Regional category, Page 7
PennDOT adds more highways where speed limit reduced to 45 mph due to winter storm
Due to the severity of Saturday’s winter storm, PennDOT has temporarily reduced the speed limit to 45 mph on a number of major highways in the region. The latest highways to have the speed limit reduced are the Parkways East and West, and Interstate 79, 376 and I-279 (Parkway North)...
Heirloom holiday decorations hold special memories, family history
Every time Nancy Trabucco looks at Santa and his reindeer decorating her Delmont front yard, she’s reminded of a half-century of holiday goofiness with her family. When Melanie Litz of Export looks at the Merry Glow ’Round spinning topper on her Christmas tree, she thinks about her mother, who purchased...
Popular Penn State New Kensington programs to open elsewhere as college prepares to close in 2 years
A trio of Penn State New Kensington’s most popular academic programs has found new homes as the university plans to close the Upper Burrell campus at the end of the Spring 2027 semester. Penn State announced this week that three programs — biomedical engineering technology, electro-mechanical engineering technology and radiological...
Winter storm to hit Western Pennsylvania this weekend
Western Pennsylvania is gearing up for a snowy weekend. Shannon Hefferan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon, said 3 to 6 inches could start falling around 3 p.m. Saturday. Depending on geographical location, though, some areas will see more snow than others, she said. In the Pittsburgh...
Aleppo man shares memories of the race track he helped build
At 87, Earl Seiler returned to the track he helped build and took one last lap — this time on foot, hand-in-hand with his daughter. The Aleppo resident and his daughter, Nancy Patterson of Edgeworth, walked from the starting line to the finish at Pittsburgh International Race Complex at the...
Local farmers skeptical about impact of ‘bridge payments’ on bottom line
New Alexandria’s Fred Slezak said many farmers like him have a strong independent streak. “We don’t particularly care to get payments from the government,” said Slezak, 71, owner and operator at Lone Maple Farms off Route 119. “But there’s just a whole host of struggles that we’re battling out here.”...
Firearms deer hunting season to wrap up in Pennsylvania
The window of opportunity to go hunting for deer in Pennsylvania is quickly shrinking, as firearms deer season closes this Saturday. The Pennsylvania Game Commission reminded hunters to make the most of the final days in the woods. After Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a bill in the summer lifting the...
Highmark announces affiliation with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City
Highmark is adding more than 1 million members through an affiliation with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, the health insurers announced Thursday. The deal, which is expected to close next year pending regulatory approval, will make Highmark the third largest Blue Cross Blue Shield-affiliated organization in the country...
‘Women Drivers’ option available for Uber, Lyft rides in Pittsburgh
A “Women Drivers” option is now available when booking Uber rides in Pittsburgh. First piloted this summer with the goal of giving women more options in how they ride and drive, Uber said it has received feedback that the option gives riders and drivers “more comfort and confidence on every...
Hidden Valley, Laurel Mountain resorts set to open Saturday, 1 week after Seven Springs
Hidden Valley and Laurel Mountain ski resorts will open Saturday, one week after Seven Springs Mountain Resort. Somerset County’s Hidden Valley Resort and Westmoreland County’s Laurel Mountain Ski Resort will open at 9 a.m. An opening day celebration — featuring a DJ, complimentary cookies, prizes and giveaways — is slated...
Police search for Washington County couple accused of living with corpse, cashing Social Security checks
Police in Washington County are searching for a husband and wife accused of living with a decomposing body to continue cashing social security checks. James Bebout, 69, and Debbie Bebout, 64, of Canton Township are charged with felony theft and criminal conspiracy as well as abuse of a corpse. The...
Pinch of rising prices, outlook on inflation differs among area shoppers
Jaclyn Thomas of Southwest Greensburg and Tim Taylor of Sharpsburg are feeling the economic pressure of rising costs in different ways. “Being on a low income, it’s very hard,” said Thomas, 46, who is a food stamp recipient. “There’s a lot of things I had to cut out.” Taylor, 41,...
Sports betting websites to require valid ID in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania will soon require a valid government-issued ID for online sports betting. Lee Copello, director of iGaming compliance for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, said that by Feb. 28, all existing iGaming and online sports betting users will have to upload photos of the front and back of their ID...
Dollar General ordered to pay $1.5M in penalties for overcharging customers
Discount chain Dollar General will pay $1.5 million in penalties for allegedly overcharging customers, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday. Sunday announced he reached a settlement with Dollar General Corp. and its parent company, Dolgen Corp., after an investigation found customers were being charged higher prices than what was...
Western Pennsylvania faces mix of snow, rain and dropping temperatures
Western Pennsylvania could see heavy wet snowfall and rain throughout the day Wednesday, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Early Wednesday morning, the region could see wet snowflakes off and on, according to WTAE. From about 7 to 10 a.m., wet snow mixed with rain is expected, before changing over...
Penn State faculty file for union representation
Faculty at Pennsylvania State University soon could be part of a union. Members of the Penn State Faculty Alliance on Tuesday said they turned in thousands of union authorization cards to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board’s offices in Harrisburg. The alliance petitioned to represent all faculty, including at University Park,...
New administrator sees growth potential at PennWest University
The new vice president for strategic enrollment management at Pennsylvania Western University believes strong admissions recruitment and providing a solid student experience can turn the tide of declining enrollment there. Darren Wagner was named to the post at PennWest — which includes campuses at Clarion, California and Edinboro — Dec....
Cars crashing into buildings: Increase seen in these high-hazard calls
They are among the most dangerous and unpredictable incidents first responders face: Vehicles crashing into buildings. In a few chaotic seconds, a routine drive transforms into a complex emergency involving potential mass casualties, fire hazards and the threat of structural collapse. For first responders, it is the call that typically...
As cold temperatures approach, don’t forget the drip
Western Pennsylvania may be avoiding heavy snowfall this week, but frigid temperatures are still sticking around. Matt Brudy, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon, said colder air is on the way during the second half of this week and this weekend, which could lead to single-digit wind chills...
Military required not to follow unlawful orders, Pam Bondi said in past court filing
The Trump administration’s top law enforcement official and legal adviser said in a brief filed last year in the Supreme Court that service members are required not to carry out illegal orders from a president. News of the resurfaced brief, first reported on by The New York Times, comes as...
Avian enthusiasts prepare for annual Christmas Bird Count
It wasn’t just the usual suspects showing up for the Mon Valley’s annual Christmas Bird Count. While counters noted a slight drop in hairy woodpeckers — 17 spotted last year compared to 20 the year before — the 2024 survey yielded a fantastic collection of new species, providing a fresh...
Child welfare advocates critical of ‘hidden foster care’
The circumstances surrounding the death of 9-year-old Renesmay Eutsey in Fayette County have played out in similar fashion throughout Pennsylvania, said Cathleen Palm, founder of the Center for Children’s Justice. Adults, whether biologically related or not, are accused of sometimes horrific abuse of children. As in Renesmay’s case, there may...
Forever lost: Fayette County girl died as she and siblings faded from support system viewVideo
They called them mom and dad. It was a family of sorts, two adults and five children, cobbled together from different biological parents. The pictures that Kourtney Eutsey and Sarah Shipley posted on their Facebook pages showed the typical trappings of raising kids — matching pajamas at Christmastime, New Year’s...
Verizon/Fios customers could lose access to local NBC station
Customers of Verizon/Fios could lose access to local NBC affiliate WPXI TV as early as Dec. 15 if Verizon and the station’s owner don’t reach a carrier agreement. In a statement from WPXI owner Cox Media Group, the station said Cox had come to agreements with every other pay TV...
Western Pa. falls just short of breaking coldest temperature record
Western Pennsylvania was just one degree short Friday morning of breaking the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded on Dec. 5. Matt Brudy, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon, said measurements bottomed out at 13 degrees. The temperature to beat is 12 degrees, which was set Dec....
