Regional category, Page 129
A few things to know about Erin Brockovich ahead of East Palestine town hall
Environmental and consumer advocate Erin Brockovich plans to host a town hall Friday in East Palestine, Ohio, after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed Feb. 3 and released toxic chemicals. Here are a few things to know about the activist and public speaker.In 1993, law clerk Brockovich, an...
Gisele Fetterman shares window into family since husband’s hospitalization
After U.S. Sen. John Fetterman last week checked himself into a hospital for clinical depression treatment, his wife, Gisele, found her home circled by media trucks. In a series of tweets Friday morning, Gisele Fetterman explained how her children were home from school and her home surrounded by press when...
Ukraine 1 year later: Kyiv resident and Pitt professor talks about how life has changed
For the better part of the past decade, Tymofiy Mylovanov has maintained a dual role as president of the Kyiv School of Economics and an associate professor of economics with tenure at Pitt, traveling back and forth between Kyiv and Pittsburgh. In the year since Russia invaded Ukraine, maintaining that...
31 flying squirrels take refuge in local animal shelterVideo
More than 30 flying squirrels have found a temporary home at the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Penn Hills. The native rodents, southern flying squirrels, were brought to the center this winter in two large groups after the squirrels’ Western Pennsylvania homes were no longer suitable....
Western Pennsylvania fish fries’ supply chain issues vary
Three years after the start of the pandemic that upended supply chains around the world, some local fish fries still are grappling with inventory while others are reporting no problems getting their menu items. On Monday, Land & Sea in Monroeville was packed with cod waiting to be delivered to...
Morning Roundup: More demolition needed in wake of Elizabeth Forward fire
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023: Virtual learning continues at Elizabeth Forward after fire Fire damage to the Elizabeth Forward High School auditorium is more extensive than originally believed, district officials announced. Superintendent Keith Konyk sent a letter to families saying...
Pa. Senate committee hears 5 hours of testimony on East Palestine derailment
Lives were at stake and timing was crucial when Pennsylvania officials deferred decision-making authority to Norfolk Southern in the aftermath of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, according to testimony Thursday at a state Senate committee hearing in Beaver County. About 50 Norfolk Southern cars, including 10 with hazardous materials,...
70s temps set weather record in February
February isn’t over yet, but it’s already made weather history for Southwestern Pennsylvania. The high temperature reached a record-tying 70 degrees at Pittsburgh International Airport in Moon Township on Thursday, National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Frazier said. It was the third time this month that the high has reached 70...
Erratic temperatures pose pneumonia risk for livestock
For some farmers, fluctuations between cold and warm temperatures can pose issues for livestock. “Going from 70 degrees to 30 degrees or below freezing is very hard for an animal to try to adjust,” said Rick Ebert of Ebert Family Farms in Derry. “You have to make sure there is...
NTSB: Train crew got safety alert too late to prevent derailment
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The crew operating a freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, did not receive a critical warning about an overheated axle until just before dozens of cars went off the tracks, federal safety investigators said in a report Thursday as U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg...
Toxic wastewater from Ohio train derailment headed to Texas
DEER PARK, Texas — Toxic wastewater used to extinguish a fire following a train derailment in Ohio is headed to a Houston suburb for disposal. “I and my office heard today that ‘firefighting water’ from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment is slated to be disposed of in our county,”...
Buttigieg visits East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment site
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday to tour the site where a train wrecked nearly three weeks ago as the government faces growing criticism over the federal response to the derailment. The Feb. 3 derailment led to evacuations and fears of air...
Warm weather woes: Mild winter impacts allergy symptoms, agriculture
The allergy appointments are already beginning to build for Dr. Christin Deal, and it’s only February. Is this the new normal in Western Pennsylvania? Deal, an allergy immunologist at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, said allergist appointments are about a month ahead of pace. “Usually, it’s more like mid- to...
Washington County crash kills 1, injures 3
A motorist was killed in a collision with an oncoming vehicle Wednesday afternoon in Washington County, officials said. Edward Michael King, 58, of Avella was pronounced dead at the scene in Independence Township, according to Washington County Coroner Tim Warco. A ruling on the cause of death was pending completion...
Dick’s Sporting Goods to acquire outdoor retailer from Walmart
Dick’s Sporting Goods is acquiring outdoor retailer Moosejaw from Walmart. The deal is designed to expand the Findlay-based retailer’s outdoor portfolio, which includes its specialty retailer, Public Lands. Moosejaw, founded in Michigan in 1992, “operates a highly successful e-commerce platform, has a loyal customer base, strong vendor relationships with leading...
Trump: East Palestine train derailment response a ‘betrayal’
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized the federal response to the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as a “betrayal” during a visit to the village where residents and local leaders are increasingly frustrated more than two weeks after the disaster. Trump, wearing his...
Giant Eagle pulls water bottled near East Palestine train derailment
Grocery chain Giant Eagle has temporarily stopped selling bottled water produced at a plant near East Palestine, Ohio, in light of concerns about the recent Norfolk Southern train derailment. Spokesperson Dan Donovan said the company was operating “out of an abundance of caution” in its decision to remove all Giant...
EQT donates oil and gas production equipment to Ukraine
Pittsburgh-based EQT Corp. said it has donated oil and gas production equipment to Ukraine’s largest natural gas producer. The equipment donation to JSC Ukrgasvydobuvannya will be used to restore damaged oil and gas production facilities and revive critical production in wartime conditions, EQT said. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year...
How the Ohio train derailment impacted Pa.’s air and water quality
Social media sites have been full of hyperbole and misinformation since a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, early this month. Some viral posts have falsely claimed that the derailment and subsequent controlled burn were part of the deadliest environmental disaster in history — even...
Trump, Brockovich to visit East Palestine as Pa. officials plan derailment hearing in Beaver County
Former President Donald Trump and environmental activist Erin Brockovich plan to visit East Palestine, Ohio, this week as the community continues looking for answers after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed Feb. 3 and released toxic chemicals. Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he...
Section of GAP hiking and cycling trail closed for 2 months
A remote section of the Great Allegheny Passage between Ohiopyle and Confluence is closed for the next two months while construction crews replace an aging culvert. The section between mile markers 68 and 69 was closed earlier this month in Ohiopyle State Park and construction vehicle traffic is heavy in...
North Allegheny assistant football coach charged in club basketball game fight
An assistant North Allegheny Senior High School football coach, is accused of strangling a basketball coach and striking a spectator during a fight that broke out last week at a kids’ club basketball game in Washington County. Scott McMullen, 46, of Coraopolis, was charged Feb. 16 with simple assault, harassment,...
EPA orders Norfolk Southern to clean up toxic derailmentVideo
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered Norfolk Southern on Tuesday to pay for the cleanup of the East Palestine, Ohio, train wreck and chemical release as federal regulators took charge of long-term recovery efforts and promised worried residents they won’t be forgotten. Speaking to reporters near...
Twitter and alcohol top list of things given up for Lent
The Lenten season is upon us, which means many Christians are fasting and abstaining from things they enjoy or even from what they consider to be bad habits for the next 40 days. How did this tradition originate? By the fourth century, the 40-day fast was common enough to be...
I-79 changes — speed limit, express lane shutdown — target work zone safety improvements
PennDOT announced it has made changes to an Interstate 79 construction zone to improve safety. The I-79 southbound express lane has been closed and a 45 mph speed limit was enacted in the southbound lanes while engineers work through safety changes. PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said the speed limit was...
