Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1507
Pa. new jobless claims jump to 649,000 since March 15
Pennsylvania has seen almost 650,000 new claims for unemployment compensation in less than two weeks — an indication of just how hard the governor’s order closing non-life-sustaining businesses and its ripple effect has slammed the state’s economy. Gov. Tom Wolf said he expects the figure to climb to 800,000 through...
Real ID deadline extended 1 year over coronavirus pandemic
People concerned about getting a Real ID by October have been given a reprieve. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that the deadline has been pushed back one year because of the coronavirus pandemic. “Protecting both the health and national security of the American people continues to be...
Gov. Wolf pledges $50M toward supplies for virus-battered Pa. hospitals
Gov. Tom Wolf said he will spend up to $50 million to get equipment into the hands of medical workers to help fight the continued spread of the coronavirus. “We’re not fighting a battle here, we’re fighting a war,” Wolf said Thursday. “We need to do everything we can to...
Allegheny County orders more portable toilets as park visits soar
Parks across Western Pennsylvania have seen a surge in visitors during the coronavirus pandemic, and at several Allegheny County parks that’s been particularly evident. More people in the parks has translated into a greater need for portable toilets. Allegheny County officials asked vendors to provide more of the toilets and...
14-year-old girl dies in West Deer house fireVideo
Authorities who responded Thursday morning to a two-alarm house fire in West Deer were unable to get inside to rescue a teenage girl because the flames were too intense and part of the building had collapsed, officials said. The girl, identified by her father as 14-year-old Dayanna Shaffer, reported the...
8 new coronavirus cases reported in Westmoreland County, bringing total to 24
Coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County jumped to 24 on Thursday, according to state health officials, continuing a steady increase that began at the start of the week. The eight new cases are part of a statewide increase of 560 case in one day. The statewide total now stands at 1,687,...
Pennsylvania reports 560 new coronavirus cases as state total tops 1,600
Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania jumped by more than 500 from Wednesday to Thursday, according to state health officials, and five more people have died. The state Department of Health tallied 560 new cases, bringing the statewide total to 1,687. That’s a 50% increase in 24 hours. That total includes 45...
Dreaming of lottery riches? Virus could cut jackpots
DES MOINES, Iowa — Hoping to escape all the coronavirus-caused economic uncertainty by winning a giant lottery jackpot? Think again. Those jackpots are going to shrink as the pandemic tamps down lottery sales. The group that oversees the Powerball game announced Wednesday night that it would cut minimum jackpots in...
Fate of new businesses uncertain in face of coronavirus pandemicVideo
Dan Czerpak wondered every day whether opening a barbecue joint in Greensburg during a pandemic was the right move. He weighed the pros and cons regularly leading up to Pit Take’s opening on March 20, a day after the first two cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Westmoreland County....
Allegheny County adds 45 coronavirus cases, total tops 100
There are now more than 100 active cases of covid-19 identified in Allegheny County, according to figures released by the Allegheny County Health Department on Thursday. The county added 45 new cases Thursday, bringing the total to 133, up from 88 on Wednesday. Of those cases, 20 are hospitalized. That...
Sheriff: Westmoreland gun permits will be issued starting next week
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert said his office will resume issuing permits to carry concealed guns next week. “We were getting a lot of blow back,” Albert said about his decision earlier this month to suspend the service as part of the county’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. The permitting...
How communities are staying connected while respecting social distanceVideo
There are plenty of sayings to inspire us in these trying times: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Or, alternatively, “When life gives you lemons, take out the salt and the shot glasses and fill them up with tequila.” So...
Warm temperatures, heavy rain expected this weekend in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh will experience unseasonably warm temperatures in the next few days, reaching the mid-60s Thursday. A warm front is approaching from the Southwest, National Weather Service meteorologist Lee Hendricks said, pumping warm, moist air into the region. It's a beautiful day today. @NWSPittsburgh is reporting high temperatures & sun through...
Pittsburgh pushes back personal income tax deadline
Pittsburgh is extending its deadline for personal income tax until July 15 and is stopping all delinquent real estate tax billings and late fees, the Mayor’s Office announced on Thursday. The move is in line with 90-day extensions announced by the Internal Revenue Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue....
Pa. grocery store dumps $35,000 worth of food after woman coughs on it
A grocery store in Hanover Township in Luzerne County said it dumped $35,000 worth of produce, meat, bread and other groceries after a woman coughed on the products. Gerrity’s Supermarket posted on Facebook Wednesday that the woman, “who the police know to be a chronic problem in the community, came...
U.S. unemployment claims soar to record 3.3 million as layoffs jumpVideo
WASHINGTON — Nearly 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — more than quadruple the previous record set in 1982 — amid a widespread economic shutdown caused by the coronavirus. The surge in weekly applications was a stunning reflection of the damage the viral outbreak is doing to...
World leaders to meet virtually to coordinate virus responseVideo
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Leaders of the world’s most powerful economies will convene virtually on Thursday to try and coordinate a response to the fast-spreading coronavirus, which has shuttered businesses and forced well over a quarter of the world’s population into home isolation. The meeting for the Group of...
Highlights of Congress’ $2.2 trillion virus relief packageVideo
WASHINGTON — What’s exactly in the massive $2.2 trillion package to rush aid to businesses, workers and a health care system slammed by the coronavirus pandemic? The package, written by Trump administration officials and Democratic and Republican Senate leaders, was released late Wednesday night and unanimously approved by the Senate....
Pennsylvanians are doing well at social distancing, location data shows
Pennsylvanians have improved their ability to social distance since Gov. Tom Wolf instilled various mandates in the past week, one study shows. Unacast, a phone data company, used data from mobile phones to track the average change in distance traveled by individuals in each state and country. Across the United...
Port Authority reduces person-to-person contact at Downtown service center
Port Authority of Allegheny County is taking additional social distancing measures at its Downtown Pittsburgh service center in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. Hours at the center are reduced from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Window transactions will be limited to the replacement of ConnectCards. Fees for those...
Senate passes coronavirus rescue package on unanimous voteVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate late Wednesday passed an unparalleled $2.2 trillion economic rescue package steering aid to businesses, workers and health care systems engulfed by the coronavirus pandemic. The unanimous vote came despite misgivings on both sides about whether it goes too far or not far enough and capped days...
Freeport Area reports high school coronavirus case
A member of the Freeport Area High School community has tested positive for infection with the coronavirus, according to the school district. Superintendent Ian Magness reported the case in a letter to district families and residents posted Wednesday on the district website. Magness said that “the person in question was...
Pennsylvania Sens. Casey and Toomey happy with virus rescue bill
Pennsylvania Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey didn’t see eye-to-eye in the days leading up to the U.S. Senate’s agreement on a historic $2 trillion emergency bill. But they are both glad the deal was struck shortly after midnight on Wednesday. The Senate passed the bill late Wednesday night, following...
Butler County reports 1st death from covid-19
A patient at Butler Memorial Hospital has died of covid-19, marking the first death in Butler County attributed to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, officials said Wednesday. No details were immediately available about the person who died, such as their age, residence or any underlying health conditions. The...
At a glance: Distance learning in your school district; when classes could resume
Many school districts are conducting or have plans to begin distance learning for students while schools are closed. Below is information released by districts about when distance learning will begin and when, eventually, students might return to classrooms. This list will be updated and school districts added as information becomes...
