Regional News category, Page 170
Grocery shoppers, restaurants face ‘perfect storm’ as prices surge
Colleen Phillips of Leechburg has seen firsthand how inflation rates cause her grocery bill to add up faster, making it almost unaffordable to purchase essential items. “It’s outrageous,” Phillips told the Tribune-Review while shopping at Walmart in Natrona Heights this week. “You have to make meals like spaghetti where you...
Southwestern Pa. transit plan allocates $1.5 billion for bridge, other infrastructure improvements
Roads and bridges in Southwestern Pennsylvania will see a $300 million boost in funding because of the infrastructure law enacted in 2021. The extra money is included in a regional plan for $1.5 billion in transportation projects that is set to be approved June 27 by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission....
Storm risk coming ahead of break from hot, muggy weather
Some relief from the recent hot and muggy weather is coming, but getting there could a bumpy road for some parts of the Pittsburgh region. On Wednesday, temperatures reached 92 degrees at Pittsburgh International Airport, where official records are recorded. That fell 4 degrees short of the record high of...
Employers, counselors see ‘huge need’ for summertime workers
Employers expecting to fill job vacancies with the traditional summertime influx of high school students have been left wondering where the workers have gone. Many employers are “literally begging for new employees” with little result, said Don Acker, program manager for Equus Workforce Solutions in New Kensington. “Right now, we...
Heat advisory issued for Southwestern Pennsylvania counties
The National Weather Service has issued an advisory for excessive heat in Southwestern Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Counties covered by the advisory include all of Armstrong, Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene and Washington counties, most of Westmoreland County with the exception of the eastern ridges, and the western half of Fayette County....
Indiana Township woman who killed FBI agent released from prison
The woman who shot and killed an FBI agent 14 years ago as he attempted to serve an arrest warrant at her home in Indiana Township was released from a federal prison Tuesday, according to U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Christina Korbe, 53, was released Tuesday from the Federal Detention Center...
Week in pictures: June 6-12
A selection of the most compelling images from Tribune-Review photographers from around the region during the week of June 6-12....
‘Knight Rider’ tractor, trailer reunited in Butler CountyVideo
Many cars were used to portray KITT, the Knight Industries Two Thousand, on the television series “Knight Rider.” Joe Huth of Butler County co-owns one of five that still exist. But there was only one trailer used over the four seasons of the 1980s show as the Foundation for Law...
Pandemic has caused a changing face of the workweek
The workweek as it once existed likely has changed forever. Four-day workweeks. Zoom calls. Hybrid schedules. Full-time remote. All have become standard operating procedure for many businesses and their employees. Companies were forced to adjust — or be faced with the prospect of folding — after the covid-19 pandemic struck....
Severe weather mostly misses Pittsburgh; high temperatures on the way
A threat of severe weather with hurricane-force winds is over for the Pittsburgh area, a National Weather Service meteorologist said early Tuesday. No watches or warnings are active for Southwestern Pennsylvania, meteorologist Jason Frazier said. One line of thunderstorms fizzled out as it moved into Washington and Greene counties, but...
Gasoline demand remains strong despite record-high prices, analysts say
Americans are proving resilient to record high gas prices, and there isn’t much clear-cut relief in sight, an industry analyst said. The imbalance between supply and demand likely will continue for most of the summer and could worsen with a major hurricane or refinery snag, Patrick De Haan, head of...
Overnight storms in Western Pa. expected to bring severe winds, heavy rain
Winds up to 60 mph and hours of rainfall could uproot trees and cause flooding across the Pittsburgh area overnight Monday into Tuesday morning. “This has the potential of being a higher-end event we see once every several years or so,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Jared Rackley. Isolated large...
Here’s how U.S. Reps from Western Pa. voted on gun legislation bills
Congressional Republicans and Democrats in Western Pennsylvania fell in line with their respective parties as they voted on legislation that would enact stricter gun laws. The Protecting Our Kids and Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order acts passed in the Democratic-led House of Representatives last week. The bills need to overcome...
Gun owners, onlookers split on what gun control proposals could accomplish
Reaction to proposed gun control laws shows that even some local gun owners appear just as divided about the effectiveness of such measures as the politicians debating them. Mass shootings over the past month in Buffalo, N.Y.; Uvalde, Texas; and Philadelphia have reignited the debate over gun laws. Although many...
Ohio man found dead in Butler County
State police are investigating an Ohio man’s death in Butler County as a homicide. State police said the body of Frederick Orr, 32, of Columbus, was found around 3:30 a.m. Saturday along Kelly Road in Muddy Creek Township. Police said they were awaiting autopsy results and an investigation is ongoing....
Thousands of fans celebrate Kenny Chesney’s return on Pittsburgh’s North Shore
Maybe it’s because the weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor tailgate on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. Or maybe it’s because the music of country superstar Kenny Chesney brings people together. Or maybe it’s because so much of the world shut down over the last two years because of covid-19. Whatever...
Researchers seek volunteers to gather, report firefly data this summer
When Ryan Reed, a resource program specialist with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, was taking wildlife courses at college in the 1990s, one of his professors accused certain animals of getting all the attention. “He called them ‘charismatic mega-fauna’ — bears, deer, elk, those types of animals,”...
Researchers: Fireflies are being threatened by artificial light, habitat loss
Growing up around Seattle, Ainsley Seago said she never saw a firefly until she visited Hershey as a teenager. These days, she watches in amusement as her 10-year-old son, Maxwell, enjoys catching lightning bugs and releasing them. “How can you not catch them?” asked Seago, associate curator of invertebrate zoology...
Suspended Somerset DA wants ‘wiretap’ statements tossed; state aims to include alleged previous ‘bad acts’
SOMERSET — Suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas wants recordings of conversations between him and a woman he’s accused of sexually assaulting to be excluded from his upcoming trial. The request is part of a lengthy list of motions filed by attorneys on both sides that could determine what...
Veterans Expo slated for Friday morning
Information on job opportunities for veterans, mental health support, health screenings, legal advice, housing information, benefit options and financial advice will be available at the Veterans Expo planned for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at the Greene County Fairgrounds, Route 21, Waynesburg. The event is sponsored by the Greene...
Bantam Jeep Festival celebrates vehicle in its Butler birthplace
They call it “the wave.” If you know, you know. Jeep owners acknowledge each other by holding up two or three fingers from their steering wheel when they pass by on the road. There will be a lot of waving this weekend. Jeep enthusiasts will gather Friday through Sunday at...
Gas hits $5 national average for first time, GasBuddy reports
The national average price of gasoline reached $5 per gallon Thursday for the first time, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy.com. The milestone comes after months of gas price increases across the country accelerated by the rise in seasonal demand during supply constraints brought on by the covid pandemic, according to...
Romanian men accused of planting credit card skimmers in Frazer, Monroeville now charged in Washington County
Two Romanian nationals accused last month of planting skimming devices at Sam’s Club stores in Allegheny and Butler counties were charged this week with targeting a store in Washington County. South Strabane police filed criminal charges against Colceag Constantin, 41, and Raul-Mihani Cojucaru, 40, after a skimmer was found on...
About 1,100 W. Pa. residents still without power; forecast has sunshine returning
Electric utility crews had restored power to all but about 1,100 Western Pennsylvania residents Thursday evening after severe thunderstorms blew through the region late Wednesday, according to area utility companies. At 7:30 p.m., West Penn Power reported 666 customers without power in a nine-county region while Duquesne Light Co. reported...
Weather service issues tornado watch for Washington, Fayette and Greene countiesVideo
The National Weather Service in Moon Township has issued a tornado watch for the Southwestern Pennsylvania counties of Washington, Fayette and Greene, until 1 a.m. Thursday. The National Weather Service issued the notification at 7:25 p.m. and included portions of eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia. All three Pennsylvania counties...
