Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh wildlife center sees uptick in birds showing signs of West Nile virus
As West Nile virus continues to be a concern in the Pittsburgh area, wildlife rehabbers are seeing an uptick in sick birds.
Within the last few weeks, Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has been seeing a lot of birds showing signs of West Nile virus, including birds of prey and even a crow.
“The common ones of red-tailed hawks, we got in quite a few of them. A few great horned owls that were symptomatic. We did even get an American kestrel, all very young, seemingly young birds that were coming in,” said Katie Kefalos, director of wildlife rehabilitation for HARP.
Kefalos said young birds don’t have a strong immune system, so it’s hard for them to fight the virus.
“We do see a lot of neurological symptoms, lethargy, they come in really thin. And most of the time, they do have parasites,” she said.
Mosquitos become infected with West Nile when they bite infected birds. West Nile is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Kefalos said there’s no treatment for the virus, so they provide full-on supportive care.
“Heat support if they’re really emaciated, fluids, most of the time they’re pretty dehydrated,” she said.
They’re trying their best to help the birds recover so they can fly free again in the wild. She says some kick the virus, but many don’t.
“We have seen quite a few pass from what we are assuming is West Nile virus,” said Kefalos.
So, what can we do to help protect wildlife and humans from the West Nile virus? Use safe mosquito repellents and, most importantly, get rid of standing water.
“It’s really simple, you know, making sure you don’t have any stagnant water just lying around,” she said.
That includes bird baths.
“They are a potential for a breeding site for mosquitoes, and there are a few songbird species that are affected, and they can be transmitters,” she said.
HARP sends the dead birds to the Wildlife Futures Program at the University of Pennsylvania, which conducts testing and research. If you find a sick or dead bird, reach out to HARP’s wildlife center at 412-345-7300 or your local wildlife center for advice.
You can also report dead birds to the Pennsylvania Game Commission at 833-742-4868.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there’s no evidence that a person can get infected from handling infected birds.
With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense in a slump, one of their young cornerbacks who is currently on the reserve/injured list could soon be activated and potentially help the team upon his return.
Ahead of their Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts, the Steelers have announced that they’ve opened Cory Trice Jr.’s 21-day practice window while he remains on IR.
Should he not be added to the 53-man roster before that window closes, Trice Jr. will be forced to miss the rest of the season.
Last week, head coach Mike Tomlin responded with a simple, “He is,” when asked if the third-year corner was nearing a return to the practice field.
Trice has dealt with a littany of injuries going all the way back to his days in college at Purdue. He suffered a season-ending ACL injury with the Boilermakers in 2021, and he then slid in the 2023 NFL Draft as a result.
Pittsburgh landed him in the seventh round that year with the No. 241 overall pick, but his rookie campaign was wiped out before it could even truly begin after he tore his ACL during training camp.
Trice Jr. recovered in time to participate in both OTAs and training camp last summer while also appearing in all three preseason contests, earning a 53-man roster spot in the process.
He suited up in each of the Steelers’ first three games of the 2024 season, but he suffered a hamstring injury that kept him on IR until Week 17.
Pittsburgh added a slew of cornerbacks this past offseason, including Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay Jr., Brandin Echols and Donte Kent, but Trice was still in position to earn a roster spot heading into training camp.
His hamstring affliction, which he suffered on August 1, kept him sidelined during the entire preseason before he was placed on IR at final roster cuts.
The Steelers’ secondary has struggled for essentially the entire season up to this point, but they’ve begun switching things up. They first benched Slay in favor of Echols during their Week 8 matchup with the Green Bay Packers before acquiring Kyle Dugger in a trade from the New England Patriots after DeShon Elliott suffered a knee injury that resulted in him being placed on IR.
Ramsey, Slay, Echols and Joey Porter Jr. are still entrenched as Pittsburgh’s quartet at the cornerback position at the moment, but Trice Jr. has the potential to develop into a useful player for Pittsburgh.
It remains to be seen if he’ll see the field much on defense when, and if, he returns, but he’d be a nice depth piece to have down the stretch.
Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh-area native riding out Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica says it’s “the scariest thing”
As Hurricane Melissa rips through Jamaica, thousands of locals and visitors are riding it out, including a woman from southwestern Pennsylvania.
As the winds blew and the rain came pouring down in Montego Bay, Antoinette Margita hunkered down in her hotel, filled with anxiety.
“I just don’t know what to expect. I’ve never been through anything like this,” Margita said. “It’s probably the scariest thing.”
From Duquesne, she flew out of Pittsburgh and got to Jamaica on Friday for what was supposed to be a trip celebrating her friend’s birthday. But when there were early signs of a potential storm, her friend decided to stay back.
“I should have listened to her,” Margita said.
She could not get an early flight out, so she enjoyed the sunshine until Monday night, when the front started to come in and pick up Tuesday morning.
“I kind of feel like I’m in a movie. It’s not real, but it is real,” Margita said. “You can hear like the wind. It’s like whistling. The door sounds like the door is going to come open.”
The hotel gave the guests care packages with lots of water, along with notes on how to ride out the hurricane, instructing them to put a mattress against the window.
So far, so good, as her hotel is running on a generator, but shortly after Melissa made landfall nearly 40 miles away, a little water started flooding under her door.
“Just thinking positive and just trying to talk to my friends on the phone to get me through it,” Margita said.
As the hours go on, Margita hopes things don’t get worse, waiting for the moment she can fly back to Pittsburgh.
“I just want to come home, honestly, that’s what I want,” Margita said.
Margita was originally supposed to fly out on Tuesday. The flight was, of course, cancelled, as was her new flight for Wednesday. It’s unclear when the airport will reopen.
Pittsburg, PA
Fan suffers ‘life-threatening’ injuries in fall at Pittsburgh Penguins game, officials say
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department confirmed that a fan fell from the upper bowl of PPG Paints Arena during the game between the Penguins and the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 27.
The Department said in a statement posted to Facebook that an adult male fell from the 200 level of the arena at around 7:15 local time, striking a individual located in the suite level below before continuing to fall to the 100 level.
Pittsburgh EMS paramedics transported the individual to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the statement. The person struck on the suite level was evaluated by paramedics on scene and declined transport to the hospital, officials said.
The Penguins said in a statement posted to X that the team and OVG Management Group, which operates the arena, are monitoring the situation and “our concerns remain with the individual and his family at this time.”
USA TODAY has reached out to OVG Management Group for further comment.
After the game, the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby — who became the ninth player in NHL history to surpass 1,700 career points — seemed more focused on the well-being of the fan who fell than his own personal milestone.
“We just heard someone fell tonight,” Crosby said. “Doesn’t feel right to be talking about points. My thoughts and prayers to that person.”
This is a developing story
Houston vs. West Virginia football odds and betting trends | 11/1/2025
Driver fatigue leads to ‘violent crash’ on I-80
Data: The cryptocurrency market shows mixed results, with slight increases in the Meme and Layer 1 sectors, while BTC drops to 110,000 USD – ChainCatcher
From food to financing, Alaska Native organizations feel the shutdown’s pinch
Ohio State conducts research study about exercise and improving mental health
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Tracking U.S. Military Killings in Boat Attacks
Virginia school district slapped with complaint alleging new claims in viral trans locker room fight
RFK Jr walks back Trump administration’s claims linking Tylenol and autism
WATCH: Massey family speaks at vigil after Illinois sheriff’s deputy convicted over killing of Sonya Massey
Trump says China will work with him to stop fentanyl trafficking
-
New York6 days agoVideo: How Mamdani Has Evolved in the Mayoral Race
-
World1 week agoIsrael continues deadly Gaza truce breaches as US seeks to strengthen deal
-
News1 week agoVideo: Federal Agents Detain Man During New York City Raid
-
News1 week agoBooks about race and gender to be returned to school libraries on some military bases
-
Technology1 week agoAI girlfriend apps leak millions of private chats
-
Politics1 week agoTrump admin on pace to shatter deportation record by end of first year: ‘Just the beginning’
-
News1 week agoTrump news at a glance: president can send national guard to Portland, for now
-
Business1 week agoUnionized baristas want Olympics to drop Starbucks as its ‘official coffee partner’