Regional category, Page 333
What the UPMC-Highmark truce does and doesn’t mean for patients
A day after UPMC and Highmark reached a 10-year pact, patients across Western Pennsylvania are awaiting answers on precisely what the unexpected deal between the nonprofit health giants means for them. Patients who severed ties with longtime doctors are hopeful they can return to the physician teams who know them...
21 more people charged in federal prison drug smuggling ring
A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has indicted more people and added charges in an investigation into a prison drug smuggling ring that authorities dismantled in January. “This drug trafficking organization, which consists largely of repeat offenders, peddled dangerous drugs in prisons and in our communities. If this type of...
Latest round of Catholic Charities grants supports housing, feeding programs
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg has awarded $37,500 in grants to eight organizations from its Diocesan Poverty Relief Fund. The fund, founded by former Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt in 2009, is for organizations in the four-county diocese that accept and promote the mission of the Catholic Church in...
Richard King Mellon, R.K. Mellon Family foundations tap heir as new leader
Richard A. Mellon, a grandson of Richard King Mellon, has been named to lead the foundations that bear his grandfather’s name. He was unanimously appointed as chairman and CEO by the boards of both the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the R.K. Mellon Family Foundation, marking the beginning of the...
Cops: Mt. Pleasant man shot at men who claimed he threw beer can at woman
A 57-year-old Mt. Pleasant man was arrested by state police on multiple criminal charges, including attempted homicide, after allegedly firing a handgun at two men who confronted him about assaulting a woman at a public housing complex in Fayette County last weekend. Charles Edward Chandler was arrested following the incident...
2 state troopers, prisoner injured during trip to prison in Indiana County
Two state troopers and a prisoner were injured Monday afternoon on their way to the state prison in Indiana County. The troopers, who are assigned to the Indiana County station, and the prisoner, a 20-year-old man, suffered minor to moderate injuries inside the troopers’ unmarked patrol vehicle just before 12:30...
Cops: Somerset County camp directors did not report alleged child abuse incident
Two directors of TeenQuest, a Christian youth retreat and summer camp in Somerset County, were charged Monday with failing to report an incident of alleged child abuse at the facility in March, according to state police. Mark S. Witt, 69, who founded the youth mission camp in rural Milford Township...
Many patients celebrate UPMC-Highmark agreement, but some remain skeptical
Thousands of patients across Western Pennsylvania breathed a unified sigh of relief after hearing news of a deal being struck between UPMC and Highmark. Kathy and Jack Swanger watched Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s news conference live on television from their home in New Kensington. “In some ways, it’s like...
Fayette man killed in off-road vehicle crash in Middlecreek Township
A Fayette County man died of injuries sustained when he crashed his off-road vehicle Saturday night in Middlecreek Township. State police said Joseph A. Cole, 33, of Mill Run, was driving north on Scullton Road near Whipkey Dam Road shortly after 10:15 p.m., when his vehicle left the roadway, ran...
Rain returns briefly before string of mild days
After three days of sunny — and dry — weather, thunderstorms are expected to return Monday with potentially damaging winds and hail, according to the National Weather Service. Rain is expected late in the afternoon, just in time for rush hour, with stronger storms coming through after midnight. Temperatures will...
Police suspect speed a factor in fatal Butler County crash
A Grove City man was killed Saturday afternoon in a single-vehicle crash in Butler County. According to state police, Ian Campbell, 29, is suspected of driving at a high rate of speed on Route 108 when he lost control of his 2010 Jeep Wrangler and overturned near the intersection of...
Authorities try to ID parts of human legs found near Susquehanna River
WILLIAMSPORT — Authorities say portions of two sawn-off human legs were found on a central Pennsylvania riverbank last month. The Lycoming County coroner said last week that the legs were found by a fisherman May 11 along the Susquehanna River near the Hepburn Street Dam in Williamsport. Coroner Charles Kiessling...
Pa. jobless rate sets record low; nonfarm jobs at record high
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate remained at a record low level in May, while the number of nonfarm jobs rose to a record high, the state said Friday. The jobless rate remained at 3.8%, the same as in April and the lowest since records were kept dating back to 1976. The unemployment...
Police seek Tarentum man in Fayette County homicide
A Tarentum man is wanted by state police in connection with the Sept. 17 shooting death of a Fayette County man outside his home. Trooper Richard Sizer said police are seeking the whereabouts of Omari Parker Jr., 18, who is wanted in connection with the slaying of Tywain James Reid,...
State: Chronic wasting disease appears to be spreading
State game authorities have identified three more deer in Somerset County that have tested positive for chronic wasting disease, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The white-tailed deer, which had been killed after being struck by cars, were tested after being picked up by the state’s roadkill contractor, the Somerset...
Westmoreland, Allegheny companies to benefit from manufacturing grants
Several Westmoreland and Allegheny county manufacturers will benefit from state grants focusing on the Manufacturing PA initiative. Approved by Gov. Tom Wolf Friday, the grants embed graduate and undergraduate students with local manufacturers where they will start research projects aimed at developing new technologies and advancing innovation across the state....
Public asked to plant gardens for bees/pollinators at PennDOT rest stops, interchanges, traffic islands
It’s National Pollinator Week (June 17-23) and PennDOT is asking the public to plant pollinator gardens at approved PennDOT-owned properties including rest stops, interchanges and traffic islands in Armstrong and Clarion counties, as well as other areas covered by the district. Individuals or groups such as clubs, schools, churches, businesses...
One killed in Fayette County motorcycle crash
One person died Thursday morning in a two-vehicle crash in North Union Township, Fayette County, according to state police. Robert Earl Metz was driving a motorcycle which collided with another vehicle on Pittsburgh Road around 10:30 a.m., according to police. Metz was pronounced dead at the scene. His age and...
Sunset on hold: Longest day of the year arrives with the summer solstice
Today marks the first day of summer — and the forecast finally includes sunshine and highs in the 70s, as if on cue. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, as the Northern Hemisphere leans most toward the sun during Earth’s tilted axis of rotation. The equator...
Indiana County man arrested, accused of sexually assaulting teenage boy
A 51-year-old Indiana man was arrested Wednesday on accusations he sexually assaulted a teenage boy he met online. Stephen Joe Czerniec Jr. was taken into custody without incident on 10 counts of sexual abuse of children, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and corruption of minors. He was arraigned before...
Celebrate summer — Go Skateboard DayVideo
Started in 2004 by the International Association of Skateboard Companies, Go Skateboard Day — June 21 — celebrates the summer solstice by encouraging skaters to make their favorite sport a top priority. Started in the late 1940s as a way for surfers to enjoy days without waves, skateboarding has more...
Tornado confirmed in Indiana County, 4th in less than a month
Indiana County saw damage from its fourth tornado in less than a month on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. A damage assessment team visited Green Township on Wednesday and determined that the EF1 tornado — capable of moderate damage — touched down at 7:55 p.m. The...
Safety program set for Conemaugh River Lake this weekend
A festival to promote outdoor safety and raise awareness about the Conemaugh River reservoir, bordering Indiana and Westmoreland counties, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Conemaugh River Lake, 1665 Auten Road, Conemaugh Township. Tours of the dam, children’s activities, safety demonstrations and a free lunch...
State to audit gun instant background check system
Pennsylvania’s auditor general is launching a review of the state’s instant background check system for firearm purchases. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale is conducting the review at the request of a bipartisan group of state lawmakers, but not as the result of problems or complaints about how the system is operated....
Dreary June weather sinks attendance at Pittsburgh area pools
Sylvan Pool manager Nancy Tarella said the Harrison pool typically attracts more than 200 people a day during the summer swim season. But this June has been anything but typical. Lately, Sylvan’s attendance hasn’t been breaking 30 people. “This is not a good pool season so far,” she said. “June...
