Regional category, Page 251
Pittsburgh jobless rate dips slightly to 12.5% in June
The Pittsburgh region’s jobless rate dropped again in June, falling slightly to 12.5%, because of an increase in nonfarm jobs, the state said Tuesday. The unemployment rate fell by 1.4 percentage points, continuing a decline from a high of 17% in April for Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and...
In meeting with Jill Biden, Pittsburgh schools union leader supports delay for in-person instruction
While school districts in Southwestern Pennsylvania finalize their fall reopening plans, some educational leaders are advocating for stronger safety guidelines and a delay to in-person instruction. On Tuesday, in a virtual campaign stop for the Joe Biden presidential campaign, Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, and U.S. Sen Bob Casey, D-Scranton,...
Keeping Pa. private colleges closed will hurt small communities, officials say
The covid-19 pandemic has upended procedures for colleges and universities throughout the country, and many of Pennsylvania’s private institutions are struggling to find the best path forward, officials said Tuesday. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has hosted Facebook Live conversations with industry leaders semi-regularly during the pandemic. On Tuesday, he met...
State: Brighton Rehab nursing home failed to get proper approval to use hydroxychloroquine on residents
Residents of a Beaver County nursing home that is the site of one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the country were given an experimental drug without approval from the state health department, inspection records show. Hydroxychloroquine, typically used to treat malaria, was administered to 205 of the 435 residents...
Power mostly restored after Monday’s storms roll through region
Power was expected to be restored by about 6:30 a.m. to the last of the homes affected by Monday’s storm-related outages, according to the West Penn Power website. There are about 40 customers without electricity in Westmoreland County and less than 10 in Allegheny County, after storms rolled through the...
Drivers need not worry about ‘big jumps’ in gas prices for now, analyst says
Gas prices are stuck in neutral, with oil prices not rising despite a small rebound in demand for fuel, an industry analyst said. A small rise in gasoline demand last week appears likely to continue into this week, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “The recovery...
Family of Monroeville man says he ‘died happy’ on raceway
James “Big Jim” Baker’s death at Keystone Raceway last week was exactly the way he’d have wanted to go out. For this, his family said, they are grateful. “He’d say, ‘If I die in that car, I’ll die happy,’ ” his daughter, Nichole Baker, said of her father. “He died...
Pennsylvania child care facilities struggling under pandemic conditions
Families and facilities across Pennsylvania face a mounting challenge when it comes to child care during the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Monday. “I think we can all agree that we’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Diane Barber, executive director of the Pennsylvania Child Care Association, a nonprofit advocacy...
Murrysville, McCandless ranked among safest towns by security company
Murrysville and McCandless are among the top 50 safest cities in the U.S., according to the latest rankings from home security and safety advisory company SafeWise. Pennsylvania makes the list several times, with seven towns among SafeWise’s top 50 including Buckingham Township (11), Upper Saucon Township (27), Upper Allen Township...
Planet Fitness to require all members to wear masks starting Aug. 1
Starting Aug. 1, members of Planet Fitness won’t just be banned from grunting. They’ll be banned from going bare-faced too. The fitness club company said the mandatory mask mandate for all members and employees was put in place to ensure that all gym members can “gym confidently in a safe...
Dick’s Sporting Goods joins other retailers closing on Thanksgiving
Dick’s Sporting Goods joined a growing number of retailers that will be closed on Thanksgiving. The Findlay-based national chain announced Monday that all of its stores, including Dick’s, Field & Stream and Golf Galaxy, would be closed for the holiday. “We are so thankful to our teammates for their hard...
Jobless could wait months for stimulus if $600 aid is altered, says Pa. official
If Congress makes drastic changes to the $600-a-week program that has delivered $14.5 billion to the state’s unemployed since the covid-19 shutdowns in mid-March, thousands of Pennsylvania’s jobless workers may not get any extra federal aid for months, a state labor official said Monday. With the state’s unemployment compensation system...
1 of 2 suspects in Butler purse theft arrested in Florida
One of two men charged with robbing a Butler County woman in June was apprehended in Florida, according to state police. State police allege that Marcos Roman, 38, currently of Butler and Ramon Enrique Acevedo-Carrasquillo, 34, of Ocala, Fla. followed a woman home from a store and forcibly took her...
30 years later, Americans with Disabilities Act still lauded but ‘work is never done’
When Dick Thornburgh witnessed the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act 30 years ago, he knew his son’s life would be changed forever. The Pittsburgh native and former Republican Pennsylvania governor was the U.S. attorney general at the time. Leading the Justice Department, he was integral in working out...
Trib Total Media hires first class of Jim Borden Memorial scholars
Trib Total Media’s first class of Jim Borden Memorial Scholarship winners has started work at the Tribune-Review amid the coronavirus pandemic and a hectic news environment. The scholarship, named for the Tribune-Review’s late managing editor, offers financial assistance up to $30,000 — paid in $7,500 annual installments — for college...
Chestnut Ridge golf resort near Blairsville sells for $2.4 million at auction
Chestnut Ridge Golf Resort & Conference Center sold to an online bidder Saturday for $2.4 million. But the winning bidder’s identity will not be available until paperwork and payment is finalized, said Sherman Hostetter, owner of Hostetter Auctioneers of Beaver Falls. The auction of the 345-acre golf course and resort...
Police: Butler man faces ethnic intimidation charges after graffiti found outside Black family’s home
A 44-year-old Butler man allegedly admitted spray painting graffiti derogatory toward Blacks on a sidewalk outside a Black family’s home, according to city police. Butler police charged Philip Anthony Rienzi Friday with criminal mischief and ethnic intimidation, both misdemeanor offenses. According to police, a pedestrian reported the graffiti on East...
Week in Review: Turnpike hike, Ligonier chase and Derry homicideVideo
A Derry woman was killed in an apparent case of mistaken identity, turnpike drivers without an E-ZPass are facing a major price hike, and Allegheny County is inspecting businesses to make sure they’re following coronavirus rules. Here’s a look back at some of the week’s top stories: Turnpike Hike Turnpike...
Legal experts: Mask requirements likely don’t violate Americans with Disabilities Act
Cries from across the country claiming constitutional rights are being stripped away by mask requirements might not be as valid as some people think. Mask requirements, put in place to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, are being challenged with lawsuits claiming they violate the Americans with Disabilities Act....
Virtual retreat equips Western Pa. teachers with tools for online education
When the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools across the nation, it wasn’t just students and parents who were tossed headlong into a brand-new challenge. Many teachers, counselors and principals faced the same dilemma. “All of a sudden, we found ourselves having to write game plans and blueprints for something that...
Clear skies expected this weekend following bouts of rain
The Pittsburgh region can expect to see clear skies and high temperatures over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The sunny forecast comes days after bouts of rain moved through the area this week. Yesterday’s showers brought close to an inch of rain at Pittsburgh International Airport, Meteorologist...
Pitt reopening plan spurs questions, concerns from student newspaper, neighborVideo
The University of Pittsburgh’s plan to reopen its Oakland campus in phases beginning Aug. 11 is raising questions among students and neighborhood residents. The hybrid plan, which calls for a mix of in-person and online classes, was months in the making. Among other features, the plan includes measures to reduce...
Indiana scammer to pay refunds for phony NFL, concert tickets
The state Attorney General reached a settlement with an Indiana County business that repeatedly scammed customers by selling phony tickets to NFL games and Pittsburgh-area concerts. The settlement with Ticket Victory of Indiana, owned by Brian Plowcha and operated between 2015-2018, will pay back more than $24,000 in consumer restitution,...
Despite recent hot, dry weather, Western Pa. on pace for average rainfall
It may seem like Western Pennsylvania is experiencing extremely hot and dry weather conditions, but that’s largely because we have become used to higher-than-normal rainfalls. So far this year, the region is right on track for precipitation, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. “Since Jan. 1, we have...
Murrysville company will help test systems for lunar lander
In the summer of 2021, Pittsburgh tech company Astrobotic plans to launch an unmanned lunar landing mission after being awarded a contract by NASA. But before that can happen, someone needs to make sure all of the lander’s systems are functioning correctly and working in concert with one another. That’s...
