Westmoreland County firefighters draw on past experiences to deal with subzero cold
As Westmoreland County firefighters prepared to potentially respond to emergencies in subzero temperatures late Wednesday into Thursday, Delmont Volunteer Fire Department Chief Rich Balik said lessons learned at a fatal fire last year in Salem Township assisted in its planning. On Jan. 5, 2018, multiple departments battled subzero windchill as...
Dozens of vehicles in pileup after snow squall in central Pa.
READING — More than two dozen vehicles have been involved in a chain-reaction crash on a central Pennsylvania highway after a snow squall caused whiteout conditions. Wyomissing Police Chief Jeffrey Biehl says about 27 vehicles were involved in the crash just after 1 p.m. Wednesday on Route 222, about 60...
Pittsburgh salt truck driver suspended following sideswipes in Lawrenceville
A Pittsburgh Public Works Department salt truck driver has been suspended without pay and is facing termination after sideswiping three vehicles in Lawrenceville on Jan. 13, a city official said Friday. The driver isn’t the only DPW employee facing discipline, according to Guy Costa, the city operations chief. Two other...
Pittsburgh officials receive death threats from gun ban opponents
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and City Councilman Corey O’Connor said Wednesday that they have received death threats from people who disagree with the city’s proposed gun ban. O’Connor, one of the sponsors of the gun legislation, said he received a telephone voice mail two weeks ago from someone threatening to...
Passport Fairs happening in Western Pa. in February
Some post offices in Western Pennsylvania will host Passport Fairs in February to help people obtain passports. Below is a list of sites that will host a Passport Fair: • Feb. 2: Warren, Pa.; 210 W. Third Ave. 16365. (9 a.m. to 12 p.m.) • Feb. 2: State College, Pa.;...
Highlands facing $3.7M budget deficit
Highlands School District’s preliminary budget for next school year has a $3.7 million hole in it. That’s the preliminary budget gap between the district’s proposed spending of about $46 million and its estimated revenue of about $42.3 million. The district released its preliminary budget Tuesday. The school board is expected...
Monarch population up 144 percent at Mexico wintering grounds
MEXICO CITY — The population of monarch butterflies wintering in central Mexico is up 144 percent over last year, experts said Wednesday. The data presented by Andrew Rhodes, Mexico’s national commissioner for protected natural areas, was cheered but scientists quickly warned that it does not mean the butterflies that migrate...
Westmoreland organizations seek to provide shelter for homeless during cold snap
It can be difficult to get an accurate picture of homelessness in Westmoreland County, but local officials and service organizations want to make sure those who found themselves in such a situation had a place to go amid this week’s frigid weather. “A lot of times they’re elusive and don’t...
KDKA fires employee for Tom Brady ‘Known Cheater’ TV graphic
A KDKA employee has been fired over a graphic involving New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The caption, which ran during the CBS affiliate’s 4 p.m. broadcast Monday, identified Brady as “known cheater” instead of “Patriots quarterback.” “While fans are entitled to have personal opinions, we have a journalistic responsibility...
Pitt petition to cancel classes nets nearly 10,000 signatures
Pity poor David Ankin. At least he had an excuse for trying to avoid icy winds cutting through the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus. “I lost my hat yesterday and was too busy to buy a new one,” Ankin, a computer science major at Pitt, wrote on an online petition...
Bat infestation forces closure of building at university
MONROE, La. — The University of Louisiana Monroe has closed a building until a colony of bats can be removed. The university’s Public Relations Director, Hope Young, says Sugar Hall will be closed until the bats and that classes and administrative offices have been moved. Young says the bats entered...
Pat Catan’s craft stores to close, some rebranded as Michaels
Most Pat Catan’s Arts and Craft stores will be closing soon, the company that owns the regional chain announced Wednesday. The Michaels Cos. Inc. will rebrand up to 12 of the Pat Catan’s locations as Michaels stores and close the remaining stores. There are 36 Pat Catan’s stores in the...
Delmont fire officials: State audit recommendations met
Delmont volunteer firefighters report their department is continuing to “move forward” after a recent report by the state auditor general disclosed not all of its recommendations from prior financial audits had been followed. “For audited period Jan. 1, 2016, to Dec. 31, 2017, the relief association took appropriate corrective action...
Health aid accused of assaulting 92-year-old Pittsburgh woman
A home health care aid allegedly assaulted a 92-year-old woman, kicking her so hard that she required stitches, police said. Brightstar Healthcare aid Kweilin Wofford told city police she was headed to the apartment of Bunny Pittsburgh in the Riverview Towers in Squirrel Hill when she heard screaming and swearing,...
Foxconn reconsiders plan for Wisconsin manufacturing hub
MADISON, Wis. — Electronics giant Foxconn reversed course and announced Wednesday that the massive Wisconsin operation that was supposed to bring a bounty of blue-collar manufacturing jobs back to the Midwest — and was offered billions of dollars in incentives from the state — will instead be devoted mostly to...
‘Severely neglected’ farm animals rescued from Butler County home
A New Kensington cat shelter rescued 30 severely neglected farm animals including donkeys, goats, sheep and rabbits at a residence in Harmony, Butler County. The animals were emaciated when they were rescued on Saturday, according to Dr. Becky Morrow, founder and veterinarian with Frankie’s Friends Cat Rescue in New Kensington....
Connellsville residents take the snow angel challenge
It was a cold snowy Sunday and Amelia Lincoln, 8, of Connellsville, was restless. Her father, Mayor Greg Lincoln was a little bored himself, so he told Amelia to get her coat — they were going outside to make snow angels. However, before they ever hit the snow-covered ground, the...
Official: Air traffic safety system will take time to recover after shutdown
WASHINGTON — The pipeline that produces air traffic controllers essential to the aviation system and the economy will reopen Monday, but union officials warn that it may be years before the system rebounds from consequences of the 35-day federal government shutdown. “We’re not sure what the damage really is,” said...
Gov. Wolf renews bid to put Pennsylvania’s minimum wage among highest
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf is rolling out a second-term proposal to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage after similar first-term proposals by the Democrat fell flat in the Republican-controlled Legislature. Wolf said Wednesday he wants to raise Pennsylvania’s hourly minimum to $12 this year, making it one of the highest in...
Prosecutor calls evidence against El Chapo overwhelming
NEW YORK — Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman orchestrated a two-decade campaign to flood the United States with tons of cocaine as a ruthless leader of the Sinaloa cartel, a prosecutor said in closing arguments on Wednesday at Guzman’s U.S. trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Goldbarg began her...
Police: No footage yet of alleged attack on ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett
CHICAGO (AP) — Detectives have reviewed surveillance footage of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett walking to a downtown Chicago apartment after an early-morning visit to a Subway restaurant, but none of it showed the alleged attack on the actor, a police official said Wednesday. Investigators “for the most part” can confirm...
Analysis: This is what 40 below zero feels like
The fact of the matter is I don’t know exactly how cold it got at my house today. The mercury thermometer on our porch only goes down to minus 30. The digital thermometer in our backyard weather station bottoms out at minus 40. For roughly two hours on Wednesday, this...
Braddock Council appoints interim mayor
After weeks of dispute, the Braddock Council has appointed an interim mayor. Chardae Jones, 29, was selected by the six-member council in a unanimous vote at a special meeting Tuesday, council President Tina Doose said. “I’m excited to continue my work with the community,” said Jones, who has co-chaired Braddock...
Trump says ‘wall’ must be part of lawmakers’ border deal
WASHINGTON — Capitol Hill negotiators are hopeful of an agreement as they officially kick off talks Wednesday on a homeland security spending bill stalled over funding for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall. Left on their own, the seasoned House and Senate lawmakers say they could easily reach a border...
Milo Ventimiglia named Hasty Pudding Man of the Year
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Milo Ventimiglia, who stars in NBC’s award-winning hit TV drama “This is Us,” has been named 2019 Man of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals. The oldest theatrical organization in the United States announced Wednesday that Ventimiglia was selected because he has made “significant impressions...
