Regional category, Page 203
Washington County man gets 28 years for child sex abuse convictions
A Washington County man has been sentenced to 28 years behind bars for documenting acts of child sexual exploitation and abuse, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Sean Houston, 48, of Centerville also must pay nearly $29,000 — $13,700 in victim restitution and a $15,000 fine to the court, Acting U.S. Attorney...
Extension eases application crunch for municipalities seeking pandemic relief
Some area municipalities were scrambling this week to submit applications for federal pandemic relief funding, with an initial deadline looming Wednesday. They got a break from that crunch when officials extended that deadline by a month. The state Department of Community and Economic Development “started urging municipalities to apply as...
Defense seeks plea deal in 2019 death of East Huntingdon baby
The lawyer for a Fayette County man charged with first-degree murder of an 11-month old East Huntingdon child told a judge on Tuesday his client was ready to plead guilty to a lesser charge. Assistant Public Defender Jack Manderino said Derrick A. Bass, 31, of Uniontown indicated his desire to...
Area jobless rate down slightly; labor force shrinking
The Pittsburgh region lost 10,700 workers from the seven-county labor force in May and is 31,000 below May 2020 during the covid restrictions on the economy, a problem that continues to plague the region, according to economic data the state released Tuesday. “The labor force is not showing any rebound...
Officials: Pool collapse causes propane leak in Fayette County
Several homes were evacuated in Fayette County Tuesday afternoon after an above-ground pool collapsed, pushing a 500 gallon propane tank into a neighbor’s home, causing a propane leak, officials said. Crews responded to Fords Hill Road in Redstone Township around 1:30 p.m., according to Rich Lenk, fire chief for the...
Pilot, passenger injured when small plane crashes in rural Washington County
Two people were injured when a small plane crashed Monday evening in rural Washington County, according to authorities. Officials learned of the crash-landing in a large pasture near School and Short Cut roads in Somerset Township around 6:15 p.m., according to state police. Several ambulances, fire trucks and medical helicopters...
Pitt enrolling participants for covid-19 booster shot trial
The University of Pittsburgh is enrolling participants for a trial of booster shots that mix vaccines against covid-19. The goal is to see, for example, if a dose of Pfizer after a round of Moderna gives people stronger and broader protection. Pitt’s Pittsburgh Vaccine Trials Unit (PVTU) is one of...
$1M lottery tickets sold in Wilkinsburg, Somerset County
One man became a millionaire with a Pennsylvania Lottery scratch-off ticket purchased in Wilkinsburg, and another lottery player won more than $1 million with a ticket bought in Somerset County. A man, who said he preferred not to have his name published, won $1 million after purchasing a Millionaire Maker...
A wild weather week in store for Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania residents won’t need to go to Kennywood to feel like they’re on a roller coaster this week: A weather roller coaster, that is. The week begins with blistering heat. The average for this time of year is 82 degrees, but we could be hitting at least 90 degrees...
Victim of fatal motorcycle wreck in Washington County on Sunday identified
The Washington County coroner has identified the victim of a fatal motorcycle accident in Twilight borough on Sunday morning. Dustin Michael Chiodo, 35, of Bentleyville in Washington County, was riding his motorcycle along Twilight Hollow Road shortly after 4:30 a.m. in the tiny borough when he failed to negotiate a...
What you need to know as the Pa. mask mandate lifts
In light of rising covid-19 vaccination rates, Pennsylvania no longer has a mandate that masks be worn in public settings. Businesses still may require a mask to be worn, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines still call for masks in public transportation, airports, shelters, prisons and hospitals. Dr....
Law ‘diverts punishment’ to drug addicts, Pa. judge says in vacated conviction
Advocates tallied a win — albeit a narrow one — in federal court this month when the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a Montgomery County woman’s conviction and 21-year sentence for sharing a fatal dose of drugs with a friend. A divided three-judge panel ruled that the federal drug...
Experts: Pa. law intended to punish drug dealers in overdose cases could be backfiring
A decade ago, amid rising casualties from drug abuse, a Pennsylvania drug law was revised to target dealers responsible for overdose deaths. The new statute was termed “drug delivery resulting in death,” or DDRD in legal shorthand. It called for 20- to 40-year prison sentences for anyone who sells or...
320-mile trek from Philly to Lower Burrell on track to raise nearly $300K for vets; founding charity member dies
When the climb got roughest during the 320-mile trek across Pennsylvania, Tucker McCullough mustered the energy to press forward by invoking the past. Accompanied by five comrades on the PA Hero Walk from Philadelphia to the Alle-Kiski Valley, the Army veteran recalled the many brave soldiers who traversed the same...
First woman, Black bishop chosen to helm Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh
The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh voted Saturday to elect the Rev. Ketlen Solak as its ninth bishop, making the Delaware minister the first woman and person of color to helm the religious leadership post in Western Pennsylvania. Solak, the rector of Brandywine Collaborative Ministries in Wilmington, Del., and a native...
WVU board OKs tuition hike, $1.1B budget for next year
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University tuition is going up this fall, the school’s Board of Governors decided on Friday as it also approved a budget of about $1.1 billion for the next fiscal year. Tuition will climb 1.87% for resident students, or $84 a semester. Nonresident students’ tuition will...
Connellsville man killed on Armstrong County road
A Connellsville man was killed early Saturday when he was struck by a vehicle in Armstrong County. Pennsylvania State Police in Kittanning said Alan Lipscomb, 29, was laying in the middle of State Route 422 near Worthington Slate Lick Road shortly after 2:30 a.m. when he was hit by an...
How Indiana Normal School dropout Nellie Bly became the world’s best-known woman
INDIANA — When Nellie Bly completed her globe-circling journey in 1890, the New York World hailed the intrepid journalist as “the best-known and most widely talked-of young woman on earth today.” But had she not dropped out of Indiana Normal School a decade before, no one would have ever heard...
PennDOT announces 1-day road closure near Freeport High School football field
A one-day closure on Monroe Road will impact drivers in Buffalo Township on Monday. PennDOT announced the closure, which will impact a stretch of Monroe Road from Sarver Road to the intersection of State Route 356. The area stretches from Freeport Area High School’s football field to the Butler-Freeport Rails...
Route 40 near Fayette-Somerset border to remain closed
Route 40 in Henry Clay Township, Fayette County, between the intersection of Route 281 and the Somerset County line, will remain closed over the weekend and into next week because of a slide that blocked the highway with trees and debris, PennDOT officials in Uniontown said Friday. The road will...
Stop the slide: Here’s how to make summer learning fun
Summer is a time for vacations, picnics, fun in the sun and the dreaded educational slide. When students head back into the classrooms after summer break, teachers expect them to have lost some of the knowledge they gained the previous school year. This could be even more true after the...
UPMC enrolling kids for Moderna covid vaccine trial
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is enrolling children for a covid-19 pediatric Moderna vaccine trial. Moderna is testing the safety and effectiveness of their covid-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months to 12 years old. “Certainly, even though we know the vaccines are working in adults and they are safe...
State police seek Altoona man who led them on a 130-mph chase down Route 22
State police from Ebensburg are seeking information on an Altoona man who fled a Route 22 traffic stop on Tuesday at speeds of almost 130 mph, according to police. An arrest warrant was issued for Johnnie Ray Weaver, 46, of Altoona, after police said he led them on a pursuit...
3 more Western Pa. residents, including Scottdale man, charged in Capitol riots
A Westmoreland County man and two others from Beaver County are among the latest to face charges related to the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol. Samuel C. Fox of Scottdale, Mitchell P. Vukich of New Brighton and Nicholas Perretta of Baden all face charges related to the incident,...
Republicans condemn election reform bill as an ‘extreme power grab’
U.S. Senate Republicans used a filibuster to block the Democrat-backed “For the People Act” — an election reform bill — Tuesday in Washington. Pennsylvania lawmakers voiced opinions on the legislation ahead of a test vote needed to begin debate on the bill in the Senate. “This would be the most...
