Kiley Koscinski

Allegheny County officials are urging local COVID-19 vaccine providers to inoculate frontline health care workers over those further down the state's prioritization list. County health department director Dr. Debra Bogen said providers should contact the county if they can’t find groups of phase 1A workers.

When a UPMC service coordinator received notification this month that it was her turn to get the COVID vaccine, she was surprised. 

The state health department has created a map that lists COVID-19 vaccine providers across Pennsylvania. Providers who currently offer vaccines and those that eventually will as the state’s roll out enters its later stages are included.

The Allegheny County Health Department announced a second clinic for COVID-19 vaccines Monday. The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Monroeville will serve as a point of distribution in addition to the Health Department’s downtown location.

A portable, pod-shaped device is helping nursing homes, dentist offices and others to protect patients and residents from the coronavirus. The Nanowave Air, developed by Cheswick, Pa.-based Dynamics, is reportedly the first device of its kind.

As health care workers and nursing home residents are getting vaccinated against COVID-19, officials are still finalizing the distribution plan for the so-called Phase 1B group. This next phase of vaccine distribution includes first responders, critical workers and those with pre-existing conditions that put them more at risk of severe illness from the coronavirus.

Free electronic tablets have been distributed to those incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail as a way to connect them to the outside world through video calls, movies, eBooks and messaging. But there have been complaints about reliable connection and costs associated with accessing many of the tablet’s features.

Five UPMC employees were the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Pittsburgh Monday. UPMC received its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine at 9:15 a.m. at Children’s Hospital in Lawrenceville. The first shipment contained 975 doses; the state of Pennsylvania is slated to receive 100 shipments, equaling 97,500 doses total.

A day before many high school winter sports competitions were set to begin in Pennsylvania, the state called time out. All high school sports activities have been prohibited as part of a three-week order also restricting indoor dining and most gatherings.

UPMC leaders said Tuesday their health network is busy with the rise in COVID-19 cases, but not overwhelmed. In a press conference, senior vice president Leslie Davis said the network is redirecting staffing and equipment resources to hospitals as needed.

As the fall resurgence of COVID-19 cases continues to set records, Gov. Tom Wolf pleaded with Pennsylvanians to follow mitigation protocols Monday. Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine issued a stay at home advisory two weeks ago, but the effort has not stemmed the spread of COVID-19.

More Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority customers will be protected from shutoffs this winter. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has approved a settlement that also cuts the PWSA’s proposed service rate increase in half.

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.

A ban on buying books for people incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail was lifted Wednesday. The policy prevented people at the jail and their loved ones from purchasing books from approved third party providers. The ban lasted a little more than two weeks.

Contact tracing apps have been lauded as one tool to help contain the spread of COVID-19, but they all require a majority of people to download and use them. As more apps come online, the potential user pool for any one app shrinks. 

As cases of COVID-19 continue to skyrocket in Pennsylvania, health officials are stressing the importance of testing and contact tracing. Michael Huff, the state’s director of testing and contact tracing, urged Pennsylvanians to respond to contact tracers investigating a case.

The Port Authority of Allegheny County is asking the public for ideas for its long-range transit plan called NEXTransit this week. Organizers say no idea is too big.

The coronavirus pandemic didn’t create the digital divide, but it did shine a spotlight on it. With so many students attending class online, one local collaboration is aiming to provide free, high-speed internet access in the Coraopolis, Homewood and New Kensington areas. The signal will beam from atop the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland. 

The rate of Allegheny County residents applying for licenses to carry firearms has nearly tripled in the last month. The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office typically issues between 40 to 80 licenses or renewals per day, but as of Oct. 21, the office has issued between 250 and 300 per day, according to Chief Deputy Kevin Kraus. 

After days of tension as Americans awaited the results of the Presidential election, Pittsburgh streets erupted in cheers shortly after Democrat Joe Biden was declared the winner. What was originally organized as a “Count the Votes” rally by Pennsylvania United became a victory celebration as hundreds of people marched down East Carson Street on the South Side singing, cheering, chanting and dancing.

A “Stop the Steal,” protest claiming some mail-in ballots are fraudulent was met by a few counter protesters and scores of police officers in downtown Pittsburgh Friday. The entire protest lasted about 90 minutes.

Demonstrators gathered in downtown Pittsburgh Wednesday afternoon for two protests to demand that, “every ballot be counted” in Pennsylvania. Later in the evening three people were arrested after a group split off from one of the protests. The state has been a major focus of the 2020 Election, as ballots are still being counted to determine which presidential candidate will earn the commonwealth’s 20 electoral votes.

Residents of Garfield, Highland Park and East Liberty will receive new recycling bins from the city today. The blue 32-gallon bins will replace blue bags currently used by some residents.

Attorneys for the family of a man killed by Wilkinsburg Police have filed a federal lawsuit citing excessive force. Romir Talley was fatally shot by Wilkinsburg Police officer Robert Gowans in December 2019.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, also includes claims of unreasonable seizure and improper training of officers by the police department.

Dozens of Hazelwood residents and people from surrounding communities spoke out against a non-profit sponsored shuttle service at a public meeting Wednesday evening. Nearly 200 people joined the video call, which lasted just over two hours. 

East Liberty-based Duolingo announced Wednesday a multi-year fund to support local artists and arts organizations. The language-learning app developer made the announcement as the company officially unveiled a new public mural on the Duolingo headquarters on Penn Avenue. 

The company says it will put up $150,000 over the next three years to fund public art projects and support arts organizations. The first art grant has been awarded to two local artists towards the creation of a new mural in East Liberty.  

The foundations behind the Hazelwood Green development site have proposed funding a long-debated shuttle between Oakland, Hazelwood and the former steel mill site. Almono LP released preliminary plans for the electric shuttle route Monday, ahead of public meetings to discuss the proposal.

Supporters of President Donald Trump caravanned through the city of Pittsburgh midday on Saturday.