Coronavirus category, Page 213
Tyson Foods idles largest pork plant as virus slams industryVideo
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Tyson Foods suspended operations Wednesday at an Iowa plant that is critical to the nation’s pork supply but was blamed for fueling a massive coronavirus outbreak in the region. The Arkansas-based company said the closure of the plant in Waterloo would deny a vital market to...
Courts continue under emergency rules, making plans to resume hearings, trials as restrictions lift
A Westmoreland County judge leaned close to his web camera and offered timely advice to a jail inmate who was granted an early parole after serving seven months for a burglary conviction. “Wash your hands as frequently as you can and wear that mask,” said Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher...
Bail denied for Israeli awaiting sentencing in 2004 Dormont sexual assault
A Pennsylvania appeals court Wednesday denied bail for a 54-year-old Israeli citizen in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting sentencing for a 2004 sexual assault involving a 15-year-old girl in Dormont. Moshe Journo, formerly of Beechview, was to be sentenced in March on the charges, which he pleaded guilty to in...
Pennsylvania car dealers get limited opening for sales during coronavirus restrictions
People who have been shut out the past month from buying a car will be able to now that Gov. Tom Wolf has lifted some restrictions on dealerships. “We’ve got permission for online sales, but the showroom still will be locked down. We’re not allowed to have people coming in...
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman wants all the city’s casinos to open — then close if they’re infectedVideo
An argument from the mayor of Las Vegas about opening the city’s casinos has hit a fever pitch. Carolyn Goodman, who has been the Sin City mayor since 2011, has demanded that the businesses that want to open should be allowed to and called Nevada’s nonessential business shutdowns “total insanity”...
‘Sewing angels’ provide 1,000 homemade masks for Pittsburgh policeVideo
Pittsburgh police were set to run out of crucial face masks used to combat the spread of the coronavirus when a “sewing angel” in Mt. Lebanon stepped in. “Every single Pittsburgh police officer, detective, supervisor — even the clerks that work in our buildings — have these masks from Gloria,”...
2 cats in New York become first U.S. pets to test positive for coronavirusVideo
NEW YORK — Two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for coronavirus, marking the first confirmed cases in companion animals in the United States, federal officials said Wednesday. The cats, which had mild respiratory illnesses and are expected to recover, are thought to have contracted the virus...
Auto insurance companies sending money directly to customers as result of covid-19
Auto insurance companies are offering financial relief to customers while stay-at-home directives reduce the number of people driving during the coronavirus pandemic. Companies offering relief assistance include Erie Insurance, GEICO, Progressive, State Farm, Allstate and Travelers. Erie Insurance said it would provide $200 million in dividends directly to personal and...
Answering the Call: Pittsburgh nurse talks about impact of coronavirus on ICUVideo
Amber Holshue is a senior professional nurse II working in the adult intensive care unit at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. She has been an ICU nurse at Magee for four years. The covid-19 outbreak has made her work even more challenging. The hospital now cannot have visitors in the ICU ,...
Pittsburgh airport hosts hundreds for Community Food Bank distribution
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank distributed packages to hundreds of people in cars Wednesday during a drive-up giveaway at Pittsburgh International Airport. Officials said they served 812 vehicles from 1 to 3 p.m. in the airport parking lots. More than 40,000 pounds of food was distributed. Each care received...
Trump ‘disagrees strongly’ with Georgia’s plan to reopenVideo
ATLANTA — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he “disagreed strongly” with the decision by Georgia’s Republican governor to reopen salons, gyms and other nonessential businesses later this week, saying, “It’s just too soon.” Trump’s comments at a daily White House briefing marked an abrupt shift in tone. Just last...
Trump administration offers plan to cover coronavirus care for uninsured
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced a plan Wednesday to start paying hospitals and doctors who care for uninsured patients with coronavirus, but Democratic lawmakers and health industry groups are likely to press for more. Under the approach detailed by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, hospitals and doctors...
During a pandemic, a simple cough can turn into a weapon
A woman coughs on a state trooper and claims she has coronavirus. A man coughs on a medical employee who is wearing a mask, telling her the mask won’t help her. The pandemic surging across the country has turned into a sick joke — and perhaps something more sinister —...
2 more 911th Airlift Wing reservists deployed for covid-19 response
Two more members of the 911th Aeromedical Staging Squadron based in Moon were mobilized Wednesday as part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic. The airmen left Wednesday for New Jersey. They will join more than 150 other reservists who will be sent to locations across the country in support...
Pennsylvania boosting efforts to promote voting by mail
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is boosting its efforts to get voters to cast their primary election ballots by mail, saying it would help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The administration sent 4.2 million postcards to primary voters and is mounting an awareness campaign on radio, television, social media, streaming...
Here are the ZIP codes in Allegheny County with the most coronavirus cases
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus is now being released by ZIP code in Pennsylvania. The state Department of Health map includes information for all 67 counties. Allegheny County has also reported positive cases at the municipal level using an online map since late March. In Allegheny County,...
Town hall focuses on lack of resources for Pittsburgh black communities during coronavirus pandemic
The covid-19 pandemic has put a “glaring spotlight” on the inequities in social systems that hurt black families, community leaders said during a virtual town hall Tuesday. “All of these things make a perfect storm for the African American community,” said Trisha Gadson, CEO of Macedonia Family and Community Enrichment....
Amid coronavirus pandemic, homebrewing surges in popularity
SALEM, Ore. — On March 14, the day after the covid-19 outbreak was declared a national emergency in the United States, I decided to take up an activity that I had abandoned decades ago. I brewed some beer. I became part of a trend. While states imposed stay-at-home orders, brewpubs...
Lawsuit claims IUP manager fired for notifying staff of possible covid-19 exposure
A former supervisor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania claims in a lawsuit he was fired for telling employees a fellow worker had been exposed to coronavirus. Donald Woolslayer, the school’s director of facilities since 2016, claims he was terminated on March 31 — the day after he emailed a notification...
Adapting: Versatile Monroeville caterer changes business model in face of coronavirus restrictions
Editor’s note: Adapting is a regular series spotlighting the ways the global coronavirus pandemic is changing the everyday lives of people in Western Pennsylvania. Javid Shojaie has owned and operated Jaden’s Catering in Monroeville for 26 years. Before catering became part of its name, the business was a restaurant. The...
Westmoreland County residents can share stories for pandemic archive
What’s your covid-19 story? Westmoreland County residents are invited to share their pandemic experiences for a digital archive being created by the Saint Vincent College History Department and the Westmoreland Historical Society. “The public is encouraged to submit personal stories about family life, work, school and relationships, along with videos,...
Another food distribution set at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh
Another emergency food distribution will be held Friday outside PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. This is the second distribution hosted there and it’s coordinated by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank with help from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council and Pittsburgh police. It will be held from 10...
Pennsylvania reports 58 more coronavirus deaths as total cases top 35,000
The coronavirus death toll in Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,600 as the total number of positive cases rose by 1,156, state health officials reported Wednesday. The 58 new deaths bring the statewide total to 1,622. That includes 1,325 confirmed deaths and 297 probable deaths. Department of Health officials are defining confirmed...
Allegheny County reports 7 more deaths, 29 new coronavirus cases
Allegheny County on Wednesday reported seven new deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the total to 74. Of that total, 15 are designated as probable deaths from covid-19, meaning that those people did not have a positive test for the virus, but covid-19 is listed on their death certificate. Of the...
Cranberry cancels Community Days celebration amid coronavirus concerns
Uncertainty about when orders will be lifted to allow people to gather in large groups again prompted Cranberry Township officials to cancel this year’s Community Days celebration. “Planning for Community Days, which draws more than 30,000 people over three days, typically begins in January, with vendors and entertainment booked in...
