Joe Napsha stories, Page 106
Lamp Theatre selling popcorn as fundraiser
What does a non-profit do when it has to postpone its primary fundraiser because of government-ordered restrictions against large gathering during a covid-19 pandemic? In the case of The Lamp Theatre in Irwin, it sells popcorn, just like it does during concerts, shows and other events that would be held...
Small businesses in Western Pa. eager to reopen, but not sure how public will respondVideo
Like thousands of other business owners, Kevin Miscik, owner of a Greensburg clothing store, has waited a long time to reopen in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. “We lost all of Easter and part of the spring buying season and missed the beginning of the summer (buying) season,” said...
State loans survival money to some hard-hit businesses
Jim Murphy said the coronavirus restrictions imposed by the government are killing his business at the Rostraver Ice Garden and Murphy’s Pub off Route 51 in Rostraver. “I’ve lost $100,000 in bookings that’s not ice-related. I can’t open Murphy’s Pub. I’ve lost the home show, lost graduation parties, pro wrestling...
Kennametal selling equipment at closed Carbidie plant
Kennametal Inc. is turning to a virtual auction next week to sell equipment from its shuttered Carbidie plant along Arona Road in Hempfield. A two-day auction of the plant’s equipment — such as sintering furnaces, a 120-ton press, computer-controlled and conventional machine tools, grinders and dust collectors, forklifts and various...
Man, 19, in stable condition after being shot in Duquesne
A 19-year-old man was reported hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in Duquesne early Wednesday night, Allegheny County Police said. The teenager was shot in the 100 block of Apricot Alley at about 6:50 p.m., and ran to the 200 block of Hamilton Avenue, where he was found. County...
GNC may be headed to bankruptcy
Battered by the coronavirus-shutdowns of its stores that pushed net losses to $200 million in the first three months of the year, Pittsburgh-based GNC Holdings Inc. may file for bankruptcy protection if it can not convince lenders to delay payments due May 16 on $50 million in debt, company officials...
Penn Township manager resigns; interim manager named
Penn Township’s secretary-manager for the past six years resigned earlier this month and an interim replacement has been named. Alexander Graziani, 49, of Greensburg, resigned from his post on May 4, said Michael Korns, township solicitor. “The township will do well and it has good leadership,” Graziani said when contacted...
UPMC Presbyterian only hospital in Western Pa. to get 1st shipment of remdesivir covid-19 med
UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh will be the only hospital in Western Pennsylvania to receive dosages of an antiviral medicine that is being used to treat the symptoms of patients with covid-19, the state Department of Health said Tuesday night. The health department stated it will distribute the first shipment...
Passenger trains suspended on Pittsburgh-to-Philadelphia route until June 1
Amtrak extended its suspension of passenger rail service until June 1 on the Pennsylvanian route between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and the Keystone route between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, a PennDOT spokeswoman said. Amtrak previously announced that service would be suspended until May 18, said PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell. The state provides...
Irwin Council to hold virtual meeting
Irwin Borough Council is joining with other municipalities when it holds a virtual meeting for its government business at 6 p.m. Wednesday . The meeting will be streamed live on the Irwin Borough Facebook page. Borough offices remain closed to the public during the coronavirus-related shutdowns, but borough officials are...
State says workers don’t have to report if business reopens illegally
Pennsylvania workers who refuse to report to any business that opens in violation of Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders will not lose their unemployment benefits, a state official said Monday. “If a business opens in defiance of the governor’s orders … those employees may stay home and not lose their benefits,”...
Norwin group to resume Meals on Wheels
Norwin Area Meals on Wheels, which stopped delivering meals o March 25 because of fears of spreading the coronavirus, will resume deliveries Tuesday, but with modifications to meet social distancing requirements, a spokesman said. Because of limited space in the New Hope Presbyterian Church kitchen in North Huntingdon where the...
Police: Philadelphia man used counterfeit bills at stores in Indiana, Cambria counties
A Philadelphia man was jailed for using two counterfeit $100 bills at a Giant Eagle supermarket in Indiana County to buy flowers and other low-cost items last week, state police at Indiana said. The suspect, Bilal Basil Butler, 23, allegedly used the fake bills to buy merchandise at the supermarket...
Covid-19 claims 2 more lives in Allegheny County
Two more people in Allegheny County have died from covid-19, raising the death toll to 122, the Allegheny County Health Department said Sunday morning. Seventeen more people were confirmed as either having covid-19 or were probable over the past day, raising the total number on Sunday to 1,503 cases, the...
Garage damaged in Loyalhanna Twp. fire
A fire damaged a garage in Loyalhanna Township late Saturday night, the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety said. The owner of the house on Steele Road was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation as result of the fire, which was reported at 11:20 p.m. a Public Safety supervisor...
14th Port Authority employee tests positive for covid-19
A Port Authority of Allegheny County bus driver is being treated at an area hospital for covid-19, bringing the agency’s total number of employees who have tested positive to 14, the agency said Sunday. The employee, who works at the East Liberty garage, last worked on May 5, according to...
Latrobe parishioners celebrate priest’s 50th anniversary but keep social distanceVideo
For a man accustomed to praying for the health and well-being of others during a career of 50 years in the ministry, a Latrobe priest was the subject of countless prayers when he was treated recently at Excela Latrobe Hospital for covid-19. “I was hospitalized for three days. I guess...
New Westmoreland recycling center opens Monday in Unity
Westmoreland Cleanways will open its new recycling center just south of Route 130 in Unity at noon Monday, while following all of the prescribed Centers for Disease Control guidelines, the organization announced. The organization has been able to work on the recycling center at 355 Pleasant Unity-Mutual Road, during the...
Some jobless workers still waiting for benefits as Western Pa. businesses look to reopen
Matt Kastner of Irwin has been waiting for almost two months for the day he can return to his job at a Blawnox music store, which has been closed since mid-March as part of Pennsylvania’s attempt to slow the spread of covid-19. “We haven’t received word when the store will...
Allegheny County reports 1 covid-19 death, 31 new cases
Another person in Allegheny County has died from covid-19, raising the death toll to 120, the Allegheny County Health Department said Saturday. Thirty-one more people were confirmed as having covid-19 or were probable over the past day, raising the total number on Saturday to 1,486 cases that were either confirmed...
Snow blows through before celebrating Mom’s special day
It’s just what every mother wants the day before Mother’s Day - a snowfall. That’s what many moms across Western Pennsylvania woke up to Saturday morning when a trace of snow was recorded at Pittsburgh International Airport, said John Darnley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon. If...
Postal Service extends holds on mail during pandemic
Those living within the U.S. Postal Service’s Western Pennsylvania District, which stretches from to Erie to Morgantown, W.Va., and as far east as Altoona, can place a hold on their mail for more than 30 days beginning next month, because of the pandemic. The Postal Service said late Tuesday it...
Dek hockey tournament planned for Belle Vernon area
Hockey fans might not be able to watch Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins play hockey this summer because of the state’s restrictions against large gatherings, but they may be able to take part in a Dek hockey tournament open to youngsters and adults in July that will serve as...
South Huntingdon extends tax discount deadline
The South Huntingdon Township Supervisors have extended the discount period on township property tax until Aug. 31, as permitted under the law signed by Gov. Wolf. For additional information, contact attorney Chris Huffman, South Huntingdon’s solicitor, at 412-601-0265 or cwhuffman@gmail.com....
PHEAA extends grant application deadline to May 15
Prompted by a sharp reduction in financial aid applications from students who plan to go to college, the state’s Higher Education Assistance Agency said Tuesday it is extending the deadline for applications to Friday, May 15. The original deadline was May 1. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is urging...
