Regional category, Page 144
Man dies in off-road vehicle accident in Washington County
Investigators have identified a person killed early Sunday morning in an off-road utility vehicle accident in Washington County. The coronor’s office said 20-year-old Cole Shergi of Burgettstown was driving a side-by-side off-road utility vehicle which lost control on Joffre Cherry Valley Road in Smith Township around 2 a.m. Sunday morning....
Daycation: Smicksburg offers a rural retreat 60 miles from Pittsburgh
Unplug and unwind with a rural road trip retreat to Amish country in Indiana County. A daycation to Smicksburg offers a glimpse into a large Amish population living a simpler, agricultural lifestyle rich in their religious beliefs. More than 300 Amish families reside in the Smicksburg area, co-existing among those...
Airfare takes off this holiday season — priciest in recent years
Airline ticket prices are set to soar this holiday travel season. Domestic airfare for Thanksgiving is expected to increase by more than 17% per round-trip ticket, according to travel booking group Hopper lead economist Hayley Berg. International fares have increased 30% compared with last year, with a round-trip ticket this...
Pro-Israel group floods airwaves with ads attacking congressional candidate Summer Lee
A pro-Israel political action committee is spending nearly $1 million to air ads attacking Democratic congressional candidate Summer Lee in the final stretch of the race. Some local and national Jewish groups are calling out the ads from United Democracy Project, a PAC tied to the American Israel Public Affairs...
Alumni of IUP’s century-old marching band celebrate love for music, each other
Ask Stuart Estes what instrument he played in his college marching band five-plus decades ago, and the answer gets complicated. “It’s an interesting story,” said the 75-year-old from Shippenville, a 1968 graduate of what is now Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Raised in Potter County near the New York line, the...
Comprehensive Healthcare backed out of multimillion dollar settlement in civil case
The embattled company whose executives are facing criminal charges of health care fraud agreed to settle a U.S. Department of Labor civil claim against it for $15 million before reneging on the deal in September, the federal agency said in a court filing. Before walking away from the deal, Comprehensive...
With winter approaching, PennDOT seeks snowplow drivers
On a dry, sunny day this week at PennDOT’s maintenance yard off Route 981 in Unity, several snowplow truck drivers were navigating an obstacle course through the 11-acre property. They were honing their skills for the day or night in the not too-distant future when they will be required to...
Pair of crashes shut down Pa. Turnpike in Beaver County for about 8 hours
A pair of crashes shut down the westbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Beaver County for about eight hours Thursday. One person was taken to a hospital, according to state police. The first crash was reported at 5:39 a.m. in New Sewickley near Tulip Drive. A truck entering the...
Ellwood City man whose wife pleaded guilty to involvement in Capitol riot now faces charges
An Ellwood City man whose wife pleaded guilty to being involved in last year’s U.S. Capitol riot has been charged with related counts. Brian Douglas Sizer, 47, surrendered to the FBI on Thursday morning. He was released on $10,000 unsecured bond after an initial court appearance Friday on charges of...
Section of Pa. Turnpike from Beaver Valley to Cranberry reopens after crash
A section of the westbound Pennsylvania Turnpike between the Beaver Valley and Cranberry interchanges was closed for much of the day Thursday after a crash, according to turnpike officials. The crash was reported at milepost 20.1 around 5 a.m. The highway reopened around 2 p.m. Traffic in the eastbound side...
‘Grabbing cats’: Small rescues run on limited resources, volunteers
Despite being a three-person volunteer organization, members of the Jeannette nonprofit Furry Felines snapped immediately into action when they were alerted to an animal hoarding case, with more than 60 cats and kittens living in unsanitary conditions. “We had no time to prepare for the situation at all. We got...
Butler County judge backs injunction against striking Post-Gazette workers; P-G contacts federal mediator
A Butler County judge on Tuesday backed an injunction against striking Pittsburgh Post-Gazette union members and their supporters, limiting how they can picket at the Butler Eagle where the newspaper has been printed during the strike. The court order, which the Butler County Prothonotary posted online Tuesday afternoon, allows only...
Fayette County House candidate assaulted amid warnings about election-related threats
A candidate running for a state House seat on Monday morning called 911 after being assaulted at his Fayette County home in what would be the third time in two weeks he has had to call police to his residence. Democrat Richard Ringer said he was bloodied and knocked unconscious...
Northeast bucks trend of falling gas prices on tight supply, analyst says
While the national average price of gasoline has come down for a third straight week, the Northeast, including the Pittsburgh region, is bucking the trend because of tight supply, an industry analyst said. The national average fell about 5 cents per gallon in the past week and was averaging $3.72...
Super-sized spookiness: Halloween displays go big for fun, and for charity
Considering how many Halloween decorations Susie and Delbert Long of Latrobe have already put up, you could forgive Delbert for thinking he could sneak a werewolf past his wife — even if it is a dozen feet tall. “That’s Zeke,” he said with a laugh, waving his arms to get...
Man killed in Washington County motorcycle crash
A Washington County man died Sunday evening after crashing the motorcycle he was driving just south of Finleyville, according to the Washington County Coroner. Frank Eckels, 54, of Carroll Township, was driving the motorcycle south just after 6:30 p.m. on Route 88 in Union Township when he crossed the center...
Surge in RSV cases causing longer ER wait times at UPMC Children’s Hospital
A spike in the number of babies suffering from the respiratory illness RSV is increasing the emergency room wait times at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, according to officials. Dr. Raymond Pitetti, director of the emergency department at Children’s, said the surge in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) began about six...
Homeowners brace for higher heating costs this winter
Miranda McDermott is dreading winter. With home heating costs forecast to reach their highest levels in more than 10 years, McDermott of Allegheny Township said her family can’t afford to pay monthly heating bills in full. “Our average heating bill is $800,” McDermott said. “We have wood chopped and ready...
Celebrity tribute artist channels his inner ElvisVideo
Don’t step on his blue suede shoes. He needs them. Professional Elvis tribute artist Kelly Hylton’s fancy footwork often wears out the heels of his shoes. “I go through dress shoes like crazy. I blow the soles off dancing too much,” Hylton said. Hylton, 51, lives in Rural Valley, Armstrong...
Deluzio, Shaffer square off in Pa.’s 17th Congressional District
Iraq War veteran and voting rights attorney Chris Deluzio faces former Ross Commissioner Jeremy Shaffer in a race to replace U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania’s newly redrawn 17th Congressional District. Deluzio, 37, of Aspinwall, earned the Democratic nomination to run for the seat in the Nov. 8 election, while...
Washington County is charging people to search court documents — an unusual and undue burden, experts say
This story first appeared in Spotlight PA’s Investigator newsletter, which offers behind-the-scenes looks at our reporting and a roundup of the best accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free. HARRISBURG — A Western Pennsylvania county is imposing a $10.50 “search fee” on public requests for court documents, a...
State employees to get 20% discount for online courses from PennWest University
PennWest University will offer a 20% online tuition discount for all of Pennsylvania’s state employees offered through its PennWest Global Online. The reduction, announced Thursday, will be available on about 150 programs under a partnership with the state, effective for the 2023 spring semester. The discount applies for undergraduate and...
Design work to begin on $22M expansion of IUP’s growing Academy of Culinary Arts
Design work for a $22 million project in Punxsutawney to expand and renovate Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Academy of Culinary Arts is expected to start now that funding to develop drawings has been approved. The $2.9 million for that work, included in the State System of Higher Education’s recently adopted...
AG’s office announces sex charges against 4 men; Butler suspect kills himself before arrest
A Butler County man who was about to be arrested Thursday morning on charges of rape and sexual abuse killed himself in the bathroom of his home, officials said. Eric E. Eleam Sr., 61, of Butler, was one of four men facing charges in connection with a statewide investigating grand...
2 Washington County school districts among those benefit from $1B in federal grants for electric buses
WASHINGTON — Nearly 400 school districts spanning all 50 states and Washington, D.C., along with several tribes and U.S. territories, are receiving roughly $1 billion in grants to purchase about 2,500 “clean” school buses under a new federal program. The Biden administration is making the grants available as part of...
