Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1487
Greensburg girl’s quarantine routine couldn’t be any cuter
By now, we’ve all pretty much found our homebound routines. For some, it’s work. For others, it’s school. And still others have become Amazon’s best customer. And then there’s 7-month-old Abigail Smeltzer of Greensburg. Her routine is being adorable. Her parents, Katie and Andrew Smeltzer of Greensburg, captured Abigail recently...
Pennsylvania sportsbooks lose millions, online casinos thrive during coronavirus pandemic
With pro and college sports shut down for most of March due to the covid-19 crisis, Pennsylvania’s retail and online sportsbooks took a big hit in monthly revenue. But online casinos and poker exploded to a new record. Coronavirus shutdowns cost sportsbooks $220 million in wagers during March, according to...
Pittsburgh food bank hosting another drive-up distribution in Duquesne
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will hold another drive-up distribution at its Duquesne headquarters Monday. The distribution, which runs from noon to 3 p.m., will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 vehicles. Each vehicle will receive two boxes. The food bank is asking attendees to begin lining up no...
TribLIVE readers say Pennsylvania has overstepped with mask mandate
Many do not agree with Pennsylvania’s order about wearing masks in stores that remain open. In an unscientific TribLIVE.com poll about Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine’s order that essential businesses provide masks for employees and turn away customers who do not have a mask, about 60% of respondents believe...
Special Olympics of Pennsylvania cancels Summer Games
Special Olympics Pennsylvania has canceled its Summer Games scheduled for June at Penn State University in State College. In a news release, the group cited safety precautions related to coronavirus as the reason for the cancellation. The group said it plans to host Virtual Games during the same time, from...
Man found dead in Troy Hill house fireVideo
A man was found dead in an overnight house fire in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill section, public safety officials said. Gerard Anthony Koch, 56, was discovered on the first floor of the home and was pronounced dead at the scene. The death was accidental and was caused by thermal and inhalation...
Swissvale’s Triangle Bar makes most of massive sandwich order gone awry
Staff at a popular Swissvale eatery known for its Battleship and Destroyer subs had a sinking feeling Thursday when no one showed up to claim an afternoon order of 300 sandwiches. But, according to Triangle Bar and Grill staff member Rob Bradica, all turned out well. The surplus sandwiches —...
Clairton man accused of fatally shooting San Jose man in Pittsburgh
A Clairton man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh early this month has turned himself in to authorities. Devlin Clifford Jr., 20, allegedly killed Esam Tanzim Hossain, 23, of San Jose on April 1, according to Pittsburgh police. Hossain was found shot in...
Feds OK boost for some food stamp recipients, deny Pa.’s request for broader increase
Federal officials green-lighted Pennsylvania’s request to boost the payments for some food stamp recipients — but rejected the state’s attempt to send extra money to all of them. The state Department of Human Services received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service to issue a limited...
Gov. Wolf: No specific date for ending covid-19 shutdown, getting ‘back to life as we once knew it’
Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday he has not yet decided precisely when to end Pennsylvania’s pandemic-spurred lockdown, and he warned that a persisting shortage of testing capacity remains a major hindrance to doing so. ”I have been considering when we end this phase from the time I put it into...
Hospitals looking for more help; lawmakers say Pennsylvania shorted on CARES Act relief
Hospitals across the region that are looking to recover revenue they lost while preparing to meet a surge in covid-19 cases say they need more help and are seeking a more equitable piece of the pie as the federal government rolls out the remaining $70 billion of a $100 billion...
Beaver County officials frustrated over tracking of nursing home’s coronavirus outbreak
Beaver County officials said Thursday they are frustrated about differing state reports on how many nursing home residents have coronavirus as they grapple with one agency’s report that Brighton Rehabilitation has more than 100 cases. The state Department of Health is reporting 70 cases total across two of the county’s...
Trump, aides float outlier theory on origins of coronavirusVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and some of his officials are flirting with an outlier theory that the new coronavirus was set loose on the world by a Chinese lab that let it escape. Without the weight of evidence, they’re trying to blame China for sickness and death from covid-19...
Mayor Peduto: Pittsburgh will feel financial effects of pandemic for 5 years
The City of Pittsburgh is likely to feel the economic effects of the coronavirus for the next five years, Mayor Bill Peduto said in a speech Thursday. He called the city’s financial picture “bleak” and said there will be a budget shortfall of tens of millions of dollars this year,...
Trump gives governors 3-phase plan to reopen economy
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump gave governors a road map Thursday for recovering from the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic, laying out “a phased and deliberate approach” to restoring normal activity in places that have strong testing and are seeing a decrease in covid-19 cases. “We’re starting our life...
Allegheny County asks residents to refrain from open burning during coronavirus pandemic
Allegheny County officials are asking residents to refrain from recreational burning, an activity they said has increased during the coronavirus pandemic. “With more people at home due to the pandemic, we have seen a significant increase in recreational burning,” said Dr. Debra Bogen, Health Department Director. “The resulting smoke reduces...
Workers returning to Pa. liquor stores to boost online sales
To help process online orders, workers will be back on the job at many state-owned wine and liquor stores, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board said Thursday. The stores will not be open to the public. Gov. Tom Wolf’s office gave the OK to reopen more than 100 of the state...
Tip leads to discovery of 18 bodies in nursing home overwhelmed by deaths
An extraordinary number of deaths over the weekend overwhelmed a nursing home in northern New Jersey where police responding to an anonymous tip found more than a dozen bodies, according to news reports and an email from an owner of the home. Five bodies were found Sunday and 13 more...
Cops: Man charged with assault for intentionally coughing on workers in Unity medical office
A man accused of intentionally coughing on two medical staffers at an outpatient care center in Unity this month was charged with reckless endangerment and simple assault , state police said. Robert M. Williams, 53, of Cherry Tree, Indiana County, was also charged with disorderly conduct, harassment and reckless endangerment...
Answering the Call: UPMC worker discusses mental toll of screening front-line colleagues for coronavirusVideo
A month ago, Brittany Murin was a mammographer at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. Now, in the midst of the covid-19 crisis, she is responsible for screening front-line employees as they enter the hospital. Her shift begins at 3 a.m. In this edition of Answering the Call, the Trib spoke with Murin...
Pennsylvania reports 60 more deaths, over 1,200 new coronavirus cases
Another 60 coronavirus deaths were reported across Pennsylvania on Thursday, pushing the death toll above 700 as the case count eclipsed 27,000. The deaths, reported to the state throughout the day Wednesday, bring the total to 707, according to the Department of Health. The 1,245 new cases reported during that...
12 more coronavirus deaths reported in Allegheny County after delay in data
Allegheny County reported 12 more deaths from the coronavirus Thursday, but officials stressed that the increase does not indicate a spike over the past 24 hours. The 12 new reports, which bring the countywide total to 38 deaths, reflect a delay in the data being added to the county’s tracking...
Westmoreland Transit bus driver tests positive for coronavirus
A Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus driver has tested positive for the coronavirus. Transit officials learned about the positive test result on Wednesday. They said the driver last worked Saturday and determined the worker had little in-person interaction with other authority employees or riders that day. The bus operated by...
Domino’s to donate 7,600 pizzas in Western Pa.
Local Domino’s stores will donate 7,600 pizzas within their communities in the Pittsburgh area, the national chain announced Thursday. Nearly 40 stores in the region will each donate 200 pizzas as part of a national effort. Donations will be sent to hospitals, medical centers, school children and their families, grocery...
Facebook to warn users who ‘liked’ coronavirus hoaxesVideo
Have you liked or commented on a Facebook post about the covid-19 pandemic? Facebook is about to begin letting you know if you’ve spread bad information. The company will soon be letting users know if they liked, reacted to, or commented on posts with harmful misinformation about the virus that...
