Madasyn Lee stories, Page 16
Air traffic plummets at Western Pa. airportsVideo
Josh Clevenger didn’t have to worry about having enough leg room or overhead bin space Wednesday on his flight from Fort Myers, Fla., to Pittsburgh International Airport. “I had five rows in front of me completely empty and five rows behind me completely empty,” said Clevenger, 31, of Englewood, Fla....
8-year-old girl had a ‘beeping’ good birthday in Leechburg
Annabella Galiber wasn’t able to celebrate her birthday in typical fashion this week. But with a little help from the community, it still was special. A pink sign outside Casey Davis’ Leechburg home asked passing motorists to toot their horns to help Annabella celebrate her eighth birthday on Monday. And...
Pittsburgh convention center assessed as alternate site for patients during coronavirus pandemic
The David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh has been assessed as an alternate site to care for patients during the coronavirus pandemic, Allegheny County officials said Tuesday. County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said the assessment of the Downtown facility was conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of...
Walmart to temperature test employees, provide masks and gloves
Walmart will now perform temperature checks on its employees in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, company officials announced Tuesday. Employees will have their temperature tested when they arrive at work. Any employee with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher will be paid for coming to work...
2 Beaver County nursing home residents with covid-19 have died, medical director says
Two residents of Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center who tested positive for covid-19 have died, its medical director confirmed Monday. Dr. David Thimons said the two residents had advanced dementia and were in hospice care when they died. They were in a unit that was converted specifically to treat the...
9 more residents of Beaver County nursing home diagnosed with covid-19
Nine more residents of a Beaver County nursing home tested positive for covid-19, said the home’s medical director. Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center started testing residents Friday, and 10 positive covid-19 cases were confirmed by Saturday morning. On Sunday, Dr. David Thimons, the center’s medical director, said there were another...
2 residents of St. Barnabas Nursing Home in Richland test positive for covid-19
Two residents at St. Barnabas Nursing Home in Richland are in quarantine after testing positive for covid-19, a spokesman confirmed Sunday. “They’re in a separate section of the building as well as separate rooms,” said Jim Lauteri, a spokesman with St. Barnabas Health System. St. Barnabas has five assisted-living facilities...
2 people hurt in multi-vehicle collision on Route 65
Two people were taken to the hospital following a multi-vehicle collision in Bellevue on Sunday, according to authorities. The crash occurred just after 2:30 p.m. on the 4200 block of Route 65, also known as Ohio River Boulevard, an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said. The collision closed in the highway...
NWS: Storms produced golf-ball sized hail, flash flooding
Some areas reported more than 2 inches of rain Saturday as thunderstorms drenched the Pittsburgh region, according to the National Weather Service. Flash flooding and golf ball-size hail were reported, meteorologist Myranda Fullerton said. “We saw anywhere from three-quarters of an inch total upwards of over 2 inches in some...
Pennsylvania reports 4 more deaths, 643 new cases of coronavirus
Four more people in Pennsylvania have died from covid-19, increasing the statewide coronavirus death toll to 38, state health officials said Sunday at their daily briefing. The state reported 643 new cases of covid-19. A total of 3,394 residents had tested positive as of noon Sunday. Confirmed cases are now...
Pittsburgh garbage collection to resume Monday
Garbage collection in the city of Pittsburgh will resume Monday after being delayed due to concerns about the coronavirus and thunderstorm warnings, city officials said. Collection was halted last week due to concerns about the coronavirus. Crews on Saturday were able to collect most of the leftover trash and recycling,...
2 firefighters injured trying to save West Deer teen from fatal blaze
Two firefighters who responded to a two-alarm house fire Thursday in West Deer suffered minor injuries trying to rescue the teenage girl who was trapped inside, a fire chief said. Dayanna Shaffer, 14, reported the fire by calling 911 from an upstairs bedroom about 9:15 a.m., said Josh Wiegand, fire...
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...
Coronavirus delays production of AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead,’ postpones Season 10 finale
The popular zombie apocalyptic thriller “The Walking Dead” has had to delay production due to the coronavirus. AMC, which produces the show, announced the news on Twitter on Tuesday. “Current events have unfortunately made it impossible to complete post-production of ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 10 finale, so the current season...
Deer Lakes asks students, teachers to share photos of their home classrooms
The Deer Lakes School District wants its students and staff to feel like they’re together even though they’re apart. On the district’s first day of remote learning due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials asked students, staff and teachers to share pictures of themselves and their temporary classrooms. “While we’re working...
Arnold woman sews masks to help health care workers during coronavirus pandemic
Lisa Wilson of Arnold has a lot of material and time on her hands. So she’s spending both making face masks for health care workers. “I wanted to do something for somebody,” Wilson said. “I wanted to do something that was needed.” Wilson began making face masks last week with...
Deer Lakes’ support dog-in-training offers tips to combat covid-19
Lancer is an emotional support dog-in-training in Deer Lakes School District. The 8-month-old, floppy-eared doodle made her debut in the new role Sunday by delivering an important message on the district’s Facebook page. With the help of some video-editing magic, the pooch reminded families to wash their hands frequently, practice...
Giant Eagle installing Plexiglas dividers to limit spread of covid-19, suspending use of reusable bags
Giant Eagle is installing clear Plexigas dividers at all of its checkout and customer service areas in an attempt to protect employees and customers from the spread of covid-19. The dividers will be installed at Giant Eagle groceries, pharmacies and GetGo stores. The company began installing the dividers over the...
University of Pittsburgh student tests positive for covid-19
A University of Pittsburgh student living in a campus residence hall has tested positive for covid-19, university officials said Sunday. “Late last night, we learned of a confirmed case of coronavirus disease, covid-19, in one of our Pittsburgh campus residence halls,” the university said in a message sent to the...
Nearly 10K Pennsylvania businesses apply for closure waiversVideo
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development has been inundated with waiver requests from businesses looking to remain open despite Gov. Tom Wolf’s order for all non-life-sustaining businesses to close their physical locations. As of midday Sunday, the state had received nearly 10,000 waiver requests, according to the DCED....
Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh to close for 2 months in response to coronavirus
The Omni William Penn Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh will close for a little more than two months in response to the coronavirus pandemic. An emailed statement from Peter Strebel, president of Omni Hotels & Resorts, said the hotel will suspend operations Monday and stay closed through at least June 1....
Covid-19 cases in Allegheny County rise to 40; 4 people hospitalized
Allegheny County now has 40 positives cases of covid-19, the Allegheny County Health Department said Sunday. Of those cases, four people are hospitalized, health department officials said. The number of confirmed cases is expected to continue to grow. “The most important thing you can do to help stop the spread...
MSA, Highmark, AHN bringing 65K protective masks to Pittsburgh
Thousands of protective masks are being shipped to Pittsburgh to help support the region’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Sunday. MSA Safety Inc. has partnered with Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network to secure a shipment of 65,000 N95 protective masks to the region. Such masks have become...
Western Pa. colleges orchestrate student departures with eye on safety
As colleges and universities in the region transition to online-only classes in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus, students who haven’t done so already are being asked to move out and gather their belongings from residence halls. A small number of students will remain on campus. Here’s...
East Deer closes municipal, tax offices to stop spread of coronavirus
East Deer has closed its municipal offices to visitors because of the coronavirus outbreak, but office staff can still be reached by phone and email. The township building, which includes police and municipal offices, will remain on restricted access until further notice, officials said. Township staff can be reached at...

