Julia Maruca stories, Page 3
More work needed to help bees in Pennsylvania, experts say
Things are looking brighter in the bee business. But maintaining healthy and productive hives keeps people like Drew Johnson as busy as a you-know-what. Environmental challenges, including climate change, a lack of native plants and dwindling foraging and shelter, have made the world less bee-friendly. Recent years have seen increased...
Pittsburgh maternity experts skeptical of Florida law allowing out-of-hospital C-sections
Pittsburgh-area childbirth experts say they are skeptical of a new Florida law that would allow the creation of “advanced birth centers” in the state, where doctors could deliver babies vaginally or by C-section outside of a hospital. Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill in March, creating a new designation...
Pharmacists plead financial plight to state lawmakers at roundtable discussion
Independent pharmacists such as Robert Maher feel trapped, state lawmakers learned Thursday. A pharmacist knows the people in the community well, from grandparents to parents to kids, Maher said. They also know the pharmacy in today’s prescription payment system can’t take care of those people without going out of business....
Tornado briefly forms, touches down in Derry TownshipVideo
Derry Township resident Courtney Thomas had just returned home from getting ice cream with her children on their last day of school when her husband, Michael Thomas Jr., rushed the family into the basement. Still holding their ice cream cones, she and the kids hurried downstairs. The family was avoiding...
Pittsburgh Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center to close its doors; 140 residents affected
Some 140 residents will need to find alternate lodgings this August after a nursing home in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood shuts down for good. Pittsburgh Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, located at 550 South Negley Ave., will close Aug. 12, according to an announcement sent out to residents and their families...
Man taken to hospital after being stabbed in Downtown Pittsburgh
A man was taken to an area hospital in stable condition after he was stabbed in the shoulder around 4:30 p.m. in Downtown Pittsburgh, police said. First responders found the man with a single stab wound in the 300 block of Third Avenue. He was able to speak with police...
Man arrested in Pittsburgh’s Swissvale neighborhood in connection with August assault
Police arrested a Monroeville man Wednesday in connection with an assault in Pittsburgh’s Swissvale neighborhood that happened last August. A man was found unconscious in a car in the parking lot of 1915 McCague St. around 8:50 a.m. last Aug. 12, and was taken to a hospital in critical but...
Woman shot in Homewood South
A woman was shot Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Homewood South neighborhood, police said. Police were alerted to the incident by the ShotSpotter gunfire detection system just before 1 p.m. in the 7300 block of Formosa Way. Officers on patrol in the area heard the shots and found the woman in...
State representatives to discuss pharmacy benefit manager regulation at roundtable event
Western Pennsylvania state representatives will hold a roundtable discussion Thursday at Westmoreland County Community College to discuss proposed regulations on pharmacy benefit managers with regional pharmacy stakeholders. State Reps. Jessica Benham, D-Pittsburgh and Eric Nelson, R-Hempfield, will host the discussion from 8 to 10 a.m. to talk about Benham’s bipartisan...
Independence Health System sees shrinking losses, but looks ahead to further improvement
Independence Health System cut operating losses by nearly half from Jan. 1 to March 31 compared to the same time last year, continuing a steady trend of financial improvement for the merged health system. According to the system’s most recent financial reports, Independence saw a little more than $12.6 million...
Woman accused of shooting at another woman in Unity
A Unity woman is accused of shooting at another woman on Wednesday, state police said. Marissa Hall, 33, was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person. State troopers were called early Wednesday morning to the Rose Garden Terrace in Unity after there...
Part of Route 981 to close in Mt. Pleasant Township
Part of Route 981 in Mt. Pleasant Township will close starting Tuesday. The road, also known in that section as Mt. Pleasant Calumet Road will be closed from Waltons Lane to Boyer Road. The closure is anticipated to continue into mid-June depending on weather and operations, according to PennDOT. Drivers...
Hempfield moving forward with part of $16M municipal complex, park project
Hempfield supervisors are revising some of their plans for a proposed municipal complex and park to try to lower the project’s price tag and attract additional bidders for the work. The board this week approved bids related to site development for the municipal complex and for a multipurpose building but...
New Hempfield Area architect approaching high school project from the ground up
Hempfield Area School District’s new architect is beginning at square one as it takes over the district’s proposed multimillion-dollar high school renovation project. “While … being respectful of all the work that’s been done, we are still asking all the questions as if we’re starting from scratch, to make sure...
PennWest students on whirlwind storm-chasing trip
PennWest California student Jared Riley says he’s an adrenaline junkie who keeps a close eye on the weather. When he clambered out of the van he was sharing with classmates last week and saw a supercell thunderstorm up close, his excitement was palpable. Once he and his group drove close...
Traditions with merit: Scouts BSA celebrates 75 years at Camp Conestoga where interest belies national trends
JEFFERSON — Scouts toting fishing poles and patrol flags down a hill in the rain toward the lake at Camp Conestoga over the weekend carried on a proud tradition. Multiple generations of Scouts have visited the Somerset County camp over the years, and, on its 75th anniversary weekend, many of...
5 tornadoes formed on Friday, NWS says
Five tornadoes hit Western Pennsylvania and Ohio on Friday, meteorologists from the National Weather Service confirmed after sending teams out Saturday to investigate the damage. The fastest-blowing tornado touched down in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood, while four other tornadoes hit , Elrama, Harrison City, the Allegheny County Airport in West...
Driver in critical condition after crash on Saw Mill Run Boulevard
A driver was taken to the hospital in critical condition after crashing a pickup truck into a pole in the 900 block of Saw Mill Run Boulevard near Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington neighborhood early Sunday morning, Pittsburgh police said. First responders were alerted to the crash outside the BP gas station...
Woman injured in shooting in Allentown
A woman was grazed to the head by a gunshot wound in a shooting in Allentown early Sunday morning, Pittsburgh police said. She was treated by medics and taken to the hospital in stable condition. First responders were notified by 911 and ShotSpotter that someone had possibly been shot in...
Nurses, administrators, advocates have varied opinions on new federal nursing home rule
When certified nursing assistant Helen Noel arrives for work each day at The Grove at Irwin nursing home, her attention is pulled in multiple directions. “When I go in, there might be four or five (patient) lights going off,” she said. “Who do I answer — your mother, your sister?...
Greensburg Salem preliminary budget contains nearly $2.4M shortfall
Greensburg Salem School District is facing a nearly $2.4 million shortfall in its preliminary budget for next school year. The school board has until the end of June to pass a balanced budget for 2024-2025. That can be achieved by cutting expenses, increasing revenue through a tax hike or other...
Hempfield Area School Board approves district’s next superintendent
Incoming Hempfield Area School District Superintendent Mark Holtzman is keenly aware of the stalled high school renovation project. “The large construction project that’s been kind of looming over the last couple of years really needs to take shape,” he said. “I think kind of orchestrating and getting those things tied...
2 drivers flown to hospital after crash on Route 380
Route 380 in Murrysville was closed for several hours in both directions Tuesday afternoon following a crash from which two drivers were flown by helicopter to the hospital. According to Murrysville police chief Thomas Seefeld, one vehicle was pulling out of the auction barn near Route 380, and the other...
Beaver Area School District head recommended as Hempfield Area’s new superintendent
Former McKeesport Area and current Beaver Area Superintendent Mark Holtzman is set to become Hempfield’s top school official. Holtzman will be recommended for appointment as superintendent of Hempfield Area School District at a special board meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to a letter sent to parents Tuesday from the...
Westmoreland students explore health care career paths at Independence fair
Tenth grade Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center student Zoey Wilders carefully stuffed gauze into a simulated wound to staunch the bleeding. A few feet away, nurse and emergency room educator Kelly Bedner cheered her on. “You’re saving that life,” Bedner said, ushering more students to try their hand at...
