Regional News category, Page 308
Greensburg Diocese 2019 Lenten Appeal generates almost $5 million for diocese, parishes
The latest Diocesan Lenten Appeal came in under the 2018 amount but still in keeping with recent trends, according to the Diocese of Greensburg. Totals for the 2019 appeal, one of three main sources of revenue for the diocese, were reported this monthin the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Accent. Pledges...
National Park Service begins lake bed restoration in Cambria County
Following up on plans announced in December, the National Park Service states that the first phase of a lake bed restoration project at the Johnstown Flood National Memorial will begin this week. The project at St. Michael in Cambria County will begin with manual clearing to remove as many trees...
Gasoline prices fall on sagging oil prices, low demand
Sagging oil prices have opened the door for a notable drop in U.S. gasoline prices, industry analyst Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy said. “The Midwest has been the largest beneficiary of seasonal effects thus far with prices in several areas there declining upwards of 10-to-15 cents per gallon,” he said. “The...
Why TV stations and cable providers keep viewers in the dark about their contracts
TV viewers in the Pittsburgh region have been recently warned about losing the ability to watch their local television stations: • DirecTV viewers lose WTAE after negotiations for a new deal fail • WPXI Channel 11 announces PCNC changes • Attention Dish customers: You could lose access to WPXI-TV They’re...
Canonsburg man pleads guilty to using cell phone to access child porn
A Canonsburg man pleaded guilty in federal court to accessing lewd images and videos of underage children on his cell phone, prosecutors said. Robert Fichter, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said. Fichter was caught as part of a Homeland Security...
Timeline of events important to ProhibitionVideo
Prohibition timeline Calls to ban the production and sale of alcohol in the U.S. started nearly a century before Prohibition, with the creation of temperance societies and growing support of the abstinence movement. Here are some key dates in the push for Prohibition and its eventual repeal: 1826: American Society...
Western Pa. colleges in line for grants to prevent sexual violence on campus
Four years after Pennsylvania officials signed on to a national initiative designed to prevent sexual violence on college campuses, three dozen colleges and universities across the state are getting a boost to help them implement programs to assist in the effort. Gov. Tom Wolf said the state will provide about...
Snow, ice caused delays during morning commute
Snow and icy conditions snarled traffic in some spots around Pittsburgh Friday, causing delays during the morning commute. Lee Hendricks, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said initial reports showed the region received half an inch of snow overnight. A wind chill of 14 degrees was reported in...
9 facts and figures you might not know about Prohibition
One hundred years ago, America went dry. The long-fought temperance movement to rid the United States of bars and booze finally came to fruition. The 18th Amendment banned the “manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes.” The Volstead Act provided a way to enforce it — starting...
Highmark opens school grant program
Schools looking to support wellness programs, encourage professional development among school nurses or support the basic health needs of low-income students can apply for grants for the 2020-21 school year from the Highmark Foundation. Applications for the program, now in its eighth year, will be accepted from public, parochial and...
Western Pennsylvania sets record for organ, tissue transplants in 2019
Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia set a record for organ and tissue transplants in 2019, the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) announced. CORE, a nonprofit that coordinates organ, tissue and cornea donation, facilitated 661 transplants in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia last year — an increase from 2018...
Farmington man killed in Fayette County crash
A Farmington man was killed Tuesday when the SUV he was driving crashed head-on with a tractor-trailer in Fayette County, according to state police. Arnold E. Savage, 66, was pronounced dead at the scene on Route 40 in Henry Clay Township, police said. The crash was reported at 7:22 a.m....
Pa. state police seize 300 pounds of heroin, fentanyl in 2019Video
Troopers across Pennsylvania seized more than $43 million in illicit drugs in 2019, according to state police. That figure includes almost 300 pounds of heroin and fentanyl, both of which have caused thousands of drug overdose deaths locally and nationally. Last year saw an increase in seizures of those two...
State police nab man after armed robbery in Fayette County
State police arrested a man Wednesday night after officers said he robbed a Fayette County convenience store at gunpoint. Jackie Lee Murray was arrested without incident after he allegedly took $280 from a Circle K in South Union Township. According to police, Murray was dropped off at the convenience store...
Woman captures footage of swimming bear in Beaver CountyVideo
Lori Pepka had just finished pulling ticks off her mother’s dog following a walk in Raccoon Creek State Park early Monday evening when she saw something she had never seen before in the Beaver County park: a black bear. Not only that, it was swimming in Raccoon Lake. “My heart...
State attorney general: Washington County woman kept sister in wooden cage
A Washington County woman allegedly kept her 53-year-old sister in a wooden cage with a dirty mattress, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. His office charged Leona Biser, 51, of Vestaburg, with neglect of a care-dependent person, abuse of a care-dependent person, recklessly endangering another person, unlawful restraint, and...
Some Western Pa. Guinness World Record seekers who preceded Frzy’s freestyle rap
Frzy is not the only Western Pennsylvania resident to attempt a world record. The Emmy-winning music artist is just the latest. He rapped for 31 straight hours over the weekend at The Block Northway in Ross. Frzy, 34, whose real name is Harvey Daniels, hopes he shattered the Guinness World...
Hempfield Steak ‘n Shake joins list of ‘temporarily closed’ locations
Over 100 Steak ‘n Shake restaurants across the country — including at least six in the Pittsburgh region — sit empty as the burger chain moves toward a franchise-based business model. The Hempfield location most recently joined Steak ‘n Shake locations in Frazer, Robinson and Center Township, while locations in...
Pa. man gets up to 5 years in state prison for 9th DUI conviction
A judge in Warren County hopes the ninth time’s the charm: He’s sentenced a man to one to five years in state prison for his ninth charge of driving under the influence, Erie News Now reported. Fletcher Kay, 64, of Warren was stopped by Conewango police July 20 with a...
Suspected meth lab dump site found in Indiana County
State police in Indiana County are investigating after an apparent methamphetamine lab dump site was found in a rural area not far from the Westmoreland County border. Troopers got a tip about the site and discovered several plastic bags discarded in a wooded area along Lower Laurel Road in Buffington...
Coroner identifies 2 victims of Fayette crash
A man and woman were killed early Wednesday morning in a one-car crash east of Brownstville, the Fayette County Coroner said. Both Jamal Ryan, 22, and Julie Ann Olsen, 25, who were traveling in the car, were dead at the scene, said Dr. Phillip Reilly, Fayette coroner. Reilly said his...
Coroner: 22-year-old man struck and killed by train in Charleroi
A 22-year-old Charleroi man was struck and killed by a train Wednesday on the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks, according to Washington County Coroner Timothy Warco’s office. Anthony Lee Meyers was struck by a train about 3:51 a.m. near 3rd Street and Railroad Way in the borough, authorities said. Warco reported...
Canonsburg man pleads guilty to possessing child pornography
A Canonsburg man pleaded guilty in federal court this week to possessing child pornography after authorities found electronic devices containing lewd images and videos of minor children in his home, federal prosecutors said. Kevin Francisco Torres-Gerena, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Scott W....
Broadband connectivity study, survey eyed for Westmoreland, nearby countiesVideo
Officials from Westmoreland and seven neighboring counties are studying a proposal for local governing entities to step up and invest in infrastructure needed to expand or enhance broadband connectivity in underserved areas. Virginia-based consultant Design Nine is preparing a survey for the Regional Broadband Task Force to gauge how residents...
Flu-associated deaths increase to 24, state health officials report
The number of flu-related deaths in Pennsylvania has nearly doubled in the past week, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Health. The department reported there had been 24 flu-associated deaths this flu season through Saturday, up from 13 as of Jan. 4. As of this point...
