Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1483
Pennsylvania boosting efforts to promote voting by mail
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is boosting its efforts to get voters to cast their primary election ballots by mail, saying it would help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The administration sent 4.2 million postcards to primary voters and is mounting an awareness campaign on radio, television, social media, streaming...
Here are the ZIP codes in Allegheny County with the most coronavirus cases
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus is now being released by ZIP code in Pennsylvania. The state Department of Health map includes information for all 67 counties. Allegheny County has also reported positive cases at the municipal level using an online map since late March. In Allegheny County,...
Town hall focuses on lack of resources for Pittsburgh black communities during coronavirus pandemic
The covid-19 pandemic has put a “glaring spotlight” on the inequities in social systems that hurt black families, community leaders said during a virtual town hall Tuesday. “All of these things make a perfect storm for the African American community,” said Trisha Gadson, CEO of Macedonia Family and Community Enrichment....
Lawsuit claims IUP manager fired for notifying staff of possible covid-19 exposure
A former supervisor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania claims in a lawsuit he was fired for telling employees a fellow worker had been exposed to coronavirus. Donald Woolslayer, the school’s director of facilities since 2016, claims he was terminated on March 31 — the day after he emailed a notification...
Adapting: Versatile Monroeville caterer changes business model in face of coronavirus restrictions
Editor’s note: Adapting is a regular series spotlighting the ways the global coronavirus pandemic is changing the everyday lives of people in Western Pennsylvania. Javid Shojaie has owned and operated Jaden’s Catering in Monroeville for 26 years. Before catering became part of its name, the business was a restaurant. The...
North Huntingdon man claiming to have coronavirus accused of coughing, spitting on troopers
A North Huntingdon man charged with burglary allegedly fought, coughed and spit on two state troopers, claiming he had coronavirus. Joseph R. Good Jr., 35, of Westmoreland City, was jailed Tuesday on multiple other criminal charges including aggravated assault and risking a catastrophe. State police charged Good with burglary, criminal...
Coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County hit 300
The coronavirus death toll in Westmoreland County remained at 25 on Wednesday while the total number of cases there hit 300, according to state and county officials. The state Department of Health reported nine new cases of covid-19 from 12 a.m. Tuesday and 12 a.m. Wednesday. County coroner Ken Bacha...
Pennsylvania reports 58 more coronavirus deaths as total cases top 35,000
The coronavirus death toll in Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,600 as the total number of positive cases rose by 1,156, state health officials reported Wednesday. The 58 new deaths bring the statewide total to 1,622. That includes 1,325 confirmed deaths and 297 probable deaths. Department of Health officials are defining confirmed...
Allegheny County reports 7 more deaths, 29 new coronavirus cases
Allegheny County on Wednesday reported seven new deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the total to 74. Of that total, 15 are designated as probable deaths from covid-19, meaning that those people did not have a positive test for the virus, but covid-19 is listed on their death certificate. Of the...
Trump tweets he’s ordered Navy to destroy Iranian gunboats
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has ordered the Navy to “shoot down and destroy” any Iranian gunboats that harass U.S. ships, a directive that comes a week after the Navy reported a group of Iranian boats made “dangerous and harassing approaches” to American vessels in the...
Coronavirus death toll hits 7 at Kane Regional’s Glen Hazel nursing home
Seven residents have now died from the coronavirus at a Kane Community Living long-term care facility, according to data from Allegheny County. All of the deaths occurred at Kane’s Glen Hazel location, where 62 residents have tested positive for the virus. There are no more pending covid-19 tests among residents...
Police: Suspect stole over $8,000 in items from Tractor Supply in East Huntingdon
State police are asking for help in identifying a suspect they say took more than $8,000 worth of items from Tractor Supply in East Huntingdon early Tuesday morning. According to a police report, someone cut a chain to enter a fenced lot of the Crossroads Plaza store, taking a Cub...
Donora widow recounts husband’s sudden health decline, death from covid-19
Rebecca Taquino says she knows it’s difficult to stay home, to forgo seeing family and friends, to sit still as spring fever sets in. It’s an inconvenience, she knows. But it’s not like planning your husband’s funeral. Devin Taquino, of Donora, died April 10, a little more than two weeks...
Face masks required in federal courthouses in Pittsburgh, Erie, Johnstown
Those entering federal courthouses in the Western District of Pennsylvania will have to wear face coverings, according to an order issued Tuesday by Chief Judge Mark R. Hornak. Hornak said the order is meant to protect the health and safety of those doing business in the courthouses. It is in...
Families displaced, 2 dogs killed when fire rips through Lawrenceville housesVideo
A fire ripped through three houses Tuesday night in Pittsburgh’s Upper Lawrenceville neighborhood, displacing multiple families and killing two pet dogs, initial reports indicate. Emergency dispatchers received a report of the residential fire on Wickliff Street, between 54th Street and McCandless Avenue, at about 7 p.m., an Allegheny County 911...
4 hurt when car crashes into historic West Overton buildingVideo
Four motorists were injured when a Kia crossover utility vehicle crashed into the historic Abraham Overholt Homestead on Tuesday evening in East Huntingdon. East Huntingdon Fire Chief Brian Kite said one of the occupants was airlifted to UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh. The three others were taken by ambulance to...
Emergency food distribution at Pittsburgh International Airport set for Wednesday
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will host an emergency food distribution at Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday afternoon. Organizers plan to serve about 1,500 vehicles 1-3 p.m. in the airport parking lots. “The airport is an ideal location,” said Lisa Scales, food bank president and CEO. “It will be...
Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue to donate dog food Friday at Allegheny County Airport
The economic uncertainty of the covid-19 crisis is not only making it difficult for people to buy necessities for themselves, but also for their pets. But now, the Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART) and the Allegheny County Airport Authority are teaming up to ease the burden of pet care,...
Editorial: Falling oil price shows high Pennsylvania gas tax
Call it irony. Call it supply and demand. Whatever you call it, the result is the same. Gas is cheaper than it has been in years. Shop around in the Pittsburgh area, and you could find it as low as $1.59 a gallon. The average in Pennsylvania is just $2.17...
Wilkinsburg police chief says officers stopped armed robbery of a boy, suspect arrested
A Wilkinsburg man was arrested for allegedly robbing a boy in the borough. Shawn Michael Perry, 23, is charged with robbery and other charges in connection with the incident. Police say the robbery Tuesday occurred around 2:15 p.m. along the 800 block of Walnut Street. “Officers arrived almost immediately and...
Senate approves $500B aid for small businesses dealing with coronavirus shutdownsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a deal to increase funding for a popular small business loan program that ran out of money last week as businesses scrambled for a lifeline during the coronavirus pandemic. The House is expected to pass the measure Thursday, giving members time to...
Derry Twp. nursing home with coronavirus cases tests positive for Legionella bacteria
A Westmoreland County nursing home already infected with the coronavirus now has tested positive for the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ Disease. Department of Health officials on Tuesday confirmed that a water sample recently tested at the Loyalhanna Care Center in Derry Township was positive for Legionella, a bacteria that causes...
CMU develops contact tracing app using ultrasound technology
A Carnegie Mellon University professor has created a smartphone app to trace people’s exposure to covid-19, using a technology that he says is more accurate than software proposed by tech giants. Known as “contact tracing,” the process has been widely debated in the U.S., especially after tech companies Apple and...
Report: Nearly all Pa. restaurants made layoffs during pandemic; more closures expected
Nearly all Pennsylvania restaurants have laid off employees during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey by the National Restaurant Association. Primanti Brothers furloughed more than 1,500 employees across its nearly 40 locations, though it has since hired several hundred back, according to Adam Golomb, the Pittsburgh-based chain’s chief marketing...
UPMC to test all patients for covid-19, even those without symptoms
Health giant UPMC will begin testing all asymptomatic patients for covid-19 as it looks to clear the way for restarting some of its shuttered but medically necessary surgeries. Officials at the Pittsburgh-based health system announced Tuesday the universal testing will begin with all patients requiring hospitalization for surgery or other...
