Morning Roundup: Zoo announces elephant calf's death; snow could impact evening commute
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Feb. 16:
Pittsburgh Zoo announces death of elephant calf
An elephant calf died after a sudden and brief illness, the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium announced.
The calf, named Tsuni, was 2 years old and lived with a herd at the International Conservation Center in Somerset.
“Tsuni held a special place in the hearts of staff and visitors alike,” said Dr. Jeremy Goodman, the zoo’s president and CEO, in the release. “Her loss is devastating to our entire zoo family. Her ability to fight through her early life medical challenges had been such an inspiration to everyone that worked with her. She will be terribly missed by everyone here as well as elephant lovers all over the world.”
Tsuni was diagnosed Feb. 8 with elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus through routine blood testing. According to the zoo, EEHV is a prevalent and challenging disease that has plagued elephants in human care and in the wild.
Elephants from birth to age 8 are at highest risk, with an 85% mortality rate.
Tsuni, short for Tsunami, was born at the center on July 18, 2021. She overcame several medical conditions in her first months.
“Tsuni could bring a smile to anyone’s face,” Ayeshah Al-Humaidhi, director of the ICC, said in the release. “She was spunky, curious and always up to something. Extremely bright, she was a willing participant in her care, which spoke to the amazing bond she had with her keepers.”
Adult elephants in the herd have built up antibodies as they have aged and are at low risk for the disease, the zoo said.
Snow may impact evening commute
A winter weather advisory is in effect for parts of Southwest and Western Pennsylvania from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday.
After a quiet day, accumulating snow is expected to start in the Pittsburgh area between 5 and 6 p.m., according to Ashley Dougherty, a meteorologist with TribLive news partner WTAE.
Between 1 and 3 inches of snow is expected around Pittsburgh, with up to 4 inches possible in some spots, while 2 to 4 inches are in the forecast for areas south of the city, she said.
Hazardous conditions could impact the Friday evening commute, the advisory states.
Snow expected to move across the region late this aftn/eve before tapering off overnight/early Sat AM. Winter Weather Advisories issued for potential hazardous travel. More significant accumulations likely in the higher terrain, where Winter Storm Warnings & Watches in effect. pic.twitter.com/6ZvtnZAkX1
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) February 16, 2024
Roads, especially bridges and overpasses, likely will become slick and hazardous.
Landslide repair work underway in Moon
Work to repair a landslide threatening homes above Beaver Grade Road in Moon is underway.
About four homes in the Sonoma Ridge development have been impacted by the slide, TribLive news partner WTAE reported.
Beaver Grade Road remains closed between Montour Run Road and Duckhorn Drive.
The cause of the slide has been identified as the nature of claystone bedrock, the top surface of which starts to dissolve and becomes slippery when water is introduced to it, said Shane Szalankiewicz, a PennDOT bridge engineer.
To fix the slide, PennDOT is deploying a buttress, which Szalankiewicz said is large material at the bottom that will stop the landslide.
Gun found on New Alexandria man at airport checkpoint
A man from New Alexandria was carrying one of two loaded guns detected at Pittsburgh International Airport on Thursday, a TSA spokesman said.
According to Allegheny County Police, TSA officers found a .40-caliber handgun in 35-year-old Matthew Curry’s backpack at the main security checkpoint.
Curry was arrested and is charged with a felony count of carrying a firearm without a license.
Curry does not have a valid concealed carry permit, county police said.
Curry was arraigned Thursday and sent to Allegheny County Jail on $5,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 26 before District Judge Craig C. Stephens, according to court records.
The FBI also was notified, county police said.
The second firearm was a loaded .380-caliber Smith & Wesson, the TSA spokesman said.
The gun was found in a 34-year-old woman’s carry-on bag. County police confiscated the gun, and the woman was allowed to continue on her flight, TSA said.
A total of four firearms, all loaded, have been found at the airport’s security checkpoints so far this year. In 2023, 43 firearms were detected at the airport’s security checkpoints.
TSA may impose civil penalties of up to $14,950 per violation per person.
Ambridge man charged in Moon shooting
An Ambridge man is in Allegheny County Jail without bail after being accused of shooting a man multiple times Tuesday in Moon.
Gregory Eugene Slade, 36, fired several shots at a 23-year-old man, hitting him multiple times in his lower extremities, Allegheny County Police said.
The shooting at a home in the 1100 block of Maple Street Extension was reported to 911 at 12:05 a.m. Tuesday. Detectives found a firearm and several spent rounds of ammunition.
The victim was in stable condition when taken to a hospital, police said.
Slade is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 20 before District Judge Michele K. Santicola, according to court records.
Brian C. Rittmeyer, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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