Stephen Huba stories, Page 21
Operator of natural gas gathering pipeline in Greene County fined
The operator of a natural gas gathering pipeline in Greene County has been fined $1.5 million for environmental violations related to erosion and sediment control. The state Department of Environmental Protection said Monday it had assessed the civil penalty against Rice Midstream Holdings LLC for violations that occurred on the...
State auctioning off 2 bottles of rare Scotch whisky
A rare bottle of Scotch whisky being auctioned by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board was distilled just a few years after the end of World War II and spent the next 52 years aging. The Macallan 1949 Single Malt Scotch was bottled in 2002 and is now available for sale...
Construction worker turned nurse passed down career to kids
Mark Capets was a construction worker before he became a registered nurse — a profession he passed on to his children. “A lot of it is that my dad liked to fix things and take care of people. I have a lot of those same traits,” said his daughter, Erin...
Pittsburgh firm contributes capital for medical hemp industry
Primal Equity, a Chicago-based investment advisory firm with offices in Pittsburgh, is raising capital for the Oregon-based medical hemp producer 4TF Investments. The capital will go directly toward one of the largest medical-grade hemp harvests to date and will help the cannabidiol, or CBD, market continue to grow, said Joseph...
Wind storm outages dwindling; some businesses restored Thursday
Most of the estimated 121 West Penn Power customers in Westmoreland County without electricity were expected to have power by the end of the day Friday, the utility said. Most of the outages are leftovers from Sunday’s wind storm, although a few were added from overnight weather that dropped 2...
Redd-up season arrives: Great American Cleanup of PA begins 2019 campaign on Friday
The Great American Cleanup of PA begins on Friday, with hundreds of clubs, schools, businesses and organizations expected to soon start cleaning up communities throughout Pennsylvania — including across the Pittsburgh region. The three-month event, sponsored by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, continues through May 31. Registered events can get free trash...
New chronic wasting disease cases prompt steps to prevent spread of deer infections
New cases of chronic wasting disease among deer in three Pennsylvania counties have prompted state officials to take action against the spread of new infections. The Pennsylvania Game Commission and the state Department of Agriculture will contact landowners in Clearfield, Jefferson and Franklin counties about “targeted removals” of deer within...
Western Pennsylvania weighs in as Methodists uphold church LGBTQ bans
United Methodists from Western Pennsylvania were split on the idea of their church embracing homosexuality — about as split as the vote that struck down the idea Tuesday. During a special session of the church’s General Conference, members, by a 374-449 vote, rejected a proposal that would have allowed local...
CNX violated state law in operations of Utica well that lost pressure, agency says
The state Department of Environmental Protection has issued a notice of violations to CNX Gas Co. for a Utica deep well in Washington Township that lost pressure during fracking operations in late January. The notice cited CNX for “failure to construct and operate a well to ensure that the well...
‘Green Book’ best picture Oscar provokes backlash from film’s detractors
Given the fraught topic of race and racism in America, it should surprise no one that the best picture Oscar for “Green Book” is now surrounded by controversy. The movie about an Italian-American bouncer who chauffeurs an African-American pianist around the Jim Crow South — based on a true story...
Saint Vincent pasta bridge engineering contest set for March 11
Engineers, pasta purveyors and high school students will all come together on March 11 for Saint Vincent College’s 13th annual Pasta Bridge Engineering Contest. The competition, which begins at 6:15 p.m. March 11 at the Fred Rogers Center, aims to increase high school students’ awareness of engineering as a career...
Tenaska garners accolades for South Huntingdon power plant
The Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station, a natural gas-fueled power plant in South Huntingdon, has been named Industrial Project of the Year by the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania. The 940-megawatt plant, which came online in December, can generate enough power for about 940,000 homes in the PJM Interconnection market. The...
Ligonier Township nursing home ordered to pay nearly $40,000 in back wages
The operator of a Ligonier Township nursing home has paid nearly $40,000 in back wages to employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The investigation found that Bethlen Home of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, doing business as Bethlen Communities Inc., violated the overtime and recordkeeping...
The Home Depot hiring 700 workers for Pittsburgh-area stores
The Home Depot says it is hiring 700 employees in the Pittsburgh area in preparation for spring, its busiest selling season. Hiring events are being held at several Pittsburgh area stores until 7 p.m. Thursday. Candidates are encouraged to apply online at prior to attending the event, but walk-ins also...
Pittsburgh not a doughnut city? Shops see a hole in that argument
Pittsburgh may not rank highly among the country’s top doughnut locales, but doughnut lovers in Western Pennsylvania still have plenty of places to sate their appetite. BestPlaces.net ranked the top doughnut cities in the U.S. based on the number of doughnut shops per capita. By that measure, Pittsburgh ranked 68th....
‘Snow, Hey Oh’: School principals croon cold-weather announcements
By the time late February rolls around, the drudgery of snow days is enough to spark creativity by even the most jaded school superintendents. Wednesday morning’s snowfall forced hundreds of Western Pennsylvania schools to cancel classes, from Jeannette to Ambridge, Greensburg Salem to Laurel Highlands. The National Weather Service office...
Red Cross Chestnut Ridge Chapter gets new executive director
A woman with 16 years’ experience with the American Red Cross and a background in education has been named the new executive director of the Chestnut Ridge Chapter. Tessie Dunmire-Amaranto, of Apollo, succeeds Dana Bauer, who resigned in October 2018 after four years as executive director. The Chestnut Ridge Chapter,...
Pittsburgh police pioneer Therese Rocco documentary ‘The Rock’ to premier March 7
Pittsburgh’s first female assistant police chief is the subject of a new documentary that will premier at 7 p.m. March 7 at the Heinz History Center. “Therese Rocco: The Rock” tells the story of Therese Rocco, the first woman in the country to become an assistant police chief. She joined...
IUP professor working with former Gov. Ridge on Homeland Security book
A political science professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is collaborating with former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge on a new book on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “The third-largest federal agency was created in 14 months. That’s just a little mentally overwhelming,” Dr. Aleea Lynn Perry told The Penn,...
Former NFL player to speak at Catholic men’s conference
Mike McCoy, an all-pro defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers in the 1970s and the product of a Catholic education in Erie, will be the featured speaker for the first-ever Diocese of Greensburg Catholic men’s conference on March 30. “The Well: Come and Be Renewed” men’s conference will explore...
Somerset County gets CodeRED emergency notice system
Somerset County is adopting a new emergency notification system that will allow residents and businesses to receive telephone calls, texts or emails about disasters and emergencies. The county Department of Emergency Services launched the use of CodeRED over the weekend and will test it at 3 p.m. March 19 to...
Lawsuit: Aldi turkey burger ‘exploded,’ burned Wilkinsburg woman
A Wilkinsburg woman is suing Aldi over a turkey burger she said exploded as she cooked it, burning her hands and forearms. Gloria Besley filed the personal injury lawsuit in Allegheny County, alleging that Aldi was negligent in allowing the Kirkwood turkey burgers to be sold without warnings about burn...
Priest’s family life gave him unique perspective
The Rev. Donald Trexler was a family man before he was a Catholic priest, but his experience as a father and husband informed his 21 years of ministry in the Diocese of Greensburg. Rev. Trexler grew up a devout Catholic and remained so as an adult, while working as a...
14 young professionals get Boy Scouts’ Trailblazer Award
The Westmoreland-Fayette Council of the Boy Scouts of America honored 14 Westmoreland County professionals with the 2019 Trailblazer Award. The annual award is given to professionals under the age of 40 who exemplify the 12 points of the Scout Law — a Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind,...
Somerset County still struggling to expand broadband service
Somerset County officials are nearly two years into a project to expand broadband internet service at four industrial parks and still have little to show for it. County commissioners, who have been unable to reach an agreement with a qualified firm, referred questions to Jason Roblin of MCM Consulting Group....
