July 23, 2025 2:42 am
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) released findings of a preliminary report on the cause of the intermittent outages within the Next-Generation 911 (NG911) system across the Commonwealth earlier this month. The preliminary root cause analysis found that the issues were due to a defect in an operating system, which resulted in intermittent disruptions to NG911 call delivery. The disruptions are not believed to be the result of a cyber-attack. “As soon as the intermittent outages started, our vendors and partner public safety organizations began to investigate the cause and take steps to resolve the issue,” said PEMA Executive Deputy Director Jeff Boyle. “We activated the Emergency Alert System and issued Wireless Emergency Alerts as a precautionary measure to notify everyone in Pennsylvania of the issue and to follow county-based back up plans should they not be able to reach the 911 centers by calling the traditional three-digit phone number.” Next Generation Core Services (NGCS) are the systems and components used to process and route calls from phones to 911 centers. There are four instances of the NGCS which are located at two data centers within the NG911 system in Pennsylvania. PEMA suggests as a part of your personal preparedness plan, save your county 911 center ten-digit non-emergency number on your cellphone or write it down in an easily accessible place if you have an emergency and for some reason cannot reach 911.
July 23, 2025 2:35 am
Washington County Coroner Tim Warco has identified the man who died in a fiery head-on crash Tuesday morning on Route 40 as 18-old Chayse Allen of South Strabane Township. The crash happened just after five o’clock when Allen was traveling east on Route 40 and collided with another vehicle traveling west in the 1600 Block of East National Pike near Valleyview Road. Warco says both vehicles were engulfed in flames and it’s unknown at this time if Allen was wearing a seat-belt. The driver of the other vehicle was flown from the scene by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital. Route 40 was closed for several hours after the crash. State Police are handling the investigation.
July 23, 2025 2:33 am
A Belle Vernon man has been sentenced in federal court to thirty months in prison and ordered to pay $3,630,479.13 for his convictions of failing to pay employment taxes and harboring individuals who were not legally authorized to be in the United States. United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on 28-year-old Andy Ha after he pleaded guilty to the charges in February of 2025. According to information presented to the Court, Ha was the president and owner of the Charleroi staffing agency Prosperity Services, Inc., where he employed individuals who were not legally authorized to be in the United States, and paid for such workers to stay in a former hotel. Ha signed false employment tax returns on behalf of the agency, in which Ha reported less than 10% of Prosperity’s employees. Ha and Prosperity failed to pay taxes on the other unreported employees, resulting in a tax loss of at least $3.1 million over the course of a year.
July 23, 2025 2:12 am
South Strabane Township Supervisors held a public hearing to consider a conditional use application for a residential plan that would be situated behind the Speedway convenience store on Route 19. The Meadows Landing development proposed by MLD Meadows Landing, LLC will consist of 401 residential units of varying types on 144 acres. Plans call for 170 single family ranch style homes, 141 three story townhomes and 90 ranch style duplex units. Included in the development is a clubhouse and swimming pool. Access to the plan will be from Helen Dr. through the roundabout. The second access will be 1000 feet south from Landings Drive. Neighbors of the property expressed concerns. Linda Rumbaugh is concerned about congestion and privacy. The townhomes would directly abut her property. She worries about the ability of first responders to effectively enter the development if Route 19 would be shut down. Chester Patrina also abuts the development. His concern is trespassing. He has a home on his property that is 110 years old and vehicles stored in his garage. Neighbors were able to negotiate a fence built by the developer to protect their properties. Ryan Klousnitzer, a consultant for the developer says the customer base for the project will be empty nest families. He said that because of Pennsylvania’s aging population, developments with this style of housing is becoming very popular. Price ranges for the homes are predicted to range from $300,000 to $700,000. Supervisors approved the plan unanimously.
July 23, 2025 2:04 am
(WPXI) SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa — After months of testing the water at Blue Hole Creek for heavy metals, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection sent a notice of violation to Highlands Sporting Clay — a clay shooting range in Somerset County — saying they believe lead and other heavy metal concentrations in the water are because of lead shots at the range. “It’s a combination of poor events that lead to where we are today,” said Eric Harder, the Youghiogheny Riverkeeper with the Mountain Watershed Association. Harder said they started looking into concerns last fall after they went to sample bugs at the creek, and didn’t collect enough. Online records show Highlands Sporting Clay is owned by Highlands Ventures LLC, which is owned by Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting.
July 22, 2025 5:47 pm
Coca-Cola finally has confirmed that a version of Coke’s trademark cola sweetened with cane sugar will be released in the U.S. this fall. For decades, Coke and other beverage makers have used high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners in their U.S. sodas. But consumers are increasingly looking for products with fewer and more natural ingredients. Nutritionists say high fructose corn syrup and cane sugar are both sugars with around the same amount of calories. They are equally likely to lead to issues like obesity and tooth decay. (Photo: AP)
July 22, 2025 4:57 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Pentagon has ordered U.S. Marines to leave Los Angeles after more than a month in the city. The 700 Marines were deployed on June 9 during protests against the administration’s immigration policies. Their presence was limited to federal buildings, including an ICE office and detention facility. On Monday, the Pentagon decided to withdraw the Marines following last week’s reduction of half of the National Guard troops in the city. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated the military presence sent a strong message against lawlessness. About 2,000 National Guard troops remain in Los Angeles.
July 22, 2025 4:53 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s reached a trade agreement with Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. following a meeting at the White House. Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. will slightly drop its tariff rate for the Philippines without paying import taxes for what it sells there. The online announcement of a loose framework of a deal comes as the countries are seeking closer security and economic ties in the face of shifting geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific region. Marcos’ government had indicated ahead of the meeting he was prepared to offer zero tariffs on some U.S. goods.
July 22, 2025 4:52 am
The long-range Russian drones come in swarms each night, buzzing over Ukraine by the hundreds, terrorizing the population and attacking targets from the industrial east to areas near its western border with Poland. Russia now batters Ukraine with more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024. Analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate. On July 8, Russia unleashed more than 700 drones — a record. Some experts say that could soon reach 1,000 a day. This comes amid a U.S. ultimatum for Russia to reach a ceasefire by Sept. 2 or face tough sanctions -– a timeframe Moscow is likely to use to inflict as much damage as possible.
July 22, 2025 4:48 am
PITTSBURGH — When Saudia 35 left King Abdulaziz International Airport in Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning, a landing at Pittsburgh International Airport wasn’t on the schedule for the 13-hour flight. But when bad weather slammed into Washington, D.C., and arrival at Dulles International wasn’t in the cards, Pittsburgh International Airport was where the big Boeing 777 ended up landing safely. Same thing Saturday for United Airlines Flight 804 from Tokyo to Dulles International and, on Monday, American Airlines Flight 168, a Boeing 787-900 flying from Tokyo to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. Each were diverted for a safe landing at PIT when the weather precluded their original destination after many hours in the air across the Pacific Ocean and Canada and holding patterns. It’s been a busy month for diversions at Pittsburgh International Airport, with 70 in June alone and 285 in 2025 through July 14. The busiest day was Tuesday, July 8, where bad weather on the East Coast saw 18 flights on their way to Reagan National and Dulles in Washington landing instead at Pittsburgh International. The flights came from all over the place, whether they were longhauls from London and Frankfurt, Germany, or closer to home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
