Regional category, Page 311
State officials pledge more ‘aggressive’ approach to combating overgrowth at Somerset County lake
Two state legislators are pledging a more aggressive approach to reclaiming a lake in Somerset County that experienced a serious fish kill this summer. State Rep. Matt Dowling, R-Uniontown, and state Sen. Pat Stefano, R-Connellsville, met with officials of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission and Pennsylvania Game Commission last...
Police: Man dies in fall from Cleveland apartment filled with drugs
CLEVELAND — Authorities in Cleveland aren’t sure if a man who died in an eight-story fall over the weekend had jumped from a balcony when a bail bondsman showed up serving a warrant. Police say the body of the 24-year-old man was found Saturday in downtown Cleveland’s Flats entertainment district....
Woman found dead in portable toilet on W&J campus likely OD’d, coroner says
A woman found dead Tuesday morning inside a portable toilet at a construction site on the Washington & Jefferson College campus likely died of a drug overdose, the Washington County Coroner’s Office said in a release. The coroner’s office identified the woman as Margaret Esther Tinglum, 30, of Hermitage. The...
School lunches get upgrade, pleasing palates and boosting nutrition
Americans of a certain age remember the famous school pizza meal: the little square bits of pepperoni, the likely imitation cheese, the slight taste of the freezer still lingering with every bite. Even though kids probably knew it wasn’t exactly healthy, they ate it — and might have grown to...
Mt. Lebanon man drowns in family outing at Ohiopyle
A Mt. Lebanon man drowned Saturday in a rafting accident along the Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle State Park in what was a weekend outing for family and friends, the Fayette County coroner said Monday. Peter Quigley, 46, of Pine Tree Road, was pinned underwater when he fell out of a...
Staycation: Linden Hall in Fayette County
If you’ve never heard of Linden Hall, it’s OK. It says right on their website, “One of Pennsylvania’s best kept secrets.” The Linden Hall mansion sits on 785 acres nestled in the Laurel Highlands between Dawson and Perryopolis in northern Fayette County. Not far from the Youghiogheny River, Linden Hall...
Doctors fear vaping to blame for spike in lung illnesses
Doctors in Western Pennsylvania are concerned and frustrated with an uptick in vaping-related lung illnesses diagnosed over the past few weeks. Pittsburgh joins a growing list of places that have identified people with breathing problems related to vaping. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating 215 possible cases...
Rafter dies at Ohiopyle
A man died after his raft overturned Saturday at Ohiopyle State Park, officials said. Park Manager Ken Bisbee said the victim, believed to be 40 to 50 years old, was confirmed dead after his raft flipped downstream of Dimple Rock. Bisbee said the victim’s foot was trapped, making rescue attempts...
Slew of shootings, several homicides probed in Philadelphia
Authorities say a slew of shootings, including several homicides, have the holiday weekend off to a violent start in Philadelphia. Police say gunfire shortly before 7 a.m. Saturday in the Hunting Park neighborhood of north Philadelphia killed a 25-year-old man and a 31-year-old man and wounded two other men listed...
Indiana County native, Cold War code-breaker, dies at age 101
Angeline Nanni could have lived her life in relative peace and quiet working at her sisters’ Blairsville beauty shop. Instead, she became part of one of the most important counterintelligence programs of the Cold War. Ms. Nanni and her compatriots in the Venona Project helped decrypt thousands of coded messages...
9/11 Promise Run launches inaugural cycle relay
Keeping this promise will require stamina. Even veteran athlete Mark Mhley, who has completed multiple Ironman triathlons, worries that pedaling 198 miles over steep winding country roads that cross the mountains between Washington, D.C., and the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Somerset County, will be a stretch. Mhley, 44,...
Cranberry Toyota dealership pays school lunch debt totaling more than $22,000
A Toyota dealership will wipe out more than $22,000 of student lunch debt that’s accrued in a Western Pennsylvania school district. Baierl Toyota in Cranberry presented a check Friday for $22,181.47 to the Ellwood City Area School District to pay off the debt. “This is just a great thing for...
Western Pennsylvania first responders move south ahead of Hurricane Dorian
As Hurricane Dorian barrels toward Florida, some Western Pennsylvania first responders are already headed south to lend a hand. Specialized ambulance units and paramedics from Fayette Emergency Medical Service, headquartered in Connellsville, and Murrysville Medic One left at 8 a.m. Friday to head to a staging area in Georgia. Florida...
First 911 Trail Challenge near Shanksville offers special closed road access for cyclists
The inaugural 911 Trail Challenge on Sept. 7 will offer bicyclists a 24-mile course, including an eight-mile section at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville that will be open only to cyclists. The Sept. 11 National Memorial Trail is a 1,300-mile network of bicycle and pedestrian trails linking the...
Worker dies after wall collapses at Washington County coal mine
A worker at a Consol Energy coal mine in Washington County died Thursday evening when a wall collapsed, according to authorities. The victim was identified as Tanner Lee McFarland, 25, of Washington, according to state police, who are investigating the incident. The wall collapsed about 6 p.m. in the Enlow...
PUC: Improvements planned at Washington County railroad crossing after 2018 crash, acid spill
A series of flashing warning lights and a warning bell will be installed at a railroad crossing in Centerville, Washington County, where a freight train collided with a tractor-trailer carrying hydrochloric acid last year causing several injuries and an evacuation, according to the state Public Utility Commission. The commission voted...
2-way flow of Laurel Pipeline approved by state commission
A petition to start bi-directional service on the Laurel Pipeline between Pittsburgh and Altoona has received the necessary regulatory approval from the state. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission voted 5-0 to approve a joint settlement agreement between the Laurel Pipeline Co. and a group of complainants, including Giant Eagle and...
Archaeologists probe oldest, deepest part of Meadowcroft Rockshelter
Archaeologists are looking for new clues at one of the oldest known sites of human habitation in North America. Devlin Gandy, an archaeologist from St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge, and James M. Adovasio, the director of archaeology at Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, are conducting research at...
Feds looking for man they say robbed PNC Bank in Cranberry
Federal and local authorities are asking for help in identifying a man they say robbed a bank Wednesday in Cranberry. The man went to the PNC Bank at 20940 Route 19 in Cranberry shortly after 4:45 p.m. and displayed a note to the teller indicating he had a weapon, according...
Police: Armed customer robs Subway in Butler County
State police are investigating an armed robbery at a Subway restaurant in Butler County. According to state police, the robbery happened around 8:50 p.m. Wednesday at the shop at 1768 N. Main St. Ext. in Center Township. Police said a man placed an order and then drew a handgun. He...
Technology issues cause Butler Area schools to delay first day until Tuesday
Students at the Butler Area School District preparing to start classes Thursday now have a few more days left to their summer vacation. Ongoing technology failures causing issues with transportation caused Superintendent Brian White to delay the start of school until Tuesday, Sept. 3, according to a letter sent to...
Officials: PNC Bank in Cranberry robbed
A Cranberry Township bank was robbed Wednesday evening, according to Butler County 911 dispatchers. Officers responded to PNC Bank, located at 20940 Route 19, around 5 p.m. for reports of the robbery. Further details were not immediately available Wednesday night. This is not the first time that PNC Bank has...
Ohiopyle seeking votes as Top Adventure Town for outdoors fun
Fans of Ohiopyle’s many outdoors activities can vote for it to be recognized as a Top Adventure Town. Nominated by the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, Ohiopyle is among 80 communities in contention for four final spots in the ninth annual contest conducted by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. The online contest...
Butler photographer waited days for perfect shot of indigo bunting and sunflowerVideo
Visually, call it the last kiss of summer: A bright male indigo bunting singing his heart out on a fully blooming sunflower. It won’t be too long before the indigo buntings migrate south, flying about 1,200 miles to reach wintering grounds from southern Florida to northern South America, according to...
‘Jelly brains’ emerge in Pennsylvania lakeVideo
Gooey blobs are living in a Monroe County lake. Visitors to Skytop Lodge near Canadensis just might catch a glimpse of these melon-sized bryozoans, or jelly brains, reports WNEP-TV. The colony of moss animals is harmless and indicators of healthy water. They were intriguing to guests on guided nature walks...
