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.
Pittsburgh voted best Fourth of July celebration in America
In 2026, Pittsburgh gets the bragging rights for the nation’s Best Fourth of July Celebration, as determined by voters in USA Today 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.
Pittsburgh has long been known for its connections to horror films starting with George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead in 1968.
Now, in honor of that designation and the legacy of Romero, who died in 2016, the Pittsburgh Film Festival has announced it is introducing a new award this year.
The inaugural Romero Awardfor Best Horror Feature will be presented at the 45th annual Three Rivers Film Festival, scheduled to run from Nov. 4-15, according to the group’s website. Presented with support from the George A. Romero Foundation, the award will be selected by a panel of industry judges.
Named in honor of Romero, the award celebrates bold, visionary work in the horror genre. As the birthplace of Night of the Living Dead, Pittsburgh remains a vital home for horror storytelling, making the Romero Award a natural addition to the festival’s juried honors, the group said.
“The GARF is devoted to preserving Romero’s legacy and continues to support creatives and independent filmmaking in genres and horror spaces,” Suzanne Romero, George’s widow and founder and president of the George A. Romero Foundation, said recently. She died June 24 at her home in Toronto after a long illness.
Film Pittsburgh’s executive director, Shanna Carrick, added, “We are proud to partner with the GARF to introduce an international competition for best independent horror film. Pittsburgh has a deep love of horror films and we believe that our audiences will be thrilled to experience new voices in the genre.”
The festival is currently accepting submissions, with the full lineup to be announced in October.
The festival will also continue to celebrate its horror offerings with its beloved Chiller Theater, named in honor of the late Pittsburgh horror show host Chilly Billy Cardille. The spooky showcase features the best new independent horror shorts from around the globe and Allegheny County.
The Cincinnati Reds are in a rain delay for the second consecutive day. Saturday’s rain delay came before the game even started. Sunday’s rain delay occurred in the bottom of the 8th inning.
“The tarp is on the field, and we are in a delay here at PNC,” the Pirates official account posted on X. “We’ll update when we have info.”
Update: The grounds crew is taking the tarp off the field and the game is expected to resume around 5:20 ET.
The Pittsburgh Pirates lead the Reds 5-4 in the 8th.
Let’s take a look at how we got there.
Game Recap
In the second inning, Esmerlyn Valdez hit a ground-rule double off Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer that scored Nick Gonzalez, giving the Pirates an early 1-0 lead.
Later in the inning, former Red Tyler Callihan hit his third home run of the year, giving Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead.
However, in the fourth, the Reds would battle back. After Elly De La Cruz reached on an error and Sal Stewart singled, JJ Bleday added a single of his own that would score both, making it a 4-2 Pittsburgh advantage.
The Reds continued to rally in the fifth. After Noelvi Marte walked, Tyler Stephenson stayed hot with an RBI double to left field, getting the Reds back within a run.
Edwin Arroyo followed with an RBI single of his own that tied the game at 4.
The Pirates got a run back in the bottom half of the fifth when Ryan O’Hearn hit his 12th home run of the season. That would be it for Singer, who gave up five runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.
The Pirates had a big opportunity to break the game wide open in the seventh when Zach McCambley walked the bases loaded. Reds manager Terry Francona brought in Brock Burke, who was miraculously able to get out of the jam with a pop-up and an inning-ending double play.
The Reds had a big chance to tie the game in the 8th when they had runners on first and second with nobody out. However, Nathaniel Lowe popped out, Spencer Steer flew out, and Noelvi Marte grounded out to end the threat.
Pierce Johnson was set to come in the game for the Reds when the game entered a rain delay.
We will provide an update as we know more.
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Two people are dead after an early morning crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
According to state police, around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, they were called to a single-vehicle crash near Hempfield Township in Westmoreland County.
A vehicle with two people inside reportedly drove onto an embankment, where it lost control. After losing control, it then hit the overpass, causing it to flip, which trapped the two people inside.
State police said that once fire and rescue crews arrived on the scene, both of the occupants of the vehicle were dead, and the coroner was called to the scene.
The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office identified the driver as Hunter Fronius of Connellsville and the passenger as Raymond Foster, also of Connellsville.
According to the coroner’s report, the cause of death for both of the deceased was blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was ruled to be accidental.
The coroner’s report also stated that neither of the men in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the crash.
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