Allegheny category, Page 15
Pittsburgh officials not included on White House call warning city to step up virus fight
Pennsylvania state officials participated in a private phone call Wednesday in which Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Task Force response coordinator, warned Pittsburgh and 10 other cities needed to get more “aggressive” with covid-19. After a story about the call was published by The Center for Public Integrity,...
Hold the Picklesburgh: The beloved Pittsburgh festival is canceled
No dill. Picklesburgh is the latest summer event to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year would have been the sixth annual celebration of all things pickled. Voted the No. 1 specialty food festival in America in a USA Today readers’ poll for two years in a row,...
Pandemic increases need for foster families for animal rescues in Western Pa.
A few weeks before the pandemic hit hard in March, Allie Christoforetti and her husband lost their dog. The Greensburg couple decided they weren’t ready to adopt a new dog but were ready to foster through Helping Heart and Healing Tails Animal Rescue, based in the Ligonier area. Christoforetti was...
Man charged with October homicide in McKeesport
Allegheny County Police Wednesday arrested a McKeesport man in connection with an October homicide at a Family Dollar. Master William Thornton, 18, is charged with killing Dwayne Fuller, 24, of Homestead. Thornton was 17 at the time of the shooting, which happened just after 11 a.m. at the Family Dollar...
Allegheny County reports 147 new coronavirus cases, 15 new hospitalizations
Allegheny County on Thursday reported 147 new cases of coronavirus and two deaths. Of those cases, 140 are confirmed and seven are probable. That brings the total number of cases of covid-19 in the county to 6,817. There were 15 new hospitalizations, raising the total to 551, according to the...
Woodland Hills School District suspends cheerleading after positive covid-19 test
Woodland Hills School District suspended its cheerleading activities after a cheerleader tested positive for covid-19, school officials announced Thursday. The district’s on-site testing center discovered the positive case, according to Superintendent James Harris. “We do testing at our high school and one of the young ladies tested positive, so we...
Police arrest man charged with shooting juvenile in Turtle Creek
Allegheny County Police arrested a man accused of shooting a boy in Turtle Creek last week. Tyler Mixter, 23, of Coraopolis, is charged with aggravated assault and attempted homicide. The shooting on the 1200 block of Maple Avenue was reported just after 9:30 p.m. July 13. First responders found a...
Police: South Fayette man kills himself after shooting stepfather
A South Fayette man shot his stepfather in the face Wednesday night and then killed himself after being confronted by officers, according to Allegheny County Police. The stepfather, 67, is expected to survive, police said. The shooting happened during a domestic dispute at a home on Caledonia Court, police said....
Ligonier Country Market, Bloomfield Saturday Market vie for top national spots
Ligonier Country Market is in the running for two top spots in a poll of America’s most essential farmers markets. The poll is being conducted by the American Farmland Trust, a nonprofit organization that promotes environmentally sound farming practices and conservation of farmland and ranchland. Currently, the Ligonier market tops...
Man killed, woman injured in McKeesport shooting
A man was shot and killed in McKeesport late Wednesday, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. Niko Dawon, 31, of McKeesport, was shot in the 1200 block of Soles Street just before 11:30 p.m. He was taken to UPMC McKeesport, and died about an hour later, according to...
6 escape McKeesport house fire
Three adults and three children fled a house fire in McKeesport early Thursday, according to the McKeesport Fire Department. The fire in the 1600 block of Sixth Street started around 1:20 a.m. Nobody was hurt. Firefighters put out the fire within a half-hour, according to the department. There was heavy...
Pittsburgh builder and sustainability pioneer Jack Mascaro dies after long illness
Michael Mascaro will never forget the ways his father instilled his indefatigable work ethic into his sons. “He would get up in the morning and go to work and he would always leave us little dad notes. ‘Hey boys, love ya, have a great day, be good to your mom,’...
McKeesport homicide suspect arrested by U.S. marshals in Chicago
U.S. marshals have arrested a woman accused of killing a 29-year-old Pittsburgh woman last month in McKeesport. Gabrielle Parker, 33, of McKeesport, was arrested Wednesday in Chicago, according to U.S. Marshal Michael Baughman. Parker is charged with homicide following an early morning shooting June 18 in the 500 block of...
Report: White House warns Pittsburgh, other cities to get ‘aggressive’ against coronavirus
The White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator said Pittsburgh and 10 other U.S. cities must take “aggressive” steps to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, the Center for Public Integrity reported. Dr. Deborah Birx called out Pittsburgh — along with Baltimore, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New...
Allegheny County launching team to monitor businesses for coronavirus safety guidelines
The Allegheny County Health Department is deploying a new Covid Field Response Team on Thursday to monitor businesses and ensure they are following public health orders, officials announced during a Wednesday news briefing. Team members — 10 people who are contracting with the county — will visit businesses such as...
State health officials won’t allow Blue Jays to use PNC Park
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health will not permit the Toronto Blue Jays to play at PNC Park in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, officials announced Wednesday afternoon. The Blue Jays were seeking a major-league venue to play their home games after the Canadian government declared the Rogers Centre in Toronto...
2 more Port Authority employees test positive for coronavirus, bringing total to 29
Port Authority of Allegheny County on Wednesday reported that two more employees have tested positive for covid-19. That brings the total number of employee cases to 29, said spokesman Adam Brandolph. Seventeen of those employees have been cleared to return to work. Twelve are recovering at home. The two latest...
La Roche University appoints executive director of diversity, equity, and inclusion
La Roche University has appointed its first executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. Sarah White, the university’s coordinator of accessibility services since July 2014, will fill the new role. “The time is now for the La Roche community as a whole to broaden its communal...
Ex-treasurer of West Allegheny hockey boosters accused of stealing $40,000 from club
An Oakdale woman accused of writing herself more than $40,000 worth of checks from the hockey booster club of which she was treasurer has been trying to pay back the money to no avail, according to her defense attorney. Jennifer Layden, 42, was charged in late June with one count...
Pittsburgh council set to enact police reforms before summer recess
A series of police reforms shepherded by Pittsburgh City Councilman Ricky Burgess are set to be considered for final approval next week before council enters its summer recess. Council also will consider approving a pilot program to divert low-level offenders from the criminal justice system to receive social services help...
Pa. Supreme Court refuses to void lawsuit against UPMC over patient’s murder of neighbor
Terrance Andrews, a drug-addicted psychiatric patient, repeatedly told his caregivers at UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside that he was going to kill one of his neighbors. Then, he did it. In May 2008 he slashed 18-year-old Lisa Maas, a Pennsylvania Culinary Institute student, to death with a pair of scissors. Maas’ mother...
Gateway School Board hears complaints of church not practicing social distancing in high school auditorium
The Gateway School Board delayed a vote Tuesday on a rule that would place a moratorium on all indoor district facility rentals, including a one-year rental of the high school’s auditorium to a church. Grace Life Church has come under fire recently as school district parents and residents have criticized...
Mt. Lebanon, Greater Latrobe ranked top school districts in Pittsburgh area, Westmoreland
Greater Latrobe is tops in Westmoreland County and among the best school districts across the state, according to the latest rankings in several categories on Niche.com. The Pittsburgh-based site calculates its rankings based on reviews by students and parents and data from the U.S. Department of Education, along with factors...
PWSA announces lower lead levels in Pittsburgh water
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority announced Wednesday that water quality in Pittsburgh has improved. Lead levels in Pittsburgh are now at 5.1 parts per billion, said PWSA Executive Director Will Pickering. This puts Pittsburgh’s levels below the EPA’s limit of 15 parts per billion. PWSA’s most recent test evaluated...
Ross police searching for suspects who stole ATM from gas station
Ross Township police are searching for suspects wanted for breaking into a gas station and stealing an ATM. Police say the BP station in the 500 block of Lowries Run Road was broken into around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday and the ATM was taken. The suspects were driving a car that...
