Before any threat of a deadly, fast-spreading coronavirus disrupted daily life in every way across Pennsylvania, state lawmakers had approved a new way of voting that gave residents an alternative to going in person to the polls.

The Capitol complex in Harrisburg will close to the public until further notice because of a statewide surge in coronavirus infections, officials said Thursday.

Allegheny County passed a depressing milestone on Thursday, reporting more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

A month ago that number seemed distant. 

On Wednesday, Nov. 18, Superintendent William Harner roved Quakertown Senior High School looking for trouble.

Drug companies are on the verge of releasing coronavirus vaccines to the public, but getting Black people and Latinos to trust the vaccine is yet another hurdle in the pandemic that has affected people of color the most.

The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh paid out $19,237,000 to victims of sexual abuse by its clergy members through a compensation fund launched after the release of a grand jury report in 2018. That report found widespread child sexual abuse in Catholic churches across Pennsylvania.

The settlements were paid out by the Kenneth Feinberg Group, an independent mediator hired by the diocese in 2019, to 244 claims, according to a statement from the diocese Thursday.

Pennsylvania's state treasurer said Tuesday that his agency has come up with plans to prevent shutdowns of highway construction and safety work amid tax collections lagging because of economic fallout from the pandemic.

The Baltimore Ravens didn't practice for more than a week while COVID-19 raced through the locker room and forced the NFL to postpone their trip to Pittsburgh three separate times. They ran onto Heinz Field on Wednesday afternoon with 11 practice squad players added to the roster and star quarterback Lamar Jackson and starting running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins back in Baltimore.

A traditional gallery show featuring work by 100 Pittsburgh artists would be noteworthy (not to mention crowded). This week’s online auction showcasing that many locally based artists is likely a first.

The pandemic-related financial struggles of Allegheny County’s parks, libraries and arts groups aren’t over yet, but at least one major funder seems on the path to recovery.

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission is greenlighting the license transfer of Three Mile Island’s Unit 2 reactor from FirstEnergy to a subsidiary of Utah-based EnergySolutions for decommissioning.

Climate change is one of the four major crises President-elect Joe Biden hopes to tackle after he’s sworn into office in January.

December has brought snow to the Pittsburgh region.

While the city of Pittsburgh might not be blanketed in snow, the National Weather Service office in Moon Township got 1.7 inches of snow by 7 a.m.

The National Weather Service also issued a winter weather advisory for Allegheny County until Wednesday morning. The region is expected to get 3 to 5 inches of snow. 

The NWS warns, "Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning and evening commute."