Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1592
Editorial: Wolf’s excessive attack on the Pa. economy will hurt lives
There is no business that isn’t life-sustaining. Every business in Pittsburgh, and Greensburg, and the Alle-Kiski Valley, in Pennsylvania and beyond. They all sustain life. Maybe they don’t all serve the food that fuels a body, but they provide the paychecks that put food on the table. And so it...
Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto self-quarantines at home
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto will be in a self-quarantine in his home for 14 days after two people he had contact with in Washington, D.C. last week tested positive for the coronavirus. Peduto made the announcement in a video posted to the City of Pittsburgh Twitter account Thursday night. “I...
Gov. Tom Wolf’s business shutdown order draws support, criticism
Gov. Tom Wolf’s order Thursday to close all non-life-sustaining businesses will strain local businesses and local communities, but it may be the state’s best shot at controlling the spread of the coronavirus, some public and health officials said. “Having these nonessential stores closed is having an impact on small businesses...
Nearly 200 Allegheny County Jail inmates set for release amid coronavirus concerns
Nearly 200 Allegheny County Jail inmates have been or are slated to be released in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Staff from across the court system are working to identify inmates who are appropriate to release, and 189 have been identified thus far, according to a...
Gov. Wolf orders ‘non-life-sustaining’ businesses to close physical locations to halt coronavirus spreadVideo
Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all “non-life-sustaining” businesses in Pennsylvania to close Thursday night in an effort to slow the spread of covid-19. The order took effect at 8 p.m. Businesses that refuse to close down will face “enforcement actions” beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, beer...
Some Pa. school districts stop mandatory instruction, grading during closure
Some school districts have stopped assigning mandatory work during the state’s mandatory 10-day closure after a conference call with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and district leaders. After Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement last week that schools should close to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, Woodland Hills Superintendent James Harris...
Allegheny Health Network suspends patient visits
Allegheny Health Network is suspending all patient visitation at its hospitals, outpatient clinics and ambulatory surgery centers until further notice, the network announced Thursday. The health system said the policy, which goes into effect at 7 p.m. Thursday, aims to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus that causes covid-19...
‘Significant hospitalization rates’: Coronavirus taking a toll in Pa.
As coronavirus cases continue to rise rapidly across Pennsylvania, the state is seeing “significant hospitalization rates,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Thursday. “It really is varying day to day,” Levine said during a daily covid-19 update. The reported average hospitalization rate is about 10%. Levine said Pennsylvania’s rate...
After public criticism, Pa. turnpike to reopen restrooms at service plazas Friday
After four days of public criticism, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission reversed course Thursday and announced it will reopen all 17 of its service plazas beginning at 7 a.m. Friday In a news release, the agency said restrooms inside all service plazas will be open 24 hours. The outdoor portable toilets...
UPMC doctor on coronavirus: ‘Fear can be a very healthy thing’
The fear and anxiety that is gripping the nation as coronavirus cases soar is not necessarily a bad thing, a top UPMC doctor leading preparations at the Pittsburgh-based health giant said Thursday. “Fear can be a very healthy thing,” Dr. Don Yealy, UPMC’s chair of emergency medicine, told the Tribune-Review....
Italian death toll overtakes China’s as virus spreadsVideo
ROME — The death toll in Italy from the coronavirus overtook China’s on Thursday in a stark illustration of how the outbreak has pivoted toward Europe and the United States. Italy, with a population of 60 million, recorded at least 3,405 deaths, or roughly 150 more than in China —...
Changes coming to census as officials limit face-to-face contact in midst of coronavirus
Census officials are limiting face-to-face contact with people residing in nursing homes and those who utilize soup kitchens and shelters as the coronavirus continues to spread. In an effort to keep the public safe while obtaining a complete count, census officials are asking nursing home administrators to help residents reply...
2 confirmed coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County has its first two confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, the state Department of Health announced Thursday. The cases were among 52 new confirmed positives reported statewide, bringing the total number of Pennsylvania cases to 185. It’s an increase of 39% over the previous day and comes as...
Long-standing religious gatherings canceled, some services continue
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...
Mnuchin: Family of 4 could get $3K under virus relief planVideo
WASHINGTON — The first federal checks to families could be $3,000 for a family of four under the White House proposal to unleash $1 trillion to shore up households and the U.S. economy amid the coronavirus outbreak. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday that the “checks in the mail” would...
New owner trying to keep Sunseri Pizza afloat amid coronavirus crisisVideo
Chris Staub loved working at Sunseri Pizza while he was in high school and college, dreaming that one day he would own the small business on Custer Avenue in Baldwin. When former owners Sam and Cindy Sunseri put the pizza shop up for sale, Staub couldn’t resist the opportunity. After...
Carnegie Mellon allows students to convert classes to pass/fail
Carnegie Mellon University is allowing students to convert any of their online courses to pass/fail grading. “The decision to allow this flexibility is a direct acknowledgement of this unprecedented situation,” Provost Jim Garrett wrote in a letter to campus this week. Normally, according to the CMU website, students may take...
Are Western Pennsylvania hospitals prepared for the coronavirus?
If the coronavirus pandemic spreads as predicted, Western Pennsylvania hospitals will be woefully underprepared, according to a recent study. But one regional hospital system, UPMC, is confident it can handle the volume. “We anticipate that most patients with suspected or confirmed covid-19 will not need to be admitted and will...
Allegheny County reports 6 new coronavirus cases, bringing total to 18
The Allegheny County Health Department on Thursday reported six new cases of covid-19, increasing the number of cases in the county from 12 to 18. Some of those patients have acquired the virus through community spread, health department Director Dr. Debra Bogen said during a press call. “Similar to what...
Troopers accuse man of repeatedly sexting 15-year-old Derry Township girl
An Indiana County man was arrested Wednesday, accused of sending sexually explicit photographs of himself over social media to a Derry Township girl, state police said. Nash P. Bennett, 19, of Blairsville was charged by state police with corruption of minors, criminal use of a communication facility, photographing sex acts...
No free ice at Rita’s locations on first day of spring
The first day of spring will be celebrated later at Rita’s Italian Ice locations. The annual free ice giveaway set for Thursday is postponed amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, according to a post on the restaurant’s website. It’s a precautionary move, the post said. The locations, about 20 of...
Pittsburgh Milk Bank director: ‘Donor milk is life-saving medicine’
The head of a Pittsburgh breast milk bank is encouraging healthy mothers to donate milk to families in need, as demand increases during the coronavirus pandemic. Denise O’Connor is executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank, based in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. “Donor milk is lifesaving medicine for thousands of...
AP-NORC poll: Fear of virus infection spikes among Americans
CHICAGO — Concern among Americans that they or a loved one will be infected by the coronavirus rose dramatically in the past month, with two-thirds of the country now saying they’re at least somewhat concerned about contracting the covid-19 illness. That’s up from less than half who said so in...
Pa. prisons work to set up video chats for inmates, families
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s prisons are working to set up video conferences between inmates and family members now that visits have been suspended in an effort to keep the coronavirus from spreading to people inside the institutions. Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said this week that the service should be available soon...
Chinese city Wuhan offers hope on coronavirus front; Italy nears stark warningVideo
BEIJING — Thursday was a day of contrasts on the front lines of the battle against the new coronavirus. In a sign of hope, the Chinese city of Wuhan reported no new homegrown infections, but in a stark warning for the world, Italy appeared set to surpass China’s death toll...
