Regional News category, Page 206
U.S. sues UPMC and top surgeon, alleges care violations and false billing
The federal government on Thursday filed a civil complaint against UPMC, its longtime head of cardiothoracic surgery and a physicians group, accusing them of knowingly submitting hundreds of false claims to Medicare, failing to follow medical standards for surgery and knowingly putting patients at risk. The allegations against Dr. James...
Lawrence County woman charged in Capitol riot case
A Lawrence County woman was arrested Thursday for allegedly participating in January’s Capitol riots. Julia Jeanette Sizer, of Ellwood City, is charged with knowingly entering a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. She is not accused of damaging any property, harming...
20th observance at Flight 93 memorial closed to the public
The 20th remembrance ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County will be closed to the public. State Trooper Steve Limani said Thursday that no one will be permitted to park at the entrance, on nearby roads or along Route 30 in Stonycreek Township during the ceremony. The...
After Ida, sunny skies expected going into holiday weekend
Despite remnants of Hurricane Ida dumping almost 6 inches of rain in some parts of the region, sunny skies are mostly expected heading into the Labor Day weekend. Ida, which was downgraded from a tropical depression as it made its way inland, arrived in Western Pennsylvania Tuesday night into Wednesday...
Former President Bush to speak at 20th anniversary of 9/11 in Somerset
Former President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush are scheduled to speak at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stonycreek Township, near Shanksville, on the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11. According to a release from the George W. Bush Presidential Center, Bush will deliver keynote remarks during the...
Covid cases in Westmoreland, Allegheny up for 2nd straight month
After seeing numbers decline earlier in the summer, covid cases increased for a second straight month in Pennsylvania and Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Cases As of Wednesday’s covid report, the Pennsylvania Department of Health saw 22,269 new cases of covid-19 in the past seven days, averaging 3,181 cases per day....
Photo gallery: Ida’s remains drench Western Pennsylvania region
The remnants of Hurricane Ida moved across parts of Western Pennsylvania late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning. Despite losing its tropical depression status, Ida’s impact was definitely felt on residents — on their streets and in their homes. Some of the heaviest rainfall dropped early Wednesday, with several areas of...
Pittsburgh region jobless rate drops slightly as end to unemployment supplement looms
The Pittsburgh region’s jobless rate dropped slightly in July, falling to 6.2%, the lowest rate this year and less than half of the jobless rate a year ago, the state reported this week. The unemployment rate for the seven-county region fell 0.1 of a percentage point in July, based on...
Pitt experts anticipate major flu surge this season, urge flu shots
This year’s flu season may be severe with up to half a million more flu hospitalizations than usual, according to new studies from University of Pittsburgh researchers. Two studies released Tuesday — both led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health — indicated that waning...
Remnants of Ida move across Western Pa., bringing heavy rainfalls, flooding
Heavy rains thrashed Pennsylvania on Wednesday as the remnants of Hurricane Ida churned across the area, dropping several inches of rain and causing flood damage across parts of the region. By about 9 p.m., 2.3 inches of rain had fallen at the National Weather Service’s Pittsburgh office in Moon, according...
Legal experts say Wolf administration has authority to issue mask mandate
Republican leaders in Pennsylvania said Tuesday that in issuing a school mask mandate, Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration are trying to circumvent the will of the people expressed through the passage in May of a constitutional amendment. Legal experts said that the emergency powers amendment approved by voters in...
Here are rain total predictions for Western Pa. as Ida approaches
Meteorologists predict rain totals will be higher in regions south of Pittsburgh when the remnants of Hurricane Ida arrive in Western Pennsylvania. After devastating parts of Louisiana, Hurricane Ida became a tropical storm as it began a northward journey Monday. Local officials in Western Pennsylvania began preparing for significant rainfall...
84 Lumber looks to add 35 regional employees at Hempfield hiring event
Building materials supplier 84 Lumber scheduled a hiring event Wednesday in Hempfield as it looks to fill 35 positions at five locations in the Pittsburgh region. Job seekers can interview for openings from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott, 700 Power Line Drive. Candidates can connect...
‘Season of shivers’ awaits in winter 2021-22, according to Old Farmer’s Almanac
Sounds like you best have long underwear on your Christmas list this year. The 2022 Old Farmer’s Almanac, which goes on sale Tuesday, is calling for the winter of 2021-22 to be a “season of shivers.” “This winter will be punctuated by positively bone-chilling, below-average temperatures across most of the...
Remnants of Hurricane Ida to bring heavy rain, potential flooding to Western Pa.
After wreaking havoc on Louisiana, the remnants of Hurricane Ida will travel toward Western Pennsylvania, bringing rain and potential flooding Tuesday and Wednesday. Ida, which became a tropical storm as it slowed over Mississippi on Monday morning, caused widespread damage and power outages in Louisiana before moving north. The storm...
Western Pa. doctors encourage flu shots ahead of potential ‘twindemic’
As health experts implore people to be vaccinated against covid-19, they’re also reminding everyone to get an annual flu shot. Flu shots — which are safe to get in conjunction with covid-19 vaccines or boosters — could help keep flu cases low this year, health experts said, though some worry...
Indiana County man killed by DUI driver, state police say
State police say a drunk driver struck and killed a 52-year-old Indiana County man who was riding his lawn tractor, cutting grass. Douglas Dalessio of West Mahoning, near Smicksburg, was flown from the scene of the 5:29 p.m. crash Friday along the 1300 block of Barnard Road, according to state...
Mutual Aid Ambulance named Mt. Pleasant Township EMS provider
Repeating a scene that has become more common in recent years, another municipality — Mt. Pleasant Township — is turning to Mutual Aid Ambulance Service to provide coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Township supervisors last week unanimously approved a resolution that calls for Greensburg-based Mutual Aid...
‘I wasn’t getting better’: Fox Chapel woman endures battle with long haul covid
More than a year and a half after she contracted covid-19, Andrea Berlin almost feels completely normal. The Fox Chapel native-turned-Londoner said she fell ill with the virus in March 2020 — early in the pandemic by most standards — and she thinks she probably picked it up on the...
Schools prepare for a mixed bag as kindergarten enrollment numbers bounce back
Nicole Roberts Bitar was encouraged to see the numbers ramping up for kindergarten registration in the New Kensington-Arnold School District this summer. Last year, the district was among many across the U.S. that saw kindergarten enrollment decline unexpectedly as families weighed their options: Should they send their 5- and 6-year-olds...
911th Airlift Wing joins Afghanistan evacuation
The 911th Airlift Wing based at the Pittsburgh Air Force Reserve Station has joined in the evacuation of refugees in Afghanistan. It’s an airlift operation that senior government officials are calling one of the largest in history. The region’s Airlift Wing was one of at least eight Air Force Reserve...
The dangerous life of young bald eagles: McKeesport bird electrocuted, Harmar bird injury healsVideo
Young bald eagles live dangerously with different outcomes — a Harmar bald eagle’s leg healed recently while a young eagle was electrocuted on a power pole near McKeesport. Although bald eagles continue to thrive in the region, young eagles throughout the state lead perilous lives. Only about 50% of them...
Butler officer who shot and killed man who stabbed him remains in critical condition
A Butler police officer remained in stable but critical condition Friday, days after a violent confrontation that left the officer injured and the suspect dead, authorities said. Butler City Police Chief Bob O’Neill identified the injured officer as 27-year-old Michael Sulerud. Sulerud was responding to a call just before 7...
Former soccer association treasurer gets probation for $100K theft
The former treasurer of a Beaver County youth soccer association who pleaded guilty to embezzling $100,000 from the organization will serve probation rather than prison time, a judge ruled Friday. Jenessa Tolejko, 35, must serve five years of probation and repay $100,000 in restitution, according to the sentence imposed by...
Deputy coroner: Indiana County man died in crash
JOHNSTOWN — An Indiana County man died Wednesday from injuries he sustained following a two-vehicle crash in Indiana County, Cambria County Chief Deputy Coroner Joseph Hribar said Thursday. Ronald W. Shearer, 82, of Indiana was driving a Toyota Tacoma southbound on Old Route 119 Highway North in White Township at...
