Regional category, Page 93
Coroner identifies Indiana County fire victims
Two people who were killed in an Indiana County house fire over the weekend have been identified. Merle Robinson, 81, and Janet Bloom, 75, died from inhalation of combustible products, according to county Coroner Jerry Overman. State police said firefighters were called to Fox Road in East Wheatfield, east of...
PETA wants to replace Punxsutawney Phil with coin toss
The animal rights group PETA wants to replace Punxsutawney Phil, the iconic Groundhog Day weather forecaster, with a gold coin. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s president Tom Dunkel urging him to swap out Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog for a gold...
Western Pa. sets record for organ, tissue, cornea donations for 5th straight year
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education on Monday announced that the Western Pennsylvania area broke its record for the number of lives saved and healed through organ, tissue and cornea donations for a fifth consecutive year. There were 404 organ donors in 2023 in an area including Western Pennsylvania,...
20 people rescued from ice floe in Lake Erie, Coast Guard says
PORT CLINTON, Ohio — Twenty people were rescued from an ice floe in Lake Erie, the Coast Guard said Monday. The Coast Guard’s Ninth District Great Lakes station said it received a report about 10:20 a.m. that the people were stuck on a mile-long floe about a half-mile off Catawba...
Morning Roundup: 3 injured in 2 fires in McCandless and Fayette County; car crashes into home in Ross
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Jan. 22: 1 person injured in McCandless fire One person was injured in a fire early Monday morning in McCandless. The blaze broke out just before 4 a.m. on the 9900 block of Parkland Drive, according to TribLive...
Teen found dead in Mercer County
A 16-year-old boy was found dead Sunday in a stairwell in Sharon, Mercer County. His body was discovered within the 100 block of North Irvine Avenue around 1:20 p.m., according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Sharon Police identified him as Zachariah Croom, of Youngstown, Ohio. The coroner will perform an...
AI changes the game in college culture wars, experts say
Plagiarism detectors powered by artificial intelligence are emerging as a new and controversial weapon in the pitched campus culture wars between the political left and right. Some say the technology has the potential to unearth academic misconduct that previously might have gone unnoticed. Others warn it could unfairly upend careers,...
Goodwill YouthWorks program aims to help address truck, bus driver shortage
Charles Burke still gets emails asking if he’s interested in trucking jobs, even though he’s been semi-retired and driving a bus for the Penn Hills School District for several years now. “Bonuses are going up and up as places are looking for people to do commercial truck driving,” said Burke,...
2 dead in Indiana County house fire
State police said they are investigating the cause of a house fire early Saturday in Indiana County that killed two people. Authorities said the six departments were called out at 5:23 a.m. to respond to the fire at a residential structure on Fox Road in East Wheatfield. The bodies of...
JetBlue, Spirit say they will appeal ruling that blocked merger
NEW YORK — JetBlue and Spirit Airlines said Friday they will appeal a federal judge’s ruling this week that blocked their plan to combine into a single carrier. The airlines said they filed a notice of appeal with the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, following the terms of their...
IUP gets $500K donation for medical college project
Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s bid to open the state’s first college of osteopathic medicine on a public campus is getting a financial lift from IUP’s alumni association. The organization’s board of directors has authorized a $500,000 donation toward the endeavor that was first announced in December 2022, university officials said...
Morning Roundup: Police recover 60 animals — 10 dead — at Butler County home
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Jan. 19: Police find 60 animals — 10 dead — at Butler County home A total of 60 animals were recovered — and several found dead — when Pennsylvania State Police executed a search warrant for animal cruelty...
More snow expected in Pittsburgh area over the weekend
With more than a few inches of snow already on the ground early Friday, forecasters with the National Weather Service in Moon expect 2 to 4 inches more during the day in the Pittsburgh region. A winter weather advisory remained in effect early Friday in much of the area and...
How do superintendents make the call to cancel school in bad weather?
When the weather gets bad, Mike Porembka hops in his truck and hits the road at 4 a.m. The Greater Latrobe School District superintendent drives around the district — from downtown Latrobe to Unity — gathering information and assessing road conditions and temperatures. Ultimately, he must decide whether to cancel...
Morning roundup: Snow’s coming; Butler butcher shop damaged by fire
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Jan. 18: The Pittsburgh area could see a few inches of snow in the coming days, with a “winter weather advisory” in effect for most of southwestern Pennsylvania from 1 a.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday, according to...
Astrobotic planning for failed lunar lander to re-enter Earth over the South Pacific
Officials at Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic believe their failed lunar lander will reenter Earth’s atmosphere over a remote area of the South Pacific, the company announced Wednesday. Astrobotic’s team has worked closely with NASA analyzing the Peregrine spacecraft’s travels and they do not anticipate any hazards. “A safe re-entry is our top...
3 men, including an ex-police detective, plead guilty to manufacturing ‘hit kits’ using untraceable ghost guns
A Bedford County man is the third person to plead guilty to involvement in the manufacturing and sale of “hit kits,” consisting of an untraceable “ghost gun” built from synthetic plastic polymer, along with a threaded barrel, silencer, ammunition and latex gloves. Wayne Farabaugh, 55, of New Paris, pleaded guilty...
Hempfield man accused in stabbing incident at off-campus apartment near Slippery Rock University
A Hempfield man is accused of stabbing another man during a party Monday at an apartment complex near Slippery Rock University. Brennan James Steeley, 23, is being held at the Butler County Prison on $25,000 bail on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. State police were called...
What a new federal rule banning funny roadway signs means for Pennsylvania
Have you ever noticed the electronic sign “Don’t Drive Star Spangled Hammered” on the Parkway West and chuckled? Well, that and other similar quirky messages are going away in a couple years. They will be banned in 2026. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has given states two years to implement...
Top House Democrats endorse Rep. Summer Lee in contested primary
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, is gathering some major support ahead of her contested spring primary, as she hopes to hold on to her seat during what is likely to be an expensive and competitive election. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, endorsed Lee on Wednesday, her highest...
Morning Roundup: 1 shot in Homestead; Beaver County man killed in crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 17: 1 hospitalized in Homestead shooting A man was hospitalized Wednesday morning after being shot in the back in Homestead, Allegheny County Police said. The non-fatal shooting was reported at about 4:20 a.m. in the 1000 block...
Snow causes headaches, similar storm could return by week’s end
Western Pennsylvania is in for another round of snow by the end of the week, meteorologists warned. Tuesday morning’s snowfall dropped about 2 to 4 inches across the region. It caused about 200 school cancellations and more than a few headaches for commuters. Across Allegheny County, the average snowfall was...
Washington County controller accused of starving dog to death waives preliminary hearing
April Sloane will have her day in court at another time. The Washington County Controller accused of starving her dog to death waived her preliminary before District Judge James Saieva Jr. Tuesday afternoon. North Strabane police charged her with two felony counts of aggravated cruelty — one for causing serious...
U.S. judge grounds JetBlue-Spirit merger; local airport official optimistic
The planned $3.8 billion merger of JetBlue Airways with Spirit Airlines was struck down Tuesday by a federal judge who feared it would hurt competition among low-cost airlines. Spirit Airlines, based in Miramar, Fla., is the lone scheduled carrier serving Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. “We are going to...
Rare Spider-Man comic book on sale for $35K in Western Pa.
A local comic book owner made an amazing find: Amazing Fantasy 15, the first appearance of Spider-Man and a rare gem in the comic world. Now, he’s selling it for $35,000. That price might be a bargain given the fair condition of the comic book. A pristine copy once sold...
