Regional category, Page 184
A guide to making holiday gift returns
Someone gives you a gift. It’s the wrong size. It’s a duplicate. Maybe you don’t like it. You want to return it. After months of shopping leading up to Christmas, some people will be heading back to the stores Dec. 26. That’s a day known for holiday gift exchanges. In...
Indiana County woman sentenced to up to 5 years in prison on heroin plea
An Indiana County woman has been sentenced to serve up to 5 years in state prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to deliver or sell less than a gram of heroin. Senior Indiana County Judge William J. Martin imposed the 2- to 5-year sentence Thursday on Lori Wisor,...
Pennsylvania, Allegheny County report record covid cases
Allegheny County and Pennsylvania as a whole reported record-breaking covid-19 case counts on Friday, posting numbers above even the height of the late 2020 surge, data shows. The state Department of Health reported 13,286 new covid cases, topping the previous record of 12,884 set in December 2020 before vaccines were...
Demand for rapid covid testing on the rise in Western Pa.
The rise in the number of omicron variant cases has led to long lines at area testing sites, including those provided by Curative, one of the entities Allegheny County has partnered with to conduct testing. Last Tuesday around the county, Curative performed more than 2,700 covid-19 tests — its highest...
More than 40 residents of Washington County apartment building displaced by fire
Authorities evacuated nearly 100 people from a burning Washington County apartment building early Thursday and at least four people were taken to hospitals for treatment. The fire at Thomas Campbell Apartments on Beech Street in South Strabane was reported around 12:20 a.m., a Washington County 911 dispatch supervisor said. Firefighters...
Pittsburgh region won’t see a white Christmas, like most years
If you are pining for that nostalgic white Christmas depicted on holiday greeting cards with billowing swirls of clean snow, don’t look to the Pittsburgh region this weekend. Christmas Day will be unseasonably warm, with a potential high of 57 degrees and a low of 42, said David Shallenberger, lead...
Holiday travel on Pennsylvania Turnpike expected to jump by 40% over last year
Officials predict more than 5.4 million motorists will take to the Pennsylvania Turnpike between the 2021 Christmas and 2022 New Year’s Day holidays, approaching pre-pandemic travel figures. “Our holiday traffic projections are coming close to matching those of 2019 with an increase of 40% over last year,” PA Turnpike CEO...
Experts weigh in on holiday travel amid threat of omicron, surging covid cases
Almost two years since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, cases are surging and the threat of another highly contagious variant looms, but projections show people still plan to travel for the holidays. Nearly 28 million more people will travel this year compared to 2020, according to AAA, and airlines...
Pennsylvania casinos continue to shatter records, generate $432 million in revenues in November
Pennsylvania casinos again shattered monthly records, generating more than $432.5 million in November, state regulators said. That was nearly $6.5 million more than October, which set a revenue record at nearly $426 million, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. In addition, revenues last month were up 52%, or $148...
First day of winter brings chilly temps but it won’t last
Winter arrived today and flurries are possible Wednesday morning. The winter solstice is at 10:59 a.m. Tuesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Frazier said. While the day began feeling like winter, with frost and temperatures in the mid-20s, it’s expected to warm into the low 40s, a few degrees above...
Meat lovers feeling the sting of higher holiday season prices for beef
Instead of serving beef three days a week, the owners of Pershing Heights Senior Living in New Kensington now are providing beef one day a week to residents because of high meat prices. “People like me and different community organizations and churches I cook for are having a hard time...
Omicron detected at Penn State’s main campus, officials say
The omicron variant of coronavirus has been detected at Penn State’s main campus in State College, university officials announced Monday. The news comes as officials monitor the coronavirus pandemic in advance of the start of the spring semester, which may begin remotely, Penn State officials said last week. College officials...
Kim Ward shares reports of covid-fueled burden on hospitals, but opposes vaccine mandates
Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, addressed reports from health system officials about the “dire situation” hospitals across the state are facing as they are being overburdened by a heavy volume of covid patients. The officials have noted the vast majority of covid patients who are being admitted to their...
Fayette County man jailed without bond on accusations of raping, photographing sex acts with 4 girls
A Fayette County man was ordered held in the county jail without bond after he was arrested by state troopers on 40 felony counts of sexually abusing four young girls who he befriended over the last six years. David A. Straitiff, 47, of North Union, was arrested Saturday by troopers...
Gas prices falling as omicron variant surges, stalling oil demand and prices
Average gasoline prices continue to fall as cases of the covid omicron variant surge, leading oil demand and prices to stall, an industry analyst said Monday. “The decline in gas prices will likely continue until new covid cases slow down,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for price-tracking...
At-home test could prove crucial in tamping down spread of covid-19, experts say
Editor’s note: This story first published on Dec. 20, 2021. Sue Lovgren’s family member was sick with covid-like symptoms the week after Thanksgiving, and they had decisions to make, depending on what the result was. “We were waiting on a PCR test and it was taking too much time, and...
Practical presents: These gifts serve needs without taking up space
If you’re running out of time to find that special gift for that special someone, this could be the year when the thing to give is not a thing at all. As Christmas bears down upon us, here are a few ideas for practical gifts that can make life easier...
Heyday of trolleys in Western Pa. transformed regionVideo
It’s been well over half a century since 69-year-old Anne Elise Morris of Wilkinsburg took a ride on a trolley. But Morris’ vivid memories make it seem like she rode the trolley just yesterday. “Whenever we were going to Downtown Pittsburgh, we would dress up for that,” said Morris. “I...
Proposed tax credit program could spur development at Pennsylvania airports
Planners at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport are looking to a future that could include businesses opening along the old runway. Pennsylvania legislators are considering a new program that could help entice companies to move their operations to the airport in Unity or to any of 121 other airports across the...
Charleroi native in Florida displays borough’s old Christmas lights
The Rev. Frank Jacobs has the kind of vivid holiday memories we all hang on to. Jacobs, 68, lives in Port St. Lucie, Fla. But he has Christmas lights that once hung on lamp posts and stretched across the streets of Charleroi, where he lived from 1953 to 1962. Last...
UPMC creating in-house traveling nurse program to combat shortages across system
As hospitals grapple with soaring patient numbers and dwindling staff, UPMC is creating an in-house traveling program that will offer scheduling flexibility to nurses while also helping hospitals in its system that need it. The health care system with facilities in Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland will draw from its...
Mercer County man pleads guilty to involvement in Capitol riot
A Mercer County man who participated in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol pleaded guilty Friday to all four counts against him. Matthew Perna, 37, of Sharon, will be sentenced on March 3 before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates in Washington, D.C. He pleaded guilty Friday by...
Officials: Aliquippa woman dead after 2 crashes on Route 22 in Washington County
An Aliquippa woman involved in two separate crashes on Route 22 in Washington County early Friday morning has died, according to authorities. The Washington County Coroner’s Office identified the woman as Lori Ann Dickey, 47. According to the coroner’s initial report, Dickey was driving east on Route 22 in Hanover...
Approved rate hikes for Duquesne Light, Columbia Gas lower than initially sought
Duquesne Light Co. and Columbia Gas Co. of Pennsylvania customers in the region will pay more for electricity and natural gas next year, but less than the utilities wanted under a settlement approved by state regulators Thursday. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission unanimously approved a settlement with Pittsburgh-based Duquesne Light...
Multiple vehicles involved in Connellsville crash
Multiple vehicles including a semi truck were involved in a crash Wednesday night in Connellsville, according to emergency officials. The crash happened shortly before 9 p.m. near the Sheetz gas station at the intersection of West Crawford Avenue and South Eighth Street in Connellsville. Multiple people were transported to area...
