A 15-year-old is dead after an accident involving a stolen vehicle in Beaver County. It happened Tuesday morning on the 17th Street Bridge in East Rochester. Police were pursuing a silver Hyundai Sonata that was linked to a carjacking in New Brighton when the 17-year-old driver lost control and hit an embankment. The driver was hurt and the passenger was killed. Their identities have not been released.
The New Castle News is reporting that a Scott Township man died in a house fire Monday afternoon. The fire broke out at a residence on Harlansburg Road . 75 year old William Sharek died of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. Fire officials say the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
A suspect is in custody following the Monday shootings of two women in Ellwood City. Krista Knechtl was killed and her 23-year-old daughter critically injured in the assault at a home on First Street. The daughter’s boyfriend, 23-year-old Keegan Tyler Willis-King, has been arrested and is charged with homicide and attempted homicide. Willis-King was arraigned yesterday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court. He faces another court hearing on February 8th.
A tractor-trailer crash and fire closed a portion of Interstate 80 in Mercer County last night. The westbound lane of traffic was closed between the Route 19 Mercer Exit and the Sharon/Hermitage exit. No other details were released.
The state’s emergency management agency has created a map to let residents know what the top threats are for each county. The list includes severe weather such as snowstorms, floods, and tornadoes as well as natural disasters and rare events such as nuclear incidents and dam failures. The officials say knowing the most likely threat in your area is the best way to know what you need to include in your emergency preparedness plan. The map is available on the agency’s website at pema dot pa dot gov.
Governor Josh Shapiro has signed an Executive Order aimed at removing red tape from the
occupational licensing process. The Executive Order will help to establish a timeline for the processing of occupational licenses which Governor Shapiro says agencies will be expected to meet. (CUT 3) Shapiro says the Executive Order is in line with his administration’s priority to ensure certainty and that government moves more quickly.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is investigating high bills received by PPL Electric Utilities customers. Per an announcement yesterday, the Commission is looking into the accuracy and the integrity of PPL’s billing practices. The investigation is being handled by the Commission’s Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement that handles public utility code for the entire state. A statement from PPL claims the issue has been resolved and customers’ bills should reflect the proper charges starting next month.
Pennsylvania could soon be compensating school board members or their time serving local districts. Representative Joe Webster says compensation for school board members is long overdue. Under the proposal, board members would be paid annual salaries, or in some cases, be offered free access to higher education. Webster says the form of compensation would be determined by community members in individual districts.
It was a split verdict in Nashville on Tuesday for two men charged with killing a Butler County native nurse. Caitlyn Kaufman was driving to work in December of 2020 when she was shot and fatally wounded. Defendant Devaunte Hill, who admitted during the trial to pulling the trigger, was convicted yesterday of second-degree murder. His cousin, James Cowan, facing similar charges, was found not guilty. Hill says he had the gun in his lap when Kaufman cut them off in traffic and that he wasn’t thinking clearly when he began firing.