Regional News category, Page 120
Daycation Destination: Historic Canonsburg big on chocolate, candy and celebrations
Satisfy your sweet tooth with a daycation road trip to the unofficial chocolate capital of Western Pennsylvania in historic Canonsburg, located 18 miles southwest of Pittsburgh in Washington County. Sarris Candies, a family-owned chocolate mecca, has been a sweet tradition for more than 50 years in Canonsburg. Founded by the...
Amazon challenge: Finding workers to fill hundreds of jobsVideo
When Amazon casts a net for workers to receive and distribute consumer goods at its new 1-million-square-foot warehouse in New Stanton, it will be doing so in a tight labor market. “That is one of the big challenges,” because of the loss of workers in Southwestern Pennsylvania, said James Futrell,...
East Allegheny is latest school district to install cameras to catch bus safety violatorsVideo
East Allegheny School District officials say they are tired of motorists ignoring state law prohibiting them from passing stopped school buses. Through a partnership with local law enforcement and the safety company BusPatrol, the district now has measures in place to identify the license plates of drivers who put students...
‘Teach to Remember 9/11’ virtual education program to offer new resources for educators
The Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial will offer a free, virtual education program this September for the National Day of Learning — “Teach to Remember 9/11.” The program is being offered for the first time as part of the evolving 9/11 ceremony at the memorial honoring the 40 passengers...
‘More than just a woman’s fight’: Stories of the Equal Pay Act
It was pretty obvious there was something wrong with the newspaper job listings. The postings were separated between men and women — the latter often advertising lower-paid gigs. It was a common practice until a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling said job listings could no longer be segregated. “I learned...
Equal Pay Act turns 60, but wage gaps remain between men and women
Phylliss Ewell was a home health aide who loved caring for people in need. She was a single mother who worked two, sometimes three, jobs to support herself and two children she raised in Duquesne in the 1970s. Despite Ewell’s multiple jobs, the family still qualified for programs such as...
NexTier, Mars Bancorp banks reach merger agreement
Two local banks have agreed to merge. Butler-based NexTier Inc. plans to acquire Mars Bancorp Inc., according to a joint announcement by the two companies. The Mars-based bank will operate under NexTier’s brand. “We believe the merger with Mars Bank provides NexTier the opportunity to provide additional banking services to...
Planned reduction of Medicare drug costs could ease burden on cash-strapped seniors
Susie Bell of Penn Township dreads this time of year. It’s not the hot weather that bothers her, but the fact that by early summer, she’s fallen into the “doughnut hole,” a colloquial term for the annual Medicare coverage gap — when the health care plan contributes far less toward...
Governor touts Connellsville as an example of success investing in outdoor recreationVideo
Connellsville Mayor Greg Lincoln needs only to look around if he wants to see the impact that outdoor recreation has had on the Fayette County city. There’s a restaurant and event center being developed near the Connellsville Comfort Inn, along with another new restaurant nearby. Independence Health System is working...
Video: Ride the natural water slides at Ohiopyle State ParkVideo
The rushing waters of Meadow Run have carved a twisting and turning channel through the sandstone rock that creates the natural slides in Ohiopyle State Park. Sides are located near the Youghiogheny River in Ohiopyle State Park and a staircase provides access for visitors. Ride On is a point-of-view video...
Sentencing date set in Indiana County head-on crash that killed Jeannette man
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 2 in connection with a wrong-way crash on Route 119 in Indiana County that killed a Jeannette man. Elias Jimenez, 29, of Indiana, pleaded guilty earlier in August to homicide by vehicle and accidents involving death in the Jan. 26 crash near Homer City. District...
Morning Roundup: Feds say 3 Panama residents scammed $1.5M from Pittsburgh, U.S. residents
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Aug. 31: Feds say 3 Panama residents scammed $1.5M from Pittsburgh, U.S. residents Three men were extradited from Panama and had initial appearances in Pittsburgh federal court Wednesday on police accusations that they took part in orchestrating a...
Where’s the beef? More than 30 cattle missing from Fayette County farm
A Perry Township farmer is asking for help finding more than 30 cattle that left their enclosure when a gate was left open over the weekend. “The utility companies were up in our hay field repairing poles, and either West Penn Power or one of their contractors left the gate...
Man accused of threatening witnesses, jurors during Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial to remain in custody
The self-proclaimed white supremacist accused of threatening Jews and targeting witnesses, jurors and police during the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial will remain in custody. A federal magistrate judge said Wednesday at a detention hearing in Wheeling, W.Va., that Hardy Carroll Lloyd, 47, of Follansbee, W.Va., poses a flight risk and...
Rare ‘blue super moon’ will appear between the clouds this evening
If you’ve referred to something rare happening “once in a blue moon,” that time is now. The moon won’t be blue when it rises into the skies Wednesday evening, but the blue moon refers to the second full moon in a calendar month, according to NASA. A blue moon happens...
Morning Roundup: Peters Township High tops ranking of Pittsburgh schools
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Aug. 30: Peters Township High tops ranking of Pittsburgh schools Peters Township High School has been ranked the best high school in the Pittsburgh region by U.S. News and World Report. The annual rankings were released Tuesday evaluating...
Covid cases up slightly as health care providers prep for respiratory illness season
As students return to school and residents of Western Pennsylvania head inside for the fall, covid-19 cases are on the rise, local health care providers say. The increase in cases is modest compared with the past three years of larger pandemic waves, but it’s still representative of a seasonal uptick...
Standout Monessen basketball player charged with marijuana possession, criminal trespass
A standout player on Monessen High School’s basketball team is charged with drug possession after police said he and two juveniles were found smoking marijuana in an abandoned house. Police were called to the 600 block of Reed Avenue in the city just before 1:15 p.m. Sunday. The building’s owner...
Pittsburgh area jobless rate hits record low, but workforce levels remain down
The seven-county Pittsburgh region’s unemployment rate fell in July to its lowest level in 47 years, but the labor force has yet to regain the 46,000 workers it had before the pandemic wreaked havoc on the economy. The unemployment rate fell by 0.2 of a percentage point to 3.7% in...
West Virginia University would end world language majors, continue Spanish, Chinese instruction
West Virginia University administrators reversed course Tuesday on two world languages, saying they will now recommend to the board of governors that Spanish and Chinese continue to be taught in person. But administrators said their final recommendations will include asking the board on Sept. 15 to eliminate foreign language majors...
Highmark Health to bring more remote workers back to the office
Highmark Health plans to bring more of its remote workforce back into the office in September. While about 20,000 of the Pittsburgh-based health care giant’s clinical workers at Allegheny Health Network have been on-site during the pandemic, other employees worked remotely where possible. Highmark estimates about half of its 12,000...
Giant Eagle names interim CEO Bill Artman as permanent chief executive
After five months of serving as the interim chief executive of Giant Eagle Inc., Bill Artman has been named to the position permanently. Artman took over leadership of the O’Hara-based grocer in late March, replacing Laura Shapira Karet, who had been at the helm for 11 years. Artman, a long-time...
Pa.’s state-owned universities now offering Google Career Certificates
Students attending Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities can now earn tech industry-recognized certificates during their undergraduate studies through a new partnership with Google, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday. The initiative is intended to move students more quickly and less expensively from campuses into good-paying, high-demand jobs. It also would help employers meet...
Roundup: 2nd tornado confirmed in Fayette County
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Aug. 29: 2nd tornado confirmed in Fayette County A second tornado in Fayette County during Friday’s storms has been confirmed by the National Weather Service. The two tornadoes struck around 2:30 a.m. in the Mill Run area and...
E-bikes: Ride before you buy
Having been in business for 13 years, shop owner Bryan Metzgar of Greensburg Bike Shop in Youngwood said that he has never seen a trend in the bike market become so popular, so fast. This type of attention for a product creates a new category of problems. With ever-increasing demand,...
