Week-in-review: Covid-19 dominates news, meteor lights up Pittsburgh sky

The covid-19 pandemic continued to dominate much of the news in the past week, culminating with President Donald Trump confirming Friday that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the virus.

Despite the virus impacting everything from nursing home residents in Westmoreland County to the Pittsburgh Steelers and their scheduled Sunday game with the Tennessee Titans, there was other news, including an exploding meteor that many saw early Wednesday morning in the skies over Pittsburgh, and many taking interest in an indoor paintball venue coming to New Kensington.

National Guard arrives at Westmoreland Manor

Pennsylvania National Guard members arrived at Westmoreland Manor on Sunday to help with testing during an outbreak of covid-19 at the county-owned nursing home.

County commissioners asked for help at the 408-bed facility after a spike in cases. As of Thursday, 67 residents and 26 staff tested positive.

Six National Guard members arrived Sunday. First expected to be there for three days, the guard’s stay was extended as the number of cases continued to rise.

Union and nonunion employees at the Hempfield facility will get hazard pay, commissioners said.

Indoor paintball comes to New Kensington

A historic, former Alcoa building in New Kensington is being readied for use as an indoor paintball venue.

SteelTown Paintball plans to begin offering games at the three-story building, built in 1929, on Freeport Road beginning on Nov. 1. There will also be airsoft and laser tag.

SteelTown Paintball began taking reservations on Thursday.

Steelers-Titans game rescheduled

This Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans was postponed after Titan’s players and staff members tested positive for covid-19.

The NFL announced Thursday that the teams will play in Nashville later in the season.

Five Titans players and six staff members had tested positive.

The Steelers’ next scheduled game is Oct. 11 at Heinz Field against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Exploding meteor lights sky over Pittsburgh

A meteor lit up the sky over Pittsburgh early Wednesday morning.

Charissa Sedor, an astronomy expert at the Carnegie Science Center’s Buhl Planetarium, said a tiny rock between the size of a grain of sand to a coin burned up in the atmosphere and even exploded a bit.

Witnesses reported seeing a bright blue light, with a long, blue tail that looked like it was on fire.

The meteor likely burned up in the atmosphere, Sedor said.

Business owners seek attorney fees

Business owners who sued Gov. Tom Wolf over the state’s covid-19 shutdown are asking the court to award them about $136,000 in attorney fees.

The business owners from Butler and Washington counties argue they are entitled to the money because they prevailed in their case, in which a federal judge ruled Sept. 14 that Wolf’s orders restricting gathering sizes and closing nonessential businesses were unconstitutional.

While District Judge William Stickman IV denied Wolf’s request to stay his ruling, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday granted Wolf’s request to reinstate crowd gathering restrictions intended to prevent the spread of covid-19.