Regional News category, Page 197
Code Orange air quality alert issued for parts of Allegheny County
High air pollution could impact sensitive groups of people Monday in several counties across the region, including communities in Allegheny County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The department issued a Code Orange air quality alert for fine particulate matter, with the highest hourly concentrations likely occurring before...
Amid struggles, farmers eye potential in burgeoning hemp industry
Even as Pennsylvania’s hemp industry continues to face growing pains, farmer Rick Fundy knows there is potential in the trade. This year, he invested $5,000 to begin growing hemp on his future son-in-law’s Latrobe farm. With equipment already purchased for use on other crops, Fundy invested in seeds and other...
Some UPMC workers plan 1-day strike, call for right to unionize without retaliation
UPMC’s recent move to dole out $500 bonuses did little to quell mounting concerns among some workers who accuse the health care giant of trying to squash their efforts to unionize. “There was no ‘thank you pay’ until we started organizing to strike,” Juilia Centofanti, a pharmacy technician at UPMC...
It’s high season for deer-car collisions on Pennsylvania roads
Pennsylvania drivers beware: This is the season when the chances of hitting a deer increase, experts say, especially with the end of daylight saving time this weekend. The state ranks first in the nation for the highest number of animal-vehicle collisions that mostly involve deer, according to insurance company State...
Police: Charleroi couple hid infant’s body in bedroom wall for months
A Charleroi woman faces abuse of a corpse and other charges for hiding the death of her infant and sealing his body in a bedroom wall, according to the criminal complaint against her. Charleroi Regional Police Detective David Kimball wrote in the complaint that officers were called to a home...
UPMC schedules 10K covid vaccinations for children in 1st day
Across the health system, UPMC scheduled 10,000 covid vaccination appointments for children in the 5 to 11 age group during the first 24 hours after they became available, officials said Friday. Dr. Alejandro Hoberman, president of UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics, said a majority of those vaccines will be given in...
Bentleyville woman alleges state trooper strip-searched her during I-70 traffic stop
A woman said that she was strip-searched on the side of Interstate 70 in South Strabane by the state police this summer after being pulled over for traveling 5 mph over the speed limit. Holly Elish, 34, of Bentleyville, said in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday that she was heading...
Giant Eagle opening covid vaccine appointments for kids
Appointments for children ages 5 to 11 to get covid-19 vaccinations could be available as early as this weekend at Giant Eagle pharmacies in the area, according to an announcement. Anyone who wants to schedule an appointment for a child in that age range can visit the grocery store chain’s...
Lady Luck smiles on Westmoreland, Allegheny lottery players through scratch-off winningsVideo
The wallets of hundreds of Allegheny and Westmoreland county residents got a little thicker last month after a slew of players won thousands of dollars through scratch-off lottery tickets. In Westmoreland, one person won a $500,000 top prize, with two others winning $250,000, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery. Two people...
Police investigating role speed played in deadly I-79 bus crash
Two teen girls injured Tuesday in a deadly bus crash on Interstate 79 remained hospitalized Thursday morning while police continued to investigate why the bus rear-ended a flatbed tractor-trailer and how much of a role the bus’s speed played. Brylee Walker, 14, a passenger on the bus from Hermitage, Mercer...
5 things to know as covid vaccinations begin for young children
Children across the country are cleared to begin receiving child-sized doses of the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine after getting the recommendation from adviser at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed by the green light by director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. The shots – one-third the dose that adults and older...
Have a beer, help the hungry during Hops for Hunger campaign in Pennsylvania
Breweries across Pennsylvania are offering patrons a way to help feed the hungry through the inaugural Hops for Hunger campaign taking place during November. “Pennsylvania is one of the preeminent brewing states in the nation, boasting over 400 breweries — and the number is growing. But just as our brewery...
Driver fleeing from state police in Beaver Falls hits car, 3 people injured
Three people were injured when a van fleeing from police crashed into a car in Beaver Falls on Wednesday night, according to state police. Police say John Allen, 44, of Beaver Falls fled at a high rate of speed when a state trooper on patrol along Eighth Avenue in the...
Here’s how PennDOT trains snowplow drivers for the upcoming winterVideo
Unlike a lot of people, Ann Rogers does not mind driving in the snow. For the PennDOT driver, it’s something that comes with her job. “I really love plowing snow,” said Rogers, who has been keeping state roads in the Uniontown area clear for the past three years. Rogers was...
Excela Health expanding into Connellsville with new $12 million complex
Excela Health is taking another step outside of Westmoreland County with plans for a $12 million medical complex in Connellsville that could be completed in 2023. Building the 30,000-square-foot Excela Square outpatient and ambulatory care center in Fayette County is a “logical choice” in extending the health system’s reach, Excela...
Giant Eagle joins list of grocery stores to close on Thanksgiving
Anyone in the Pittsburgh region panicked over a forgotten cranberry sauce or scorched turkey will have to get creative this Thanksgiving, as a number of local grocery stores plan to remain closed Nov. 25. Now add Giant Eagle to that list, which already includes Trader Joe’s and Walmart. In Greensburg,...
5 takeaways from Election Day in Western Pa.
Tuesday’s election didn’t produce any of the drama or tumult that we saw in 2020, but it turned out to be historically significant in other ways. Republicans shined in countywide races in Westmoreland County and races for the state’s appellate courts, while Black and women candidates came up big in...
Pittsburgh area adds jobs in September, loss of workers reflects slow recovery
The Pittsburgh region had 10,000 fewer workers in September than a year ago, despite the availability of the covid vaccine, employers offering higher wages and the federal government eliminating extra jobless benefits. The seven-county region saw the labor force decrease to 1.16 million workers in September, a drop of 13,600...
Lincoln Park performing arts student, bus driver killed in I-79 crash identified
A school bus driver and teen passenger were killed late Tuesday afternoon after the bus they were in collided with a tractor-trailer on Interstate 79 in Butler County. On Wednesday afternoon, officials from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Midland, Beaver County, identified the victims as student Brylee Walker,...
Maintenance, inspections prompt 12-hour closure of Pa. Turnpike tunnel in Somerset County
Parts of the Allegheny Tunnel on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be closed for 12 hours starting Tuesday evening in Somerset County for maintenance and inspections. Delays may arise when the closure starts at 7 p.m., according to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. The closures are expected to be lifted by 7...
Here’s what Allegheny and Westmoreland county voters are saying about the electionVideo
As voters head to the polls to cast ballots, Tribune-Review journalists are talking to them throughout the region. Here’s a roundup of what’s happening in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Freeport Freeport resident John Kraus, 60, voted at his borough’s polling place at St. Mary Mother of God Parish along High...
UPMC gives $500 bonus to 92,000 employees
UPMC announced Tuesday that its 92,000 employees will receive a $500 bonus for their dedication during the coronavirus pandemic. “Over the past 20 months, you have risen in truly exceptional ways to meet challenges we could have never anticipated,” CEO and President Leslie C. Davis wrote in an email to...
Scammers get $40K in Bitcoin from 2 Indiana County residents through Westmoreland kiosk
State police issued a warning about scammers trying to steal money from people with a scheme involving PayPal and Bitcoin cryptocurrency after two Indiana County residents were swindled out of thousands of dollars last month. Investigators at Troop A said a woman from Homer City lost about $32,000 on Oct....
Beaver County man arrested for fatal shooting in New Castle
A Beaver County man has been arrested and charged with criminal homicide in connection with the Oct. 24 shooting death of a man in New Castle. Daniel Lee Tweedlie, 19, of New Brighton, was taken into custody shortly after midnight on Tuesday after officers from the New Castle Police Department...
Estranged wife of GOP U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell testifies he abused her and children
The estranged wife of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell testified during a child custody hearing Monday that his fits of rage toward her began within the first few months of their relationship, and the rage later turned into abuse. But she said under oath that it wasn’t until early...
