Regional category, Page 304
Uniontown’s elected treasurer claims racism by city officials has kept her from taking office
A woman who will be sworn in next week as Uniontown’s first black municipal treasurer claims in a federal lawsuit that a conspiracy between a council member and city clerk kept her from taking office this week because of her race. Antoinette Hodge, who will be sworn in Jan. 13...
Temps across Western Pa. expected to jump by 50 degrees
If you didn’t like Thursday morning’s cold temperatures, be patient. By Saturday, temperatures will be in the mid 60s — a jump of more than 50 degrees from lows in the teens early Thursday morning. Kinda chilly this morning, huh? Many areas saw their coldest temperatures since December 20th or...
Allegheny Technologies seeks tariff exclusion as USW contract talks begin
The CEO of a Pittsburgh-based specialty steel producer that operates 10 plants in the region and others across the country is lobbying federal officials for an exclusion to the 25% tariff on imported steel that’s been imposed by the Trump administration. “We can’t allow our hardworking Pennsylvania employees to be...
IUP, Duquesne, Robert Morris to bolster addiction prevention programs
When students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania return to class Jan. 21, they will be among the first in the state to benefit from a new program designed to prevent opioid abuse. IUP, which received a $99,888 state grant to underwrite the effort, was among 13 colleges and universities selected...
Solar energy conference coming to Indiana County
A statewide conference on solar energy is coming to Indiana County in February. The 2020 Pennsylvania Solar Congress will be held at Chestnut Ridge Golf Resort & Conference Center, 132 Pine Ridge Road, Blairsville, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. The event was held in Wilkinsburg last...
Police charge Fayette County woman in starvation deaths of 2 cats, dog
After finding two cats and a dog dead inside her former Washington County apartment, state police on Wednesday charged a 22-year-old woman with multiple counts of animal cruelty and neglect. Dominique Lynn Cronin abandoned the animals in her former apartment in Daisytown about a month ago when she moved to...
2020’s 13 full moons to include rare blue moon, 2 super moons
If you like moon gazing, 2020 will not disappoint — as long as cloud cover over Southwestern Pennsylvania doesn’t obscure a rare blue moon on Oct. 31 and two supermoons included among this year’s 13 full moons. According to NASA, a Blue Moon is the second full moon in a...
Person under 50 among new Pennsylvania flu deaths, health department reports
Pennsylvania’s influenza epidemic claimed four more lives in the past week, including the first fatal case of the season involving a person younger than 50, according to data released Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The number of laboratory-confirmed cases and flu-related hospitalizations surged over the past week, data...
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...
