Regional News category, Page 308
Western Pennsylvania sets record for organ, tissue transplants in 2019
Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia set a record for organ and tissue transplants in 2019, the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) announced. CORE, a nonprofit that coordinates organ, tissue and cornea donation, facilitated 661 transplants in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia last year — an increase from 2018...
Farmington man killed in Fayette County crash
A Farmington man was killed Tuesday when the SUV he was driving crashed head-on with a tractor-trailer in Fayette County, according to state police. Arnold E. Savage, 66, was pronounced dead at the scene on Route 40 in Henry Clay Township, police said. The crash was reported at 7:22 a.m....
Pa. state police seize 300 pounds of heroin, fentanyl in 2019Video
Troopers across Pennsylvania seized more than $43 million in illicit drugs in 2019, according to state police. That figure includes almost 300 pounds of heroin and fentanyl, both of which have caused thousands of drug overdose deaths locally and nationally. Last year saw an increase in seizures of those two...
State police nab man after armed robbery in Fayette County
State police arrested a man Wednesday night after officers said he robbed a Fayette County convenience store at gunpoint. Jackie Lee Murray was arrested without incident after he allegedly took $280 from a Circle K in South Union Township. According to police, Murray was dropped off at the convenience store...
Woman captures footage of swimming bear in Beaver CountyVideo
Lori Pepka had just finished pulling ticks off her mother’s dog following a walk in Raccoon Creek State Park early Monday evening when she saw something she had never seen before in the Beaver County park: a black bear. Not only that, it was swimming in Raccoon Lake. “My heart...
State attorney general: Washington County woman kept sister in wooden cage
A Washington County woman allegedly kept her 53-year-old sister in a wooden cage with a dirty mattress, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. His office charged Leona Biser, 51, of Vestaburg, with neglect of a care-dependent person, abuse of a care-dependent person, recklessly endangering another person, unlawful restraint, and...
Some Western Pa. Guinness World Record seekers who preceded Frzy’s freestyle rap
Frzy is not the only Western Pennsylvania resident to attempt a world record. The Emmy-winning music artist is just the latest. He rapped for 31 straight hours over the weekend at The Block Northway in Ross. Frzy, 34, whose real name is Harvey Daniels, hopes he shattered the Guinness World...
Hempfield Steak ‘n Shake joins list of ‘temporarily closed’ locations
Over 100 Steak ‘n Shake restaurants across the country — including at least six in the Pittsburgh region — sit empty as the burger chain moves toward a franchise-based business model. The Hempfield location most recently joined Steak ‘n Shake locations in Frazer, Robinson and Center Township, while locations in...
Pa. man gets up to 5 years in state prison for 9th DUI conviction
A judge in Warren County hopes the ninth time’s the charm: He’s sentenced a man to one to five years in state prison for his ninth charge of driving under the influence, Erie News Now reported. Fletcher Kay, 64, of Warren was stopped by Conewango police July 20 with a...
Suspected meth lab dump site found in Indiana County
State police in Indiana County are investigating after an apparent methamphetamine lab dump site was found in a rural area not far from the Westmoreland County border. Troopers got a tip about the site and discovered several plastic bags discarded in a wooded area along Lower Laurel Road in Buffington...
Coroner identifies 2 victims of Fayette crash
A man and woman were killed early Wednesday morning in a one-car crash east of Brownstville, the Fayette County Coroner said. Both Jamal Ryan, 22, and Julie Ann Olsen, 25, who were traveling in the car, were dead at the scene, said Dr. Phillip Reilly, Fayette coroner. Reilly said his...
Coroner: 22-year-old man struck and killed by train in Charleroi
A 22-year-old Charleroi man was struck and killed by a train Wednesday on the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks, according to Washington County Coroner Timothy Warco’s office. Anthony Lee Meyers was struck by a train about 3:51 a.m. near 3rd Street and Railroad Way in the borough, authorities said. Warco reported...
Canonsburg man pleads guilty to possessing child pornography
A Canonsburg man pleaded guilty in federal court this week to possessing child pornography after authorities found electronic devices containing lewd images and videos of minor children in his home, federal prosecutors said. Kevin Francisco Torres-Gerena, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Scott W....
Broadband connectivity study, survey eyed for Westmoreland, nearby countiesVideo
Officials from Westmoreland and seven neighboring counties are studying a proposal for local governing entities to step up and invest in infrastructure needed to expand or enhance broadband connectivity in underserved areas. Virginia-based consultant Design Nine is preparing a survey for the Regional Broadband Task Force to gauge how residents...
Flu-associated deaths increase to 24, state health officials report
The number of flu-related deaths in Pennsylvania has nearly doubled in the past week, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Health. The department reported there had been 24 flu-associated deaths this flu season through Saturday, up from 13 as of Jan. 4. As of this point...
1 killed in crash on Route 40 in Fayette County
The Fayette County Coroner’s and state police in Uniontown are continuing to investigate a fatal crash this morning along Route 40 in Henry Clay Township. Authorities said one person was killed in the crash that occurred about 8 a.m. between Dinner Bell-Ohiopyle and Flat Rocks roads involving a tractor-trailer and...
Cops: Fayette County man ordered to prison without bail after threatening district judge
A Fayette County man is accused of threatening a district judge following his arrest last week for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend and the family cat. David Lee Kovach, 29, of Smock, was charged by state police in Uniontown with disorderly conduct, harassment and making terroristic threats toward South Union District...
Police: Boy, 14, killed in Indiana County crash
A 14-year-old boy was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Indiana County on Monday, according to state police. The boy was a passenger in a pickup truck that police said ran a stop sign in Montgomery Township in the northeastern part of the county. The pickup was being driven by...
Dish Network subscribers could lose WPXI if deal is not reached
WPXI-TV is warning viewers who use Dish Network as a cable provider they may lose the channel when their contract expires this week. The NBC-affiliate in Pittsburgh’s Summer Hill neighborhood warned of the potential changes on its website, stating that “Dish has refused to negotiate a fair deal that recognizes...
What does soil health mean to me? A lot. Learn more at Kittanning workshop
Penn State Extension will host the workshop, “Making Cover Crops Pay,” Jan. 21 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Armstrong County Extension Office, 120 S. Grant Ave., Suite 1, in Kittanning. The workshop is free to the public, but registration is required. A free breakfast will be offered....
Cooling U.S.-Iran tensions bring lower oil, gas prices, analyst says
Gasoline prices fell in Pittsburgh and across the nation in the past week as oil prices fell along with tensions between the U.S. and Iran, according to price tracking service GasBuddy. “With Iran and the United States de-escalating rising tensions last week, oil prices plummeted back under $60 per barrel,...
United Methodists talk more about potential split over same-sex marriage, gay clergy
As Methodists in Western Pennsylvania consider the future of their denomination, a group that has proposed an amicable split explained the proposal in more detail Monday. Known as the “Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation,” the proposal allows for the formation of a new “traditionalist” Methodist denomination that would...
Ghost Town Trail named 2020 Trail of the Year by state conservation officials
The Ghost Town Trail that runs from Blairsville to Ebensburg has been named Pennsylvania’s 2020 Trail of the Year by the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Built initially as a 12-mile trail in 1994, Ghost Town Trail was the first in the state constructed using transportation enhancement funding....
Small manufacturers in Western Pa. not seeing boon from steel tariffsVideo
Some of the region’s steelmakers and small manufacturers found the Trump administration’s 25% tariff slapped on imports almost two years ago was not the business boost they were promised. Customers accustomed to paying a certain price for their products were not keen on seeing costs jump because of the tariffs,...
Troopers: Arkansas man dies in Butler County crash
An Arkansas man died after he drove his pickup off the road and into a creek early Sunday morning in Butler County, according to state police. Troopers identified him as Michael C. Cain Jr., 25, of El Dorado. The crash occurred just after 4:30 a.m. on Route 68, also known...
