March 28, 2023 4:08 am
ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Students at Elizabeth Forward High School will return to the classroom in April after a fire damaged the building in February. A letter sent to parents from the superintendent on Monday confirms students will be back in the building on April 11. The district is providing time for parents and guardians to visit the building and review reports. The school building will be open to parents and guardians for walk-throughs on Tuesday, April 4 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, April 5 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Remote classes will be canceled on April 3 and 4 to complete building and classroom preparations. Spring break, scheduled from April 5 to April 10, is not impacted by the cancelation, but a makeup day is scheduled for May 16. The district will continue to provide updates to parents as they approach the return to the building.
March 28, 2023 4:05 am
Investigators looking for the cause of a deadly explosion that leveled part of a Pennsylvania chocolate factory are facing an even more difficult task as they comb through wreckage that was picked apart and moved around during the weekend search for victims and survivors. Seven people were killed and several others wounded in the powerful blast at the R.M Palmer Co. plant in West Reading. With the recovery effort now over, attention turned to identifying the cause. Authorities say that task is even more complicated because heavy equipment was used to pick apart the wreckage.
March 28, 2023 2:56 am
With construction season on the horizon, PennDOT has announced plans for over 100 projects at a cost of roughly $585 million in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Residents in District 12, which includes Washington, Greene, Westmoreland and Fayette counties, will see paving, roadway sealcoating and crack sealing, bridge replacement and restoration as well as mudslide repair throughout the year. Here in Washington County a 9.1 mile stretch of Route 844 to Route 50 will be resurfaced in Washington, Canton Township, Chariters Township and Mount Pleasant Township. Meanwhile in Peters Township, a roundabout will be implemented at the intersection of Valley Brook Road and Bebout Road. Other notable projects in the region include the widening and reconstruction of the Interstate 70 interchange with Route 51 in Westmoreland County. The existing cloverleaf will turn into a diverging diamond interchange. Greene County Resurfacing upgrades are also on the way to the Route 19 and Route 21 corridors in Waynesburg Borough. PennDOT urges drivers to take caution in work zones not only for their safety, but for the workers as well. More information on the list of projects can be found on the PennDOT District 12 website.
March 28, 2023 2:56 am
The Little Lake Theatre Company held a press conference to announce its program for their 75th anniversary year of performances. Artistic Director Patrick Cannon outlined the 10 shows that the troupe will perform. Cannon says that there will be fun for the whole family with musicals, hard hitting dramas, and performances that will entertain the youngest crowd. The year will be capped with a performance of White Christmas. During the press conference David Disney, and Sunny Disney Fitchett, children of the founding director Will Disney offered their memories of the earliest days of the theatre when they would perform as youngsters. Both recalled rather notable people that performed on the stage. Barbara Feldon, Charles Grodin and the person they say everyone knows…David Newell. Newell, of course is the actor known as Mr. McFeely from Mister Rogers Neighborhood. Managing Director Patricia Knapp hopes to make 2023 a year of growth and expansion of Little Lake Theatre’s audience. State Senator Camera Bartolotta attended to present the group with a Senate Certificate of Recognition. The season opens on April 6 with the comedy Popcorn Falls. Information about The Little Lake Theatre Company can be found at their website LITTLELAKE.org.
March 28, 2023 2:40 am
A Greene County man was sentenced on Tuesday to 3,000 years in prison for sex crimes against children. Greene County District Attorney David Russo announced on Tuesday that Matthew Perry was convicted of 13,143 felony counts of sex crimes against children, including 2,190 counts of rape of a child under age 13. Perry was found guilty after a four day long trial in November. He will not be eligible for parole until the year 3523. “I am proud to announce Matthew Perry would have to live for 3000 years in order to pay his debt to society,” said Greene County District Attorney David Russo.
March 27, 2023 5:49 pm
CLEVELAND (AP) — Two men accused of stuffing fish with lead weights and fish fillets in an attempt to win an Ohio fishing tournament last fall have pleaded guilty to charges including cheating. The two men have also agreed to three-year suspensions of their fishing licenses. Both are scheduled to be sentenced May 11. Prosecutors plan to recommend a sentence of six months’ probation. The cheating allegations surfaced in September. A walleye fishing tournament director became suspicious when their fish were significantly heavier than typical walleye. They would have won a little over $28,000 in prizes for winning the tournament.
March 27, 2023 12:56 pm
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say they believe the 28-year-old female shooter who killed three children and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville was a former student. The female suspect was killed by police during a confrontation. The shooting occurred Monday at The Covenant School. Police said the shooter was armed with two “assault-type” rifles and a pistol. The Covenant School has had an enrollment of about 200 students from preschool to sixth grade in recent years. The killings come as communities around the nation are reeling from a spate of school violence. (Photo: AP)
March 27, 2023 5:38 am
Multiple fire crews were called to a structure fire early Monday morning in the City of Washington. The call came in just before 4:30 a.m for a fire with possible entrapment in the 3-hundred block of Locust Avenue near Murtland Avenue. Police reported flames showing from the second floor of the two-and-a-half story, wood frame home. Crews were able to bring the fire under control about forty-five minutes later. City of Washington Fire Chief Chris Richer says one half of the duplex is a total loss. There were three people inside at the time of the fire. Richer says the person transported to the hospital suffered minor injuries. There is no word on the cause of the fire. Fire crews were called out again just before 10 a.m. for a small rekindle.
March 27, 2023 4:27 am
PARIS (AP) — Protesting is a rite of passage in France and again the rage. The country that taught the world about people power with its revolution of 1789 is seething. French President Emmanuel Macron has ignited a firestorm of anger with unpopular pension reforms that he rammed through parliament. Young people are joining protests against him. Some of them are first-time demonstrators. Violence is also picking up. Freshly spray-painted slogans in Paris streets reference the 1789 French Revolution. Regular strikes and demonstrations are threatening to make Macron’s second and final term as president even more difficult than his first. Macron’s predecessor says anger and resentment are at levels he’s rarely seen.
March 27, 2023 4:24 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s government has called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to “counter the Kremlin’s nuclear blackmail” after Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed plans to station tactical atomic weapons in Belarus. One Ukrainian official said Sunday that Russia “took Belarus as a nuclear hostage.” But Moscow said it was making the move in response to the West’s increasing military support for Ukraine. Putin announced the plan in a television interview that aired on Saturday. He said it was triggered by a U.K. decision this past week to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.
