Regional News category, Page 142
Norfolk Southern to pay $7M to reimburse Pa. agencies, fire departments, create relief fund
The train company responsible for last month’s derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, has agreed to pay more than $7 million to cover costs incurred by Pennsylvania agencies and fire departments and establish a relief fund for residents and businesses, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Monday. Shapiro said he demanded Norfolk Southern...
Pa. game commission seeking genetic info on ‘tame’ ruffed grousesVideo
Have you been harassed by Pennsylvania’s state bird? The game commission wants to know. No, seriously. In the spring and fall, some ruffed grouses exhibit what wildlife experts refer to as “tame” behavior. Despite being completely wild animals, they show very little fear around people and will sometimes even act...
Kings & Queens Restaurant in Stoystown a total loss after fire
A Stoystown staple is gone. The Kings & Queens Restaurant & Pub along Lincoln Highway was destroyed by fire Saturday. A Somerset 911 dispatcher said the building is a total loss. One person was transported to a hospital for minor smoke inhalation, according to the dispatcher. There were no other...
Thousands still without power Saturday evening in Westmoreland, Fayette counties after severe windstorm
Thousands of homes remained without power Saturday evening in Westmoreland and Fayette counties as a result of high winds that began moving through the region Friday. As of 6:30 p.m., West Penn Power reported more than 8,200 outages in Fayette County and about 5,800 outages in Westmoreland County, among a...
Carnegie Mellon air quality data shows levels of ‘potential concern’ from Ohio derailment site
Carnegie Mellon University scientists monitoring the air near the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment site found levels of pollution from most chemicals measured to be of low or minimal risk, but at least one pollutant was detected at levels of “potential concern.” Researchers from Carnegie Mellon and Texas A&M University teamed...
Pa. residents seek answers to derailment-related questions at Beaver County clinic
Sam and Roberta Birchler grow corn, beans, carrots, lettuce and more in their 40-by-70-foot garden in Beaver County’s Darlington Township — about 2 miles from the site of last month’s Norfolk Southern trail derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. They eat the food they grow there, as well as blueberries that...
High wind warning in effect for 3 southwestern PA counties
High winds that hit Westmoreland, Fayette, and Indiana counties Friday evening are expected to continue until 1 p.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Slightly less powerful gusts were hitting neighboring counties, including those in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Westmoreland emergency services responded to numerous calls Friday night reporting downed...
Feds announce 57 arrests in Operation Lake Effect bust of fentanyl, meth ring
An investigation that stretched over four years and across the country resulted in the arrests of 57 people, the seizure of more than 673 pounds of fentanyl-laced faked prescription pills and more than 400 pounds of methamphetamine, the acting U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh announced Friday. “Nearly every family in Western...
$6M wetlands initiative will improve habitats on 61 state game land sites
The state Game Commission and Ducks Unlimited have partnered to form the Pennsylvania Wetland Habitat Initiative that would improve 1,600 acres of wetland habitats on 61 state game lands. Outdated pipes, damaged dikes and dilapidated infrastructure limit site managers’ ability to the wetlands and leave the species in these habitats...
Angry East Palestine residents confront Norfolk Southern over health fears
Residents who say they’re still suffering from illnesses nearly a month after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in Ohio confronted the railroad’s operator Thursday at a town forum, demanding to know whether they’d be relocated from homes they’re afraid to live in. “It’s not safe here,” said one man,...
Hundreds of Pa. residents turn to Beaver County resource center near train derailment site for help
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health opened a resource center in Beaver County for state residents concerned about the impact of last month’s train derailment in nearby East Palestine, Ohio. In the two days after it opened Tuesday, officials said about 200 residents of Beaver County and neighboring Lawrence County went to...
Did dioxins spread after the Ohio train derailment?
After a catastrophic 38-train car derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, some officials are raising concerns about a type of toxic substance that tends to stay in the environment. Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance, the U.S. senators from Ohio, sent a letter to the state’s environmental protection agency expressing concern that...
NTSB: Key tank car part melted after Ohio train derailment
OMAHA, Neb. — The fire that erupted after last month’s train derailment in Ohio melted a key part of the tank cars filled with toxic chemicals, so federal officials warned railcar owners Thursday to check their fleets for similar flaws. The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that investigators determined...
‘Operation Lake Effect’ drug raids sweep through the Alle-Kiski ValleyVideo
FBI agents, assisted by state and local police, conducted a wide-ranging series of drug raids in the Alle-Kiski Valley early Thursday. According to residents who witnessed some of the raids, police activity was seen in the hours just before and after dawn in Arnold, Gilpin, New Kensington, Tarentum, Upper Burrell...
Giant Eagle expands discounts to food nearing its ‘best-by’ date
More shoppers will have a chance to snap up discounted food at Giant Eagle. The O’Hara-based grocery chain is expanding to all of its corporate stores its partnership with Flashfood, an app that connects users to discounted food that is nearing its “best-by date.” Giant Eagle and Toronto-based Flashfood launched...
Report: Arconic in talks about potential sale
Arconic Corp., a North Shore-based aerospace parts maker with roots in the Alle-Kiski Valley, is in talks about a potential acquisition. The Wall Street Journal reported that private-equity firm Apollo Global Management Inc. is looking into buying Arconic Corp. Apollo submitted a bid in February and has debt financing in...
Ohio senators ready rail safety bill after fiery crash in East Palestine
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Railroads like the one involved in last month’s fiery crash and toxic chemical release in Ohio would be subject to a series of new federal safety regulations and financial consequences under legislation being introduced Wednesday by the state’s two U.S. senators. An early copy of the Railway...
Railroads urged to examine track detectors after Ohio crash
OMAHA, Neb. — Freight railroads should reexamine the way they use and maintain the detectors along the tracks that are supposed to spot overheating bearings, federal regulators urged Tuesday in the wake of a fiery Ohio derailment and other recent crashes. The safety advisory from the Federal Railroad Administration stopped...
Historically mild February leaves Pittsburgh region with barely a trace of snow
February did not make Pittsburgh shiver. Generally, February is the region’s second snowiest month of the year. Not this year. Just 0.2 inches of snow accumulated over February in the Pittsburgh region. With highs reaching above 50 degrees Tuesday, the month ended as the least snowy February in Pittsburgh history,...
EPA opens office near site of Ohio toxic train derailment
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday he doesn’t want any stigmas attached to the Ohio community where a train derailed and spewed toxic gases three weeks ago and that he’s pushing the railroad to clean up the mess as fast as possible....
UPMC cites employment costs, pandemic as profits fell in 2022
Pittsburgh-based health care giant UPMC reported profits of about $238 million during 2022, a 71% drop compared to the previous year. Edward Karlovich, executive vice president and chief financial officer of UPMC, called it a “difficult year in health care,” but said UPMC made long-term investments in 2022 to improve...
Merged Excela, Butler health system is struggling financially, CEO says
Economic storm clouds are on the horizon for the newly combined Excela and Butler health systems, and a “significant expense reduction plan” is in the near future, according to an internal letter signed by President and CEO Ken DeFurio. In the letter — sent to employees and medical staff at...
Gas prices resume fall on worrisome inflation figures, analyst says
Pennsylvania is among a majority of states that saw gas prices decline over the past week, an industry analyst said. “The national average has resumed its decline after a pause last week as oil and wholesale gasoline prices fell on worrisome inflation figures showing the Fed likely to ramp up...
Pa. DEP to spend week testing water samples collected within mile of train derailment
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said Saturday that it has collected drinking water samples from 13 of the 16 known residential wells within a mile of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment. The DEP announced last week that it would begin systematic collection and testing of water samples in...
Morning Roundup: Funeral service set for Belle Vernon Area student
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023: Funeral set at Belle Vernon Area High School A funeral service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Belle Vernon Area High School in Rostraver for the 6-year-old girl killed Friday morning when hit...
