Paul Guggenheimer stories, Page 49

Efforts championed by Mayor Bill Peduto to make Pittsburgh a more bike-friendly city are clearly paying off. People For Bikes, a national organization dedicated to making bicycling safer and more convenient, has ranked Pittsburgh among the top 20 cities in the U.S. for people on bicycles. The Steel City came...

City of Pittsburgh playgrounds, basketball courts, ballfields and spray parks are opening for the first time in nearly three months. With Allegheny County having entered the green phase of response to the covid-19 pandemic, organized sports will be allowed to resume as long as organizers follow safety guidelines, officials said....

The Rev. Tom Burke has been a priest for nearly two decades. But the St. Mary Magdalene Parish pastor would have a hard time remembering a moment during his tenure quite like the one he experienced Monday — the first day since mid-March he was able to welcome people into...

Milling and paving of Pittsburgh city streets resumes Monday. It’s part of a nearly $16 million street resurfacing program the city is investing in for 2020. The plan calls for curb ramp upgrades on paved streets, and repair of concrete, brick and block stone streets throughout the city. In all,...

Pennsylvanians can now get their teeth cleaned again. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has released an update to its dental health care guidance as part of the state’s phased covid-19 reopening plan. This new guidance allows dentists to provide routine care such as cleanings. “We can go back to business...

Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators are weighing in on President Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests following the death of George Floyd. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, joined 20 other senators in sending a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper urging him to refrain from...

Allegheny County officials reported 24 additional covid-19 cases and no new deaths Wednesday. That leaves the total number of deaths countywide at 152, while the total number of confirmed and probable cases rose to 1,952. The reported death count is still lagging behind state data, which has recorded 165 deaths...

Driver’s skills tests, including motorcycle skills tests, resumed Tuesday at PennDOT Driver License Centers. The tests had been suspended in March as stay-at-home orders went into effect during the early stages of the covid-19 emergency. PennDOT says the skills test has been modified to reduce potential exposure of PennDOT staff...

Gov. Tom Wolf signed an executive order late Monday extending by one week the deadline for election offices in six counties, including Allegheny, to receive absentee or mail-in ballots. They now have until 5 p.m. June 9 to receive absentee or mail-in ballots. The other counties are Dauphin, Delaware, Erie,...

Fears about catching coronavirus from contaminated surfaces have driven some people to become compulsive about cleaning countertops and wiping down their groceries. As the pandemic took hold, some poison centers even reported increased calls about excessive exposure to cleaning agents. In recent weeks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has issued an order to end the statewide judicial emergency on June 1. Local president judges, however, may keep restrictions in place where they deem necessary. The order means that district, county and appeals courts mostly closed to the public and operating on a limited basis...

Allegheny Health Network’s mobile covid-19 testing unit will be in Duquesne on Friday as part of its initiative to reach underserved communities. The testing site will set up outside Duquesne Elementary School at 300 Kennedy Avenue from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This latest round of testing is part of...

The northern goshawk is an agile, secretive type of hawk with a long tail, gray and white body and intense orange to red eyes. With its population declining, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is asking anyone who catches the rare glimpse of these large raptors or knows where they nest to...

It may not be the type of ceremony April Barton envisioned for her first year as dean, but the Duquesne University School of Law will hold its first-ever virtual commencement ceremony on Friday. Covid-19 restrictions forced Duquesne to make its 106th law school commencement an online affair but all indications...

The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix is an event race enthusiasts and classic car lovers look forward to each summer. However, after consulting with officials and stakeholders over covid-19 concerns, Grand Prix organizers are canceling the July 17-26 race week. “We have explored every avenue for staging our traditional races and...

A drug shown to shorten recovery time in some covid-19 patients is now available at four Allegheny Health Network hospitals. Doses of the antiviral medication remdesivir have been delivered to AHN’s Allegheny Valley, Forbes, Jefferson and West Penn hospitals. Remdesivir is classified as an investigational medication. Following a clinical trial,...

Another eagerly anticipated public event has become a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. The annual Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh free dental clinic at PPG Paints Arena has been postponed out of concern for the safety of patients, healthcare professionals and volunteers during the ongoing covid-19 crisis. The event had originally...

The ability of uninsured Pennsylvanians to be tested for coronavirus was an early concern in the fight against covid-19. Now those without health insurance can be tested for free. Gov. Tom Wolf has announced that federal stimulus funds will be used to reimburse providers who test uninsured patients. Access to...

State and local food distributors in Pennsylvania are receiving a big financial boost to get food boxes to families in need. Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday state distributors will get $50 million of the $1.2 billion in funding for the program. The money will pay for the purchase of surplus...

With covid-19 making it logistically difficult for Pittsburgh planning boards and commissions to meet in person, the city is going with virtual meetings. And it’s more than a temporary measure. Starting in June, the Department of City Planning will hold meetings on Zoom that will be streamed on YouTube Live....

There’s a good chance travel time through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel will be slower than normal over the next three nights. PennDOT is announcing lane restrictions in the tunnel (I-376 Parkway East) in the city of Pittsburgh Tuesday through Thursday. The single-lane restrictions will happen in both directions as needed...

It’s a bittersweet milestone. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has distributed its 1 millionth pound of food through drive-up events since the organization’s covid-19 response began on March 16. The mark was met on Saturday during a distribution event held with the South Hills Interfaith Movement. And while the...

Street resurfacing is scheduled to begin on Monday in Pittsburgh, and the city is reminding vehicle owners to move their cars from streets set to be milled and paved. With many residents staying at home during the covid-19 crisis, the city of Pittsburgh is making an extra effort to notify...