Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1484
Here are the areas in Westmoreland 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. The ZIP codes in Westmoreland County with the highest numbers of confirmed cases are Latrobe (15650) with 68, Greensburg (15601) with...
Gov. Wolf: Increase in coronavirus testing needed before large-scale reopening of Pennsylvania
A day after Gov. Tom Wolf laid the groundwork for a gradual reopening of businesses in Pennsylvania, he warned in a call with reporters Tuesday that a much more robust coronavirus testing system will need to be in place for any wide reopening of the state. “We are working with...
U.S. approves 1st home coronavirus test with self-swabVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators on Tuesday gave approval the first coronavirus test that allows people to collect their own sample at home, a new approach that could help expand testing options in most states. The test from LabCorp will initially only be available to health care workers and first...
Duquesne Light drops late fees, expands payment assistance
More than 152,000 Duquesne Light customers will receive payment assistance on their electricity bills, the company announced Tuesday. Duquesne Light is extending its discontinuation of shutoffs and is waiving late fees until at least June 1. The company also is expanding eligibility for its Hardship Fund, a payment assistance program,...
Pennsylvania refines coronavirus reporting, adding 360 deaths as total tops 1,500
Pennsylvania’s coronavirus death toll pushed past 1,500 on Tuesday as state health officials continue to refine how they are reporting cases and deaths. The Pennsylvania Department of Health said 360 new deaths related to covid-19 were reported throughout the day Monday. The number of deaths statewide now stands at 1,564....
Allegheny County reports 12 more coronavirus deaths, including 42-year-old
Allegheny County reported 12 new deaths from the coronavirus Tuesday, including one person who was 42 years old, the youngest person to have died from the virus in the county so far. This brings the countywide total to 67 deaths. Of that total, 55 people were confirmed to have covid-19...
Former Latrobe shelter dog nominated for national Hero Dog awardVideo
When Grace Coleman began bringing her dog Penny to her office, she hoped it would help brighten her co-workers’ days. She never expected the spaniel mix, adopted from Action for Animals in Latrobe, to become one of the most effective employees at Crisis Center North, which works with domestic violence...
First Pittsburgh patients treated with plasma from coronavirus survivors at UPMC
UPMC doctors have started treating covid-19 patients with blood plasma from survivors — a technique not proven for coronavirus but successfully used to fight off outbreaks of measles and influenza. “The patients and the families of infected individuals who are in ICUs are really desperate for a therapy, and that’s...
$425,000 Cash 5 ticket sold at Fayette County convenience store
A Pennsylvania Lottery Cash 5 ticket worth $425,000 was sold at a Fayette County convenience store, according to state lottery officials. The winning ticket matched all five balls drawn, 01-12-22-33-34, to win the jackpot for April 19. Prokopovitch Pitt Stop Market, located along Route 201 in Fayette City, will receive...
Report: Pittsburgh region among worst in nation for air quality
The Pittsburgh region was again ranked among the worst regions in the nation for air quality by the American Lung Association. Allegheny County received straight “F” grades for air quality. The association’s yearly State of the Air report, released Tuesday, evaluated air quality data from the three-year period from 2016...
1 more coronavirus death reported in Westmoreland
Officials said late Monday that a woman died from the coronavirus in Westmoreland County, bringing the death total to 25. The death was reported to the coroner’s office and added to the total Coroner Ken Bacha is providing on his department’s website. He is being notified of virus-related deaths sooner...
Parkway East outbound reopened after vehicle fire
Parkway East outbound lanes that were closed early Tuesday morning because of a vehicle fire have reopened, according to an Allegheny 911 dispatcher. UPDATE: Fire department activity on I-376 eastbound between Exit 74 - Beechwood Blvd and Exit 77 - Edgewood/Swissvale. All lanes closed.— 511PA Pittsburgh (@511PAPittsburgh) April 21, 2020...
Trump says he’ll ‘suspend immigration,’ offers no details
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that he will sign an executive order “to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States” because of the coronavirus. “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I...
Kim Jong Un surgery report fuels speculation about leader’s health
An online media report saying Kim Jong Un underwent a medical procedure is fueling new speculation about the North Korean leader’s health as a result of his unprecedented absence from events last week marking his grandfather’s birthday. The Daily NK, a Seoul-based website that gathers information from informants inside the...
Spirit to resume limited flights from Arnold Palmer airport to Orlando
Spirit Airlines is slated to resume limited flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport on May 3, a little less than a month after suspending all service at the Unity facility. The sole commercial carrier at the airport south of Latrobe, Spirit is expected to resume mid-day flights from Latrobe to...
CMU to launch website tracking covid-19 activity based on Google, Facebook surveys
Carnegie Mellon University is launching a website this week that uses data from Facebook and Google surveys to try to pinpoint covid-19 activity nationwide. Data from the Facebook surveys alone, broken down to a county level, show that Beaver County has the highest percentage of residents with covid-19 symptoms, compared...
Steelers great Troy Polamalu donates gift cards to furloughed Westmoreland workers
More than 400 furloughed Westmoreland County government workers will have a meal courtesy of Steelers’ Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu and his wife. County officials said Monday the former Steelers great donated gift cards to local restaurants to help employees who were temporarily removed from the payroll as government services...
Police: Body found in Plum identified as Whitehall woman missing for a year
Nearly a year after she was reported missing, Elizabeth Wiesenfeld’s remains were found Sunday, Allegheny County police said. Wiesenfeld, 67, of Whitehall, had been missing since April 30, 2019. In September, Douglas Berry, 48, was charged with homicide in connection with her death, but authorities had been proceeding with the...
Protesters rally in Harrisburg to demand Gov. Wolf reopen economyVideo
HARRISBURG — Protesters gathered Monday outside the state Capitol to demand that Gov. Tom Wolf reopen Pennsylvania’s economy even as new social-distancing mandates designed to counter the new virus took effect at stores and other commercial buildings. Flag-waving protesters — some with masks, some without — massed in front of...
Masked masses face reality of Gov. Wolf’s order to enter businesses
The masks — in a variety of styles and colors — were plentiful Monday. Only the eyes and hair of customers and employees were visible at the Shop ’n Save store on North Main Street in Greensburg. It was the first full day of a bizarre, government-mandated scene officials hope...
Port Authority reports 7th covid-19 case; 3rd at West Mifflin garage
Another Port Authority employee who worked at the agency’s West Mifflin garage has been diagnosed with covid-19, authority spokesman Adam Brandolph said Monday. This is the seventh Port Authority of Allegheny County employee to test positive for covid-19 and the third maintenance employee who worked at the West Mifflin garage....
Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to host food giveaway at Pittsburgh airport
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank plans to have enough food on hand Wednesday for 1,500 vehicles during a drive-up food giveaway at Pittsburgh International Airport, the organization announced Monday. The event is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. in airport parking lots. “The airport is an ideal location,” Lisa...
Protesters in Pittsburgh demand Gov. Wolf to reopen businesses amid coronavirus pandemicVideo
About 200 protesters — some wearing masks, others not — lined Downtown Pittsburgh’s Grant Street on Monday afternoon to call on Gov. Tom Wolf to reopen Pennsylvania businesses closed by the coronavirus pandemic. The protesters, many of them holding signs with messages including “Liberate PA” and “Impeach Wolf,” cheered when...
Pennsylvania liquor stores begin call-in orders with some confusion
Hopeful customers of Pennsylvania’s liquor stores were frustrated and confused Monday after hitting several barriers in their attempts to buy alcohol over the phone. As noon arrived, many customers were greeted by busy signals when they tried to get through on phone lines. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced Saturday...
Gov. Wolf says Pennsylvania economy will gradually start to reopen May 8
Pennsylvania will begin reopening its economy gradually on May 8, Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday. “We are taking small steps toward regaining a degree of normalcy in Pennsylvania,” Wolf said. As the start to what the governor called a “measured, common-sense” approach, Wolf announced a few initial steps toward lifting...
