Stephen Huba stories, Page 22
‘Roadmap’ puts DEP squarely behind greater use of electric vehicles
It may not be the Green New Deal, but a new report by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection tries to nudge the state toward greater use of electric vehicles. The Pennsylvania Electric Vehicle Roadmap, developed over two years by the Drive Electric Pennsylvania Coalition, attempts to lay out strategies...
Middle school students compete in video contest that asks ‘What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?’
The winners of a contest that paired 20 Western Pennsylvania manufacturers with 20 middle schools will be announced at Catalyst Connection’s annual manufacturing reception on Wednesday. The middle school students were encouraged to go behind the scenes and interview employees of local companies and submit videos for the “What’s So...
‘300 Cups of Coffee’ project tells clergy to stay connected, caffeinated
Google “300 cups of coffee” and you’ll get stories about what happens when one person drinks the equivalent of 300 cups of coffee. That’s not what Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania, an ecumenical group representing 28 Christian bodies, is proposing with its new #300CupsOfCoffee initiative. The project is intended to...
Jacobs Creek Watershed plans busy year of projectsVideo
Members of the Jacobs Creek Watershed Association braved the elements on Wednesday to announce a series of 2019 projects that will remove 20,000 pounds of trash, plant 200 trees and mitigate the effects of 2 million gallons of stormwater. “We’re doing some really big things this year as a result...
Group to launch program to help homeless youth in Western Pa.
The problem of youth homelessness in Western Pennsylvania is getting renewed attention from an agency on the opposite end of the state. Valley Youth House, based in Bethlehem, recently received $407,348 in grant funding for youth homelessness programs, including $175,460 to start a Host Home Program in four Western Pennsylvania...
Court: Prisoner’s tobacco spit complaint against SCI Fayette guard ‘frivolous’
A complaint by a former SCI Fayette prisoner alleging his food was tainted by chewing tobacco spit has been dismissed as frivolous by a Pennsylvania appellate court. The Commonwealth Court three-judge panel said prisoner William Mayo, 40, failed to show harm or to state a claim under the Eighth Amendment...
Fayette County truck driver was evading state fuel taxes, Md. comptroller says
A Fayette County man was cited last week for allegedly transporting untaxed, dyed fuel near the Maryland-Pennsylvania state line. Eric C. Swank, 42, of Markleysburg, was driving a tanker truck for Laurel Fuel Co. on Feb. 6 when he was stopped by Maryland state troopers and agents with the Comptroller...
Isolated ‘casing issue’ likely caused problems at gas well near Beaver Run Reservoir, company reports
A pressure anomaly that recently forced the shutdown of a Utica shale gas well near Beaver Run Reservoir was likely caused by a “casing integrity issue” about a mile underground, CNX Resources told investors. The update was contained in a footnote in the company’s 2018 annual report, posted late last...
Outer Banks vacationers will have use of replacement Bonner Bridge in 2019Video
For Western Pennsylvanians who like to vacation in the Outer Banks, there’s some good news out of Dare County, N.C. — home of Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Roanoke Island and other tourist destinations. The three-year project to replace the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, which spans the Oregon...
Researcher took wood, made it better
As an undergraduate student at West Virginia University, Joseph Ayres got in on the ground floor of a technology that increased the durability and uses of wood. Mr. Ayres was involved with research efforts in the early 1960s that developed wood-plastic combinations using gamma irradiation techniques. “It had never been...
$1 billion needed for infrastructure, maintenance at Pennsylvania state parks, forests
Deferred maintenance on Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests comes with a costly price tag of $1 billion and no clear way to pay for it, according to a new report. “The Legacy of Pennsylvania Parks and Forests: The Future Is in Our Hands,” a 48-page report from the Pennsylvania Parks...
Beaver pipeline explosion cited in DEP move to halt permits
The state Department of Environmental Protection says it is not approving any more clean water permits for Energy Transfer LP until the Texas-based company corrects problems related to a Beaver County pipeline explosion in September . DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said Friday that Energy Transfer, operator of the Revolution pipeline...
Dairy Day offers dairy farmers education, fellowship in Blairsville
Dairy farmers looking for help in a difficult time for the dairy industry will find it at the annual Southwest Pennsylvania Regional Dairy Day on March 7. The annual event, scheduled for 8:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 7 at the Chestnut Ridge Golf Resort & Conference Center, Blairsville, will...
Report: Polar vortex broke U.S. natural gas consumption record
Last week’s polar vortex resulted in record natural gas consumption in the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The polar vortex, in which colder-than-normal temperatures blanketed much of the Midwest and Northeast, including Western Pennsylvania, set a single-day record for natural gas demand on Jan. 30, topping...
Acme sisters in running for state Miss Agriculture USA Queen titles
Two young sisters from Acme will compete for state Miss Agriculture USA Queen titles. Brystoll Ament, 8, a second-grader at Donegal Elementary School, recently was named the 2019 Westmoreland County Miss Agriculture USA Queen in the petite division, and her sister, Maci Ament, 1, was named the 2019 Westmoreland County...
Humanitarian Awards to honor Tree of Life Congregation, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Tree of Life Congregation will be among the recipients of the fourth annual Dr. Cyril H. Wecht Western Pennsylvania Humanitarian Awards this weekend. The awards ceremony, scheduled for 12-4 p.m. Saturday at Sugar and Smoke Southern Kitchen/Bar in Bloomfield, recognizes people and institutions whose impact...
Hempfield student to receive Hispanic Heritage award in Miami
Jaylen Barrientos-Collins, a senior at Hempfield Area High School, will be one of six students to receive the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s annual National Youth Award on Thursday in Miami. Of Dominican descent, Barrientos-Collins was chosen for his leadership in the classroom and the community and for his focus on the...
New USDA ‘toolkit’ features resources for high-speed internet in rural areas
The federal government is encouraging rural communities to take advantage of new opportunities to expand broadband internet service. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a new toolkit to support the deployment of high-speed internet service in rural communities. The toolkit features 27 USDA programs meant to facilitate the...
DEP streamlining its permit, oversight functions in southwestern Pennsylvania
The state Department of Environmental Protection says it is cutting red tape often associated with its review of projects that could impact air, water and soil quality in southwestern Pennsylvania. In the past year, the DEP’s Southwest Regional Office reduced its backlog of permits by more than 75 percent –...
Mister Green: Saint Vincent professors working on book about Fred Rogers, the environmentalist
Even when it was a beautiful day in the neighborhood, Fred Rogers knew that wasn’t always the case in the world outside. In April 1990, on the 20th anniversary of Earth Day, he devoted a week of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” episodes to environmental themes and ways that his viewers —...
Utica shale gas well in Washington Township contained
CNX Resources contained a Utica shale gas well that experienced a significant drop in pressure last week, the company said Tuesday. Well “killing” operations on Shaw 1G well in Washington Township began at about 5 p.m. Monday and were completed by 11 p.m., said Lauren Fraley, spokeswoman for the state...
Feb. 12 webinar to cover tax changes for small businesses
Small businesses looking for help with their taxes can participate in a free webinar at 11 a.m. Feb. 12. The webinar, titled “Tax Reform and Its Impact on Government Contractors,” is being offered by the Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Small Business Administration. The webinar will cover recent tax reform...
Gas well pressure issue leads to testing of water supply for northern Westmoreland County communities
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County has asked for an extra water sample from Beaver Run Reservoir after a gas well located near the water source recently lost pressure. CNX Resources suspended fracking operations from its Shaw 1G well, a deep Utica well on the northwestern side of Beaver Run...
Korean War veteran devoted life to military, fellow vets
Jim Findle saw combat action in Korea and then devoted the rest of his life to the Army, the National Guard and the VFW. “He was very service-oriented. He gave of himself to others his entire life,” said his son, Jeffery. An Army veteran, Mr. Findle served in the Korean...
Appeals court upholds DUI suspension of Jeannette man who claims he was passenger
A state trooper’s word was enough to justify the 2016 drunken driving arrest of a Jeannette man who claimed he wasn’t behind the wheel at the time, a three-judge panel ruled this week. Trooper Kimberly Zubovic’s statement to Trooper Thomas Dohey, the arresting officer, that Richard McBeth appeared intoxicated provided...
