Regional News category, Page 258
Allegheny Health Network announces latest covid-19 testing schedule
Allegheny Health Network has released its latest covid-19 testing schedule for the mobile clinic and community sports through Sept. 12. Testing locations will be closed on Sept. 7 for Labor Day. To receive a covid-19 test at an AHN testing site, patients must be experiencing covid-19 symptoms — including fever,...
Census takers visit homes that already completed survey as part of assurance programVideo
Those who have responded to the census may still receive a visit from a census worker. According to the Census Bureau, a worker may visit the home of someone who has already responded as part of the department’s quality assurance program. A visit may be conducted for a variety of...
Man blames lax security in lawsuit over 2018 shooting in Fayette County district judge’s office
A man who was wounded during a shooting two years ago at a Fayette County district judge’s office filed a federal lawsuit contending shoddy security led to his injury and subsequent trauma. Jared Szerensci of Masontown said he was shot in the leg when Patrick Dowdell, 62, entered the office...
Pa.: Jobless must wait at least 3-4 weeks for promised $300 in assistance
For some 86,800 unemployed workers in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, the $300 check the Trump administration promised in early August probably won’t be in the mail for another three or four weeks, state officials said. The computer system the state Department of Labor & Industry will use to distribute the...
Peters Township High School to temporarily close after positive covid-19 cases
Students at Peters Township High School will pivot to remote learning for at least the next four days, after discovering three possible cases of the coronavirus. Peters Township School District notified families via email that it learned of one case of covid-19 and two other cases presumed positive. “All three...
President Trump to campaign in Westmoreland County this week
President Donald Trump will make a campaign stop Thursday in Unity, according to his campaign website. Trump is scheduled to speak at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport at 7 p.m. Doors open at 4 p.m. “It’s really exciting to see him coming back into the county, he did so well there....
Joe Biden to visit Southwestern Pennsylvania Monday; location, details not announced
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is planning a visit to Southwestern Pennsylvania on Monday, according to officials with his campaign. A press release issued by the Biden/Harris campaign said the former vice president “will travel to southwestern Pennsylvania to lay out a core question voters face in this election: Are...
Super PACs turn to Western Pa. voters for testimonials in presidential contest
On the surface, Janie and Shawn share little beyond their small-town Western Pennsylvania roots. But now, they are sharing 15 minutes of fame, thanks to their testimonials in ads supporting Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Identified only as 82-year-old Janie from Westmoreland, the tiny, blue-eyed woman who sports a halo...
Western Pa. farmlands preserved ‘forever’ with state aidVideo
Earning a living off the land has been in Alquin Heinnickel’s family since his great-grandfather came home after surviving the Battle of Gettysburg and the remainder of the Civil War to start farming in a village near New Alexandria. About 150 years later, the Heinnickel family’s agricultural holdings will remain...
Police: New York man steals school bus in Buffalo Township, drives it back home
A man was arrested in New York after allegedly stealing a school bus in Buffalo Township. The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office announced on Facebook that they had arrested Justin M. Preedom, 30, of Avon, N.Y., on charges of felony possession of stolen property. Last Monday, Aug. 24, sheriff’s deputies responded...
Power back on for most, but not all, after heavy storm damage; New Ken area still affected
Duquesne Light and West Penn Power are continuing to make progress restoring power to several thousand customers throughout the region after heavy storms and high winds knocked out power to more than 40,000 on Thursday evening. Duquesne Light reported about 1,900 customers still without power as of 10 p.m. Friday...
Lawsuit settled over misuse of Terrible Towel trademark on masks
The foundation that owns the Terrible Towel trademark has settled a lawsuit it filed last week against an Indiana County shop that had been marketing “The Terrible Mask” pandemic face coverings. On Friday, the Eamon Foundation, which previously operated as the AVS Foundation — part of the Allegheny Valley School...
Pennsylvania residents must apply for home energy assistance by month’s end
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is warning low-income residents about an impending deadline to apply for home energy assistance. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Recovery Crisis Program ends Aug. 31 and Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller issued a final reminder on Friday. “These are incredibly difficult times,...
Trump House creator savors president’s acceptance speech on the White House lawn
Leslie Baum Rossi still is amazed with everything she saw and heard Thursday night. Known far and wide as the “Trump House Lady,” Rossi, 49, of Unity was among the invited guests seated on the south lawn of the White House for President Trump’s nomination acceptance speech. “It was an...
Week in Review: Latrobe attack, baby shot and coronavirus penaltiesVideo
Officials are pledging justice for a 1-year-old boy who was shot and killed in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile bars and fraternities alike are being penalized for violating coronavirus guidelines. Here’s a look back at some of the week’s biggest stories. Lefty’s closed A popular Strip District bar was ordered by the Allegheny...
Severe weather could return, but risk slight for Pittsburgh region
Areas already battered by Thursday night’s thunderstorms could be hit again Friday, but the Pittsburgh region is only at a slight risk for more severe weather, according to the National Weather Service. Rain could return to the region by late morning, with severe thunderstorms possible from 1 p.m. through evening....
Power still out for some in region after storms slam Southwestern Pa.Video
An evening of high winds and strong rain downed trees and wires across Southwestern Pennsylvania on Thursday, knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses throughout the region. “We had a good line along the (storm) boundary that produced a lot of wind,” said John Darnley, observation program leader...
Tombstone preservation workshop taking place at Kittanning Township church cemetery
A historic church and its cemetery in Kittanning is the sole stop in Pennsylvania on a 48-state tombstone restoration and preservation tour. Christ Rupp Lutheran Church in Kittanning Township was recently selected to host a free public workshop on how to preserve old tombstones. It’s being held Friday, Aug. 28...
Late laptops scramble remote learning plans at Greensburg Salem, other school districts
When Greensburg Salem School District officials learned more than 1,000 laptops would not be arriving in time for the start of classes, they agreed to delay the school year rather than begin without the technology they’re counting on. Then, the laptops were delayed again, this time until October, leaving officials...
Union members join industry groups to rally against state caps on power plant emissions
Union workers — seeking a voice at the table in fossil fuel policies at the state and national level — rallied Wednesday at the coal-fired Cheswick Generating Station. Organized by the Power PA Jobs Alliance, a coalition of labor and business groups spanning Southwestern Pennsylvania, the event targeted the negative...
Fayette County priest charged with sexually assaulting 11-year-old boy
A 65-year-old priest who worked in Fayette County is charged with the sexual assault of an 11-year-old altar boy in the early 2000s. Father Andrew M. Kawecki of Scottdale faces two counts of indecent assault and one count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse in connection with a series of incidents...
Meet the man tasked with defending the Youghiogheny RiverVideo
For Eric Harder, protecting the Youghiogheny River means protecting his home. Harder developed his love for water at a community swimming pool while growing up in Kansas. The experience led him to become a rafting guide in his mid-20s. A self-described defining moment in life, Harder credits the experience for...
Pennsylvania litter cleanups resume during pandemic reopening phase; volunteers needed
Greensburg-based nonprofit Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is partnering with PennDOT and the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to recruit volunteers for a statewide litter pickup campaign this fall. The Pick Up Pennsylvania effort is particularly needed since a similar campaign planned last spring suffered a double-whammy from the covid-19 pandemic. “It...
Forecast calls for storms throughout week as tropical systems move through Gulf
Storms are expected to linger in the Pittsburgh region throughout the week, leading up to a rain filled weekend as a duo of tropical storms threaten the Gulf Coast. According to the National Weather Service, thunderstorms are likely Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Temperatures will hover in the upper 80s and...
Marchers going to Washington, D.C., for MLK event shot at in Bedford County
At least one person was wounded in Bedford County when a shooting broke out as demonstrators marched from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C., in response to the police killing of George Floyd, police said. Milwaukee activist Frank “Nitty” Sensabaugh, one of the march’s organizers, told WJAC-TV in Johnstown that the shooting...
