Regional category, Page 189
Cooler temps, rain coming as if on schedule for start of autumn
Autumn arrives Wednesday afternoon and, as if on cue, it’s going to feel like it. After a high in the 80s on Sunday and expected again Monday, a high of 74 is forecast for Wednesday, which is right around average, National Weather Service meteorologist Myranda Fullerton said. Autumn will officially...
Police shoot, kill man in Lawrence County stabbing incident
Police shot and killed a man who had been suspected of stabbing three people in Lawrence County Saturday, according to state police. The incident happened shortly before 9 p.m. at the Mahoning Sportsmen’s Association on West Main Street in Mahoning Township. State police said officers from several local departments responded....
New Castle man thrown from SUV, seriously hurt in I-79 crash
A New Castle man was seriously hurt when he was thrown from his SUV in a crash on Interstate 79, state police said. State police said the two-vehicle crash happened shortly after 7:30 p.m. Friday on the interstate in Lancaster Township, Butler County. According to state police, Mark A. Wilhelm,...
PennDOT to hold job fairs in Westmoreland, region for hiring winter crews
Officials in PennDOT District 12 are looking to stock up on seasonal snowplow drivers and mechanics to avoid a labor shortage when winter arrives. A series of job fairs is planned at each of the district’s four county offices. Each will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The...
Thousands bask in return of Highlands Games at Idlewild parkVideo
Cy Deitz had left one major Pennsylvania historical site — his hometown of Gettysburg — to experience some of his Scottish culture and heritage in the Highland Games, at another historical area, that of Ligonier. “It’s just a beautiful experience for us to share the camaraderie of our Scottish heritage....
Civilian Conservation Corps legacy lives on in state parks
America’s 20th-century “tree army” brought generations of citizens closer to nature’s wonders while enduring the nation’s greatest economic plight. If the political winds are favorable, new recruits might get the chance to repeat that effort during the current health crisis. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and the National Wildlife Federation...
Western Pa. chapter of FSHD Society to host fundraiser to fight rare form of muscular dystrophy
After being diagnosed with a rare disease that ultimately left him using a wheelchair, Mark Christman called himself lucky. He was lucky to have gotten a proper diagnosis for his disease, which often is misdiagnosed. He was lucky that, as an attorney, he could enjoy a successful career when some...
‘This is the worst I’ve seen’: Longer waits reported at Western Pa. hospitals
Wait times at Western Pennsylvania’s emergency rooms are getting longer, following a national trend spurred by covid-19, staffing shortages and an overall increase in demand for health care. “Wait times — they always vary by time of day, even hour by hour — but this is the worst I’ve seen...
Passavant Memorial Homes boosts pay during special week
Passavant Memorial Homes Family of Services, which serves those with intellectual disabilities, autism and behavioral health needs, boosted the pay of about 1,100 frontline employees by $5 per hour for this week in recognition of those employees who have maintained services during the covid pandemic, a company official said. “People...
State trooper in Mercer County suspended after arrest on forgery, tampering charges
Pennsylvania State Police announced a state trooper in Mercer County was arrested Wednesday on charges of falsifying his orders for military service with the Ohio Air National Guard. State Trooper Jamhal Simon, 35, of West Middlesex, is charged with forgery and tampering with records, both first-degree misdemeanors. Simon has been...
Utility offering free virtual training for first responders on dealing with natural gas incidents
Firefighters, police officers, paramedics and other first responders can learn how to properly respond to incidents involving natural gas through a free virtual training program being offered by Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania. The utility also is offering a $1,000 grant or in-kind donation to a local fire department that logs...
Feds seize 2 shipments of fake covid vaccination cards in Pittsburgh
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have seized two shipments of fake covid-19 vaccination cards in Pittsburgh. Officers intercepted the first parcel of 20 fake vaccine cards on Aug. 24 after determining the cards “presented a low-quality appearance and that they were being important by a consignee who is not...
Laurel Highlands ranks 8th in USA Today’s top-10 fall foliage spots
Once again, USA Today readers have confirmed what Western Pennsylvanians have always known — the Laurel Highlands is one of the country’s best places for viewing fall foliage. For the second year in a row, the Laurel Highlands is a Readers’ Choice Winner in the Best Destination for Fall Foliage...
Va. couple wanted for questioning in disappearance of 3-year-old girl arrested in South Greensburg
A couple wanted by Virginia authorities for questioning in connection with the disappearance of a 3-year-old girl was arrested in a South Greensburg motel Sunday for having “two large rocks of methamphetamine” and multiple checks investigators say were stolen in Virginia, according to court documents. However, when state troopers and...
No fall yet: Warm temperatures persist in Western Pa.
It may be September, but it’s not sweater weather yet. Unseasonably high temperatures have persisted so far this month. “It’s a little warmer, a little above average,” Bill Modzelewski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon, said Monday. Temperatures on Monday were in the lower 80s, and Tuesday’s...
Blairsville-area woman held in boyfriend’s shooting death
A Blairsville-area woman was jailed without bail Saturday in the Indiana County Jail on charges of stemming from the Friday evening shooting death of her boyfriend. State Police from Indiana County say Matraca Lynn Vrana, 28, was arraigned Saturday afternoon before District Magisterial Judge Christopher Welch on charges of voluntary...
Senators call for transparency in nursing home staff vaccination reports
A pair of U.S. senators say the Biden administration must do more to provide families with easily accessible information on covid-19 vaccination rates among nursing home staff and residents. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senate Finance chair, and Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey, D-Scranton, who chairs the Senate Committee on Aging, want the...
Photos: Ceremony at Flight 93 National Memorial marks 20th anniversary of 9/11
“We can never move on, but we must continue to move forward,” said Gordon Felt, president of Families of Flight 93. Felt, who lost his brother, Edward, in the crash addressed about 650 fellow family members and invited guests at a ceremony marking the 20th anniversay of the terrorist attacks...
The heroes of Flight 93 live on as visitors flock to National Memorial
At first, they worried their story would be lost. The families of the passengers and crew members of United Flight 93 knew they held a precious piece of American history. The efforts of 40 people who lost their lives on a rural Pennsylvania mountaintop thwarting a terrorist plot to crash...
Tim Benz: Dawna, the 3 horses and Flight 93’s ‘ambassadors’ of heroism
There is a language at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stonycreek Township. A way of talking. No one actually whispers, but no one uses their full voice either. Every conversation is in hushed tones. Emotions seem to be communicated in the silence in between thoughts. And that’s just the...
Ceremony marks 20th anniversary at Flight 93 National Memorial
Remember. That was the common theme at Flight 93 National Memorial on Saturday: Americans should emulate who they and the nation were the day after Sept. 11, 2001. “We remember the vast majority of Americans were unified in purpose … that time reminded us of the significance of our unity...
Agriculture officials urge businesses, residents to be aware of spotted lanternflies
As he was walking in a park near his home on Pittsburgh’s North Side late last month, Joe Dep saw a bug fly past him that immediately caught his attention. “I was in Allegheny Commons Park, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was something I didn’t...
A lasting effect: How 9/11 impacted the lives of Western Pennsylvanians at World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Shanksville
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How 9/11 impacted the lives of Western Pennsylvanians at World Trade Center, Pentagon, ShanksvilleVideo
Frank Monaco was too busy to get emotional on 9/11. Capt. Monaco had been a Pennsylvania State Trooper for over 25 years when United Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Somerset County, killing 40 passengers and crew members on Sept. 11, 2001. If Monaco felt anything when he arrived at the...
Greene County man to serve probation, house arrest for assault, drugging of 2-year-old
The lawyer for a Greene County man who pleaded guilty to a brutal assault of a 2-year-old Derry boy in 2016 told a judge on Friday his client was the most “damaged” person he’s ever represented. Defense attorney Gary Gerson said Cory Andrew Kuntz, 28, was a victim of sexual...
