Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1508
Entrepreneurs fill shopping void in wake of pandemic
Eric Fulton’s plans of opening a deli in Scottdale were quickly dashed when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Now he’s the unexpected proprietor of a small Pittsburgh Street store selling toilet paper, bread, cleaning supplies and produce. Members of borough council and Mayor Chuck King recently helped Fulton clear out tools...
Gov. Wolf announces new loan program for small Pa. businesses
Loans of up to $100,000 will be available to for-profit businesses with 100 or fewer full-time employees through a new state program intended to help businesses during the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday. The financial assistance, a total of $60 million called the Covid-19 Working Capital Access Program...
Signs of the time: Business marquees, windows offer message of hope, unity during coronavirus pandemic
Call them signs of the time. A wide range of businesses are closed under Gov. Tom Wolf’s order in reaction to the coronavirus pandemic. Many are advertising something different these days on their marquees and windows: messages of hope and unity. TribLIVE photographers captured images from across the region. Some...
Pennsylvania lawmakers vote to delay primary until June 2 over coronavirus
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers voted Wednesday to delay the state’s primary election by five weeks to June 2, potentially past the spike of the state’s spreading coronavirus cases. The measure passed both chambers of the Republican-controlled state Legislature on Wednesday and Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, said he will sign...
Pittsburgh seeks state coronavirus notification system for first responders
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said the city is working with state officials on a system to notify public safety employees if they come into contact with someone testing positive for covid-19. City officials, including Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich, last week said city firefighters, paramedics and police were not being...
Primanti’s to give out free beer with takeout orders for 1 day
If you order Primanti Bros. to go Thursday, the restaurant chain will throw in a free beer — and bring it to your car. The company turned its bartenders to “cartenders” as restaurants shut down in-house dining during the coronavirus pandemic. “As we were going through this crisis, we tried...
Pa. buying ventilators, N95 masks as hospitalizations due to coronavirus grow
Of the more than 1,000 coronavirus patients across Pennsylvania, 38 have been admitted to an intensive care unit, state health officials said Wednesday. Hospitals statewide have a collective 3,400 ICU beds, according to Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, and about 40% of them are available. Covid-19 cases reached 1,127...
Harrison shuts down public works department after employee’s relative tests positive for covid-19
Harrison shut down its public works department and closed its municipal building to the public after a family member of a public works employee tested positive for covid-19, township Manager Rich Hill said Wednesday. The department has a total of 10 employees, consisting of eight workers and two supervisors, Hill...
Wolf allows gun stores to reopen on limited basis during coronavirus shutdown
Pennsylvania firearms dealers may now operate on a limited basis, according to a revised list of businesses that can or cannot continue physical operations under Gov. Tom Wolf’s order mandating closures to slow the spread of covid-19. Under the order, sporting goods stores remain among businesses considered “non-life-sustaining” and are...
$50 million state aid package, future recovery help, ready for Gov. Wolf’s signature
Both the state House and Senate passed a $50 million recovery package Wednesday intended to help families and businesses deal with the growing economic fallout from the coronavirus threat. According to press releases sent by several Republican senators, Senate agreed Wednesday the package after the House had done so earlier....
5 more cases of coronavirus in Westmoreland County; total up to 16
Five more confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported in Westmoreland County on Wednesday, bringing the total to 16. The Pennsylvania Department of Health released updated figures about noon. Statewide, cases exceeded 1,000, with eastern counties reporting the highest totals. Four more patients died, according to the state’s figures. Philadelphia County...
Pa. coronavirus cases top 1,000; 4 more deaths reported
Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania crested 1,000 Wednesday, health officials said, and four more patients have died. From Tuesday to Wednesday, 276 new cases were identified, according to Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine. The cases now total 1,127. She noted 11 deaths in the state, up from seven reported deaths...
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education says on time graduation for high school seniors a priority
Ensuring that high school seniors graduate on time is among his top priorities as Pennsylvania grapples with the prospect of an extended school shutdown because of covid-19 fears, Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera said Wednesday, stressing that the school year cannot be extended beyond June 30. “We’ve put a full...
Allegheny County reports 30 new coronavirus cases; total hits 88
Allegheny County reported 88 active coronavirus cases Wednesday, up from 58 on Tuesday, marking the biggest single-day increase since the county first began reporting cases. Of the 88 active cases, 13 individuals were hospitalized. That total does not include the two Allegheny County residents who have died from complications from...
Employee at Kane Community Living in Glen Hazel tests positive for coronavirus
An employee at a Kane Community Living Center tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Wednesday, though they noted the employee doesn’t work with residents. Dennis Biondo, director of the Kane centers, said the employee at the Glen Hazel location has not worked since Thursday. “There are no positive cases...
Pittsburgh garbage collection resuming Thursday after workers sent home
Pittsburgh sent home its environmental services workers with pay Wednesday morning after they voiced concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, but they will resume normal trash pickup on Thursday, officials said. Residents scheduled for garbage pickup on Wednesday should leave their bags at curbside for collection on Thursday, according to the...
Resident of Loyalhanna Care Center tests positive for coronavirus
A woman who is a long-term resident of the Loyalhanna Care Center in Derry Township is among the Westmoreland County residents who have tested positive for covid-19. Kelly Pynos, administrator of the skilled nursing facility, said the woman exhibited symptoms on Monday and was transferred to a local hospital. Pynos...
Experts: Domestic violence threat rises as economic downturn, stay-at-home order linger because of coronavirus
Domestic violence advocates say they are seeing an influx of calls related to the coronavirus, and many fear it will only continue as orders to stay home drag on. “Isolation is always a tool of an abusive person,” said Michelle Gibb, director of the Alle-Kiski Area Hope Center in Tarentum....
Britain’s Prince Charles tests positive for new coronavirusVideo
LONDON — Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, his office said Wednesday. The 71-year-old is showing mild symptoms of covid-19 and is self-isolating at a royal estate in Scotland, his Clarence House office said. It says his wife Camilla, 72, has...
Deal reached on historic $2 trillion virus rescue billVideo
WASHINGTON — The White House and Senate leaders of both parties announced agreement early Wednesday on an unprecedented $2 trillion emergency bill to rush sweeping aid to businesses, workers and a health care system slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. The urgently needed pandemic response measure is the largest economic rescue...
AHN doctor discusses chloroquine and stay-at-home order in Pa.Video
Gov. Tom Wolf has issued a stay-at-home order for residents of Allegheny and seven other Pennsylvania counties. With covid-19 spreading and the situation likely to get worse before it gets better, the Trib invited Allegheny Health Network emergency physician Dr. Arvind Venkat to address why this order is necessary. Dr....
Port Authority announces additional changes amid coronavirus pandemic
In addition to reducing bus and light-rail services, Port Authority of Allegheny County is changing the way riders board and exit buses in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Starting Wednesday, riders will enter and exit through the rear doors of buses, away from drivers. Front-door boarding...
For nursing home resident, a visit still counts, even if it’s through the glassVideo
Jean Blice has been confined to her room at Redstone Highlands in Greensburg for more than a week, as the nursing home staff tries to prevent the spread of coronavirus among the elderly residents. Tuesday was a bright spot in a difficult time. “She has been struggling. She has not...
Greensburg man killed in Oakland motorcycle crash
A Greensburg man was killed following a crash late Tuesday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Timothy Michael Stevens Jr., 21, was driving a motorcycle that broadsided a vehicle at the intersection of Meyran Avenue and Louisa Street, officials said. When Pittsburgh police arrived...
Pittsburgh man killed in Ohio Township crash identified
A Pittsburgh man was killed in a crash in Ohio Township on Sunday afternoon. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the deceased Tuesday night as James Holloway Jr., 30. The traffic accident occurred at about 2 p.m. near the intersection of Glen Mitchell and Weber roads. Holloway’s death was...
