Stephen Huba stories

Small businesses that have lost revenue as a result of the coronavirus will be able to apply for low-interest loans now that Pennsylvania has received a disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The action came a day after Gov. Tom Wolf asked for the declaration for all 67...

For the first time in its 48-year history, the Christian Businessmen’s Connection Good Friday breakfast is canceled over concerns about the coronavirus. “We’re considering maybe a fall event. We’re not going to walk away from it until all options are depleted,” said Boice Bailey, chairman of the Greensburg Christian Businessmen’s...

Pixar Animation Studios co-founder Ed Catmull, who brought a Disney research center to Carnegie Mellon University in 2008, has won one of the highest honors in computing — the 2019 A.M. Turing Award. Catmull, who shares the $1 million prize with former Pixar colleague Pat Hanrahan of Stanford University, was...

For small businesses concerned about the economic impact of the coronavirus, help is on the way. Several organizations in southwestern Pennsylvania said they plan to offer resources for small and medium-sized business affected by the coronavirus fallout, including those impacted by Gov. Tom Wolf’s order to close “nonessential” businesses. The...

Fears about the spread of the coronavirus are testing the faith of religious bodies and congregations throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Some, including the Diocese of Greensburg and the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, canceled worship services. Others are issuing guidance on everything from responsible behavior in church to alternatives to church attendance....

Food banks are feeling the pinch from the coronavirus. The Westmoreland County Food Bank put out a call for volunteers Monday. “Some of our food partners are experiencing very low volunteer turnout,” CEO Jennifer Miller said. “We’re really in desperate need of volunteers.” Miller said one primary source of volunteers...

Western Pennsylvania residents are in for a rude awakening if the spotted lanternfly becomes as pervasive here as it is in the eastern part of the state. “Pittsburgh doesn’t yet understand the nuisance factor,” said Shannon Powers, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. “It’s an incredible nuisance when you’re...

A Georgia-based firearms instructor is returning to the Pittsburgh area in June for a third consecutive year of church security training. Rodney Smith, founder of the Georgia Firearms and Security Training Academy, will bring two courses to the region — a six-hour course for unarmed church security personnel June 12,...

Consumption of natural gas, mostly for electric power uses, set a new record in the United States in 2019, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. Use of natural gas for the creation of electric power grew by 7% — 2 billion cubic feet per day — but consumption remained relatively...

For scientists studying climate change, belching cows are no laughing matter. Penn State researchers say they have found a way to reduce methane emissions from burping dairy cows, which constitutes 5% of the greenhouse gases generated in the United States. The research team, led by Alexander Hristov, Penn State distinguished...

Local emergency personnel who responded to the Flight 93 crash near Shanksville may qualify for federal benefits through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and the World Trade Center Health Program. Meetings about the benefits, eligibility criteria and enrollment information are scheduled for March 25, 26 and 27 at the...

Stocks tumbled, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged and the S&P 500 index fell dramatically — all over bad news out of China. That was a little more than a year ago — when Apple announced that iPhone sales in China were slumping. This year, the bad news out of...

If everything in Bill Heubel’s world was “the best,” as he liked to say, then his life would fit that description too. “He was quite a man,” said his niece, Bernadette Scully. Mr. Heubel was a veteran, a retired lawyer, a world traveler, an avid golfer, a musician, a composer,...

A Western Pennsylvania group representing a Louisiana researcher says its timeline for “curing” chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been slowed by lack of funding and political considerations. The North American CWD Project, led by Delmont resident John Eveland, was founded last year as a way to support the research of...

Total natural gas production in Pennsylvania grew by 7.6% in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018 — the lowest growth rate in more than two years, a report by the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office said. Pennsylvania remains the second-highest natural gas producing state after...

For eight years, Harry Leighliter lived by the U.S. Postal Service creed, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.’’ Mr. Leighliter worked as a rural carrier in the Scottdale area, delivering mail to homes and businesses...

Someone who bought a Cash 5 lottery ticket in Hempfield is a quarter million dollars richer, state lottery officials announced. On Monday, one of two winning tickets for the $500,000 prize was sold at the Hempfield Square Giant Eagle, 6204 U.S. Route 30, the lottery reported. The second winning ticket...

Chevron Appalachia informed Pennsylvania it will begin layoffs at its regional headquarters in Moon. The layoffs, beginning April 6 and continuing through the end of the year, will affect 288 employees, according to a WARN notice filed with the state Department of Labor & Industry. The layoffs at the 700...

A statewide race had the potential for some fireworks, but a bid to turn the 58th House District blue generated the most excitement at Sunday’s endorsement meeting of the Westmoreland County Democratic Committee. “I’m very, very hopeful,” said Robert Prah Jr., the Democratic candidate to fill the vacant 58th District...

Lucy Byrne touched the lives of thousands of students during her career as a teacher and a school food service director. “She loved working with children and with people of all ages,” said her daughter Christina Heil. “She met many people who became lifelong friends – kitchen workers, students, teachers,...

Vandals spray painted graffiti on hundreds of feet of sandstone rock along the Youghiogheny River in Ohiopyle State Park over the weekend, park officials said. The graffiti was discovered by a park ranger shortly after opening the park gates at 7 a.m. Sunday, said Ken Bisbee, park operation manager. “This...