Regional category, Page 280
Reports of Schoology crash as school districts transition to online learning
Connectivity is a top priority for students, as many school districts began official distance learning on Monday. Amid the transition, one learning management system, Schoology, experienced server issues, kicking students out of online classrooms and producing load errors. “We are aware some users are experiencing degraded service when accessing Schoology....
Schools collaborate to deliver services during shutdown
When fear of the coronavirus separated K-12 students from school buildings, the need to continue teaching brought school officials in Westmoreland County’s far-flung school districts closer than ever. For the last two weeks, every morning at 8 a.m., top administrators from the county’s 17 school districts, three career and technical...
2 Beaver County nursing home residents with covid-19 have died, medical director says
Two residents of Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center who tested positive for covid-19 have died, its medical director confirmed Monday. Dr. David Thimons said the two residents had advanced dementia and were in hospice care when they died. They were in a unit that was converted specifically to treat the...
State seeks person who illegally shot deer near Boswell
The state Game Commission is looking for information related to the illegal shooting of several deer in the Jenner Township area of Somerset County, between Boswell and Acosta. Based on an investigation into the shootings, the Game Commission said in a statement that it believes the deer were shot last...
Police seize liquor in Erie in probe of illegal sales
Pennsylvania State Police liquor enforcement officers seized 59 bottles of liquor during a search on Saturday afternoon of an east Erie residence in a probe of possible illegal alcohol sales. A 24-year-old man accused of offering the bottles for sale on social media will face criminal charges in the incident,...
Pa. sees 10 more deaths, 693 new coronavirus cases as total tops 4,000
Ten more people have died from the coronavirus in Pennsylvania, and the state added nearly 700 new cases of the virus between Sunday and Monday, state health officials said. Deaths in the state now total 48, and 693 new cases bring the statewide total to 4,087. It’s the largest one-day...
Dozens still without power around Cleveland after severe weather hits
CLEVELAND — A few hundred utility customers remained without power early Monday after severe weather spawned what forecasters called a “100-year flood” in Cleveland and led to a number of water rescues. Meanwhile, flood warnings issued by the National Weather Service remained in place for some rivers, including the Black...
Gas prices continue plummeting, averaging $2.27 a gallon in Pittsburgh area
Gasoline prices are continuing to fall but, unlike the national average, the average in the Pittsburgh area remains above $2 per gallon, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. The national average has fallen under $2 per gallon for the first time in more than four years, caused by an unprecedented drop...
Power outages reported across Pittsburgh region
Duquesne Light and West Penn Power were both reporting power outages in the Pittsburgh area early Monday morning. As of 6 a.m., Duquesne Light had about 350 outages. Most were in Churchill, 106; Hampton, 97; and Ross, 68. By 10:30, outages were down to about 170, while still focused with...
With an eye on ICU beds, Pa. hospitals prep for surge in coronavirus patients
As coronavirus cases continue to grow, hospitals across the state are doing what they can to prepare for a surge of critical patients that officials fear could overwhelm the health care system. More than half of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, however, have fewer than 20 intensive care beds, according to data...
Inmate at state prison in Montgomery County diagnosed with covid-19
An inmate in the state prison system tested positive for covid-19, according to Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Sec. John Wetzel. “An inmate at SCI Phoenix (Montgomery County) with underlying health conditions has tested positive for COVID-19,” Wetzel said in a statement. “The inmate is in the prison’s infirmary and is...
9 more residents of Beaver County nursing home diagnosed with covid-19
Nine more residents of a Beaver County nursing home tested positive for covid-19, said the home’s medical director. Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center started testing residents Friday, and 10 positive covid-19 cases were confirmed by Saturday morning. On Sunday, Dr. David Thimons, the center’s medical director, said there were another...
School districts develop plans, implement online learning
Kiski Area School District, like many other districts, will begin teaching students remotely this week, relying on Google tools, email and the cooperation of parents to stream lectures and distribute assignments. It’s going to be a challenge, Superintendent Tim Scott said. But at this point, there are few options. “We’re...
NWS: Storms produced golf-ball sized hail, flash flooding
Some areas reported more than 2 inches of rain Saturday as thunderstorms drenched the Pittsburgh region, according to the National Weather Service. Flash flooding and golf ball-size hail were reported, meteorologist Myranda Fullerton said. “We saw anywhere from three-quarters of an inch total upwards of over 2 inches in some...
Pennsylvania reports 4 more deaths, 643 new cases of coronavirus
Four more people in Pennsylvania have died from covid-19, increasing the statewide coronavirus death toll to 38, state health officials said Sunday at their daily briefing. The state reported 643 new cases of covid-19. A total of 3,394 residents had tested positive as of noon Sunday. Confirmed cases are now...
Armstrong Township woman killed in Blairsville crash
A 50-year-old woman killed in a Blairsville crash on March 27 has been identified as Christina Anne Roberson of Armstrong Township. Roberson was driving north on South Walnut Street near Old Main Street shortly before 9:30 p.m. when she struck the curb after failing to make a left bend in...
Covid-19 pandemic provides ‘haunting’ parallel to deadly 1918 global flu infectionsVideo
Hauntingly similar. A little more than a century after a global influenza epidemic that cut a deadly path across Western Pennsylvania, that’s how Thomas Soltis describes the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading rapidly through much of Pennsylvania — having already killed 34 people in the state and more than 30,000...
Beaver County nursing home confronts covid-19 outbreak; at least 10 residents infected
A Beaver County nursing home is scrambling to contain an outbreak of covid-19 that has infected at least 10 residents, officials said Saturday. The Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center began testing residents Friday night, and the first several results came back negative, the center’s leaders said in a statement. Results...
Turzai calls for end to construction stoppage
The speaker of the state House plans to introduce legislation that would allow all construction projects in the state to proceed under Gov. Tom Wolf’s closure of non-life-sustaining businesses. The governor ordered the closures March 19 to slow the spread of covid-19. After failing to change the mind of the...
Day care operators confused over state directives; reopening on holdVideo
Concern over changes in state rules and recommendations guiding child care centers amid the coronavirus scare — and worry over their liability if a child in their care becomes ill with covid-19 — have kept some closed after obtaining state waivers to remain open. “They have been confused and frustrated....
Pennsylvania reports 12 more deaths, 533 new cases of coronavirus
Twelve more people in Pennsylvania have died from covid-19, increasing the statewide coronavirus death toll to 34, state health officials said Saturday. Confirmed cases now are present in at least 56 of the state’s 67 counties, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We are seeing this virus rear its ugly...
Giant Eagle employees in New Kensington, North Huntingdon and Wexford test positive for covid-19
Employees at five Giant Eagle stores have tested positive for coronavirus, including stores in New Kensington, North Huntingdon and Wexford, the company announced Friday. All five of the affected grocery stores have been thoroughly sanitized and are open for business, the company said in a statement. “Like other essential businesses,...
Week in review: Cornavirus sweeps nation, causes local leaders to take actionVideo
As the coronavirus continues to spread across Western Pennsylvania, several actions were taken by local leaders to help keep communities safe. Here’s a look at what happened this week. Businesses investigated After Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to temporarily shutter last week, a handful were investigated by local...
Butler County added to growing list of areas under Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order
Butler County on Friday joined the growing list of Pennsylvania counties under Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order. The order was scheduled to take effect at 8 p.m. Friday and continue until April 6. Individuals must stay at home “unless someone’s life depends on your leaving,” according to the order. In...
Congressman Mike Kelly of Butler tests positive for covid-19
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly said Friday that he has tested positive for covid-19. The Republican from Butler, 71, said his symptoms are not severe and that he will continue to work from home until they subside completely. “My symptoms remain mild, and I will serve the 16th District from home...
