Regional category, Page 126
Water works suppliers with operations in Harrison to merge
Two water works supply companies with operations in Harrison are joining up. National Road Utility Supply Inc., a water works distributor with operations on Alter Road as well as in Tridelphia, W.Va., and Morgantown, W.Va., is being acquired by CITCO Water. Financial terms were not disclosed. “The teaming up of...
EPA tells states not to block waste from Ohio derailment
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday ordered states to stop blocking contaminated waste from a fiery train derailment in Ohio from being sent to hazardous waste storage sites around the nation. A handful of politicians and states have sought to block shipments from East Palestine, including Oklahoma Gov. Kevin...
Did raccoon dogs start covid pandemic? Western Pa. experts weigh in
After international scientists discovered a potential link between the origin of the covid-19 virus and raccoon dogs, medical experts in Western Pennsylvania said the animal could be where the virus began. Samples collected from the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China — where the first human cases of covid-19 were...
Morning Roundup: Weekend forecast to include rain, cold, maybe snow
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, March 17, 2023: Weekend forecast to include rain, cold, maybe snow The weekend ahead in Western Pennsylvania will be a little bit of a sometimes-wet, sometimes-cool situation, with a small chance of snow Saturday. Rain is expected Friday...
Somerset County DA convicted of sex assault
SOMERSET — A Western Pennsylvania county prosecutor was in jail Friday after jurors convicted him of six charges for an attack on a woman while acquitting him of sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault. The verdict against suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey L. Thomas was issued Thursday after less...
Norfolk Southern CEO: ‘I understand my responsibility’ in Ohio derailment cleanup
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw confidently chugged a glass of East Palestine, Ohio, tap water in front of a group of reporters Thursday as he promised to clean the site of a fiery train derailment and invest in local rebuilding efforts. “We’ve been not only engaged here ever since the...
Derry Township man convicted of soliciting ‘minor’ for sex in undercover operation
A Derry Township man has been found guilty of soliciting a minor for sex, where the underage “girl” actually was an agent with the Attorney General’s Office. Mark A. Garris, 47, recently was found guilty by a Butler County jury of felony charges of unlawful contact with a minor, attempt...
New Jersey man charged after biting police officer during Saltsburg arrest
A New Jersey man is accused of biting a state trooper while trying to fill a fraudulent prescription Wednesday at a Saltsburg pharmacy. William Tifa, 25, of Newark, faces charges including assault of a law enforcement officer, attempting to obtain a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, identity theft, simple...
Butler security guard tries to thwart theft of Easter decorations, gets dragged by car going 35 mph
A Butler County mall security guard was dragged by a vehicle Wednesday afternoon while trying to stop the theft of Easter decorations. State police said they responded to Clearview Mall in Center Township around 3:45 p.m. after receiving a report that people had stolen a 3-foot foam carrot and piñata...
Morning Roundup: 2-alarm fire at Turtle Creek duplex
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, March 16, 2023: 2-alarm fire at Turtle Creek duplex First responders were called to the scene of a two-alarm house fire in Turtle Creek early Thursday. The call about the fire came in at 3:53 a.m., Allegheny County...
Carson Briere, son of Flyers GM, apologizes after pushing woman’s wheelchair down bar stairs
Mercyhurst University college hockey player apologized Wednesday after video surfaced of him pushing a woman’s empty wheelchair down a set of stairs as she was away from it using the restroom. Carson Briere, 23, who competes in Division 1 with Mercyhurst in Erie, said he was “deeply sorry” for the...
Atmospheric river? The meaning behind unusual meteorological terms
When tuning into the weather report, don’t be surprised if the on-air personality mentions the term “atmospheric river.” It’s definitely a real weather term, albeit one less heard, but it’s nothing like Pittsburgh’s other three such bodies of water. “It is mostly a term used on the West Coast for...
Grant-funded program aims to establish ‘bird-friendly communities’ in Mon Valley
Last year, members of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania were busy putting a state grant to work through their certified backyard habitat program, familiarizing residents with the positive benefits of native plants. This year, they are combining funding from a federal grant, the Pittsburgh Foundation and R.K. Mellon Foundation...
Residents can track rotten egg smell in Allegheny County
On certain days, residents in some Pittsburgh neighborhoods and outlying municipalities can often smell a rotten-egg odor, but they might not have known where it was coming from or how prevalent it was. The Allegheny County Health Department announced Tuesday it will now offer publicly trackable information about how much...
Ohio sues Norfolk Southern over toxic train derailment
Ohio filed a lawsuit against railroad Norfolk Southern to make sure it pays for the cleanup and environmental damage caused by a fiery train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border last month, the state’s attorney general said Tuesday. The federal lawsuit also seeks to force the company to pay for groundwater...
Three Rivers Community Band Festival relocates to MurrysvilleVideo
Members of the East Winds Symphonic Band should be preparing for the 20th annual Three Rivers Community Band Festival. But, the covid-19 pandemic forced the festival to skip the past three years. So while it has been around for two decades, it technically will be the 17th year for the...
What went wrong: Pittsburgh experts explain failures of Silicon Valley, Signature banks
The federal shutdown of two banks is unique and not a symptom of a widespread problem, two Pittsburgh financial experts said. “I do think that this is more of a unique situation in banking and not an overall barometer for what’s happening in the tech world,” said Dave Mawhinney, executive...
PNC says it is not in talks to acquire Silicon Valley Bank
PNC Financial Services has surfaced in reports to be among the potential suitors in talks to acquire SVB Financial Group. However, the Pittsburgh-based bank on Monday said that talks are not taking place. “PNC is not in talks to acquire SVB Financial or Silicon Valley Bank,” the bank said in...
Gasoline prices edge higher as change to summer blends underway coast to coast
With the change to more expensive summer gasoline underway across the country, the national average has increased for the second straight week, an industry analyst said. Wholesale gasoline prices are increasing at a rate typical for this time of year, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy....
What does Pittsburgh’s mild winter mean for spring bugs?
On the calendar, it might technically be winter. In real life, Penn State assistant research professor Michael Skvarla just pulled a black-legged tick off his daughter about a week ago. That’s typically a spring and summer problem. But the Pittsburgh region is on pace for one of its mildest winters...
Police say dog shot with pellet gun in Fayette County
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the shooting of a dog in Fayette County. Between 12:30 and 2 p.m. March 7, a dog escaped a fenced yard in South Union, police said. When it returned, the owner noticed it had been shot multiple times by a pellet gun. The dog is...
Western Pa. could see 1-2 inches of snow
Looks like snow’s not done with us just yet. Monday’s weather forecast in Western Pennsylvania is calling for considerable cloudiness and a chance of snow, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. Highs Monday are expected in the upper 30s, with a 50% chance of precipitation — and that...
Full circle: Bald eagles live, hunt near former Harrison DDT plantVideo
About a decade ago, Audrey Krzeminski drove across the Freeport Bridge and saw construction workers pointing skyward. Out of nowhere, a mature bald eagle flew over her car, then — “thud!” — the bird accidentally dropped a fish on her hood. “We almost ran into each other,” she said of...
2 teens killed in car crash in South Strabane Township
A pair of 17-year-olds were killed in a one-car crash late Saturday night in South Strabane Township. Justin Michael Crawford, 17, of Washington, Pa., was driving east on East Maiden Street around 11:18 p.m. when he lost control of the vehicle, crossed the westbound lane and struck a tree, according...
AmEx: Small business starts hit a record high in 2021
A record number of people decided to strike out on their own and start a new business in 2021, according to data from American Express. “In 2021, we saw over 5 million new business applications were filed, which was the highest year on record, and about a 50% increase form...
