Teghan Simonton stories, Page 2
Doubtful about covid vaccine? It depends on your occupation, study shows
Vaccine hesitancy among working-age adults varies by occupation — and so does their reasoning for being hesitant, a study from University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University scientists found. Scientists from the institutions analyzed results from an ongoing national covid-19 survey by CMU’s Delphi Research Group. Since March 2020, the...
Pittsburgh schools address bus seat shortage as 10K students set to return
Pittsburgh Public Schools reduced its daily transportation shortage by nearly 1,000 seats, district officials said Friday, ahead of thousands of students scheduled to return to buildings Monday. The district will welcome back more than 10,000 students Monday as part of its phased hybrid learning plan. More than 4,000 students returned...
Leechburg mayor raises nearly $1,900 for boat launch in Riverfront Park
A fundraiser for a gravel boat launch in Riverfront Park in Leechburg raised nearly $1,900, Mayor Wayne Dobos said, putting the borough even closer to constructing the park’s newest asset this summer. “Everything is in the planning stage right now,” Dobos said. The boat launch will allow canoeists and kayakers...
Leechburg Area’s $1.1M sports complex project to begin next month
A project to improve Leechburg Area School District’s Veterans Field Sports Complex will begin in early May and be completed before the Blue Devils’ football and soccer teams begin their seasons, said Superintendent Tiffany Nix. The school board voted Wednesday to hire FieldTurf to install a synthetic turf field and...
Kiski Township parents arrested after children found in roach, flea-infested residence
Kiski Township police arrested a couple after discovering their two children “were living in squalor.” Arrested were Edward Reed Jr., 24, and Kayla Vojtilla, 22, of Brownstown Road. Police said they went to their home Tuesday, April 27 for an “unrelated” matter. They discovered Reed and Vojtilla’s children, a 3-year-old...
Fitzgerald: Entertainment venues should offer vaccinated sections for spectatorsVideo
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is encouraging sports and entertainment venues to create special sections for vaccinated spectators, following a proposal by the Pittsburgh Penguins to create such a section for fans. “I would encourage all of our sports teams, all of our venues, theaters, the opera, the symphony, the...
Western Pa. health experts: Relaxed mask rules ‘long overdue’
Health experts in Western Pennsylvania said it’s no surprise outdoor mask-wearing is no longer part of federal health guidance. From the beginning of the pandemic, data has shown outdoor transmission of covid-19 to be a rare event. “I think that this was a long overdue step, but it was completely...
Pitt students push for LGBTQIA Center on campus
A student-produced report and petition are circulating the University of Pittsburgh and surrounding communities to persuade university officials to create an LGBTQIA+ Center – a place that would offer information, resources and community for Pitt students and others. Tyler Viljaste, a Pitt junior and vice president and chief of cabinet...
Shelters struggle to vaccinate Pittsburgh’s homeless population
Light of Life Rescue Mission had a vaccine clinic planned to help vaccinate homeless people earlier this month. The shelter, which operates short- and long-term programs for the homeless, as well as addiction recovery and employment assistance, planned to administer the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Then, about three hours...
Leechburg Council approves high school field improvements
Dozens of Leechburg High School students and parents, decked out in Blue Devils gear, crowded outside a borough council meeting Tuesday. They huddled on the steps and crammed into the doorway of the overflowing gallery, there to support a proposal by the school district to upgrade stormwater management at Veterans...
Sprankle’s Community Market event raised $17,700 for Salvation Army
A 16-hour fundraiser hosted by Sprankle’s Neighborhood Markets last week raised $17,700 for Salvation Army Food Pantries of Leechburg, Kittanning and Saxonburg. “It was unbelievable,” said Ryan Sprankle, owner of the Kittanning store and one of the event’s organizers and hosts. During the Campout for Community fundraiser last Friday, 10%...
Map shows where to get a covid vaccine in Allegheny County
Allegheny County has created a public map of active covid-19 vaccination locations. The Vaccine Provider map is available online at the county’s Covid Vaccine Information page. Users can access it directly at alleghenycounty.us/vaccinemap. “We are trying to make it as easy as possible for as many people as possible to...
U.S. Steel will not drill gas wells at Edgar Thomson Plant
An agreement between U.S. Steel Corp. and New Mexico-based Merrion Oil & Gas to drill Marcellus Shale gas wells near U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Works was terminated Friday. “U.S. Steel has decided to exit a lease agreement that would have allowed a natural gas well on the property of our...
Leechburg students to perform ‘Lucky Stiff’ this weekend
Leechburg Area School District’s spring musical, the farce comedy “Lucky Stiff,” opens Friday for a three-day run in front of limited audiences. Each of the roughly 35 cast and crew members will receive vouchers for two tickets, but tickets won’t be on sale to the public. Alyssa Bruno Walls, drama...
Covid vaccine supply overtakes demand in Allegheny CountyVideo
Vaccine supply now outnumbers demand in Allegheny County, officials said Wednesday At a news conference, Dr. Debra Bogen, health director, and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald again encouraged county residents to make a vaccine appointment or walk in for a dose at a county clinic. All Pennsylvania residents 16 and older...
Pitt to host vaccine clinic for students, employees
The University of Pittsburgh will host a vaccine clinic Wednesday at the Petersen Events Center from noon to 6 p.m., where clinicians will administer first doses of the Moderna covid-19 vaccine. Kevin Zwick, a university spokesman, said Pitt received 500 doses from the state Department of Health. There will be...
Gov. Wolf receives covid vaccine shot
Gov. Tom Wolf received his first dose of covid vaccine Monday morning, about a week after Pennsylvania opened eligibility to all residents. “I was happy to wait until every Pennsylvanian who wants a vaccine was eligible to get my own, and I was really pleased to get my first dose...
Leechburg schools predict no tax increase next school year
Leechburg Area School District will introduce no tax increase for next school year, district officials said this week, and there will be no budget deficit thanks to the availability of emergency covid funding. District officials last week presented the preliminary budget for the 2021-22 school year of more than $14.6...
Lack of bus drivers remains major problem at Pittsburgh Public Schools
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials are still rushing to find solutions to a severe shortage of bus drivers and available seats for students. “We are going to continue to work as much as possible to ensure we’re able to try to get our students back in,” said Minika Jenkins, the district’s...
Principals announced at 2 newly merged Catholic schools
Principals have been chosen for two newly merged Catholic schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Robert Munz, an educator of 21 years and administrator in the diocese for the last decade, was selected to lead the new elementary formed by the merger of St. Philip in Crafton and St. Margaret...
Sprankle’s Market hosting camp out-themed fundraiser Friday for Salvation Army
Sprankle’s Neighborhood Markets will host a Campout for Community fundraiser Friday to raise money for Salvation Army food pantries in Kittanning, Leechburg and Saxonburg — municipalities in which Sprankle’s operates locations. Between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., 10% of all sales made in any of the stores will be donated...
Gilpin supervisors seek volunteer to replace colleague who died last month
Gilpin officials are looking for a township supervisor following the unexpected death last month of Susan Brown. Brown died March 17 at age 61. She had been appointed to fill a vacancy in 2016 and served as the board’s vice chairwoman from 2018 until her death. Her term was set...
Pa. officials extend Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause
Pennsylvania vaccine providers will not administer Johnson & Johnson vaccine until at least April 24, state officials said Thursday, extending the distribution pause by four days. Federal regulators had recommended a pause in the single-shot vaccine Tuesday, after six women reportedly experienced blood clots and low platelet counts in the...
Allegheny Health Network opens clinic to treat covid long-haulers
The migraines came first. Two or three weeks after she recovered from covid-19 in August, Jennifer Gorzock said she started experiencing the intense headaches, along with fatigue and disorienting mental fog. She noted her experience with the covid illness itself was relatively mild. She needed medications to get through it...
More than half of Allegheny County’s adult population is partially vaccinated, officials sayVideo
More than 50% of Allegheny County’s adult population has been partially vaccinated for covid-19, local officials said Wednesday. Among residents older than 65, more than 78% have gotten at least one dose. County officials encouraged people to sign up for appointments and get the vaccine as soon as possible. “The...
