March 20, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Editor’s Note: This story has now been updated with a response from Republican leaders of the Pennsylvania Senate and details from Ohio.
(Submitted photo)
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all businesses that are not “life-sustaining,” in his words, to close their physical locations at 8 p.m. Thursday.
Enforcement by the Pennsylvania State Police and other agencies will begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday (March 21).
Pharmacies, food markets and gas stations are exempt. Also exempt are farms, food processing facilities and many manufacturing facilities. Utilities, transportation services, auto-repair shops and building material stores are exempt and may remain open. Construction work must halt, but building maintenance can continue, the state said.
Businesses that do not comply will face citations, fines and other enforcement actions, Wolf’s office said.
The order is designed to slow the spread of novel coronavirus and the related disease, COVID-19, officials said.
State Republicans said the order issued by Wolf, a Democrat, went too far.
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March 19, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements, Crime and Police News, Duquesne News, McKeesport and Region News, North Versailles Twp. News, White Oak News
Local police departments are modifying their procedures in response to concerns over the spread of novel coronavirus.
Officers will respond immediately to emergency calls to 9-1-1, police said, but tours and routine visits are cancelled indefinitely.
Police in Duquesne, McKeesport, North Versailles Twp. and White Oak are asking residents not to come to their stations in person for routine requests.
Information requests, general complaints and reports about suspicious behaviors should be telephoned to non-emergency numbers, and will be handled by phone. If an officer needs additional information in person, they will make arrangements to meet the other party, police said.
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March 15, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Courtesy Office of Gov. Tom Wolf)
All restaurants and bars in Allegheny County have been ordered to close their dining rooms at midnight tonight, and to stay closed for 14 days.
The order was issued by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, citing recommendations from the state health department.
Wolf said he was exercising his authority under the state’s COVID-19 disaster declaration order. Four other counties — Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery — also are affected.
Eating and drinking inside restaurants and bars in those counties is temporarily prohibited. Carry-out and delivery service may continue, the governor said.
Ohio Gov. Michael Dewine issued a similar order earlier on Sunday, effective statewide at 9 p.m.
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March 15, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen and chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald announce Sunday that all non-essential busnesses are being asked to close for two weeks to slow the spread of COVID-19. (Allegheny County via YouTube)
Allegheny County officials are asking all “non-essential businesses” — especially those where residents congregate for long periods of time — to close for 14 days in an attempt to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement came just after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all gatherings of more than 50 people scheduled for the next eight weeks be cancelled or postponed.
Both the county’s advice and the CDC guidance follow increasingly serious reports from Italy, where doctors report that emergency rooms are overwhelmed with victims of COVID-19, a mutated form of coronavirus that causes rapid respiratory failure in some patients.
Italian hospitals on Sunday reported nearly 400 deaths from COVID-19 in a single 24-hour period.
In a video released Sunday evening, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen asked all businesses to voluntarily close or find alternative ways of doing business for at least 14 days.
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March 13, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Liberty Borough News, McKeesport and Region News
South Allegheny School District has joined a growing list of Pennsylvania school districts that are closing for four weeks during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is not the school year we envisioned for our children,” said Lisa N. Duval, district superintendent. “I hope you will talk to your children about their concerns and listen to their disappointment.
“If we can show sympathy for those who are ill or caring for sick family members, empathy for each other and patience during an extraordinary time, we will end up stronger,” she said.
In a letter to parents, students and staff, Duval said that all use of school district facilities is suspended, and all activities — including field trips and student travel, athletic team practices and other gatherings — also is suspended until further notice.
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March 13, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements, McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport Area School District will be closed through April 14, the district announced via Facebook.
“At this time, the McKeesport Area School District has decided to close all campuses through spring break,” the district said. “Classes are tentatively scheduled to resume in McKeesport Area School District schools on Tuesday, April 14. In the event that this date would change, we will communicate that in a timely fashion.
“Please know that we understand the challenges and stress that a prolonged closure will put on our families. However, we believe that shutting down our campuses is in the best interest of protecting the health and welfare of every member of our educational community, especially those at a higher risk of contracting coronavirus. We will be here to assist our families in any way that we can during this time.”
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March 13, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Serra Catholic High School was closed Friday for sanitization, the Diocese of Pittsburgh announced, but students were working remotely. All Catholic schools in the diocese will be closed Monday as teachers prepare for an possible extended period of online instruction. (Photo courtesy Serra Catholic High School)
Although no confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported in Allegheny County on Friday morning, local schools and agencies said they are taking precautionary measures.
A spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said that three local schools — Serra Catholic High School in the city and two elementary schools, St. Therese in Munhall and East Catholic in Forest Hills, were closed for cleaning.
A few students and adults from St. Therese, East Catholic and St. Bede elementary in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and are being kept out of school for 14 days, the diocese said.
Students at Serra Catholic were receiving online instruction on Friday, the diocese said.
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March 13, 2020 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
State Senate Majority Jay Costa of Forest Hills spoke at a public forum Thursday night organized by Allegheny Intermediate Unit. (Richard Finch Jr. photo for Tube City Almanac)
Allegheny Intermediate Unit scheduled a legislative forum on public education Thursday night in Homestead.
But the forum, attended by local school board members and district superintendents, quickly turned into a discussion of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Pennsylvania, and what legislators in Harrisburg are doing to protect residents.
The event at the AIU central office was moderated by Jon Delano, KDKA-TV (2) money and politics editor.
State Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills and state Rep. Dan Miller participated in the panel. Joseph Shaulis, AIU general counsel, said all Allegheny County lawmakers were invited to attend.
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March 12, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Liberty Borough News, McKeesport and Region News
(Photo special to Tube City Almanac)
The former St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Port Vue will close permanently this month.
In a decree dated Feb. 21, Bishop David Zubik said the decision was made at the request of parishioners who were concerned that the condition of the building and the cost of necessary repairs represented “a grave threat” and presented “critical financial difficulties.”
St. Joseph merged with the former St. Eugene Church in Liberty Borough in 1993 to become St. Mark Parish. St. Mark is now part of a regional grouping of churches that also includes St. Michael in Elizabeth Twp. and Queen of the Rosary in Glassport.
The final Mass at the St. Joseph site will be celebrated at 6:30 p.m. March 19, the parish and diocese announced, and the building will be turned over for non-sacred “but not sordid” uses, Zubik said.
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March 06, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News, McKeesport and Region News
A technician works in ShotSpotter’s incident review center. McKeesport officials are investigating whether or not the technology can be brought to the city with the help of a federal grant. (Submitted photo)
City officials are seeking a federal grant to bring gunshot detection technology to McKeesport in an effort to respond more quickly to incidents.
At Wednesday’s meeting, city council authorized Mayor Michael Cherepko’s administration to apply for a grant through the U.S. Justice Department’s Community Policing Development program to acquire “ShotSpotter” technology.
ShotSpotter, based in Newark, Calif., uses an network of electronic sensors to detect gunfire, pinpoint its exact location, and then alert police. The company says that its system depends on artificial intelligence to analyze the sounds of loud noises and that it ignores things like thunder, fireworks and trucks backfiring.
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