Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1580
Pa. addiction hot line getting fewer calls after liquor stores shut down
State drug and alcohol officials braced for a deluge of alcohol-related phone calls when Pennsylvania two weeks ago closed all state-run wine and liquor stores. “We were concerned that it could be a very big deal,” said Jennifer Smith, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. So...
Why health experts aren’t warning about coronavirus in food
NEW YORK — Chicken with salmonella can make you sick. So can romaine lettuce with E. coli and buffets with lurking norovirus. So why aren’t health officials warning people about eating food contaminated with the new coronavirus? The answer has to do with the varying paths organisms take to make...
Fine Wine & Good Spirits losing $6.5 million a day, restarts online sales
Record sales on the eve of Gov. Tom Wolf’s temporary closure of state-run wine and liquor stores won’t be enough to offset growing losses — which threaten to end a two-decade streak of new revenue highs, a Tribune-Review analysis shows. Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores shuttered two weeks ago,...
Lawrenceville’s Restaurant Depot not just for restaurant owners during coronavirus pandemicVideo
With restaurants open only for takeout and delivery, the wholesaler that supplies them is opening its doors to everyone during the covid-19 outbreak. Restaurant Depot’s location in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood became open to the public this week, company president Richard Kirschner said. “Imagine Costco and then just amplify that entirely”...
Disinfectant wipes, speeding lead to heroin bust in Penn Borough
Suspected drug dealers apparently are concerned with practicing good hygiene during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Penn Borough Police report. Police Sgt. Eric Colamarino said Von Shane Carlson, 53, of Scottdale, a passenger in a pickup truck pulled over Tuesday for driving more than twice the posted 25 mph...
Westmoreland County reports 11 new coronavirus cases as Pa. total jumps
Coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County increased by 11 on Tuesday, part of the larger statewide increase of nearly 1,000, state officials said. Cases in the county now total 74, state data shows. Statewide, 962 new cases brought Pennsylvania’s case count to 5,805. Eleven more people have died, bringing the death...
Pennsylvania adds 962 new coronavirus cases as deaths rise to 74
Pennsylvania saw a spike of nearly 1,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, and another 11 people have died, according to state officials. From midnight Tuesday to midnight Wednesday, 962 new covid-19 cases were reported statewide, bringing the total to 5,805, according to the Department of Health. Deaths now total 74, including...
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 International housing more than 100 grounded planes in its airfield
More than 100 planes are parked at Pittsburgh International Airport as the coronavirus halts travel across the world and airlines need somewhere for their aircraft to wait out the pandemic. A majority of the planes are owned by American Airlines and Republic Airways, according to BlueSky, the airport’s news service....
Allegheny County reports 31 new covid-19 cases, total reaches 356
Allegheny County reported 31 new cases of the coronavirus Wednesday, bringing the countywide total to 356. Of that total, two Allegheny County residents have died from complications from covid-19, and 61 have required hospitalization. Thousands of Allegheny County residents have been tested for covid-19 in recent weeks, Dr. LuAnn Brink,...
State police no longer sending troopers to some calls because of coronavirus outbreak
State Police Commissioner Col. Robert Evanchick Wednesday announced a temporary change in the way troopers respond to select nonemergency incidents. Evanchick said with the goal of limiting in-person contact and mitigating the spread of covid-19 , the department has identified certain types of calls that may be resolved with limited...
When will rapid coronavirus test become available in Western Pennsylvania?
A new rapid covid-19 test designed to be conducted in doctors’ offices, hospital emergency departments and urgent care clinics could deliver results in minutes, but it’s not yet clear if or when those tests will arrive in the Pittsburgh region. The Illinois-based medical technology company Abbott announced that it will...
Match Day becomes day of giving for Pitt medical students during coronavirus pandemic
Match Day is an occasion University of Pittsburgh medical students eagerly await each spring. It’s a national event during which the majority of medical students across the country receive their residency assignments. The aspiring doctors usually gather together to simultaneously open letters that announce their residency training location — a...
Giant Eagle reports confirmed coronavirus cases at 2 more stores
People at two more Giant Eagle stores in the Pittsburgh area have tested positive for covid-19, the grocery store operator announced. The company announced on its website that it got confirmation of the cases at its Pine Creek store, 9805 McKnight Road, McCandless, and Robinson Market District, 100 Settlers Ridge...
Coronavirus taking big bite out of Easter candy sales for region’s makers
Coronavirus-related business closures are taking a hefty bite out of area confectioners’ Easter candy sales. With chocolate bunnies, eggs and other seasonal sweets accounting for about half of annual revenue, it’s a situation that could put some companies out of business. “It’s devastating, actually,” said John Mandak, owner of Valos...
Hempfield bicyclist with history of petty crimes charged with throwing traffic cone into creek
A Hempfield man who spent nearly two years in jail awaiting trial for obstructing traffic on his bicycle has been arrested again, this time for allegedly throwing a traffic cone into a flooded creek in Greensburg. City police said security footage showed David Smith, 60, riding his bike at Lynch...
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...
Allegheny Technologies to close Beaver County steel plant, citing Trump’s tariffs
Allegheny Technologies Inc. will shutter its Beaver County stainless steel plant in June, citing the Trump administration’s steel tariffs as the reason for the closure, the company announced Tuesday. The A&T Stainless Direct Roll Anneal and Pickle operation in Midland employs about 70 workers, most of whom are represented by...
Adapting: The ‘second first day of school’
Editor’s note: Adapting is a regular series spotlighting the ways the global coronavirus pandemic is changing the everyday lives of people in Western Pennsylvania. On Monday, students in many areas across Pennsylvania had their “second first day of school,” in the form of school districts’ online learning plan going into...
More than 600 inmates released from Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh to slow pandemic
Officials have released 622 inmates from Allegheny County Jail over the last two weeks in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus by reducing crowding in the jail, according to Allegheny County. That’s more than triple the 189 inmates that were slated for release March 19, and roughly one...
White House projects 100K to 240K U.S. deaths from covid-19Video
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Americans to brace for a “rough two-week period” ahead as the White House released new projections that there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. Public health officials...
Litter piles up at Pennsylvania state parks
Sanitary wipes and disposable gloves are among the increasing amount of litter sullying some Pennsylvania state parks. Although the facilities, including restrooms, are closed at 121 state parks, a growing number of residents continue to visit them with few options available for outings under covid-19 restrictions. “Sadly, litter has kept...
6 residents, 1 staff at Ligonier Gardens nursing home test positive for coronavirus
Six residents and a staff member of Ligonier Gardens Personal Care Home have tested positive for coronavirus, according to Bethlen Communities, the nonprofit organization that operates the home. Two other Bethlen employees who don’t work at Ligonier Gardens also have tested positive. One works in transportation, the other in home...
Sen. Kim Ward seeks state law change to provide covid-19 info to first responders
A Westmoreland County lawmaker wants to amend state law to require the Pennsylvania Department of Health to release the general location of covid-19 cases to first responders. State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, is seeking co-sponsors for an amendment to require state health officials to release information about coronavirus cases by...
Washington County woman who coughed on trooper claimed she had covid-19
A Washington County woman who coughed on a state trooper Sunday, claiming she had covid-19 as she was being arrested, was charged Tuesday with making terroristic threats and related crimes. Jessica Lee Harvey, 37, of Houston, also is charged with harassment, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness by state police Trooper...
