Regional category, Page 142
Surge in RSV cases causing longer ER wait times at UPMC Children’s Hospital
A spike in the number of babies suffering from the respiratory illness RSV is increasing the emergency room wait times at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, according to officials. Dr. Raymond Pitetti, director of the emergency department at Children’s, said the surge in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) began about six...
Homeowners brace for higher heating costs this winter
Miranda McDermott is dreading winter. With home heating costs forecast to reach their highest levels in more than 10 years, McDermott of Allegheny Township said her family can’t afford to pay monthly heating bills in full. “Our average heating bill is $800,” McDermott said. “We have wood chopped and ready...
Celebrity tribute artist channels his inner ElvisVideo
Don’t step on his blue suede shoes. He needs them. Professional Elvis tribute artist Kelly Hylton’s fancy footwork often wears out the heels of his shoes. “I go through dress shoes like crazy. I blow the soles off dancing too much,” Hylton said. Hylton, 51, lives in Rural Valley, Armstrong...
Deluzio, Shaffer square off in Pa.’s 17th Congressional District
Iraq War veteran and voting rights attorney Chris Deluzio faces former Ross Commissioner Jeremy Shaffer in a race to replace U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania’s newly redrawn 17th Congressional District. Deluzio, 37, of Aspinwall, earned the Democratic nomination to run for the seat in the Nov. 8 election, while...
Washington County is charging people to search court documents — an unusual and undue burden, experts say
This story first appeared in Spotlight PA’s Investigator newsletter, which offers behind-the-scenes looks at our reporting and a roundup of the best accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free. HARRISBURG — A Western Pennsylvania county is imposing a $10.50 “search fee” on public requests for court documents, a...
State employees to get 20% discount for online courses from PennWest University
PennWest University will offer a 20% online tuition discount for all of Pennsylvania’s state employees offered through its PennWest Global Online. The reduction, announced Thursday, will be available on about 150 programs under a partnership with the state, effective for the 2023 spring semester. The discount applies for undergraduate and...
Design work to begin on $22M expansion of IUP’s growing Academy of Culinary Arts
Design work for a $22 million project in Punxsutawney to expand and renovate Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Academy of Culinary Arts is expected to start now that funding to develop drawings has been approved. The $2.9 million for that work, included in the State System of Higher Education’s recently adopted...
AG’s office announces sex charges against 4 men; Butler suspect kills himself before arrest
A Butler County man who was about to be arrested Thursday morning on charges of rape and sexual abuse killed himself in the bathroom of his home, officials said. Eric E. Eleam Sr., 61, of Butler, was one of four men facing charges in connection with a statewide investigating grand...
2 Washington County school districts among those benefit from $1B in federal grants for electric buses
WASHINGTON — Nearly 400 school districts spanning all 50 states and Washington, D.C., along with several tribes and U.S. territories, are receiving roughly $1 billion in grants to purchase about 2,500 “clean” school buses under a new federal program. The Biden administration is making the grants available as part of...
Pa. fisherman pleads not guilty to charges in tournament scandal
CLEVELAND — Two men accused of stuffing five walleye with lead weights and fish fillets during a lucrative fishing tournament on Lake Erie pleaded not guilty to cheating and other charges on Wednesday. Jacob Runyan, 42, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, and Chase Cominsky, 35, of Hermitage, Mercer County, made no...
Judge hears closing arguments in federal bird poisoning case
Defense attorneys for two men accused of poisoning dozens of birds at a Lawrence County farm in 2020 because the birds were damaging their soybean crop said that the government’s theory of the case doesn’t make sense. “We’re supposed to believe Robert Yost was so spiteful he just laid that...
State police say Indiana County man was kidnapped, killed
State police are investigating after they say a 19-year-old man was kidnapped and killed in Indiana County. Hayden Robert Garreffa was first reported missing from his East Wheatfield Township home on Thursday. Police found Garreffa’s body early Saturday morning in a remote, wooded area of Brush Valley Township. Indiana County...
Two men on trial in federal court for poisoning dozens of birds
When state Game Commission Officer Byron Gibbs found 25 dead birds near wetlands on a Lawrence County farm in the summer of 2020, he immediately suspected they had been poisoned. Along a trail of yellow corn about 100 yards long, there were 17 Canadian geese — including at least two...
Pa. National Guard soldier from New Castle killed at Fort Indiantown Gap
A service member killed in a Fort Indiantown Gap training accident that injured three others has been publicly identified. Spc. Mackenzie L. Shay, 20 of New Castle, was killed Saturday in an accident that involved multiple service vehicles, according to the Pennsylvania National Guard. The New Castle News reported that...
Pittsburgh, national gas prices continue seasonal decline
Average gas prices have come down for a second straight week, and many regions could see declines again this week, as a drop in demand is normally seen in the fall, an industry analyst said Monday. In the Pittsburgh area, average prices fell 3.5 cents per gallon in the past...
West Virginia spring’s waters still drawing devotees
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Every couple weeks, Lauren Lee stuffs a few dozen gallon jugs into a big black laundry bag. She brings it to a covered pavilion right in the middle of Berkeley Springs State Park, which itself is right in the middle of downtown Berkeley Springs, West Virginia....
Bus driver recruitment continues to challenge school district transportation contractors
Transportation company First Student is advertising school bus driver openings for several area districts the company serves, including Norwin, Jeannette City and Hempfield Area. But applicants have not been flocking to replenish the ranks at area school bus terminals. Driver shortages have been an issue for many districts in recent...
Pa. casino revenue jumps to $448 million in September
Pennsylvania casinos saw an increase in revenues last month, state regulators said, a jump from the gradual decrease felt across the industry since the record-breaking month of March. In all, casinos generated $448.4 million in September, according to a report from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. That’s one of the...
Penn State researchers engineer protein that could be used to develop 1-dose covid vaccine
Despite receiving one of the three covid-19 vaccines available in the U.S., many Americans continue to become infected with the virus. Penn State researchers hope recently engineered proteins could put an end to that cycle. The proteins, called immunogens, could protect people from new covid-19 variants — and other coronaviruses,...
Chilly temps, snow dust Pittsburgh area but warmer weather ahead
Halloween may be a week and-a-half away but it’s beginning to look like Christmas in the area. Snow was falling in places north of Pittsburgh Wednesday morning and temperatures were as much as 15 degrees below normal, with wind chills in the 20s according to the National Weather Service. A...
1 taken by helicopter from Washington Township crash
One person was hurt in a crash Monday evening in Washington Township, according to Armstrong County emergency officials. First responders were called to the 100 block of Upper Limestone Road around 8:20 p.m. for a report of a one-vehicle crash. A medical helicopter was called to transport one person to...
Gasoline prices turn lower as diesel, heating oil rise on low inventories
After rising sharply over the past few weeks, the national average price of gasoline has taken an abrupt, but expected, downturn while diesel prices have soared, an industry analyst said. The national average fell 5.4 cents per gallon in the past week and stands at $3.86, according to price-tracking service...
Fire breaks out at Beaver County pizza shop
Crews responded to a fire Monday morning at a Fox’s Pizza Den along Sixth Street in Midland, Beaver County. The call came in before 5 a.m. A 911 operator told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV that there is an apartment on the second floor, but firefighters did not find anyone inside....
Municipal leaders say code enforcement is key to fighting blight across Western Pa.
There are 17,000 fewer people in Westmoreland County than there were 20 years ago, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Business and cultural shifts have pushed shopping and industrial centers out of downtowns and into what once were open spaces. Today, abandoned homes and structures dot communities throughout the county,...
Snowflakes Tuesday morning could tie record for earliest snowfall in Pittsburgh region
Say it ain’t snow. The first snowfall of, well, fall could happen early Tuesday across the Pittsburgh region. According to the National Weather Service, snowflakes then would tie the record for the earliest snowfall of the season in Southwestern Pennsylvania. On Oct. 18, 1972, 1.8 inches of snow was recorded...
