Regional News category, Page 202
Natural gas prices surge, meaning higher heating bills likely coming for customers
People using natural gas to heat their homes should brace for higher prices this winter. Wholesale prices of the fuel have nearly doubled from a year ago for reasons including the pandemic, foreign sales and fallout from Hurricane Ida. The effects from that perfect storm might begin as soon as...
Owner of Washington County trash-hauling company accused of tax fraud
The owner of a trash hauling company in Washington County has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of filing false income tax returns. Tina L. Beck, 53, of West Alexander, is accused of failing to report the full amount of the gross receipts from her business, Beck’s...
5 things to know about covid-19 vaccine booster shots
Some people who are at risk for severe complications from covid-19 are now eligible for a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine. First of all, the booster — a third dose of the mRNA covid-19 vaccine — is identical to the original doses. Here’s what people should know if they...
2 drivers hurt when horses fall during race at Meadows track
Two drivers were injured at the Meadows Racetrack in North Strabane Township on Tuesday when a race horse took a bad step during a turn and fell. The incident happened during a qualifying event at the harness racing track shortly before 2 p.m. when a horse entering one of the...
Trib wins 16 Golden Quill Awards, including a best-of-showVideo
The Tribune-Review won 16 Golden Quill Awards for journalistic excellence — including a top prize — at The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania’s annual recognition held Tuesday at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. The awards recognize written, visual, broadcast and online journalism during 2020. The Trib had a total of 50...
Pittsburgh region lost jobs, workers in August
The seven-county Pittsburgh region shed jobs and lost workers in August as the economy continues to remain far below the pre-pandemic levels in terms of jobs and those who are working or seeking work, state data shows. “There’s not much shift in the numbers. We’ve pretty much plateaued since last...
Gov. Wolf pushes state lawmakers to boost vaccination rates in their districts
Americans have seen vaccination rates by state, county and ZIP code. Now, as Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration tackles vaccine hesitancy, there’s yet another metric in Pennsylvania. A new report that breaks down vaccination rates by Pennsylvania legislative district suggests there is a significant rural-urban divide, with the highest vaccination rates...
1 killed, 1 critically injured in motorcycle-car crash in Fayette County
A motorcyclist from Maryland was killed and his female passenger critically injured Sunday in a head-on collision with a car along National Pike in Henry Clay Township, Fayette County, according to state police in Uniontown. Rick W. Campbell, 45, of Dundalk, Md., was pronounced dead at Ruby Memorial Medical Center...
2 women file for protection orders against Somerset County DA
Somerset County’s district attorney now faces protection-from-abuse orders involving two different women — one of whom he is accused of raping. Court records show both documents were filed in court in a 24-hour span, with the latest involving a Stoystown-area woman who’s accusing District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas of using a...
State trooper charged with assault, resisting arrest in Washington County
A trooper assigned to the state police barracks in Belle Vernon was charged with aggravated assault following a disturbance call Monday morning in Claysville, Washington County. In addition to the second-degree felony assault charge, Trooper Dustin Schumacher, 30, of Claysville, is charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and disorderly...
Turner Dairy Farms is 1st in Pa. to take advantage of shelf-life law for milk
Grocery shoppers with a habit of seeking out the milk carton with the longest shelf life soon will be able to reach even further into the future — at least if they’re fans of Turner Dairy Farms. The Penn Hills dairy is the first in the state to take advantage...
New Castle homes evacuated after girls’ magnet fishes apparent hand grenade from river
Residents were evacuated from a neighborhood in New Castle early this morning after police were notified that there was a hand grenade on the lawn of a home, according to police. Police were called to a home in the 600 block of Lutton Street shortly after midnight and ordered residents...
Howard Hanna, Pittsburgh real estate magnate, dies at 101
When Howard “Hoddy” Hanna III of Fox Chapel was in basic training with the U.S. Army, his father Howard Jr. was already well on his way to building a successful business that would one day become the fourth-largest real estate firm in the U.S. But he still found time to...
Pa. Turnpike tolls outpace passenger vehicle rates in neighboring states
Pennsylvania drivers who cross onto the Ohio Turnpike notice at significant difference other than the flat terrain. There is a significantly lower per-mile cost of traversing the Buckeye State’s 241-mile turnpike versus the 550 miles in Pennsylvania. Ohio’s E-ZPass toll rate per mile for passenger vehicles is 0.058 cents, the...
Why Pa. Turnpike tolls soared — and will continue rising for next 30 years
Surrounded by bushels of fresh local peaches, Lori Hanscom spent an afternoon greeting truckers, commuters and vacationers from behind her fruit stand at the New Stanton rest stop along the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Her day was filled with friendly chatter about the weather, traffic and which fruits were in season. One...
Pennsylvania school boards, including Hempfield, consider joining mask mandate lawsuits
Another year of traversing a landscape impacted by covid-19 has some school administrators seemingly gearing up to push back against pandemic-related mandates. A state-issued mask mandate for K-12 schools that went into effect early this month spurred several lawsuits that were filed across Pennsylvania by parents and lawmakers. The suits...
Giant Eagle will again require appointment for covid vaccinations
Giant Eagle pharmacies once again will require an appointment for anyone seeking a covid-19 vaccine, a spokesman for the company said Saturday. The grocery store/pharmacy chain had been taking walk-ins for the vaccine, but the appointment requirement is being reinstated because of an “anticipated increase in demand” spurred by the...
CNX Foundation seeks nonprofits to apply for grants
CNX Foundation of Pittsburgh is accepting applications until Oct. 31 from nonprofits aligned with its objective to make tangible impacts in local, underserved urban and rural communities throughout the Appalachian region that face socioeconomic challenges, the organization said. The key areas of the foundation’s focus include food insecurity, children’s health...
Dr. Freddie Fu, renowned Pitt surgeon, dies
Dr. Freddie H. Fu, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon who created the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s sports medicine program, died Friday in Pittsburgh. Fu was 70. He also was Pitt’s sports teams physician for some 30 years. “The University of Pittsburgh has lost one of its finest members,” said University...
Sixth person this month stopped with gun at Pittsburgh airport
A woman was stopped from taking a handgun aboard a plane at Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday, marking the sixth time this month someone was caught at the airport checkpoint with a weapon, Allegheny County Police said. A 31-year-old woman, who was not identified by police, was stopped by Transportation...
UPMC: Get covid booster shot if you’re eligible
Older Americans and adults with high-risk medical conditions should get a covid booster shot if they are eligible, UPMC doctors said Friday. “We want you to have the best possible immune response,” said Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMC’s chief medical officer and chair of emergency medicine. “We want you to be...
Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank announces coalition to deal with childhood hunger
Childhood hunger is becoming a bigger problem in Southwestern Pennsylvania than perhaps anyone could have anticipated. Roughly 96,000 children in the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s 11-county service area don’t have access to enough food, or food of an adequate quality to meet basic needs, according to Feeding America. Now...
Increased mosquito activity in Western Pa. spurred by recent rain, high humidity
Recent rain showers and high humidity have set the scene perfectly for a jump in mosquito activity in Western Pennsylvania. That’s why Karen Poh, a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State University’s Department of Entomology, said she isn’t surprised there has been an uptick in mosquito activity in the region. Mosquitoes...
Pennsylvania Democrats ramp up effort to derail GOP election subpoenas
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Thursday stepped into the legal fray over the a Republican-controlled Senate committee’s attempt to subpoena voter and personal data for nearly 9 million Pennsylvanians. Republicans say they need the data so they can hire a yet to be named private company to conduct what...
Somerset County DA charged with raping woman in her home
HARRISBURG — An elected county prosecutor in Pennsylvania is accused of raping a woman he knew through work, leaving her home only after she told him she would not call police, authorities said. Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Lynn Thomas, 36, was accused of attacking the woman Saturday in her...
