Trib Lunch Box: Fatal fire, love triangle, allergies, Mega Millions
Here are some noon headlines from TribLive, Wednesday, March 20, 2024:
• Father, 4 children killed in Jeannette blaze
Five bodies were recovered after two homes caught fire overnight on Guy Street in Jeannette.
The body of a man, 27, and four children were recovered from the scene, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson, who said the man was the father of the four children, who were 7, 6, 3 and 1 month old.
The identities of the victims will be released later today, Carson said.
• Police link fatal shooting at Blawnox company
A workplace love triangle ended in death Tuesday at a Blawnox warehouse.
Sean Black and Courtney Smith both worked at Tri-Arc Manufacturing Co. They were raising three children together and had been in a romantic relationship “for several years,” police said.
But the couple separated recently and Smith had started dating a younger Tri-Arc co-worker, Daniel Zoelle, 26, police said.
The tension came to a head Tuesday morning.
• Duquesne fans send Dukes off for 1st round of March Madness
Cheering fans lined Uptown streets Tuesday to support players from Duquesne men’s basketball team en route to March Madness.
Duquesne plays Brigham Young on Thursday in Omaha, Neb.
“We were just really excited to see all the players,” Jake Zucker said.
• Spring sniffles: Tree pollen season is a little early this year, allergists say
When Dr. Bob Gorby of Westmoreland Allergy and Asthma Associates in Greensburg notices the tree in his home’s backyard starting to bud, he knows it’s tree pollen season.
“It’s early this year a little bit,” he said. “Tree pollen can come out as early as late February, but it’s very seldom that that happens. This year it seemed to do that.”
Dr. Kumar Patel of Advanced Allergy and Asthma in Tarentum said he has also seen a “burst” of patients calling his practice to complain of an increase in allergy symptoms.
• ‘Momentous’ legal settlement promises better treatment of mentally ill Allegheny County Jail inmates
A lawsuit against the Allegheny County Jail and its leadership over the treatment of mentally ill inmates has settled, resulting in what both sides called “meaningful changes” for those incarcerated there.
Jaclyn Kurin, an attorney with the Abolitionist Law Center who worked on the case, called the agreement comprehensive.
“I think this is a pretty momentous triumph and a critical step to ensuring people with psychiatric disabilities at the jail receive proper mental health treatment — but also a pivotal moment in recognizing the humanity of those confined in the jail.”
• Mega Millions jackpot reaches $977 million after no one wins Tuesday’s drawing
It’s just the sixth time in the game’s nearly 22-year history that the jackpot has reached this level; only five jackpots exceeding $1 billion have been higher.
Mega Millions is the only lottery game that has awarded five jackpots exceeding $1 billion, all in different states.
The odds of winning any lottery jackpot are very slim. Mega Millions players have a 1 in 302.6 million chance of taking home the top prize.
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