Some of what’s open despite the freezing cold in Western Pennsylvania
Worried about getting cabin fever as frigid temperatures and winds blow through the region? Several area businesses aren’t letting the weather get in the way of normal day-to-day operations Wednesday and Thursday despite wind chills as low as 22 below. Here’s a list of some places that will remain open:...
Promoted to military captain overseas, Pittsburgh police officer receives 2nd promotion
He waited nearly a year to be sworn in as a Pittsburgh police sergeant, but Robert Connors received another promotion in the meantime. Connors was serving in the Middle East with the Pennsylvania National Guard last year when he was promoted from officer to sergeant, and he could not take...
Norwin basketball games to honor vets
Norwin High School’s boys and girls basketball teams will play special games on Friday at the Knights gymnasium, and not just because the boys will face Greater Latrobe, one of the best teams in WPIAL Class 6A this season. Both contests — the girls against Butler and the boys against...
3 varieties of bats added to Pa. endangered species list
The state Game Commissioners approved reclassifying the status of three types of cave bats from threatened to endangered, which is more protective of the species. During their Tuesday meeting, the Commissioners granted endangered status protection to the little brown bat, northern long-eared bat and tri-colored bat, according to a state...
Feds indict powerful Philly union boss, councilman, others
PHILADELPHIA — A powerful union boss with a tight grip on construction jobs in the Philadelphia region and outsized influence in city and state politics has been indicted in alleged schemes to embezzle more than $600,000 and have a councilman on the union payroll to do his bidding at City...
Westmoreland County firefighters draw on past experiences to deal with subzero cold
As Westmoreland County firefighters prepared to potentially respond to emergencies in subzero temperatures late Wednesday into Thursday, Delmont Volunteer Fire Department Chief Rich Balik said lessons learned at a fatal fire last year in Salem Township assisted in its planning. On Jan. 5, 2018, multiple departments battled subzero windchill as...
Dozens of vehicles in pileup after snow squall in central Pa.
READING — More than two dozen vehicles have been involved in a chain-reaction crash on a central Pennsylvania highway after a snow squall caused whiteout conditions. Wyomissing Police Chief Jeffrey Biehl says about 27 vehicles were involved in the crash just after 1 p.m. Wednesday on Route 222, about 60...
Pittsburgh salt truck driver suspended following sideswipes in Lawrenceville
A Pittsburgh Public Works Department salt truck driver has been suspended without pay and is facing termination after sideswiping three vehicles in Lawrenceville on Jan. 13, a city official said Friday. The driver isn’t the only DPW employee facing discipline, according to Guy Costa, the city operations chief. Two other...
Pittsburgh officials receive death threats from gun ban opponents
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and City Councilman Corey O’Connor said Wednesday that they have received death threats from people who disagree with the city’s proposed gun ban. O’Connor, one of the sponsors of the gun legislation, said he received a telephone voice mail two weeks ago from someone threatening to...
Passport Fairs happening in Western Pa. in February
Some post offices in Western Pennsylvania will host Passport Fairs in February to help people obtain passports. Below is a list of sites that will host a Passport Fair: • Feb. 2: Warren, Pa.; 210 W. Third Ave. 16365. (9 a.m. to 12 p.m.) • Feb. 2: State College, Pa.;...
Highlands facing $3.7M budget deficit
Highlands School District’s preliminary budget for next school year has a $3.7 million hole in it. That’s the preliminary budget gap between the district’s proposed spending of about $46 million and its estimated revenue of about $42.3 million. The district released its preliminary budget Tuesday. The school board is expected...
Monarch population up 144 percent at Mexico wintering grounds
MEXICO CITY — The population of monarch butterflies wintering in central Mexico is up 144 percent over last year, experts said Wednesday. The data presented by Andrew Rhodes, Mexico’s national commissioner for protected natural areas, was cheered but scientists quickly warned that it does not mean the butterflies that migrate...
Westmoreland organizations seek to provide shelter for homeless during cold snap
It can be difficult to get an accurate picture of homelessness in Westmoreland County, but local officials and service organizations want to make sure those who found themselves in such a situation had a place to go amid this week’s frigid weather. “A lot of times they’re elusive and don’t...
KDKA fires employee for Tom Brady ‘Known Cheater’ TV graphic
A KDKA employee has been fired over a graphic involving New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The caption, which ran during the CBS affiliate’s 4 p.m. broadcast Monday, identified Brady as “known cheater” instead of “Patriots quarterback.” “While fans are entitled to have personal opinions, we have a journalistic responsibility...
Pitt petition to cancel classes nets nearly 10,000 signatures
Pity poor David Ankin. At least he had an excuse for trying to avoid icy winds cutting through the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus. “I lost my hat yesterday and was too busy to buy a new one,” Ankin, a computer science major at Pitt, wrote on an online petition...
Bat infestation forces closure of building at university
MONROE, La. — The University of Louisiana Monroe has closed a building until a colony of bats can be removed. The university’s Public Relations Director, Hope Young, says Sugar Hall will be closed until the bats and that classes and administrative offices have been moved. Young says the bats entered...
Pat Catan’s craft stores to close, some rebranded as Michaels
Most Pat Catan’s Arts and Craft stores will be closing soon, the company that owns the regional chain announced Wednesday. The Michaels Cos. Inc. will rebrand up to 12 of the Pat Catan’s locations as Michaels stores and close the remaining stores. There are 36 Pat Catan’s stores in the...
Delmont fire officials: State audit recommendations met
Delmont volunteer firefighters report their department is continuing to “move forward” after a recent report by the state auditor general disclosed not all of its recommendations from prior financial audits had been followed. “For audited period Jan. 1, 2016, to Dec. 31, 2017, the relief association took appropriate corrective action...
Health aid accused of assaulting 92-year-old Pittsburgh woman
A home health care aid allegedly assaulted a 92-year-old woman, kicking her so hard that she required stitches, police said. Brightstar Healthcare aid Kweilin Wofford told city police she was headed to the apartment of Bunny Pittsburgh in the Riverview Towers in Squirrel Hill when she heard screaming and swearing,...
Foxconn reconsiders plan for Wisconsin manufacturing hub
MADISON, Wis. — Electronics giant Foxconn reversed course and announced Wednesday that the massive Wisconsin operation that was supposed to bring a bounty of blue-collar manufacturing jobs back to the Midwest — and was offered billions of dollars in incentives from the state — will instead be devoted mostly to...
‘Severely neglected’ farm animals rescued from Butler County home
A New Kensington cat shelter rescued 30 severely neglected farm animals including donkeys, goats, sheep and rabbits at a residence in Harmony, Butler County. The animals were emaciated when they were rescued on Saturday, according to Dr. Becky Morrow, founder and veterinarian with Frankie’s Friends Cat Rescue in New Kensington....
Connellsville residents take the snow angel challenge
It was a cold snowy Sunday and Amelia Lincoln, 8, of Connellsville, was restless. Her father, Mayor Greg Lincoln was a little bored himself, so he told Amelia to get her coat — they were going outside to make snow angels. However, before they ever hit the snow-covered ground, the...
Official: Air traffic safety system will take time to recover after shutdown
WASHINGTON — The pipeline that produces air traffic controllers essential to the aviation system and the economy will reopen Monday, but union officials warn that it may be years before the system rebounds from consequences of the 35-day federal government shutdown. “We’re not sure what the damage really is,” said...
Gov. Wolf renews bid to put Pennsylvania’s minimum wage among highest
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf is rolling out a second-term proposal to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage after similar first-term proposals by the Democrat fell flat in the Republican-controlled Legislature. Wolf said Wednesday he wants to raise Pennsylvania’s hourly minimum to $12 this year, making it one of the highest in...
Prosecutor calls evidence against El Chapo overwhelming
NEW YORK — Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman orchestrated a two-decade campaign to flood the United States with tons of cocaine as a ruthless leader of the Sinaloa cartel, a prosecutor said in closing arguments on Wednesday at Guzman’s U.S. trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Goldbarg began her...
