Regional category, Page 203
Saltsburg Canal Days festival returns with parade, fireworks, cookie contest
The annual Saltsburg Canal Days festival is back this weekend after going on hiatus in 2020, during the covid-19 pandemic. The event, which features a parade, entertainment, vendor booths and fireworks, will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday and continue at noon Sunday. The largest annual happening in Saltsburg, it celebrates...
Ex-child actor Drake Bell accused of child endangerment in Cleveland
One of the stars of the popular Nickelodeon children’s show “Drake & Josh” faces criminal charges regarding a girl he had met online and who attended his 2017 concert in Ohio when she was 15. Jared “Drake” Bell, 34, pleaded not guilty on Thursday in a Cleveland courtroom to a...
Famed trial attorney F. Lee Bailey remembered for Greensburg trial
He came to town with a flourish. It was the late 1980s and word spread quickly through the Westmoreland County Courthouse that famed defense attorney F. Lee Bailey was in the building. He was due to appear before Judge Charles Loughran to defend his legal acumen. The dapper lawyer —...
Duquesne to require covid-19 vaccines for students this fall, but Western Pa. colleges’ requirements vary
Duquesne University on Thursday joined a group of Western Pennsylvania colleges that will require covid-19 vaccines for all students returning to campus this fall, but policies remain varied depending on the university. The American College Health Association, which represents health and wellness professionals at 550 U.S. colleges and universities, recommends...
Is it covid or Lyme Disease? If you’re vaccinated and have a rash, it’s easier to diagnose
It’s tick season, and with it comes an increased risk of contracting Lyme disease or another tick-borne illness. Diagnosing the disease can be trickier this year amid the covid-19 pandemic, as some of the symptoms of the diseases are similar. “There’s a lot of overlap,” Dr. Amesh Adalja said of...
State police in region investigate 106 crashes, write 1,500 speeding tickets over holidayVideo
State troopers in the region investigated 106 crashes during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, including two fatalities, according to statistics released this week. There were 32 people hurt and alcohol was involved in 12 of the crashes, according to data for Troops A and B which cover Westmoreland, Allegheny and...
Turnpike engineer: Next leg of Mon Fayette Expressway likely to start construction next year
The Pennsylvania Turnpike’s chief engineer said roughly $1 billion in funding is in place to continue the Mon-Fayette Expressway from Route 51 to Route 837. It’s a project whose first phase is set to begin next year and last until 2027. The turnpike commission is finishing up work on the...
Western Pa. barbers split over helping President Biden promote covid vaccines
If President Biden wants Greg Henderson to preach the gospel of getting a covid vaccine to his customers who come in for a haircut, he’s going to have to find another barber to deliver that sermon. “I really don’t want to promote it. It’s kind of personal,” said Henderson, who...
Convicted killer serving life in Florida confesses to 6 Pa. slayings, including 3 in native Beaver County
A convicted killer serving life sentences in Florida has confessed to six slayings in four separate incidents across Pennsylvania in the late 1970s, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Edward A. Surratt, 71, has been serving two life sentences for a series of Florida crimes, and he has also been convicted...
Pittsburgh region adds 15,200 jobs in April, but 80K short of pre-pandemic level
The seven-county Pittsburgh region added 15,200 jobs in April, raising the total to about 1.11 million — which is almost 142,000 more than the pandemic-restricted economy of a year ago, according to new state labor-force figures. The region saw nonfarm jobs rise to 1,111,700 as 6,500 more construction jobs were...
Fight over loud music ends with New Alexandria man jailed in Indiana County, troopers say
Police say an argument over loud music in Indiana County resulted in $5,000 damage to a woman’s car and a New Alexandria man facing multiple charges. Ryan Lee Reynolds, 30, was arraigned on charges of criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, harassment and simple assault after his arrest by state troopers in...
Survey seeks to determine level of home internet access for Pa. students
School districts across the state could benefit from a survey that collects broadband connectivity data to help determine whether families have sufficient internet access. The survey was created by the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units and Penn State Extension as a way to help districts across the state, including those...
Western Pa. restaurants struggle to open at full capacity as most covid restrictions end
Beginning on Memorial Day, restaurants and other businesses were permitted to open at full capacity, seemingly a positive sign after a year of covid-19 mitigation measures took their toll on the industry. But being allowed to open at full capacity is not the same as actually having the resources to...
Bantam Jeep festival includes off-roading fun opportunities in Butler County
If you are curious about what it takes to go off-road driving or want to know what you can do to make your Jeep unique, you need to plan a trip to Butler County on June 11-13. The 10th Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival is being planned with every level of...
Washington County man dies in motorcycle crash
A 43-year-old Avella man died Monday afternoon after his motorcycle was struck by an oncoming vehicle, according to the Washington County Coroner’s Office. Chester Lesjak was pronounced dead along Meadowcroft Road in Avella, where he had been driving westbound before being struck by a vehicle headed eastbound around 1:40 p.m....
A year after George Floyd’s death, protesters reflect on what’s changed in Western Pennsylvania
The year since George Floyd was killed by a former Minneapolis police officer has brought with it protests, anguish and, perhaps louder than anything, calls for change. The year also has been one of realization for some. “A lot of people are aware of something they weren’t aware of before,”...
Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announces 4 new, merged parishes to be created in July
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh on Saturday announced plans to create four new, merged parishes. Fifteen parishes will be part of the mergers, which will take effect July 1, Bishop David Zubik said. “This has not been a simple task,” Zubik wrote in a letter to parishioners. “Jesus never promised...
Johnstown’s Rosedale banishment, Tulsa Massacre occurred in same era of racial tension
The most infamous event in the history of Johnstown race relations occurred just two years after the Tulsa Race Massacre. On Aug. 30, 1923, a shootout in the Rosedale neighborhood resulted in the death of Robert Young, a Black man, who, by accounts from the time, was drunk, as well...
Police looking for missing man in McDonald
Police are looking for a missing man in McDonald. John Terrell, 58, was last seen wearing blue jeans and blue tennis shoes, police said in a Facebook post. He was described as a Black man with brown hair, who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs about 215 pounds....
Coroner: 1 dead after shooting in Donora Friday night
A Donora man was killed at his home Friday night, according to the Washington County Coroner’s office. Dakota Johnston, 26, of Donora was shot at his house on 3rd Street in Donora at about 11:45 p.m. Saturday. He was transported to the Monongahela Valley Hospital emergency department, where he was...
Mail, passenger routes, flight instruction helped spur growth at Unity airportVideo
One thing was sure to lure young Bob Downs away from the dinner table. It was when he heard a Stinson mail plane passing above his childhood home on Latrobe’s Irving Avenue, en route to the Latrobe Airport. “I would jump up from the table, dash to the door and...
Bipartisan effort aims to honor Purple Heart recipients
In a bipartisan effort to honor Purple Heart recipients, four Pennsylvania congressmen requested that the Department of Defense (DOD) list Purple Heart recipients on their valor award website. The website is meant to honor service members awarded distinguished military medals and reduce incidents of individuals fraudulently claiming to received those...
State issues park overcrowding alert for Ohiopyle, Keystone, Presque Isle and more
The state has issued an “overcrowding alert” this holiday weekend for 14 of its 121 state parks including regional favorites such as Ohiopyle, Keystone and Presque Isle. A large number of park users on good weather weekends is causing some state parks to turn away visitors, according to a report...
Sheetz to start accepting digital currency payments this summer
Digital payment network Flexa announced Thursday that Sheetz convenience stores will accept digital currency payments and will be the first convenience store chain to do so. The program is expected to roll out this summer. Flexa said Sheetz will accept bitcoin, ether, litecoin, dogecoin and others, first at its cafe...
Like Jack’s beanstalk, home gardening hobby grows to new heights across Western Pa.Video
The coronavirus pandemic brought a sudden abundance of free time at home last summer, and many people found themselves trying their hands at gardening for the first time. That provided a record sales boost for many local nurseries, especially with vegetables — and the trend is expected to continue in...
