Tawnya Panizzi stories, Page 95

Nearly 2,000 UPMC St. Margaret employees got a thank-you in the form of a $25 gift card this week for fighting on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic. “Not all heroes wear capes,” St. Margaret Foundation President Mary Lee Gannon said. “The real heroes wear scrubs.” The Giant Eagle gift...

No one was injured in a fire Wednesday morning along Arnold’s Victoria Avenue. Arnold Volunteer Engine Co. No. 2 Fire Chief Keith Dziobak said no one was home when crews responded to the fire in the 1500 block of Victoria Avenue at about 7 a.m. The fire appeared to start...

Fox Chapel Area School Board will host a special meeting Tuesday during which the district could reveal its new superintendent as well as potential graduation plans amid the covid-19 school closure. Board members are expected to vote on a superintendent after a five-month nationwide search. A committee narrowed a pool...

Shady Side Academy seniors will have an on-campus commencement despite the still-unfolding coronavirus outbreak. Leaders said Thursday they are committed to celebrating the school’s seniors, even if the event doesn’t resemble their traditional ceremony. “Several groups are exploring alternate options for end-of-year events across the four campuses,” Jen Roupe, director...

Beyond its tree-covered hillsides and cozy locale along the Allegheny River, O’Hara has a rich history that includes several surprises, according to local historian Tom Powers. The lifelong resident plans to recount highlights of his book, “Portrait of American Community,” in a virtual workshop at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Powers hopes...

Plum Community Library is among a handful across the state to earn a gold star for its commitment to the community, particularly now while providing public services despite being closed amid coronavirus concerns. The site along Center-New Texas Road is a PA Forward Star Library, as designated by the Pennsylvania...

Special Olympics Pennsylvania has canceled its Summer Games scheduled for June at Penn State University in State College. In a news release, the group cited safety precautions related to coronavirus as the reason for the cancellation. The group said it plans to host Virtual Games during the same time, from...

An employee at the McDonald’s restaurant in Allegheny Township has tested positive for covid-19, causing a temporary closure of the restaurant along Hyde Park Road. Owner Dan Delligatti said the site is being sanitized and is expected to reopen when cleaning is complete. “Our highest priority is to protect the...

Mad Mex is battling low spirits amid coronavirus with its Mad Mar-GO-ritas, the popular restaurant chain announced Wednesday. Available at all open locations, the 32-ounce frozen beverages are available for takeout. Cost is $15. Margaritas-to-go are citrus-flavored beverages that are Pa.-takeout-approved, the company posted on social media, along with the...

Giant Eagle has confirmed that another one of its employees has tested positive for covid-19. The person works at the store in Rochester, Beaver County, according to a release on the company website. The company said the affected worker was last in the Rochester store on April 6. The store...

A man is in critical condition after being shot in the chest and crashing his car near the McKees Rocks police station late Tuesday, Allegheny County police said. Emergency crews responded around 11:30 p.m. after a Ford Taurus crashed in front of the station along Bell Avenue. Inside, they said...

Pittsburgh police are searching for the driver of a vehicle that crashed into a police SUV then fled, pubic safety officials said The hit-and-run happened about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 1500 block of Brighton Road in the city’s California-Kirkbride neighborhood. Officers were leaving the Zone 1 station when the...

Pennsylvania State Police are seeking help to locate a Fayette County woman missing since Friday, WPXI reported. Karissa Nicola, 30, was reported missing after she didn’t return from a walk along East Main Street in New Salem, police said. Nicola has distinctive tattoos and piercings, police said. Anyone with information...

Electricity has been restored to most of the 1,600 homes that lost power in Westmoreland County Monday, according the West Penn Power. Crews are still working to restore utilities at 518 properties. In Allegheny County, the number of homes affected by strong winds and morning storms was far less, with...

Seven-year-old Kohldon Haggerty had to put off his birthday plans the past two years because of illness. But not this year — despite even the coronavirus and its social distancing restrictions. Kohldon celebrated Saturday outside his Allegheny Township home with a bona fide parade, complete with police cruisers, fire trucks,...

An Evans City man was killed in a vehicle crash Friday in Wexford, according to a release from the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Stephen Morten, 74, was identified as the accident victim. The crash happened just after 11 a.m. along Perry Highway. Further details were not yet available. McCandless...

Allegheny County Police are seeking a 23-year-old East Liberty man who they said spit on a manager at the Edgewood Giant Eagle grocery store this month. Brandon Thompson is accused of terroristic threats, simple assault, reckless endangerment and other charges in connection with an April 1 incident at the store...

One new coronavirus-related death was reported in Westmoreland County on Friday, according to state health officials. The state reported 16 new county cases, which is a 2.8% increase, bringing the respective totals to 218 confirmed cases and six deaths. Coroner Kenneth Bacha is critical of the state’s recording system, saying...

Seventy-eight new coronavirus-related deaths were reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Health throughout the day Friday, bringing the state’s death toll to 494, according to state health officials. The total coronavirus case count is 21,655, the data show. It was the second consecutive day in which 78 new deaths were...

Two months ago, a large lunch takeout order wouldn’t have fazed Tuyen Truong, co-owner of the popular Lawrenceville eatery Bahn Mi & Ti. But when Shady Side Academy graduate Maddie Taylor dropped a couple hundred dollars last week ordering chicken bowls and bubble tea, Truong took notice. Taylor, 23, along...

The leader of a Princeton day school has been appointed the new head of Shady Side Academy Senior School. Trixie Sabundayo is scheduled to take the helm of the Fox Chapel-based campus on July 1, saying she is overjoyed to have found an institution that values the minds and hearts...

Construction is delayed on a new Chase Bank in O’Hara, but company officials still expect the site to open this fall. The project will sprout along Fox Chapel Road in a heavily-traveled section near Fox Chapel Plaza and the Freeport Road intersection. The bank takes the place of the longtime...

Operations at Winchester Thurston’s Allison Park campus will merge this fall with the school’s sister facility in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood. The board of directors voted to unite the two campuses to provide a more integrated learning experience for its 715 students, according to Scott D. Fech, head of school. “A...

Allegheny River locks in Harmar and Aspinwall will operate under reduced hours and less staff during the coronavirus pandemic. The move is an effort to minimize exposure to covid-19 for workers and the public, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said. Changes affect Lock 2 (Highland Park), which sits near...