Regional category, Page 12
Pennsylvania drivers invited to share feedback on road projects
Sick of orange barrels and detours dictating your commute? PennDOT wants to hear about it. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation just opened an online survey for the public to submit feedback regarding its construction and maintenance services. Announced Tuesday, the survey will be open through Oct. 21. It’s titled the...
Grocery wars heat up as Midwestern chain Meijer pushes into Western Pa.
Meijer, the Michigan-based grocery chain known for its sprawling supercenters, is coming to Western Pennsylvania. Fresh off its expansion in Northeast Ohio, Meijer is pushing across the state line and acquiring properties in Western Pennsylvania, spokeswoman Erin Cataldo confirmed Tuesday to TribLive. The stores do not have opening dates. “Our...
Fayette County mom imprisoned in daughter’s starvation death walks free after evidence crumbles
A Fayette County woman who pleaded no contest to murdering her daughter and spent a decade in prison is now free after serious questions were raised about the prosecution’s key evidence. The Fayette County District Attorney’s Office last week withdrew a homicide charge against Andrea Dusha, who was accused of...
Morning Roundup: Girl shot in Northview Heights; multiple people hurt in Fayette County stabbing
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Sept. 29: Girl shot in Pittsburgh’s Northview Heights A man has been charged with shooting a teen girl in the leg Sunday night in Pittsburgh’s Northview Heights neighborhood. Hassan Said Abdi, 24, of Pittsburgh, was charged with aggravated...
How AI is reshaping education — from teachers to students
When Emily Sanders worked as a high school English teacher, she never imagined being tasked with teaching her colleagues how to incorporate artificial intelligence into lesson plans. “I learned how to teach Shakespeare to kids,” she said. “I didn’t learn how to teach technology to teachers.” Fast forward and Sanders...
Lockdown lifted at Grove City College after no evidence found of ‘potentially dangerous situation’
Grove City College lifted the precautionary lockdown on campus just before 7 p.m Sunday, following police investigating a “potentially dangerous situation” at the school just hours before. “Police searched the campus of Grove City College Sunday afternoon after someone reported an individual with a gun in the area of Henry...
2 dead in Aliquippa shooting
Two people were shot and killed Saturday night in Aliquippa in an incident state police said involved no other people. Cynthia Zipfel, 43, of Aliquippa was discovered by police inside of her parked vehicle in a lot behind a building on Franklin Avenue shortly before 11 p.m. Police said Jalen...
Proof of life or too much pressure? The generational reckoning with social media
Rosemarie Powers, 21, of Irwin joined social media at 7 years old when her mother first let her open up a Facebook account. Her formative years were marred by the influence of social media — platforms parents and experts weren’t prepared for. “Parents were blindsided,” said Sophia Choukas-Bradley, licensed clinical...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: Sept. 26
The following is a feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz: 1. “Jimmy Kimmel Live” returned to the airwaves this week after a suspension from ABC the previous week. Upon the show’s return, it enjoyed record viewership. According to data from Nielsen, how many viewers were accumulated on television? A/...
Budget impasse leaves school districts in limbo over $4 billion in funding
The state’s nearly three-month budget impasse has cost Pennsylvania school districts almost $4 billion. That’s how much districts, technical schools and intermediate units should have received in state funding since July 1 — the day a new budget was supposed to take effect. Without a budget, the state isn’t making...
$100M recycling facility to replace ‘primitive’ slag pits at U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson plant
U.S. Steel’s notoriously outdated Edgar Thomson Works handles the molten substance left behind by smelting iron ore the same way it did 150 years ago: by dumping it into slag pits. They’re as low-tech as they sound. First, molten iron comes flowing from the blast furnaces. The slag, which rides...
Morning Roundup: Fire at former Century III Mall; disaster aid offer to Squirrel Hill fire victims
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Sept. 25: Fire at former Century III Mall A fire at the former Century III Mall broke out Wednesday morning as crews continue demolition work there, according to Pleasant Hills Volunteer Fire Company. The flames were reported just...
Cranberry couple accused of perjury related to sale of Westmoreland home with water issues
A Cranberry couple is accused of lying under oath when they said they weren’t aware of water damage to their former Westmoreland County home they sold in September 2020. Westmoreland County detectives have charged Michael James Pierce, 57, and Carrie Ann Pierce, 54, with perjury in the case. The Pierces...
Giant Eagle plans to invest $100M in strategic push amid heavy competition
Flush with cash after selling GetGo for $1.6 billion, Giant Eagle is prepared to spend more than $100 million to renovate stores and show customers it’s serious about lowering prices. The investment spree started Thursday and will run through 2026, marking the start of a “new era” for Giant Eagle,...
Pa. helps grandparents raise kids with free hotline
Pennsylvania launched the first statewide hotline for legal resources for grandparents tasked with raising their grandchildren. On Wednesday, the Department of Aging announced that the PA Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Legal Line — which is free to use and offers a variety of resources to help with custody proceedings, preparation for...
Pa. families risk higher premiums as leaders urge feds to save insurance tax credits
Indiana County resident Tony Gonzales and his wife are just two of the almost half a million Pennsylvanians who could be hit with sharp health insurance price hikes next year. The college professor said he and his wife enrolled in Pennie, Pennsylvania’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance exchange, about...
Penn State president’s raise turns heads, but some say it’s a reflection of the industry
To some Penn State faculty members, recent decisions from the university’s Board of Trustees have had a bit of a whiplash effect. In May, trustees voted to close the New Kensington and Fayette campuses in two years — as well as five others — citing enrollment and financial declines and...
Doctors turn to each other, not CDC, for medical advice
Most of the medical community once looked to an influential federal vaccine panel for guidance on immunizations. But after the discussions and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine panel veered from scientific consensus last week — and toward the vaccine-skeptical beliefs of Health and Human Services...
Trifecta of rainy, hot, dry weather could be pattern of the future
Excessive rain in the spring followed by a hot, dry summer might be the weather pattern of the future. Experts point to atmospheric greenhouse gases that are higher than they’ve been in more than a million years for driving temperature changes. The abundance of carbon dioxide, methane and other gases...
Slippery Rock enrollment up 2.75% — its highest increase in 9 years
Slippery Rock University is experiencing record enrollment and retention rates this fall semester. Total enrollment at the Butler County state college is 8,625 students, a 2.75% increase from last fall, according to the university. It’s Slippery Rock’s largest single-year increase in the past nine years. There are 1,549 full-time, first-year...
Benezette elk viewing areas unaffected by weekend fires
A wildfire Saturday in Benezette it isn’t expected to impact tourism in the self-proclaimed “Elk Capital of Pennsylvania.” In north central Pennsylvania, visitors regularly flock to Elk County to observe the animals, and fall is particularly popular for viewing the annual elk rut. The game commission maintains multiple elk viewing...
PennWest, IUP partner with Google to expand AI training
When leaders in the business, manufacturing and education fields seek PennWest University students for internships and jobs, they’re not just asking if candidates are skilled in artificial intelligence. They’re also asking if the students can lead AI training and development for their potential peers, said Camille Dempsey, director of the...
Ligonier Valley officer joins few in local law enforcement able to draw blood of DUI suspects
When Ligonier Valley police Officer Shawn Knepper makes a traffic stop, he may end up taking the driver’s blood as well as his or her name, age and license number. Knepper recently became one of 19 municipal law enforcement officers in the state who have gained certification as a phlebotomist...
Concert will help support East Palestine residents affected by train derailment
Former steelworker, longtime Pittsburgh-area labor activist and musician Mike Stout wanted a way to formalize relief efforts for those affected and displaced by the 2023 East Palestine train derailment. The freight train derailment on Feb. 3, 2023, in the village near the Pennsylvania state line included 11 cars transporting hazardous...
Western Pa. theaters, museums struggling with funding, audience retention
On stages across Western Pennsylvania, the drama unfolding isn’t only scripted — it’s real. Five years after covid-19 shuttered theaters and silenced auditoriums, regional arts organizations are still navigating the fallout of the pandemic, shrinking funding streams and an audience base that looks much different than before. National data from...
