Madasyn Lee stories, Page 14

August “Buzz” Pusateri played an integral role in the Pitt Men’s Study, a confidential research study of the natural history of HIV and AIDS. Not only did he believe in the importance of recruiting volunteers to help further research, he was one of the project’s first volunteers. Twice a year,...

Allegheny Health Network this week resumed elective surgeries and appointments at all of its medical facilities in response to the region’s decline in new coronavirus cases. The health care provider said it is “returning to a more normalized schedule and protocols for medical appointments and non-emergent surgical procedures after six...

The Westmoreland County coroner on Monday reported one additional covid-19 death, bringing the countywide death total to 31. State officials continue to report fewer deaths than Coroner Ken Bacha, who updated the death count early Monday morning. As of noon Monday, state officials were reporting 26 deaths in Westmoreland County....

Pennsylvania health officials will decide this week whether to share coronavirus-related data from nursing and personal care homes with the public, which is where the majority of covid-19 deaths are occurring. About 67% of covid-19 deaths reported by the state have occurred in residents from such facilities. So far, the...

An Oakmont nurse who lived to help others spent the last moments of her life on her way to do just that. Brianna M. “Bea” Kimmel, 28, died April 26 from injuries she suffered when her car collided with a tractor-trailer in Union County. A licensed practical nurse, Kimmel had...

Westmoreland County’s covid-19 cases increased by five from Saturday to Sunday, bringing the total number of people who have tested positive for the virus to 401, state officials said. Nursing homes and other senior care facilities are linked to about 40% of the county’s cases. The state health department reported...

Pennsylvania health officials on Sunday reported 962 new cases of covid-19 and 26 more deaths, bringing the statewide death total to 2,444. As of Sunday, 49,267 Pennsylvanians had tested positive for covid-19, and 191,374 residents had tested negative, state officials said. All 67 counties in the state have cases of...

It wasn’t your typical viewing. Nor was it the way Kaye Barnes probably thought his family and friends would have to say goodbye. But it’s something he likely would have enjoyed, his son said. “He loved to have a good time,” said his son, David Barnes. On April 24, between...

Power has been restored to about 4,700 West Penn Power customers in the Alle-Kiski Valley who were without power Thursday, a spokesman said. The affected customers were in Arnold, New Kensington and Lower Burrell. The outage was reported shortly before 1:45 p.m. Power was back on for all affected communities...

Construction of a roughly $30 million sports complex in West Deer is continuing despite the coronavirus pandemic. Chase Development, the company in charge of the project, was granted a waiver from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to be able to continue construction, according to Charlie Vrabel, founder...

Armstrong County officials don’t want to be lumped in with their larger neighbor Allegheny County when the state considers which counties can begin to lift some coronavirus-related restrictions. “Their numbers are a lot different than ours,” said Armstrong County Commissioners Chairman Don Myers. The state reported Wednesday that Armstrong County...

While some pools across the region have already decided to remain closed, including at least one in the Alle-Kiski Valley, others remain in a holding pattern in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Springdale Township’s Bouquet Park Pool will not open this year — and could possibly close for good,...

Bailey Pallus’ fond memories of her senior week at Leechburg High School inspired her to do something special for this year’s seniors who won’t be able to make similar memories because of the coronavirus pandemic. Pallus, a 2016 Leechburg grad, created the Facebook page “Adopt a Leechburg High School 2020...

Port Authority of Allegheny County on Monday reported that another employee has tested positive for covid-19. Eleven employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, including nine at the West Mifflin bus garage. The latest employee to test positive works in maintenance at the garage, Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph said....

A 32-year-old woman was shot and killed in McKeesport early Sunday, according to Allegheny County police. First responders were called about 5:30 a.m. to the intersection of Rogena Street and Riverview Avenue for a report of a woman’s body found at the intersection. When they arrived, they found a woman...

Pittsburgh police arrested two people early Sunday after a brief standoff at a Lincoln-Lemington home. When police responded to multiple Shotspotter alerts at about 12:20 a.m. near Lincoln Avenue and Lyric Streetthey noticed an idling vehicle at the intersection of Laxton Street and Odessa Place. The area is at the...

Westmoreland County saw 14 new cases of covid-19 as of Sunday, but no new deaths related to the virus, data provided by state and local officials show. The county’s total number of covid-19 cases reached 374 on Sunday, up from the 360 cases reported on Saturday. The death total reported...

Thirteen more people in Pennsylvania have died from covid-19, bringing the statewide death total to 1,550, state health officials announced Sunday. The health department reported 1,116 additional positive cases of covid-19 from Saturday to Sunday, bringing the number of positive cases to 41,165. People in all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties...

Deer Lakes School District said it is seeing a historically low number of students signing up for kindergarten because of the coronavirus pandemic. As of Thursday, 65 students had registered for kindergarten classes at Curtisville Primary Center in West Deer, down roughly 35% from the 90 to 100 who have...

Auto insurance companies are offering financial relief to customers while stay-at-home directives reduce the number of people driving during the coronavirus pandemic. Companies offering relief assistance include Erie Insurance, GEICO, Progressive, State Farm, Allstate and Travelers. Erie Insurance said it would provide $200 million in dividends directly to personal and...

A proposed housing development in West Deer has cleared a major hurdle. The township supervisors have voted 4-0 to approve a conditional-use request by Richland Holdings that would allow it to build a 63-unit development off McIntyre Road. Planned residential developments are permitted as a conditional use under the township...

Repairs to sports fields at two West Deer parks damaged when three teenagers did donuts on them with a pickup last year should be completed soon, Township Manager Dan Mator said Tuesday. Mator said the repairs to Nike Site Park, located off Route 910, began Thursday, a day after the...

McDonald’s will give out free breakfasts, lunches and dinners to first responders and health care workers to thank them for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. The restaurant chain said it will provide the Thank You Meals from Wednesday through May 5 at participating restaurants. The meals will be served...

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...