Teghan Simonton stories, Page 21
Robert Morris students raise money for food bank with gaming marathon
A Robert Morris University student club is hosting a virtual gaming marathon this weekend to raise money for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Nearly 100 students and faculty will tune into the platforms Discord and Twitch to participate in the 48-hour marathon, playing a variety of games independently and...
Pittsburgh firefighter recovers from coronavirus, returns to work
The Pittsburgh firefighter who tested positive for covid-19 two weeks ago has recovered and returned to work, the city’s Public Safety department said Friday. The firefighter started having symptoms of the coronavirus on March 27 and immediately went into self-isolation. He tested positive April 1, but never required hospitalization, officials...
Workers returning to Pa. liquor stores to boost online sales
To help process online orders, workers will be back on the job at many state-owned wine and liquor stores, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board said Thursday. The stores will not be open to the public. Gov. Tom Wolf’s office gave the OK to reopen more than 100 of the state...
Domino’s to donate 7,600 pizzas in Western Pa.
Local Domino’s stores will donate 7,600 pizzas within their communities in the Pittsburgh area, the national chain announced Thursday. Nearly 40 stores in the region will each donate 200 pizzas as part of a national effort. Donations will be sent to hospitals, medical centers, school children and their families, grocery...
Pittsburgh Public Schools to begin remote learning plan
Pittsburgh Public Schools on Wednesday released its detailed plan for remote learning, combining online lectures and assignments with packets of materials distributed by the district. “Our ultimate goal in our service delivery model is really about being very flexible,” said Chief Academic Officer Minika Jenkins in a video news conference...
Allegheny Health Network receives $100k gift for personal protective equipment
Allegheny Health Network received a gift of $100,000 for support during the covid-19 pandemic, the hospital network announced Wednesday. The money, donated to the network’s Covid-19 Assistance Fund, will be used to buy personal protective equipment and other necessary supplies at AHN Jefferson Hospital in Jefferson Hills. The gift was...
Who is tracking your smartphone data during coronavirus pandemic?
Smartphone companies have always gathered data on their users. But in the weeks since the covid-19 pandemic gained traction in the U.S., special attention has been given to data’s role in curbing the spread of the disease. Experts say data can be used to trace individuals’ contact with others who...
College students cope with shortcomings of online learning during coronavirus
Ironic and goofy humor fills this Facebook page. There’s a picture of a tombstone that reads “Here lies my motivation to do online college classes.” There are GIFs and memes repurposing lines from “Parks and Recreation” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Each post is a lighthearted joke, and each one has received...
Pennsylvania launches coronavirus job hiring portal
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry launched a job portal Monday, focusing on life-sustaining businesses that are hiring during the covid-19 pandemic. “Many life-sustaining businesses across Pennsylvania are hiring, and this new portal will help connect them with people looking for a job,” said Labor and Industry Secretary Jerry...
Pennsylvania State Police training academy closed after staffer positive for covid-19
The Pennsylvania State Police training academy in Hershey will be closed for at least two weeks because a staff member tested positive for covid-19, state police said. The closure impacts 100 cadets, who will continue online instruction from home. Classes for the cadet class had been the only activities at...
How Western Pa. religious leaders are altering Easter sermons during coronavirus pandemic
Father Tom Gramc used to spend entire days surrounded by people and parishioners. He went from preaching morning Mass to hearing afternoon confessions to visiting grade schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Yet as Easter approaches, he spends his days in Zoom meetings or fielding calls and emails from parishioners,...
Coronavirus highlights inequities among Western Pa. school districts
In the McKeesport Area School District, Superintendent Mark Holtzman estimates more than a thousand families either don’t have reliable internet access or the necessary technological devices to complete online schoolwork. Lessons are being made available via paper handouts, social media and the district website, he said. Completing material is strongly...
Gov. Wolf closes Pennsylvania schools for rest of academic year
Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday announced that all schools will stay closed for the rest of the academic year. “We must continue our efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus during this national crisis,” Wolf said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision, but closing schools until...
Carnegie Mellon partners with Facebook to gather coronavirus data from residents
Carnegie Mellon University is partnering with Facebook to gather data from U.S. residents who are experiencing symptoms of covid-19. Researchers at the university hope to use the data to forecast the spread of the pandemic and its potential weight on hospital systems. Some Facebook users will soon see a link...
Pittsburgh’s Original Oyster House to hand out quarantine Easter Baskets, toilet paper
Pittsburgh’s Original Oyster House will offer “distinctly Pittsburgh” Easter baskets to accompany every $25 to-go order, the restaurant announced Wednesday. The baskets will be handed out on Good Friday, on a first-come, first-served basis. Each basket will contain some holiday classics (Peeps, other Easter candy), some “Oyster House swag” (hot...
Kiski Area High School grieves online for student killed in ATV crash
As soon as he heard the news, Principal Chad Roland began making a list. Kiski Area High School senior Dominic G. DeFalco, 17, was killed in a rollover ATV crash in Allegheny Township on Sunday. Now, amid a transition to full-scale digital learning and the stress of a global pandemic,...
Pennsylvania is getting worse at social distancing, data shows
Despite a growing number of covid-19 cases in Pennsylvania, location data shows residents have actually increased their travel. Unacast, a phone data company, used data from mobile phones to track the average change in distance traveled by individuals in each state and country, starting from Feb. 24. The state was...
Canceled standardized tests should have no long-term ramifications, locals say
The cancellation of Pennsylvania’s state exams has sparked an old debate: that of the validity and necessity of standardized testing in measuring student success. The purpose of state exams, according to the state Department of Education, is to assess the progress of each school district — identifying weaknesses or unmet...
Pittsburgh professors see flaws in coronavirus modeling, predict more grim outlook
Two Pittsburgh academics argue that much of the modeling regarding the trajectory of the covid-19 pandemic has been fundamentally flawed — and the real outlook for the disease is much more dismal. Wesley Pegden and Maria Chikina have joined an international conversation about projections of how dire the covid-19 pandemic...
‘Hail to Pitt’ trending as Twitter users praise potential vaccine development
Praise for the University of Pittsburgh has dominated social media after the institution announced it was close to developing a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. Scientists at Pitt’s School of Medicine announced Thursday that the vaccine, when tested in mice, produces antibodies that could fight off the virus. Testing the...
Allegheny County court officials release information on remaining jail population
After 701 inmates were released from Allegheny County Jail to prevent the spread of covid-19, the Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania released an update on the remaining population. As of Tuesday, 1,564 inmates were left in the jail, according to the court administrator’s office. That’s a 30% decrease from the...
Pittsburgh firefighter tests positive for covid-19
A Pittsburgh firefighter tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the city announced Wednesday. Public Safety is not releasing the name or work location of the individual. The firefighter has not worked since March 26. He or she began experiencing symptoms March 27, while self-isolating at...
Virtual ‘porch concerts’ bring Hampton band students, families togetherVideo
Hampton Township School District organized “porch concerts” across its municipalities Tuesday night, in which band students — along with their families — performed songs of their choosing for neighbors and passersby. Students across the district played a variety of songs — the Star Wars theme song, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,”...
Woman rescued from Allegheny River by passersby, police
A woman was rescued from the Allegheny River on Tuesday after breaking her ankle and falling into the water in Pittsburgh. She had been exercising along the riverwalk when she lost her balance and fell into the water, according to Pittsburgh Police spokeswoman Cara Cruz. She had been with a...
Pittsburgh Public Schools announce updated plan for online instruction
Pittsburgh Public Schools will begin district-wide online instruction on April 16, according to a letter sent to families Monday. Per the district’s updated plan, this week will be dedicated to teachers and instructional staff learning to teach remotely. Technology will be distributed to identified students on Thursday, April 9. The...
