Regional category, Page 276
Ambridge police chief who died of coronavirus was retired Pittsburgh officerVideo
Ambridge police Chief Mark J. Romutis was lauded as “the people’s policeman” in a statement on the borough’s Facebook page. But he was more than that, former colleague Robert Swartzwelder said Monday. Romutis was “just an all-around wonderful guy,” said Swartzwelder, a Pittsburgh officer who is president of the Fraternal...
AHN, UPMC spearhead plasma program that could treat coronavirus
Plasma from people who have recovered from the coronavirus could be a tool in helping critically ill patients recover from the virus, and the region’s two largest health care providers are working together to help facilitate those transfusions. Vitalant, previously the Central Blood Bank, is working with UPMC and Allegheny...
Pennsylvania’s online liquor sales booming despite tricky website
Patience is said to be a virtue — and it’s a necessary one for those using Pennsylvania’s Fine Wine and Good Spirits website to get their fill of libations. The state Liquor Control Board has randomized access to the site to control traffic and is filling an unspecified number of...
Pennsylvania reports 17 more coronavirus deaths as total cases top 24,000
Seventeen more people died from coronavirus in Pennsylvania, state health officials said Monday, and the total case count now tops 24,000. The death toll, which includes two new deaths in Allegheny County, stands at 524. Officials said one inmate from SCI-Phoenix in Montgomery County died. About 1,179 health care workers...
WVU dorm resident has coronavirus, others self-quarantineVideo
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — An undisclosed number of residents at a West Virginia University dormitory complex have been ordered to self-quarantine after someone living there tested positive for the new coronavirus, the university said. The Monongalia County health department notified the university of the positive test Sunday. The individual has been...
OPEC production cut will not soon impact gas prices, analyst says
An OPEC deal to cut oil production will not have an immediate impact on gasoline prices, which have fallen for a seventh straight week as the covid-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders crush demand, according to an industry analyst. “Establishing a floor on ultra-low oil prices will hopefully keep U.S. oil...
Police searching for missing Fayette County woman
Pennsylvania State Police are seeking help to locate a Fayette County woman missing since Friday, WPXI reported. Karissa Nicola, 30, was reported missing after she didn’t return from a walk along East Main Street in New Salem, police said. Nicola has distinctive tattoos and piercings, police said. Anyone with information...
Ambridge interim Police Chief Mark Romutis dies
Ambridge interim Chief of Police Mark Romutis died Sunday evening. Romutis, who was admitted to Allegheny General Hospital, had tested positive for covid-19 late last month, the Beaver County Times reported. “Chief Mark Romutis was a very good and kind man,” Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier told the newspaper....
Wind advisory, warning issued for Pittsburgh region
High winds are expected to buffet the Pittsburgh region for much of the day Monday, a National Weather service meteorologist said Sunday. A wind advisory is scheduled to start at 6 a.m. Monday and will be in effect until 8 p.m, during which a cold front will move through the...
Health Department reports 13 more covid-19 deaths in Pennsylvania
Thirteen more people in Pennsylvania have died from covid-19, bringing the statewide death toll to 507, state health department officials said. The total coronavirus case count is 22,833, according to data provided by the health department on Sunday. “Now more than ever, as we continue to see covid-19 cases and...
Trib launches ‘Thank You to the Heroes’ campaign
The coronavirus crisis has produced many heroes in our region, some well known and some unsung. In an effort to tell the stories of as many of these heroes as possible, Trib Total Media is launching a Thank You to the Heroes campaign. It’s an opportunity for readers to introduce...
Western Pa. companies scramble to make protective equipment in coronavirus fightVideo
On a long table inside a giant complex near New Stanton, where Volkswagen assembled cars and Sony made televisions decades ago, a small crew of workers for a high-tech company is assembling face shields to meet the immediate demand for critical medical supplies. “I heard about the need for shields...
State reports 8% increase in covid-19 cases in one day, 78 more deaths
Seventy-eight new coronavirus-related deaths were reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Health throughout the day Friday, bringing the state’s death toll to 494, according to state health officials. The total coronavirus case count is 21,655, the data show. It was the second consecutive day in which 78 new deaths were...
1 dead from covid-19 at Concordia’s Butler senior community; 2 employees infected in Monroeville, Baden
Concordia Lutheran Ministries confirmed Friday that a Butler assisted living community resident has died of covid-19, marking the first death linked to the coronavirus outbreak at the network’s senior care facilities in Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. The person who died Thursday night at Concordia at the Orchard in Butler...
Jumonville’s towering cross a ‘beacon of hope’ for 7 decades atop Fayette ridgeVideo
Heather Withrow was drawn to the Cross of Christ in the 1990s. Towering 60 feet atop Dunbar’s Knob, at the highest point above the affiliated Jumonville Camp and Conference Center, the shining white cross can be seen from miles away, including from Route 40. Withrow discovered her favorite view of...
Week in Review: Tornadoes strike, covid-19 death toll risesVideo
State agencies continued to change their policies in response to the rising coronavirus death toll, and two tornadoes ripped through the Alle-Kiski valley as high winds pummeled the region. Here’s a look at the week’s top stories. Trout season starts early Trout season opened in Pennsylvania at 8 a.m. Tuesday...
Fearing hospital bankruptcy, Gov. Wolf offers $450M in loans to financially strapped providers
Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday announced more than $450 million in low-interest loans meant to keep hospitals afloat as they continue to lose revenue amid the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitals statewide have canceled elective surgeries and nonurgent procedures to free up bed space and limit the spread of covid-19. At the...
Cornerstone Network spreads message of hope amid pandemic from ‘spiritual front lines’Video
A broadcast tower stretches up from atop a hill in Wall, streaming what producers at Cornerstone Network hope is a guiding message to those navigating the unfamiliar reality created by the coronavirus. The network, which has broadcast several programs from its location tucked between Pitcairn and North Versailles since 1979,...
‘Drive-thru’ funeral visitation to be held in Scottdale for local pastor
Despite being stricken by cancer, the Rev. Kimberly M. King stood in the parking lot of Owensdale United Methodist Church last Sunday passing out palms to members of two congregations in Fayette and Westmoreland counties where she preached for more than a decade. “Kim felt so strong about the Christian...
Gov. Wolf approves release of up to 1,800 inmates amid coronavirus concerns
Up to 1,800 Pennsylvania prison inmates scheduled for release in the next year could be temporarily released as part of a plan to reduce the spread of coronavirus, Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday. Eligible inmates could start being released to home confinement or community facilities as early as Tuesday, according...
U.S. Customs in Pittsburgh seizes counterfeit items potentially worth $200K
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently seized multiple “Express Delivery” parcels headed for Western Pennsylvania destinations, including Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, containing counterfeit brand name merchandise that would have fetched more than $200,000 on the market if authentic. The largest seizure was March 25 when officers confiscated a...
Pennsylvania reports 78 more coronavirus deaths as total case count nears 20,000Video
Seventy-eight new coronavirus-related deaths were reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Health throughout the day Thursday to bring the state’s death toll to 416, according to state health officials. The total coronavirus case count is approaching 20,000, the data show. The state saw three days this week where new deaths...
April snow showers dust Pittsburgh region
Western Pennsylvanians woke up to April snow showers Friday morning. The National Weather Service station at the Pittsburgh International Airport measured one-tenth of an inch of snow. Some areas, like Saxonburg and Butler County, reported more than an inch, NWS meteorologist Lee Hendricks said. Though it might be spring on...
Pa. Department of Health to provide county EMS agencies more details on covid-19 cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health will release additional information about the location of covid-19 patients to county emergency management agencies beginning Friday. Citing the privacy provisions of the 1955 Disease Prevention and Control Act, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which holds daily briefings on the statewide case count, previously refused...
Pennsylvania issues update on licensing waivers granted during coronavirus response
State officials have issued 30 licensing waivers since the Department of State last month said it would clear hurdles to allow more professionals to respond to the coronavirus disaster declaration. “During this unprecedented emergency, the Department of State is committed to reducing as many burdens as possible for licensees to...
