Regional category, Page 254
State police seek whereabouts of woman last seen at Unity airport
State police continue to seek the whereabouts of an intellectually disabled Hempfield woman last seen at the Arnold Palmer Airport in Unity over Memorial Day weekend. Alexandra Cycyk, 26, was last seen at the airport boarding a bus for Pittsburgh on May 25. She is 5-foot-1-inch tall and 125 pounds...
Allegheny County woman accused of trafficking methamphetamine in 3-county area
A year-long investigation into methamphetamine trafficking from the West Coast into Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties resulted in the arrest of an Elizabeth Township woman Monday. Alexis M. “Lexy” Stoupis, 38, of Buena Vista, was arrested in Westmoreland County by troopers with the state police organized crime unit who say...
Exact change? Western Pa. businesses impacted by national coin shortage
Businesses are facing yet another hurdle from the coronavirus pandemic — a shortage of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. The national coin shortage, which is impacting businesses across the nation, is the result of disruption in the supply chain when stay-at-home orders were put in place and businesses were forced...
Ohio man killed in Washington County motorcycle crash
An Ohio man was killed Tuesday in a motorcycle crash in Washington County, according to Coroner Tim Warco. John Duda, 53, of Kettering, west of Columbus, apparently lost control of the motorcycle he was riding around a bend on Thomas Eighty Four Road in North Strabane. Investigators said the crash...
Fallingwater to host free distribution of fresh produce
A free distribution of fresh produce is planned Wednesday at Fallingwater in Fayette County. Open to anyone in need, the giveaway organized by 412 Food Rescue will take place from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the main parking lot of the historical site at 1491 Mill Run Road, off Route 381...
Pennsylvania health department puts additional coronavirus restrictions on hold
Plans to restrict dining and gatherings in some Southwestern Pennsylvania counties where covid-19 cases have increased have been put on hold following discussions with local leaders last week, Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said Monday. “We had a robust discussion, but none of that influenced our decision,”...
Carnegie Mellon names new business school dean
Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou, dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University in Montreal, was named the 10th dean of Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business on Monday. Officials at CMU said Bajeux-Besnainou’s appointment follows an international search. She will assume her new role at CMU Oct. 15. She...
Cleveland ranks as most stressed city in U.S., Pittsburgh at 97
Covid-19, civil protests, businesses shutting down, presidential election forthcoming. There’s no doubt these are stressful times. Now, a new survey finds that the most stressful city in the country is just next door to Pittsburgh — in Cleveland. Well, with a moniker like “Mistake on the Lake,” it’s no wonder...
Increase in covid-19 cases not sharp enough to push gas prices lower, analyst says
The average price of gasoline fell slightly in the Pittsburgh area in the past week, while rising nationally, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said the tracking service’s data show that demand for gasoline “continues to struggle as of late, hitting some...
State says 90% of jobless getting benefits
Despite complaints from some jobless workers that they have yet to receive state unemployment benefits after months of waiting, Pennsylvania officials on Monday said 90% of the claims for benefits have been paid. Most of the remaining 10% of claims filed since March 15 have not been paid because the...
5 residents at Concordia at Villa St. Joseph in Baden test positive for covid-19
Five residents of a Beaver County nursing home have tested positive for covid-19, officials at the facility confirmed over the weekend. The infected residents at Concordia at Villa St. Joseph in Baden have been quarantined and staffers have investigated where those residents have been in the facility to determine who...
Veterans left out of census count
On the morning of July 29, 1967, Preston Gardner, a Navy senior chief petty officer, had just finished an overnight shift aboard the USS Forrestal, an aircraft carrier operating in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War. A stray electrical signal ignited a rocket on board. It shot across...
Some Duquesne Light, West Penn Power customers without power
The power is coming back on for thousands of customers in Southwestern Pennsylvania who lost electricity as a result of a severe thunderstorm Friday night. As of 6 p.m. Saturday, Duquesne Light said it had 779 customers still without power as a result of 20 outages. West Penn Power reported...
Western Pa. pool companies make a big splash during wave of demand
When the 90-degree-plus heat soars, artist Joan Marangoni stops painting by noon on her new outdoor mural at Murphy’s Music Center in Leechburg. She practically sprints to her new 30-foot round, above-ground pool at her Washington Township home. “Jumping in a pool to cool off and to be with your...
Pittsburgh-area musicians find new ways to stage live music amid covid-19 restrictions
When Pittsburgh’s nightlife scene shut down amid the covid-19 quarantine, hundreds of live performances were shelved. In the quarantine’s early days, livestreaming was a primary mode of musical communication, with bands setting up “virtual tip jars” through services such as PayPal and Venmo. And while there is still plenty of...
Thousands still without power from Friday’s thunderstorms across region
Thousands of residents in Southwestern Pennsylvania woke up Saturday morning with no electricity in their homes as a result of severe thunderstorms Friday night. West Penn Power Co. in Greensburg said that about 5,240 customers in Allegheny, Westmoreland, Fayette, Washington and Greene counties were without power as of 9 a.m....
Beloved clergyman assumes the mantle of leadership at Saint Vincent Archabbey
Although it may have triggered adjustments, even a pandemic couldn’t halt the passing of the baton Friday as the Rev. Martin de Porres Bartel accepted the mantle of leadership at the Saint Vincent Archabbey. The majestic tones of the pipe organ filled the soaring Saint Vincent Basilica in Unity as...
Westmoreland, surrounding counties, will not see new dining, bar restrictions over weekend
Westmoreland and surrounding southwestern Pennsylvania counties received a reprieve — for the weekend, at least — on new restrictions that would have temporarily halted indoor dining and drinking in an attempt to slow increased covid-19 cases. County officials received word that Gov. Tom Wolf would not announce any new restrictions...
Fayette County man accused of injuring infant
A five-month investigation by Fayette County authorities resulted in criminal charges being filed this week against a Brownsville man who allegedly broke the arm of an infant girl in February. Brownsville police obtained an arrest warrant Thursday for Frances W. Lee III, 37, who is charged with two counts of...
Bats with covid-19? Pennsylvania researchers are trying to find out
The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine is studying if covid-19 has been contracted by local bats who are recovering from white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungus that has been decimating populations. If the state’s fragile but recovering bat population contracts covid-19, it could create another stressor for the night...
Kennywood welcomes visitors with covid-19 safety measures
A Pittsburgh staple reopened Friday — but Kennywood will be a little different this summer. Visitors will have to pass a temperature screening to enter. Face masks are mandatory. And visitors will have to stand 6 feet apart while they wait in line for rides. Following the well-known guidelines for...
Learn how to kill the spotted lanternfly
As the invasive spotted lanternfly moves into Allegheny and other counties, Penn State Extension is offering a live webinar at 3 p.m. on July 15 about methods to get rid of the invasive insect. The cost is $10 for professionals and the public. The colorful moth-like invasive insect swarms and...
Allegheny, Westmoreland arts groups receive portion of $2.3 million pandemic grants
Hundreds of nonprofit arts organizations will receive $2.3 million in pandemic relief grants Gov. Tom Wolf announced this week . Out of the 309 recipients, 36 organizations will receive $50,000 each from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and 273 organizations will receive $1,930 from the Pennsylvania Council on...
Crash closes eastbound lanes on I-70 in Washington County
Eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 in Washington County were closed early Friday to a tractor-trailer crash, Tribune-Review news partners WPXI-TV reported. The crash was near the Interstate 79 southbound junction. According to the news channel, hazmat teams were dispatched because of a diesel fuel leak. Eastbound Lanes of I-70 at...
‘Start feeling lightheaded’: Construction workers suffer during heat waves
Scorching hot temperatures are taking a toll on construction crews across Western Pennsylvania. Peter Caruso, owner of Peter J. Caruso & Sons Inc., had about 30 workers paving in sweltering temperatures on Thursday — when air temperatures topped 90 degrees for the seventh consecutive day, with the heat wave expected...
