Regional News category, Page 147
Will Chinese surveillance balloon heading east reach Western Pennsylvania?
The Pentagon says the Chinese balloon spotted over the western U.S. is a surveillance balloon, leading to the question: Will it arrive over Western Pennsylvania? The balloon is heading east, and there is a chance it could end up over Western Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service said Friday. Still, it’s...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh police find missing 13-year-old
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023: Pittsburgh police find 13-year-old boy Pittsburgh police found a 13-year-old boy had been missing since Thursday. Police reported Saturday that Keith Lovelace has been found safe. 1 injured in rollover crash in Dravosburg At least...
Activists: Shell cracker plant not living up to ‘good neighbor’ promises
Shell is withholding or slow to release information to the public about flaring, orange glows in the sky and strange noises at its ethylene cracker plant in Beaver County, which started operating in November, an environmental group said this week. Noise complaints from residents — mostly about intermittent “popping sounds”...
Applications for elk hunting season now open
As of Feb. 1, applications are open for Pennsylvania’s 2023-24 elk hunting seasons. Three seasons, archery, general, and late, have been preliminarily approved by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners. Interested parties can apply for $11.97 per season, or $35.91 for all three. Applications can be purchased online at huntfish.pa.gov...
Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil makes his annual prediction
Punxsutawney Phil has spoken — there will be six more weeks of winter. Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog saw his shadow — for the third year in a row — on Thursday morning in the small Jefferson County town in front of thousands of excited onlookers. Phil emerges every Feb. 2...
Sheetz halts controversial ‘smile policy’
Sheetz said it has ended its controversial policy that people with visible dental problems should not be hired. Dubbed the “smile policy,” the convenience store chain’s employee handbook previously stated that “applicants with obvious missing, broken, or badly discolored teeth (unrelated to a disability) are not qualified for employment with...
Shapiro to become just 3rd sitting governor to attend Pa.’s Groundhog Day celebration
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will attend the annual Groundhog Day ceremony in Punxsutawney on Thursday, becoming just the third sitting governor to ever attend the Feb. 2 event. Shapiro, a Democrat from Montgomery County, is looking forward to joining the “storied Pennsylvania tradition” and the famed Punxsutawney Phil groundhog, according...
Green comet makes closest approach to Earth in 50K years
The so-called green comet will make its closest approach to Earth in about 50,000 years late Wednesday/early Thursday, but whether you’ll see it in the skies above Western Pennsylvania is debatable. “Unfortunately, we’re going to have increasing cloudiness overnight,” said Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in...
Photo gallery: Preparing for Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney
Tribune-Review photojournalist Kristina Serafini captured Punxsutawney Area High School students on Tuesday getting ready for Groundhog Day. Seen above, A.J. “Rainmaker” Dereume holds a hat-wearing Punxsutawney Phil during the assembly announcing the Groundhog King and Queen inside Punxsutawney Area High School Tuesday. Students dance to the “YMCA” while...
Morning Roundup: Bed Bath & Beyond closing 3 Pittsburgh locations
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023: 3 Pittsburgh-area Bed Bath & Beyond stores closing Three Pittsburgh-area Bed Bath & Beyond stores are set to close, further reducing the home goods retailer’s footprint in the area, the retail chain announced this week....
Before Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney locals get hyped for the hoopla
The thousands of people expected at Gobbler’s Knob on Thursday for Groundhog Day will have a tough time matching the bedlam to be found Tuesday at the Punxsutawney Area High School gymnasium. More than 800 students in grades 7 through 12 interspersed with the Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle as Phil...
1 guilty, 1 acquitted in roadside shooting of Butler County native
NASHVILLE — The man who shot and killed a Tennessee nurse as she was driving to work two years ago was found guilty of second-degree murder on Tuesday, while a co-defendant was acquitted. Devaunte Hill and James Cowan were both charged with first-degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Caitlyn...
Pittsburgh region’s unemployment rate flat at 4%
The Pittsburgh region’s unemployment rate held steady in December at 4%, as more people are both looking for work and finding it, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Labor & Industry. It was the second consecutive month that the jobless rate in the seven-county area was...
Philips plans to cut another 6,000 jobs globally; local impact unclear
Dutch health technology company Philips said it will lay off another 6,000 workers globally. The company, which has several locations Western Pennsylvania, said the move is an effort to restore profitability and improve product safety following a recall of respiratory devices, according to Reuters. Half of the job cuts will...
Morning Roundup: 1 killed, 1 injured in Beaver County crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023: 1 killed, 1 injured in Beaver County crash A teenager was killed and another injured in a crash in Beaver County early Tuesday, according to state police. Troopers said a 15-year-old passenger in a Hyundai...
Federal limits proposed for lead levels in infant food
Newly released draft guidance from the federal Food and Drug Administration calls for manufacturers to limit lead levels in infant food, but it also cautions parents that they don’t need to panic or make major changes to their little ones’ diets. The draft, released last week, would set FDA “action...
Report: 1 dead, 1 critically injured in Ellwood City shooting
A woman is dead and another person is in critical condition following a shooting late Monday afternoon in Ellwood City, city officials told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. Ellwood City police are investigating the shooting, which took place shortly after 5:15 p.m. Monday along First Street, Mayor Anthony Court told WPXI....
Forecasters say snow to taper off — leaving cold, freezing rain behind
Snow was tapering off throughout the region Tuesday morning after rain turned into a mix of snow and icy glaze in some areas, leaving behind cold temperatures, according to National Weather Service meteorologists. “There’s a frontal boundary moving through with some warmer air aloft, and a colder surface temperature,” NWS...
Gas prices heading back toward $4 after 5 weeks of increases
The average price of gas in the U.S. has increased more than 10% in the past month and could reach $4 per gallon again, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. The national average price of gasoline Monday was $3.51 per gallon, according to AAA. That’s 9 cents higher than last week,...
Mon-Fayette Expressway’s next phase will help test innovative road concepts
Paul Metzler of Murrysville isn’t confident that truckers will voluntarily limit their use of “jake brakes” on the stretch of Route 22 situated down the hill from his home in Manordale Farms. “Between the ribbed concrete that the highway is made of and the increase in trucks that all use...
As pandemic tax credits fade, prepare for shrinking tax refunds
The clock has started ticking for people to file their tax returns but this year, there’s one thing to brace for — smaller refunds. That’s because many of the benefits put in place to help people weather the pandemic — such as boosting the child tax credit and earned income...
High school robotics teams gear up for a new season of ‘FIRSTs’Video
Franklin Regional Superintendent Gennaro Piraino wanted to know what junior Rory Messersmith considered to be more valuable to his academic future — being a member of the high school’s robotics team, or studying for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests. “I’m not sure if I should answer that,” Messersmith...
Local water systems prepare to deal with stricter regulations for ‘forever chemicals’
New regulations that place stricter limits on the presence of “forever chemicals” in Pennsylvania’s public drinking water are not expected to heavily impact the local water supply, officials said. While the revised standards dramatically reduce the levels of two forms of the toxic chemicals that collectively are known as PFAS,...
Morning Roundup: State police look into fake digital coupon used at Hempfield 7-11
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023: State police investigate coupon fraud in Hempfield According to the Facebook page of the Westmoreland County Pennsylvania District Attorney’s office, Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a retail theft in which the actors used a digital...
Man gets 17 years in federal prison for abusing residents of Beaver County care facility
Karen Pennell showed the court a picture of her son. She said he was a sweet, loving boy who had meningitis as an infant. He developed seizures, had many surgeries, lost his vision on one side and had to relearn to walk. Over the years, Pennell told the judge, her...
