Regional category, Page 175
Connellsville man sentenced to 40 years in prison for rape of child
A Connellsville man was ordered Monday to serve up to 40 years in prison for the rape of a child that a Westmoreland County judge described as “one of the worst cases of a sexual nature that I’ve seen.” Shawn Tracy Melville, 44, pleaded guilty in October to eight offenses...
Gas prices stabilize on rising oil prices, easing omicron fears
After a run of declines, gasoline prices are largely unchanged in the Pittsburgh area and across the nation, according to price tracking service GasBuddy. In Pittsburgh, prices are down less than 1 cent per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.51 on Monday, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 731 stations....
NASA: Exploding meteor had same energy as 30 tons of TNT
NASA is weighing in on the New Year’s Day boom heard across the Pittsburgh region. Researchers confirmed an exploding meteor was the “likely culprit” and estimated the size of the object at about one-yard wide, with energy the equivalent of 30 tons of TNT, according to the NASA Meteor Watch...
Covid causes weeklong closure of St. Gregory Catholic School in Zelienople
Covid-related staffing shortages will close a school in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh this week. St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School in Zelienople will switch to remote learning after seven staffers tested positive for covid-19, Principal Erin Rice said. “Although we seemed to have conquered the odds and provided in-person learning...
Pennsylvania casinos not ready to cut smoking from gambling experience
Like flashing lights, dings and coins splashing into a slot machine tray, an equally familiar — even stereotypical — casino experience involves plumes of smoke wafting skyward from patrons puffing on ash-tipped cigarettes. Casinos, and the states that host them, have permitted smoking for decades, with the industry bypassing a...
Man pulled from Mon River in Elco identified
The Washington County coroner has identified the man pulled from the Monongahela River in Elco early Sunday. Joseph Passafiume, 69, of California, PA, was discovered at 10:35 a.m. entangled in debris, about eight feet from the river bank off First Avenue, the coroner said. The victim was pulled to the...
Slippery Rock program for students with intellectual disabilities offers Greensburg woman chance to thrive
Lizzie Ammons had fought too hard to let the prospect of college slip from her grasp when word began circulating that Slippery Rock University might shutter its Rock Life program — one of about 300 college programs across the nation for students with intellectual disabilities. Ammons, 21, of Greensburg was...
Animal Friends’ New Year’s Rescue returns
Animal Friends’ New Year’s Rescue returned this year after a hiatus in 2020 due to covid-19. Dogs, cats and rabbits from four partners—the Lawrence County Humane Society, the Humane Society of Greene County, Erie Area Rabbit Society and Animal Charity of Ohio—were brought to Animal Friends on New Year’s Eve...
Western Pennsylvania gets another rainy holiday for New Year’s
Instead of a white Christmas, Western Pennsylvania got a wet Christmas, and the region is in for a soggy New Year’s Day as well, according to weather forecasters. Allegheny, Westmoreland, Washington and Beaver counties were part of a hazardous weather advisory released early New Year’s Day by the National Weather...
Trail book great resource for Great Allegheny Passage hiking, biking
If your New Year’s resolution is to get into shape and lose weight — a perpetual wish for many Americans — by hiking, biking or jogging along parts of the 150-mile trail that connects Pittsburgh with Cumberland, Md., there’s a new book that will enhance your time doing it. In...
New Year’s resolution to get more exercise? Cycling offers a variety of local options
One of the most popular among New Year’s resolutions is the one about getting back into shape, getting out more and exercising. Western Pennsylvania residents are being afforded more and more opportunities to do just that, through the ongoing development of trails across the region that appeal to walkers, runners...
Looking ahead to 2022: Pandemic continues, campaigns heat up, new mayor for Pittsburgh and more
The New Year in Southwestern Pennsylvania is expected to carry over storylines popular in 2021 — especially in how the pandemic will play out in its third year and intense political races among the crowded field of candidates vying for U.S. Senate and governor as well as those slugging it...
Nutting family completes sale of Seven Springs, Hidden Valley, Laurel Mountain to Vail Resorts
The Nutting family and Vail Resorts have completed the sale of Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Hidden Valley Resort and the Laurel Mountain Ski Area for $118 million. “Looking back over the past 15 years, I am proud to be leaving all three properties much better than we had found them,”...
Photos of the year 2021
It was a year of starting again. Giving it another try. The coronavirus continued to invade our homes and communities in 2021 but we learned how to rise above it. We got our children back in classrooms and engaged in after-school activities. Restaurants and theaters welcomed patrons in greater numbers....
Hope springs eternal: Community leaders look forward to better 2022
Seen in a meme: “The fact that 2021 is almost over proves that time also flies when you’re NOT having fun.” Wasn’t 2021 supposed to be the year that life returned to normal — or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof? At the beginning of the year, it seemed as...
Record-setting number of tornadoes strikes Pittsburgh region in 2021
A record number of tornadoes blew through the Pittsburgh region in 2021. Jason Frazier, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Moon office, said there were 28 twisters in the coverage area, which includes parts of Ohio and West Virginia. The previous record was set in 1990 with 17. But there’s...
UPMC receives limited supply of preventative antibody treatment for the most immunocompromised
George Spine Jr. thought it was a scam when he first got a call from UPMC around 7:45 a.m. Thursday offering a new antibody treatment meant to protect the most immunocompromised before they’re exposed to covid-19. “I thought it was a scam, so I gave the girl a hard time,”...
University of Pittsburgh issues shelter-in-place request, required covid testing for students
The University of Pittsburgh’s Covid-19 Medical Response Office has released a plan for the spring semester that includes a phased move-in beginning Jan. 8 along with a shelter-in-place request and testing for students. Pitt will make available one covid-19 test through Quest Diagnostics for all of the approximately 34,000 students...
Longtime Shanksville fire chief, who responded on 9/11, in need of heart transplant
The Somerset County area is digging deep to help longtime area firefighter Terry Shaffer, who was Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department’s chief when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on 9/11. Shaffer, 66, was admitted last week to UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment of congestive heart failure, according to his...
State lawmakers vow to better protect care home residents from convicted sex offenders
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No central registry in Pennsylvania tracks convicted sex offenders placed in nursing care facilitiesVideo
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Brighton Rehab no stranger to federal, state scrutiny for resident care
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Follow-ups by journalists to an earlier covid-related story uncovered a horrid reality in Pennsylvania’s long-term care facilities
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When there’s no room at nursing facilities, convicted sex offenders often land in unregulated boarding homes
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Hidden danger: Registered sex offenders often go undetected in care homesVideo
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