Covid-19 resource masterpost

We may all be practicing social distancing, but that doesn't mean our communities can't support each other through an unprecedented, difficult time that's impacting just about every single one of us.

The novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country, and in an attempt to lessen the impact on health and our healthcare system, schools and businesses are closing temporarily, putting some families in difficult positions where they are unable to work, putting a strain on household finances that may already be struggling, or need help with childcare. Fortunately, businesses all over the area are stepping up to help ease these burdens as much as possible.

Below is an alphabetical list by area of all Fayette County restaurants offering free or discounted meals to children during the school closures. Any new additions will be marked in bold, and links lead to websites or social-media posts with further details.

Brownsville

• Brownsville middle school

Chalkhill

• Maywood Grill

Connellsville

• Keedy's Pizzeria

Farmington

• Bittersweet Cafe

New Salem

• New Salem Mini Mart

Uniontown

• Titlow Tavern & Grille
• UASD schools 

In addition, workers affected by closures may be eligible for benefits and are encouraged to learn more online.

If you have recently been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus or are experiencing symptoms--a dry cough, fever, and shortness of breath--do not go to the hospital. Call your doctor or a hospital first and they will advise you on what to do.

News station WPXI is keeping track of all updates related to the coronavirus, including closures and an up-to-date count of cases in the state. Currently, there are no confirmed cases in Fayette County, but neighboring counties Allegheny and Washington have some.

Shooting in Masontown

Four people were shot this afternoon, including the suspected shooter and a police officer, at Judge Dan Shimshock's office in Masontown this afternoon.

The identities of the most victims have not been released, but none suffered life-threatening injuries.

The shooter has been identified as Patrick Shawn Dowdel, who had a hearing scheduled with his wife. Witnesses reported seeing a woman running across the street followed by a man, who began shooting.

Dowdel was charged last month with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, strangulation, simple assault and harassment for allegedly trying to choke his wife with a belt, according to Pittsburgh station WPXI. They also confirmed that a protection from abuse order was filed against him, but police aren't specifying who filed it or why.

The scene is contained, the shooter was killed by police, and no threat remains, but police are asking witnesses or anyone who might have information to call 724-439-7111.

Night on the Town: 'Million Dollar Quartet'

Like I said, I'm living over in Washington now. Typically, if I'm coming into Uniontown to go to the State Theatre, it's for Geibel's annual music, but their shows have been getting more and more impressive. They almost reeled me in with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal of Rent fame in the spring, and the only reason they didn't is because I already spend tons of money on event tickets and just didn't get that one squeezed in. But they got me for Million Dollar Quartet next weekend!

(I keep making the typo "quarter" instead of "quartet," so if you notice it anywhere...)

I saw this show a few years ago when it came through Pittsburgh and I won tickets through my job, and my brother and I loved it. And I think Fayette County will love it, too. For starters, the whole thing revolves around the classic music of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, who all famously were together one night and one night only for a recording session. It was probably the most epic jam session in music history, really, and the show is a fictional retelling of what happened that night with a little plot thrown in. It's technically a musical, but not in the big song-and-dance-number way--it's more like watching a very, very good tribute concert, so if you're not a fan of musicals, don't worry! I think you'll enjoy it. It's also short, I believe clocking in at around an hour-and-a-half long without an intermission. It's a great choice for the State Theatre to host, really, and you should go.

Tickets are also quite affordable, with the most expensive being $40 and the cheapest at $25, plus some options in between. And there are still plenty available on sale now through the theater's website.

The show is next Sunday, Sept. 23, at 7. And look, I've been in Fayette County blogging retirement for months and my two posts this week were about this and Nguyen's and no one's paying me to do this, so you know I really want to see a packed theater next Sunday night. Go have fun! I promise it's great!

Fine Dining: Nguyen's (Reborn!)

My family failed me.

See, like many, I was (am) a big fan of Nguyen's, and news of their closing was sad. In fact, I've been in a sort of Fayette County blogging retirement, and my last post was lamenting the loss of such a treat. So imagine my surprise when I found out that not only had Nguyen's reopened and I missed the news, but no one had bothered to tell me, either. I found out the way we all learn of important, life-altering news these days--on Facebook.

One of the reasons for my semi-retirement was the fact that I no longer live in nor regularly visit the Nam. I moved (a whole county over!) a few years ago, and after my husband moved in with me, I spent significantly less time in the area. Yes, we're back often enough visiting both of our families, but we're usually at one of their respective houses and that's about it. On top of that, keeping up with the news was depressing. I do intend to pop back in with news from time to time, but honestly, I forget.

While I'm living in another county, a lot of my stuff isn't. After upgrading from a mediocre one-bedroom apartment to a little house, my mom was like, "Hey, come get your shit out of my basement," except she didn't actually say that, so I ended up spending a day off doing just that. And with Nguyen's on my mind, I said, "Hey, I'd like to go there for dinner," and my parents were cool with that despite having gone days before. Another betrayal. "I want you to see how nice it is inside now," she said, rubbing salt in the wound.

It always was a nice restaurant, but she was right--the decor now is even classier, and I was glad we didn't just order take-out.

Again, everyone but me probably knows this by now, but the restaurant didn't just change the decor. The menu got an upgrade, too. A lot of things were chopped off, our waitress told me, because ingredients would go bad and get wasted faster than the dishes were being ordered, even in some cases where a dish was relatively popular. There's also more traditional Vietnamese food now, like pho, and a lot of favorites remain, particularly sushi. I always loved their cucumber rolls--it's my favorite sushi to get just about anywhere because I love cucumber and am a simple creature--so I couldn't leave without one. Narrowing down a meal was a struggle with so many great-sounding options, even with a smaller menu, but I settled on a mango drink and orange shrimp because I thought a mango drink and mango shrimp would be too much mango, except I know myself well enough to know there's no such thing as too much mango.

It was delicious as always, and I look forward to making my way back sometime for the mango shrimp. I do not, however, look forward to having to choose between it and my other UT food love, Meloni's.

Nguyen's breaks my heart, announces closure

It's a sad day for our fine dining--Nguyen's has announced in a Facebook post that they're closing.

After 7 years we decided to move on to our next adventure...We want to sincerely thank you all our customers for your love and support. We will miss you all. 

Sure, I didn't go there often on account of, well, living an hour away, but it was one of my favorite places to go in Uniontown. I'm definitely gonna miss it being an option.

If you got yourself some Nguyen's gift cards for Christmas, you can obtain a refund if you mail them back.

But there is a little nugget of good news--the owners intend to open a new restaurant, so at least we know we can count on more delicious food. So here's to hoping it opens soon and it's just as good.

Buy Local: Sheila's Home Decor and Gifts

First, a brief tale.

Around the time of my wedding this summer, my mom heard about LipSense, a new liquid lipstick that doesn't come off--or as I call it, magic. I've tried some pretty impressive lip stains in my day, but LipSense is definitely the most effective and impressive. We got some for the wedding, of course, but I was so impressed with it that I wanted a whole stockpile in every color imaginable. See, I often find myself in situations where I forego lipstick because I know I'll be eating soon, thus wasting the color, but with LipSense, that's not a problem. I was pretty excited, and I got word that new store Sheila's sells LipSense through a consultant, as these things often go.

So that was what took me into Sheila's (and that's how the staff is coming to recognize me). And while LipSense is important to all the makeup-loving ladies out there, that's definitely not all Sheila's has to offer.

Like the name says, the focus is on home decor and gifts--think things similar to what you'd find in, say, a Hallmark or those random stores in the mall, except locally run and a little more unique, frankly. They have things from every occasion, from baby showers to weddings to seasonal decor. You'll find plenty of Christmas stuff now, of course, but as I've been popping in over the last few months, they've covered all major holidays with all the seasonal gifts and decor you would want. I've got my eye on some Christmas mug set as gifts this year, personally, and for my mother-in-law's birthday, we got her a beautiful wooden advent calendar that she was quite excited about.

But don't just take my word for it--when I give my last name for their e-mail system, I have to also tell them which one I am because my aunt and mother are in there, too, and Facebook tells me a number of other ladies in my life are also fans. But don't be shy, you manly men! They do have some Steelers, Pirates, and Pens stuff, too, because this is the Pittsburgh area and it's probably, like, a law.

You'll find Sheila's on West Main Street, down by the Hampton Inn across from Fiesta Azteca, also known as one of the other top reasons I come back into town.

And with Black Friday and Small Business Saturday fast approaching, you might want to stop in.

Governor Wolf expands animal-protection laws

File this under "things I meant to blog about when they happened over a month ago." It's also statewide as opposed to specific to the area, but it's good information to pass along anyway.

At the end of August, Governor Wolf expanded laws protecting an animals.

“Today is a day of celebration as the animal abuse statue overhaul officially becomes law,” said Governor Wolf. “For far too long we have heard stories of neglected and abused animals who suffered or died because of deplorable treatment and horrible living conditions. I am proud that we will now hold our pet and animal owners to a higher standard of humanity. I again want to thank our partners and advocates for their work in making this law possible.”

The law clarifies what is considered abuse, raises penalties, and works to develop training programs to help law enforcement identify and prosecute animal-welfare crimes. More specifically, it outlines some standards, such as:

• Dogs cannot be tied outside for more than nine hours in a 24-hour period
• Tethers must be either three times the length of the dog or 10 feet, whichever is longer
• Dogs cannot be tied outside for more than 30 minutes in 90+ or -30 weather
• Tethered dogs must have water and shade
• Tethered dogs must be secured by an appropriate collar, not a pinch or chain collar
• Tethered space must be kept relatively clean
• The tethered dog cannot have open wounds or sores
• Convicted animal abusers must forfeit abused animals to a shelter

The law also improved protections for horses by increasing penalties from summary offenses--comparable to littering or traffic violations--to punishment similar to that for crimes against dogs and cats. Penalties for animal abuse were also increased, including jail time and fines. And finally, it protects veterinarians, technicians, and assistants from lawsuits when they report animal cruelty.

The highlights can also be found in this handy dandy graphic!

Let's hope this helps deter abuse and neglect and instead keeps animals safe.