Western PA Local News category, Page 2522
Highlands accepting emails for vacant school board seat
Highlands School District will now accept applications for a vacant school board seat via email. The district had previously specifically prohibited people from submitting application electronically. The Region 2 seat became vacant when Misty Chybrzynski, former board president, resigned after moving out of the district. Region 2 covers Brackenridge and...
Greensburg closes all municipal facilities to public to prevent coronavirus spread
Greensburg will close all city facilities to the public “until further notice” effective Wednesday, though some city employees will report to work as usual and the rest will work from home, officials said. City leaders decided on the policy after meeting with county health officials and representatives from Excela Health...
First responders offered free meals at Arnold Palmer airport amid coronavirus precautionsVideo
Some businesses and organizations have shut down or curtailed operations as part of Pennsylvania’s coronavirus precautions, but that’s not the case for police, paramedics and firefighters. So, the Westmoreland County Airport Authority joined forces with DeNunzio’s Italian Chophouse to help on-duty first responders get access to meals during the suspension...
Enclosed portion of Pittsburgh Mills mall closes indefinitely over coronavirus outbreak
The Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills will close at 6 p.m. Tuesday and remain closed “until further notice,” the mall announced on its Facebook page. The closure applies to the enclosed mall only. The mall advised shoppers to check with other stores outside the mall about their status. “In response to...
Enjoying great outdoors tougher at some Western Pa. parks
Enjoying the great outdoors is getting more difficult at some public parks as organizations are closing some park facilities, canceling events and making some parks off-limits altogether because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has closed facilities including restrooms and buildings at all 121...
Coronavirus temporarily halts volunteers helping at trout stockings statewide
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission continued stocking trout this week, but without the help of volunteers. “We realize that many of our stocking volunteers look forward to helping us, but we must take these necessary precautions to ensure public safety during this vital period,” said the commission’s Executive Director...
Alle-Kiski Valley police begin responding to some calls by phone
Some police departments in the Alle-Kiski Valley will be responding to some nonemergency calls over the phone. New Kensington officers “will use their discretion” in deciding if a nonemergency call can be handled with a phone call or if they need to respond to the scene, police Chief Robert Deringer...
Pitt postpones spring commencement ceremonies
The University of Pittsburgh has postponed all in-person spring commencement ceremonies at the main campus in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher announced Tuesday. “This decision was not made lightly,” Gallagher said in a statement. “We know this news will be upsetting both to graduates, who have worked so hard...
Pittsburgh Brookline, Milliones schools to get deep cleaning after possible exposure
Pittsburgh Brookline and Milliones schools will receive deep cleaning this week after the district announced students at the school may have come in contact with the coronavirus. A relative of students who attend Pittsburgh Brookline is believed to have covid-19, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced Tuesday. The district notified families of...
Board approves over $433,000 roof restoration on Hempfield elementary school
Hempfield Area School Board members are planning a third roof restoration project, this time at West Hempfield Elementary School. School board members approved the project during Monday’s meeting. According to Superintendent Tammy Wolicki, the project will begin at the end of the school year and is expected to be finished...
UPMC shuns health experts’ calls to cancel elective surgeriesVideo
Pittsburgh-based health giant UPMC on Tuesday rejected calls from county and state health experts to stop doing elective surgeries at its hospitals. While acknowledging that some elective surgeries can be postponed, UPMC said they “cannot be delayed for long.” “This is not the time for UPMC to diminish services to...
Pittsburgh police make arrest in February Beltzhoover homicide
A Pittsburgh man is charged with homicide in a case from February. Daniel Miles, 31, is accused of fatally shooting Robert Fulton, 33, in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood, according to city police. Fulton died in the emergency room of UPMC Mercy Feb. 26 after being shot while in the 200 block...
Gun sales soar as threat of coronavirus spreads across Western Pa.
In 100 years, the Army Navy & Indoor Pistol Range in Latrobe has seen just about everything, said owner Mark Boerio. But nothing like coronavirus. Boerio is not planning to close the store as the virus spreads across Western Pennsylvania. As of Tuesday, Allegheny County reported seven confirmed cases while...
Armstrong County Sports Hall of Fame banquet canceled
The Armstrong County Sports Hall of Fame’s 48th annual induction banquet, scheduled for April 26 at Laube Hall in Freeport, has been canceled, the organization’s secretary, Dennis Wolfe, confirmed Tuesday. The decision came in a unanimous telephone vote of the board of governors Monday evening in conjunction with the continuing...
Pittsburgh council conducts business in empty meeting chambersVideo
Pittsburgh City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith said she felt self-conscious Tuesday while chairing a meeting in an empty council chamber. Kail-Smith and city Clerk Brenda Pree had to be there to conduct the meeting. Council’s eight other members participated and voted through a conference call. Pittsburgh on Tuesday closed the...
Westmoreland County court cancels hearings, alters procedures
Criminal court proceedings in Westmoreland County scheduled from Wednesday to March 27 have been canceled under a judicial emergency order issued Tuesday. Special courts administrator Don Heagy said preliminary hearings for defendants who are incarcerated are still going on at the county’s 17 district court offices as scheduled. Some other...
Pittsburgh Marathon canceled over coronavirus pandemic
The Pittsburgh Marathon is canceled for 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Race organizer P3R announced Wednesday that it was following Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s executive order that banned gatherings of more than 50 people. “All of us at P3R are disappointed and frustrated that this year’s Dick’s Sporting Goods...
Coronavirus challenges affecting all religious denominations
Fears about the spread of the coronavirus are testing the faith of religious bodies and congregations throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Some, including the Diocese of Greensburg and the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, canceled worship services. Others are issuing guidance on everything from responsible behavior in church to alternatives to church attendance....
Southwest Greensburg stabbing may have been in defense, cops say
Southwest Borough police are continuing to investigate a stabbing late Saturday that resulted in a man being airlifted to an undisclosed Pittsburgh hospital for treatment. Chief Christopher J. Kent said the injured man was walking in an alley between the 600 block of South Main and Sidney streets about 10...
City Cribs’ Greensburg revitalization efforts continue with more buildings
City Cribs is continuing its revitalization of South Pennsylvania Avenue in Greensburg one building at a time. The development group recently purchased a former art supply store for $200,000 with plans to renovate the building, add upper floors and create several spaces for tenants, said company co-owner Suzanne Ward. Hempfield...
Allegheny County dentists urged to delay nonemergency procedures
The Allegheny County Health Department is encouraging all dental providers and patients to delay nonemergency dental services and procedures during the covid-19 outbreak. This is due to “the close proximity between patients and their dental service providers,” according to a statement Tuesday by Dr. Debra Bogen, health department director. The...
Airlines cut flights out of Pittsburgh International Airport as coronavirus spreads
Airlines are cutting flights out of Pittsburgh International Airport in response to the spreading coronavirus, airport officials said Tuesday. Delta has decided to cut 1% of its capacity at Pittsburgh International, trimming flights to Atlanta starting in April, according to a report in BlueSky, the airport’s news outlet. American Airlines...
North Huntingdon sewer line project meeting canceled
A public meeting to discuss the Five Pines phase one sewer line replacement project has been cancelled for Thursday at the North Huntingdon Town House, the North Huntingdon Township Municipal Authority said. The authority does not have plans at this time to reschedule the meeting, said Michael Branthoover, authority manager....
State Rep. Pyle closes district offices, but public can still call, email
State Rep. Jeff Pyle, R-Ford City, announced his office will be closed to visitors, but constituents will be able to call and communicate online with his office. Pyle, who has district offices in Buffalo Township and Ford City, said he is following directions from the state House to lessen the...
State Supreme Court Justice Wecht self-quarantines family after son has presumed coronavirus
An Indiana Township man is recovering from a presumed case of the coronavirus, while officials in Fox Chapel Area School District are warning that two of the man’s siblings were at the high school Monday after being in contact with him. Pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht identified the man as his...
