Regional category, Page 300
Packages in Pa. Turnpike crash remain on delivery route
UPS packages that were being hauled by tractor-trailers involved in the fatal Pennsylvania Turnpike crash will reach their intended destinations if they were not damaged, a company spokesman said Tuesday. “If a package is damaged, we contact the shipper for replacement or reimbursement of that delivery,” said Matthew O’Connor, senior...
PennDOT vehicles enforcing speed limits in work zone on Boulevard of the Allies
PennDOT has launched a new automated system that records the speed of vehicles traveling through work zones to make it safer for road repair crews. The electronic speed timing devices, which will be mounted on vehicles so they can easily be moved to various locations, were deployed Monday in seven...
‘It feels like a movie.’ Turnpike crash survivor recounts ordeal
Quwanjay Ellis was drifting off to sleep on a bus traveling from New York to Ohio about 3:30 Sunday morning when he heard a voice in his head: “Open your eyes.” He had only moments to brace for what came next. Sitting in the aisle seat directly behind the driver,...
Oil prices rise on risk of Iranian retaliation for U.S. airstrike that killed general
There is a “distinct possibility” that escalating tensions between the United States and Iran may impact gasoline prices, a market analyst said. Whether that happens depends on if Iran retaliates for the airstrike that killed a top Iranian general, and if that retaliation targets oil infrastructure, said Patrick DeHaan, head...
Mass-casualty plans become reality as Western Pa. hospitals treat turnpike crash victims
Doctors and nurses buzzed around Allegheny Health Network’s Forbes Hospital early Sunday as they waited to receive 11 patients who were involved in a tour bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike that left five dead and about 55 injured. More than twice as many crash victims — 31 in all...
A look at other deadly bus crashes in the U.S., Pennsylvania
Five people were killed in a violent bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike early Sunday, adding to a long history of deadly bus crashes across Pennsylvania and the United States. Deadliest U.S. bus crashes Sept. 17, 1963: Fifty-three farm workers were on a flatbed truck being used as a makeshift...
Company operating bus involved in fatal Pa. Turnpike crash has had only minor violations in past 2 years
The bus company that operates the bus involved in a multi-vehicle fatal crash early Sunday on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Mt. Pleasant Township had a satisfactory safety review, no recent crashes and only minor violations in the past two years, records show. State police spokesman Stephen Limani identified the bus...
5 dead, about 55 injured in Pa. Turnpike crash in Mt. Pleasant Twp.; IDs releasedVideo
Five people have died and about 55 others have been injured in an early-morning crash Sunday involving a tour bus on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Mt. Pleasant Township, authorities said. The 52-passenger bus was traveling on a downhill curve, struck an embankment and flipped onto its side, authorities said. The...
Police: Summit Academy student suffers injuries in 6-on-1 assault
Six students at a Butler County rehabilitation school were arrested after allegedly assaulting another student, according to state police. State police said the incident happened around 2:45 p.m. Thursday at Summit Academy on Herman Road in Summit Township. Summit Academy is a private residential school for at-risk youths between the...
WPXI restored to Verizon Fios customers; WTAE still off for DirecTV subscribers
An agreement has restored one Pittsburgh television station to customers of Verizon’s Fios service while a dispute continues to keep another off for DirecTV subscribers. Verizon announced to its customers Saturday night that it was able to reach an agreement with Cox Media Group that allows it to restore is...
Most recently called KeyBank Pavilion, Western Pa. concert venue is now S&T Bank Music Park
A Washington County concert venue known as much for its traffic snarls as well as its music acts will take on another new name as it enters its 30th year. S&T Bank announced Saturday that it is the new name sponsor for the Live Nation outdoor amphitheater near Burgettstown, formerly...
Week in review: Steelers season ends, Darlene Harris Day, Rich Fitzgerald’s 3rd termVideo
Here’s a look back at some of the top stories of the week. Steelers lose postseason bid The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their final regular-season game to the Baltimore Ravens, capping off a disappointing season in which the team failed to grab a postseason bid for the second consecutive season. Fans...
2020 predicted to have a super Groundhog Day
Feb. 2 is a loaded date this year. The usual celebration of Groundhog Day has some company in 2020. The day starts with Punxsutawney Phil’s 134th prognostication set to run 3 a.m. to 8 a.m. Then, the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Washington Capitals at 12:30 p.m. on NBC. Groundhog...
Brothers to address Westmoreland Woodlands group on Chestnut Ridge raptor count
Western Pennsylvania’s ridges can serve as superhighways for birds of prey migrating north each spring and south when fall arrives. Two Fayette County brothers have established that Chestnut Ridge, the western-most of those ridges, provides just such a route. At a Thursday presentation of the Westmoreland Woodlands Improvement Association, they’ll...
Nominations open for Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards
In 2019, Murrysville officials retrofitted a half-dozen storm water detention ponds, with plans to do the same for about a dozen more. That’s precisely the type of project that should be nominated for a Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards, given annually by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. The nomination period opened on...
Troopers: Drugs smuggled into SCI-Fayette may have contributed to inmate’s death
Investigators believe drugs smuggled into a state prison in Fayette County contributed to the death of an inmate there who was serving a life sentence for killing a county fair queen in 2004. Joseph Gacha, 42, was pronounced dead at SCI Fayette in La Belle at 9:39 p.m. Dec. 30...
Pa. Farm Show draws farmers, families and the public for competition, education
For the Davis family, the holidays are not just Christmas and New Year’s. The annual Pennsylvania Farm Show also makes the list. The Fayette County family has been going to the Farm Show since 2005. Their youngest child, Maddox, now 12, is showing a dairy goat and cow at this...
Police departments grappling with often ‘ignored’ officer suicides
A spate of suicides within the New York Police Department this past year put a renewed focus on the mental health of officers, but experts say the crisis has been simmering — and largely ignored — for years. Unlike line-of-duty deaths, there is no government entity tracking officer suicides, and...
State police, Fayette DA will discuss possible North Union murder-suicide
State police said they suspect murder-suicide after the discovery of two bodies in a North Union Township home on New Year’s Day. Troopers were dispatched to a Republic Street home in the Fayette County township just before 4 p.m. on Jan. 1 for a report of two deceased individuals. Troopers...
Census workers get pay raise as officials work to fill positions
Census workers in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties are getting a slight pay raise as officials push to fill positions ahead of the upcoming population survey. Workers in Westmoreland will earn $18 per hour compared to the $16 per hour wage suggested last year, while those in Allegheny will earn $21...
Pittsburgh-area stations removed from cable providers
Some Pittsburgh-area cable subscribers expecting to view local television news on New Year’s Day couldn’t see it on WPXI-TV or Pittsburgh Cable News Channel — depending on who their provider is. In a statement released Wednesday, Cox Media Group, which owns WPXI, said, “after weeks of negotiations, Verizon has unexpectedly...
Butler man pleads guilty in child sex assault murder, faces 30 to 60 years
A 22-year-old Butler man pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 4-year-old boy so severely that the child died. In a plea bargain, Keith Jordan Lambing pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, aggravated assault and child endangerment in the 2017 case. The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 30 to 60...
2 more Pa. deaths reported as flu cases continue to increase
The past week saw another sharp increase in confirmed influenza cases across Pennsylvania and two additional flu-associated deaths, according to data released Tuesday by the state Health Department. As of the week ending Dec. 28, a total of 17,349 laboratory-confirmed flu cases have been reported this season. That’s up 56%...
20 years ago, Y2K became the crisis that wasn’t
The lights stayed on. The lines stayed open. And 1999 ended with a whimper rather than a bang. I wrote those words in a news story for the Tribune-Review at the end of my shift as the calendar turned from Dec. 31, 1999, to Jan. 1, 2000. It had been...
Gas prices move higher, ending 7 weeks of drops
A seven-week streak of falling gasoline prices ended as prices rose nationally and in the Pittsburgh area over the past week, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. The national average price of gasoline is up 1.6 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.57, according to GasBuddy. That’s 2 cents...
