|
| Stories 1 to 10 of 1935 |
|
3/10/2010
March 10, 2010
A fire last evening caused extensive damage to a home in Avonmore and left a woman hospitalized.
Firefighters from Avonmore, Saltsburg, Bell Township, Washington Township, New Alexandria and Murrysville responded to the blaze, which broke out in the rear of the first floor at around 6 PM. It may have started as a grease fire in the kitchen. The flames spread through the second floor and into the attic. The home, which was termed a total loss, is near the intersection of Indiana Avenue and Second Street. Two nearby homes sustained minor damage.
The victim’s name and age were not released. She was flown by medical helicopter to IPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment of burns and smoke inhalation.
U92 News
|
3/10/2010
March 10, 2010
The mother of a 1-year-old boy testified yesterday against her husband, who is accused of beating the infant so badly last year that he caused irreparable brain damage.
22-year-old Sara Nerone told the jury about a pattern of abuse that included both her and the baby. She said she first saw her husband hit the baby when “Johnny” Nerone was only three weeks old, but she never told anyone about the abuse because she was afraid and ashamed. Sara and John “Rickey” Nerone are in the process of divorcing.
Rickey Nerone claims his wife was the one who abused the baby, who almost died last March 30th, when he was only nine weeks old.
Rickey Nerone is a former firefighter from Armagh who has been convicted and served prison time for arson-related crimes and thefts in Indiana County.
The jury heard the 9-1-1 tape of the emergency call that was made on the night in question, and they heard three recordings of conversations between Rickey and Sara Nerone made after Rickey’s arrest.
U92 News
|
3/10/2010
March 10, 2010
Starting next week, you should be getting your 2010 U.S. Census in the mail, and speaking from experience, the Green Township supervisors are sounding a cautionary tale about filling it out and sending it back in.
Green Township was just a few respondents short of qualifying for $100,000 annually in government funding. If only a couple more homes had filled out their forms, it would have translated into eligibility for about a million dollars over the last ten years.
The Green Township supervisors are strongly urging residents to return the forms this time. If you don’t receive one in the mail, they will be available at the Commodore Community Center Monday through Friday from 9 AM to Noon, from March 19th to April 19th. You can also call the supervisors’ office at 254-9355 for information.
In 2000, only 67 percent of Indiana County residents returned their census forms. The county commissioners in January formed the Indiana County Complete Count Committee to increase the number of respondents.
U92 News
|
3/10/2010
March 10, 2010
Parents from the Laurel Valley School District discussed their hopes to consolidate with the United School District last night at United’s School Board meeting.
A group called Save our Rams Education, or SORE, from Laurel Valley came to the United School board last night and asked that the board consider their proposal to add the entire Laurel Valley Area to the United School District. Laurel Valley is a part of the Ligonier Valley School District, and the Ligonier Valley board wants to close Laurel Valley and send its high school students to Ligonier. According to SORE member Kevin McGlocklin, the benefits of sending students to United would far exceed the negatives. He said one benefit is that the commute to United School District from Laurel Valley is shorter than it is to Ligonier Valley.
The Laurel Valley district has approximately 700 students.
The United school board has not yet discussed the issue.
In other news last night, Superintendent Dr. Blozowich talked about the snow day make up plan. United does not meet the requirements set in place by the state to waive those 6 snow days that need to be made up, requiring the district to use 3 built ...
U92 News
|
3/10/2010
March 10, 2010
Gas prices continued their upward
trend this week. Western Pennsylvania
area motorists are paying an extra 9 cents per gallon this week as prices
average $2.85 for regular, self-serve gasoline. Meanwhile Indiana
County is paying a penny more
at an average of $2.86 per gallon.
The current run up in prices is
based largely on renewed optimism on the short term health of the US
economy. Last week, investors factored in news that, while the economy is
still shedding jobs, it is doing so at a much slower rate than in previous
months. Overall, the labor market can best be described as treading
water, even as other signs of recovery start to emerge.
The ever present fluctuations in the
strength of the US dollar continue to impact prices on a daily basis, too. Seasonal
factors are at play as well, with refineries in the process of switching over
to summer blended fuels and investors counting on the potential for increased
vehicle travel as the weather improves.
The national average retail price
for a gallon of self serve regular is $2.76. A year ago, the average price for
a gallon of regular in Western PA was $1.99.
U92 News
|
3/10/2010
March 10, 2010
A top concern for business owners
is the rising cost of energy. To help local businesses save money and
mitigate increases, Indiana County Chamber of Commerce has enlisted the
services of OnDemand Energy to create a mass buying pool. The pool
will buy electricity in bulk for a fixed time period as a way to lock in a
lower price for businesses that are chamber members and participating in the
pool. Indiana County Chamber is joined in this effort by a number of PA
Chambers and its partners representing ChamberChoice.
Other business associations have used the buying pool approach to purchase
health insurance, office supplies and various services for years. But Tom
Kiral, Chairman of the Indiana County Chamber of Commerce says that with
energy, larger and mid-sized users alike typically have not had the same
pooling opportunity to obtain bulk prices that the chamber is now working to
coordinate.
The Indiana County Chamber will be offering an information session on Monday,
March 15th at 1:00PM in the theater of the Jimmy Stewart
Museum to help answer
questions regarding the energy deregulation within Penelec and Allegheny Power
effective January 1, 2011. Call the chamber at 724-465-2511 to reserve
your ...
U92 News
|
3/10/2010
March 10, 2010
Seven candidates beat the 5 o’clock deadline yesterday to file nominating petitions for the Spring Primary race for the 12th Congressional District seat left vacant by the death of John Murtha.
Five Democrats and two Republicans will seek the nomination. Mark Critz, who won the endorsement of the State Democrat Party for the Special Election to fill the unexpired portion of Murtha’s current term, is one of the candidates, as are Indiana’s Barbara Hafer, Cambria County’s Ed Cernic, Jr., Ryan Bucchianeri of Monongahela, and Ed Mackell, Jr., who is originally from Johnstown but lives now in Texas.
The two Republicans who filed petitions yesterday were William Russell of Johnstown, who lost to Murtha in 2008, and Tim Burns of Washington County, who has the endorsement of Diana Irey, the loser to Murtha in 2006.
The Republicans will choose their candidate for the Special Election tomorrow.
The Pennsylvania Department of State had not finished the process of certifying petitions last night, so more names could be announced today, although that is not likely. Candidates will also have the opportunity to file challenges to their opponents’ petitions.
U92 News
|
3/10/2010
March 10, 2010 - WITH AUDIO
Senator Don White’s bill to expand the options for mining of valuable resources on state-owned property passed the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee yesterday.
The “indigenous Mineral resources Incentives Development Act” would allow the Department of General Services to sign contracts or leases for mining on state lands, and would direct the proceeds from such arrangements to the Environmental Stewardship Fund. That fund pays for farmland and open space preservation, abandoned min reclamation, watershed protection, water and sewer infrastructure, and improvements and conservation of parks and recreational facilities.
The committee approval sends the bill to the full Senate for consideration.
AUDIO: Senator Don White explains his bill.
 U92 News
|
3/9/2010
March 9, 2010
State police are reminding resident
to use caution when telemarketing callers ask for money, especially if you are
asked to donate money to the state police.
Captain Kimberly Leemhuis, the
Commanding Officer of the Punxsutawney
barracks says residents are reminded to use caution when giving contributions
to telemarketers that link themselves to various law enforcement organizations.
Leemhuis says that despite what
some telemarketers may tell you, the day to day operational costs and equipment
used by the state police is funded through the state. She says that if a caller
attempts to solicit funds for equipment for state troopers, it is a scam, and
that you should hang up the phone right away.
Leemhuis says these telemarketers
may be very convincing and may mislead you. The sooner you hang up the phone,
the less chance the less like the scammers are to convince you their call is
legitimate.
U92 News
|
3/9/2010
March 9, 2010
A former Armagh/East Wheatfield Township firefighter who was involved in a series of arson fires a few years ago is on trial in Cambria County for severely beating his infant son, and in opening arguments yesterday, his attorney blamed the mother for the beatings that left the now-1-year-old with severe irreversible brain damage.
In her opening statement, Cambria County public defender Patricia Moore told the jury that 9-week-old Johnny Nerone was repeatedly and severely beaten by his mother, Sara Nerone, and not by John “Rickey” Nerone. Prosecutor Tamara Bernstein told the jury she would show that Rickey Nerone beat his son as early as three weeks after the birth.
Rickey Nerone is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count each of simple assault, endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person.
His two-month-old daughter died in April 2008 and authorities reopened that investigation after the most recent case. So far, no charges have been filed and investigators say it will be difficult to gather substantial evidence.
In 2006, Nerone pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit arson for his involvement in a barn fire and a shed fire in Indiana County. Two horses died in ...
U92 News
|
|
|
|