Regional category, Page 189
Sept. 11 Memorial Trail to Shanksville gets boost from land purchase in New Jersey
The 9/11 National Memorial Trail, which will link to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, has advanced with action in New Jersey. N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy announced plans to spend $65 million to buy a 9-mile greenway, which will be a segment of the 9/11 Trail. The trail is...
Missing Penn State student found dead
A Penn State student reported missing Thursday has been found dead, according to State College Police. Police did not name the 19-year-old woman. The Centre Daily Times, citing the university and family members’ social media, identified her as Justine Gross. Police said early indications are her death was accidental. It...
Highmark CEO David Holmberg’s pay dipped to $7.8M in 2020
Highmark Health CEO David Holmberg made $7.82 million in total compensation in 2020, about $325,000 less than the previous year, records filed Friday show. The reduced compensation and bonus package amid the covid-19 pandemic follows Holmberg reaping a pay increase of about $660,000 in 2019, an 8.8% hike, according to...
Police investigate shooting that killed Aliquippa man
State police are investigating a shooting that left a man dead Thursday in Beaver County. Brandon L. Murray, 36, of Aliquippa, was pronounced dead in his apartment in the 500 block of Linmar Terrace. Aliquippa police were dispatched to the apartment shortly before 11 a.m. to check on Murray’s welfare....
Snow possible as weather turns chilly this weekend
For the first time since last spring, that four-letter weather word — snow — is being mentioned again. And it’s not one bit unusual for this time of year according to Jenna Lake, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Moon Township. “It’s very typical for this time...
A dozen Western Pa. health systems pledge to comply with vaccine mandate for hospital workers
UPMC’s top doctor affirmed Thursday that Pennsylvania’s largest health system and nongovernment employer will comply with a newly issued federal mandate that all health care workers get vaccinated for covid-19 by early January, in line with prior pledges by competing medical providers in recent months. Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMC’s chief...
Convicted child sex offender who escaped Pittsburgh halfway house caught in Spring Hill, officials say
A convicted child sex offender from Fayette County who escaped from a Downtown Pittsburgh halfway house three weeks ago was arrested this week by sheriff’s deputies at a North Side apartment, officials said. Tyree Lamar Hill — who also goes by Tyreek and has ties to Fayette City, Pittsburgh and...
Veterans Day: 5 facts you might not know
Veterans Day in the United States officially started 102 years ago as a way to commemorate the armistice that ended World War I. Here are some facts and figures related to U.S. veterans: 17.4 million The number of Americans who identified as military veterans in 2019, according to the U.S....
Tattoo tolerance bringing in more Marine recruits
A recent decision by the U.S. Marine Corps to loosen its policy on tattoos brought a new wave of recruits to the Alle-Kiski Valley Marine recruiting offices. The Marine Corps changed its policy Oct. 29, allowing soldiers to sport an unlimited number of tattoos except on the face, neck and...
‘They’re priceless’: Pa. Treasury program reunites unclaimed military medals with veterans, families
More than 500 military medals and memorabilia items — from Legion of Merits to Bronze Stars — sit unclaimed inside the country’s largest working vault in Harrisburg. It is Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity’s mission to return those decorations to their rightful owners. “As a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Army...
Tips for getting rid of the invasive lanternfly
To slow the scourge of the invasive lanternfly, state experts weigh in on the many ways to kill the nectar-loving, honeydew-dropping pests. “The only good spotted lanternfly is a dead one,” said Amy K. Korman, an entomologist for 40 years and a horticulture extension educator with the Penn State Extension...
U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell denies abuse allegations, custody trial concludes
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell on Tuesday vehemently denied that a photograph purporting to show a handprint-shaped welt on a child’s back was of his child. “That’s not a picture of my (child),” Parnell repeated twice. The testimony came during cross-examination Tuesday during his custody trial. Both he and...
Gas station owners from Rostraver ordered to pay nearly $300K in back wages, overtime pay
A Rostraver couple agreed in federal court to pay $281,029 in back wages, plus $1,762 in civil penalties, for intentionally shortchanging two gas station employees over 30 months. U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn J. Horan in Pittsburgh approved the consent decree between Om Shiva Enterprises Inc. which owns and operates...
Nonprofit will mark holiday with 24-hour ‘Vet-A-Thon’ featuring veteran stories, experiences
When members of the nonprofit Veterans Breakfast Club were brainstorming ideas for Veterans Day, one member suggested a 12-hour livestream illustrating the group’s mission of preserving veterans’ stories and sharing them with future generations. “We brought it to our board and they said, ‘Great – let’s make it 24 hours!’”...
Some school districts ready to go mask-optional, others not ready to say
Some local school districts already know what they’ll do next year when they regain control of mask mandates, while others expect more discussions before announcing a policy. Pennsylvania school districts will be allowed to modify or end the mask mandate for K-12 students in January, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday....
Former Mon Valley bank reopens as startup incubator
A shuttered bank branch in the Mon Valley has reopened as a nonprofit hub for small businesses and entrepreneurs, thanks to a new partnership fueled by a charitable gift in the form of a hefty real estate discount. The Mon Valley Business Resource Center — now open in the former...
GOP Senate candidate Sean Parnell denies all allegations of abuse in second day of custody trial
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell said Monday that he has never physically abused his estranged wife or children. “We had a tumultuous relationship,” Parnell said. “We fought a lot. We were on again, off again from the time that we met.” But, he continued, he never struck any of...
Beaver County man drowns while attending wedding in South Carolina
A Beaver County man who was attending a wedding in South Carolina drowned Saturday, according to the Oconee County coroner. The man was identified as 26-year-old Kellen Jerome Mackey of New Brighton, according to Coroner Karl Addis. Emergency dispatchers received a report of a missing person presumed drowned around 2:15...
Code Orange air quality alert issued for parts of Allegheny County
High air pollution could impact sensitive groups of people Monday in several counties across the region, including communities in Allegheny County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The department issued a Code Orange air quality alert for fine particulate matter, with the highest hourly concentrations likely occurring before...
Amid struggles, farmers eye potential in burgeoning hemp industry
Even as Pennsylvania’s hemp industry continues to face growing pains, farmer Rick Fundy knows there is potential in the trade. This year, he invested $5,000 to begin growing hemp on his future son-in-law’s Latrobe farm. With equipment already purchased for use on other crops, Fundy invested in seeds and other...
Some UPMC workers plan 1-day strike, call for right to unionize without retaliation
UPMC’s recent move to dole out $500 bonuses did little to quell mounting concerns among some workers who accuse the health care giant of trying to squash their efforts to unionize. “There was no ‘thank you pay’ until we started organizing to strike,” Juilia Centofanti, a pharmacy technician at UPMC...
It’s high season for deer-car collisions on Pennsylvania roads
Pennsylvania drivers beware: This is the season when the chances of hitting a deer increase, experts say, especially with the end of daylight saving time this weekend. The state ranks first in the nation for the highest number of animal-vehicle collisions that mostly involve deer, according to insurance company State...
Police: Charleroi couple hid infant’s body in bedroom wall for months
A Charleroi woman faces abuse of a corpse and other charges for hiding the death of her infant and sealing his body in a bedroom wall, according to the criminal complaint against her. Charleroi Regional Police Detective David Kimball wrote in the complaint that officers were called to a home...
UPMC schedules 10K covid vaccinations for children in 1st day
Across the health system, UPMC scheduled 10,000 covid vaccination appointments for children in the 5 to 11 age group during the first 24 hours after they became available, officials said Friday. Dr. Alejandro Hoberman, president of UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics, said a majority of those vaccines will be given in...
Bentleyville woman alleges state trooper strip-searched her during I-70 traffic stop
A woman said that she was strip-searched on the side of Interstate 70 in South Strabane by the state police this summer after being pulled over for traveling 5 mph over the speed limit. Holly Elish, 34, of Bentleyville, said in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday that she was heading...
