Editor's Picks category, Page 427
Average U.S. gas price falls below $2 a gallon
The national average price of gasoline has fallen below $2 a gallon for the first time in four years, price-watching service GasBuddy announced Friday. The last time the U.S. average was $1.99 a gallon was March 23, 2016. In Pennsylvania, the top 10 lowest prices ranged from $1.55 to $1.79...
Experts: Little worry about groceries transmitting coronavirus
Relax, your food isn’t trying to kill you — probably. While grocery stores have increased sanitation measures amid the coronavirus pandemic, some consumers are worried they have more cleaning to do when they get their goods home. Pittsburgh-based infectious disease and critical care physician Dr. Amesh Adalja doesn’t think shoppers...
Baby Shark returns to help you wash your hands — doo, doo …Video
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the internet. Baby Shark is back. This time, Pinkfong takes its infectious — er, maybe bad choice of words — its earworm song and made it all about hand washing. And the result? After listening to “Wash Your Hands...
Pennsylvania now leaves it up to those with covid-19 to warn others about exposure
An auto parts store in New Kensington. A Derry Township skilled nursing center. Colleges from Greensburg to Pittsburgh. All have reported positive coronavirus tests in recent days. And all are on their own to let others know about potential exposure. State officials no longer perform that service. The Pennsylvania Department...
Home internet jammed up? Try these steps before upgrading
With so much of the U.S. workforce — and its families — now cooped up at home to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, it’s not a huge surprise that home internet is showing the strain. If you’ve had a business videoconference stutter while your teenagers play Call of...
Comcast offering free on-demand content during outbreak
Comcast announced Thursday it is opening up some of its premium content and some on-demand offerings for free to customers to help them deal with being stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak. In a release, the company said the content is available for Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and...
At a glance: Distance learning in your school district; when classes could resume
Many school districts are conducting or have plans to begin distance learning for students while schools are closed. Below is information released by districts about when distance learning will begin and when, eventually, students might return to classrooms. This list will be updated and school districts added as information becomes...
Shut out by the Pittsburgh Marathon, three friends plan after-hours run near North Park
Jeff Gleason anticipated the first question — “How stupid are you guys?” — before it could be asked. Perhaps that’s a bit harsh, until you’re made aware that Gleason and his buddies, Wayne Kurtz and Bill Thompson, are planning to run a self-styled Pittsburgh Marathon, starting out at 1 a.m....
Signs of the time: Business marquees, windows offer message of hope, unity during coronavirus pandemic
Call them signs of the time. A wide range of businesses are closed under Gov. Tom Wolf’s order in reaction to the coronavirus pandemic. Many are advertising something different these days on their marquees and windows: messages of hope and unity. TribLIVE photographers captured images from across the region. Some...
Here’s how not to fall for coronavirus-related scams, bogus ‘facts’
Local and federal agencies are setting up websites dedicated to combating the spread of misinformation, rumors and scams related to the coronavirus. They include advertisements and sales pitches for products promising a cure for covid-19, phone and email campaigns asking people to provide personal information in exchange for supplies like...
Mayor Bill Peduto predicts Pittsburgh heading for deficit in 2020
Pittsburgh will end 2020 with a deficit for the first time in years, and Mayor Bill Peduto said there’s no way to predict when the economic situation might improve. Peduto, who left self-quarantine Wednesday, spent the day conducting media interviews. He told the Tribune-Review that he expects a significant decline...
Sheetz gives workers $3-per-hour raise during virus outbreak
Sheetz announced Wednesday that it is giving its workers an extra $3 per hour during the coronavirus outbreak. In a release, the company said the pay raise will run through April 23. “Our employees are the heart and soul of Sheetz and their commitment to serve our customers and communities...
‘Greg and Donny’ take on ‘Dat Virus’ in Western Pa. styleVideo
“Greg and Donny” are back – and they’re dealing with “Dat Virus.” The web comedy sketch series, created by Johnstown natives Jeff Skowron and Matt Yeager in 2009, has been on a break since about 2016. The gang – including Kim Cea and Tamera Gindlesperger-Fisher – has gotten back together...
Pandemic financial pressures build for Pittsburgh region’s nonprofit sector
A brewing economic storm, fueled by a pandemic whipping up gale-force financial headwinds, is threatening to batter more than 1 million nonprofit organizations across the nation already struggling with increased demands for services. A plummeting stock market — down some 10,000 points, or about a third, in a month —...
In pandemic, rumors of martial law fly despite reassurances
NEW YORK — Millions of Americans have been ordered to stay home. Businesses and schools are shuttered. And National Guard units have been activated in more than half the states. Yet despite what you may have read in a text message or on social media, there are currently no plans...
Pennsylvanians stock up on medical marijuana as state lifts regulations during pandemic
Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana patients have been stocking up during the coronavirus pandemic, and the state temporarily has loosened regulations to make it easier for them to get product. “The influx of patients is at an all-time high this week. We’re seeing so many new patients,” said Chris Kohan, co-founder of...
Coronavirus restrictions set back plans for Ligonier Beach reopening
Ligonier Township’s wish to reopen at least a portion of the shuttered Ligonier Beach likely won’t come true before next year , as coronavirus precautions have curtailed township operations. Township Manager Terry Carcella previously expressed hope that pavilions could be offered for rent this summer while supervisors consider additional options...
Amid coronavirus pandemic, Pitt opens its dorms for doctors and nurses
The University of Pittsburgh is opening a student dormitory on campus to house health care workers from adjoining UPMC facilities during the coronavirus pandemic. Students are being moved out of Lothrop Hall, which is connected via skywalk to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital and the university’s School of Nursing, to accommodate doctors...
Today is ‘Great American Takeout’ to support restaurants
As restaurants and local businesses struggle under recent closures, some national chains took to social media in an attempt to encourage dine-out options. Tuesday has been dubbed “The Great American Takeout” by more than 100 restaurant companies in the United States. Consumers are being asked to order at least one...
Veterinarians, pet owners forced to adjust during coronavirus outbreak
Medical professionals treating humans aren’t the only ones having to adjust the way they practice in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Veterinarians have made similar changes in asking pet owners to postpone routine appointments and elective surgeries. They’re also reassuring pet owners that, though animals are the likely original source...
Animal care challenges mount for National Aviary, Pittsburgh Zoo as revenue sags during covid-19 shutdown
Most of the National Aviary’s nearly 500 birds wake as the sun comes up. So veterinarians and other animal care staffers arrived at the North Side facility around 7 a.m. Monday, about 15 minutes before sunrise, to begin making their daily rounds. Some checked up on specific birds, paying close...
Giant Eagle installing Plexiglas dividers to limit spread of covid-19, suspending use of reusable bags
Giant Eagle is installing clear Plexigas dividers at all of its checkout and customer service areas in an attempt to protect employees and customers from the spread of covid-19. The dividers will be installed at Giant Eagle groceries, pharmacies and GetGo stores. The company began installing the dividers over the...
Dr. Paul Carson: Why coronavirus pandemic is worse than the film ‘Contagion’
Paul Carson, M.D., is a Pittsburgh physician. I rewatched Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 film “Contagion” last night starring Gwyneth Paltrow. The film goes like this: When Paltrow returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, she is...
PLCB: Wine, liquor sales set record day before state stores closed
Pennsylvania’s decision to close its Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores on March 17 because of the coronavirus pandemic triggered the highest single-day sales in at least a decade, according to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. The PLCB reported about $29.9 million in sales on March 16, the day the...
Second eaglet hatches in Hays bald eagle nestVideo
Two days after Pittsburgh received its first eaglet of the season, another one hatched, according to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. The eaglet, which is the 11th for the Hays bald eagle couple, hatched around 6:40 a.m. Monday, officials confirmed. The first eaglet hatched at 7:40 a.m. Saturday. The...
