Deb Erdley stories, Page 13

A new national survey of fall college enrollment trends by the National Student Clearinghouse found the impact of covid-19 and a shrinking pool of new high school graduates has left its mark on Pennsylvania colleges. The survey based on preliminary numbers from about 22% of the nation’s colleges and universities,...

Former Vice President Joe Biden went on the offensive Tuesday, attacking President Donald Trump on jobs and the economy as the president prepared to travel to the Pittsburgh region for his fourth visit to Pennsylvania in the past four weeks. “Four years ago, candidate Donald Trump promised the hardworking people...

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey will not try to block President Donald Trump’s attempt to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court less than 40 days before the election, he said Tuesday. The Lehigh Valley Republican joined the successful effort to block President Barack Obama from filling a vacancy on...

A contractor will pay $2.4 million to repair a five-level parking garage at California University of Pennsylvania that has been closed for four years since a chunk of concrete broke off and crashed to the ground. Repairs will begin soon on the $13 million Vulcan Parking Garage, built in 2010,...

When the global pandemic forced them to cancel their largest annual fundraiser, officials with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg decided to look online for support. A diocesan spokesman said a $50,000 goal has been set for the virtual fund drive, dubbed the Heroes of Hope Guardian Angel Appeal....

Early enrollment numbers from two local public universities suggest the global pandemic is yielding a silver lining where graduate school enrollment is concerned. Officials at California and Slippery Rock universities said total enrollment at both schools is up slightly this fall, thanks to a bump in those opting to pursue...

Currying favor with Pennsylvania voters such as Laura Galvas, Alexandra Stehman and Flora Cruceta could prove crucial in the battle to claim Pennsylvania’s 20 Electoral College votes this fall. Like the other participants in ABC’s Philadelphia Town Hall — where they had an opportunity to question President Trump last week...

Calling the upcoming election “Park Avenue vs. Scranton,” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign issued a series of tax policy proposals Thursday ahead of his town hall meeting tonight on CNN. The 8 p.m. event will be held in Scranton. Although they stressed controlling the covid-19 pandemic remains Biden’s top...

Corey Barsky was more than a little miffed Tuesday night when he saw a giant Biden-Harris logo projected on the façade of the towering Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus. Barsky, who is vice chair of the Pitt College Republicans, said the projection that included the...

An organization that trains volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in Westmoreland County is seeking shares on Facebook and a chance to double a $5,000 grant it recently received. CASA Westmoreland, a group that trains and staffs volunteers for the Court Appointed Special Advocate — or CASA —...

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh say they have isolated a tiny molecule that neutralizes the coronavirus and could be the foundation for a drug to prevent and combat covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. Researchers from Pitt’s School of Medicine published their findings today in the journal Cell....

Robert Levin is stunned by the reception his reconstituted family-owned furniture chain received since reopening 19 stores in Pennsylvania and Ohio two months ago. Levin, who sold the chain to Michigan-based Art Van Furniture in 2017, came out of retirement this year to rescue the business from bankruptcy. Now, he...

California, Clarion and Edinboro universities — three state-owned schools that have suffered significant enrollment losses over the last decade — are forming a partnership they hope will create a powerhouse in the state’s public university system. In a joint announcement Monday, the presidents of the three universities said the partnership...

Stephen Clark began laying the groundwork for the 20th anniversary service for 9/11 at the Flight 93 National Memorial five months ago. Clark is the National Park Service superintendent at the Somerset County memorial that pays tribute to 40 men and women who died when United Flight 93 crashed near...

About 100 cars and pickups, many sporting Trump flags and bumper stickers, lined Route 30 Friday morning at the entrance to the Flight 93 National Memorial. Most of those parked along the highway had hoped to attend the 19th 9/11 Memorial Observance but were left to wait outside the gates....

Carnegie Mellon University officials Thursday said they will delay the start of the 2021 spring semester, originally scheduled to begin Jan. 11, to Feb. 1. The new start date is an attempt to reduce the time the campus will be open during flu season, given indications that flu season will...

Anti-abortion activists from across the region gathered Wednesday at Cornerstone Ministries in Murrysville as Vice President Mike Pence addressed the kick-off of the Susan B. Anthony List’s campaign to engage pro-life voters in Pennsylvania. The visit to the large, nondenominational church marked Pence’s third appearance with the group. Long a...

Murrysville police say travelers on Route 22 should expect minor traffic delays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday during Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Cornerstone Ministries. The vice president is scheduled to land in Air Force Two at 10:30 a.m. at the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Moon...

Pennsylvania’s importance in the Nov. 3 election is apparent again this week in a series of stops planned in the Pittsburgh region by the Trump and Biden campaigns. Former Vice President Joe Biden stopped in Harrisburg on Monday for Labor Day. The week will ramp up Wednesday with Vice President...

Organized labor typically greets the end of the summer and the beginning of campaign season with a roar. But it is trading that for quiet celebrations of service and online education today. Although the 141,000- plus union members in the seven-county region ratcheted back their public celebrations of strength, the...

Scores of art and crafts and food vendors plied their wares to shoppers Saturday on the opening day of a three-day festival at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds. The 27th annual Pennsylvania Labor Day Arts & Crafts Retail Marketplace, which features 150 vendors spread across the 100-acre fairgrounds, is among a handful...

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries battling an early morning residential fire in New Kensington. New Kensington fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said New Kensington police patrolling the neighborhood were alerted to a house in flames. Firefighters were dispatched to the home in the 500 block of Constitution Boulevard at 3:36...

Vice President Mike Pence will campaign in Western Pennsylvania on Wednesday, as President Trump’s reelection effort continues its focus on swing state voters. Pence is scheduled to appear at events in Murrysville and New Sewickley in Beaver County. The two stops, less than a week after Trump’s rally at the...

A hit-and-run crash Friday night left a Murrysville Medic One crew member injured when a pick-up truck crossed the yellow line and struck an ambulance that was traveling on Sardis Road, near Hickory Hill Road, according to the ambulance service. A post on the Medic One Facebook page said the...

President Trump glided into a Trump Country crowd in Westmoreland County on Thursday evening to rave reviews. The crowd of several thousand at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe erupted into screams of U-S-A!, U-S-A!, U-S-A! as Trump exited Air Force One into the twilight evening, vowing that “61 days...