitals are setting up circus-like triage tents, calling doctors out of retirement, guarding their supplies of face masks and making plans to cancel elective surgery as they brace for an expected onslaught of coronavirus patients. Depending on how bad the crisis gets, the sick could find themselves waiting on...
Gov. Tom Wolf orders all Pa. schools shut down for 10 days
Schools across Pennsylvania will close for at least 10 business days amid efforts to stem the spread of coronavirus, state officials said Friday. Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement that officials will re-evaluate after 10 days to decide whether schools should remain closed. The order – for 10 school...
Trump preparing to invoke emergency powers over coronavirus
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is preparing to invoke emergency powers as the country struggles to contain the coronavirus outbreak, according to two people familiar with the planning who spoke on condition of anonymity. It was still unclear Friday, however, precisely what mechanism Trump would use to free up additional...
PennDOT warns of month-long lane, shoulder restrictions on I-579 through Pittsburgh
Lane and shoulder restrictions on I-579 in Pittsburgh will begin Monday night as part of the construction of a “cap” over the highway linking Downtown to the Lower Hill District, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reported on Friday. Drivers should expect restrictions in both directions, but not simultaneously, from 8...
It’s a double dill win for Picklesburgh
Picklesburgh did it again. For the second year in a row, Pittsburgh’s pickle-everything festival was voted America’s No. 1 Specialty Food Festival in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Poll. This will be the sixth year for the championship event, scheduled for July. Picklesburgh has been so popular that it expanded last...
Stocks surge on new coronavirus measures; Dow up 1,985 points
NEW YORK — Wall Street roared back from its worst day in 30 years Friday with a broad rally that sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average nearly 2,000 points higher — its biggest point gain ever — after President Donald Trump declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency. The Dow’s...
