December 13, 20225:25 am
Authorities have ruled the death of a man who fell from an escalator at Acrisure Stadium as accidental. Twenty-seven-year-old Dalton Keane suffered fatal injuries in the October fall during a Steelers – Jets game. The Medical Examiner on Monday released a report on Keane’s death attributing his passing to multiple blunt force injuries.
State Police in Butler County report a Franklin man was taken to the hospital following an accident in Jackson Township. State Police report 24 year old Shawn Reidy was southbound on Interstate 79 traveling at a high rate of speed and lost control of his vehicle causing him to travel off the roadway and flipped over a number times. Reidy was ejected from the vehicle and LifeFlighted to the hospital. There was no report on Reidy’s condition.
The Wolf administration is trying to put an end to a request by state Senate Republicans to give them sensitive voter information. The data was as part of an inquiry into the 2020 election, which GOP lawmakers falsely charged was fraudulent. In a motion filed Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of State and attorney general’s office asked a state court to dismiss the request to turn over voters’ partial Social Security and driver’s license numbers.. An attorney for the Republicans says they’ll challenge the motion.
Gas prices in Western Pennsylvania are down seven cents this week to 3.87 a gallon. According to this week’s Triple-A East Central Gas Price report drivers in New Castle are paying 3.72 a gallon, while motorists in Sharon are paying 3.88. The national average pump price has dropped another 14 cents over the past week to $3.26, which is 52 cents less than a month ago and six cents less than a year ago.
State health officials say COVID cases have jumped nearly 30 percent in a week. They say some 70 percent of the new cases have been caused by subvariants B-Q point one and B-Q one point one. Those variants are resistant to some antibody treatments, so the FDA withdrew the use of that booster. State officials say that’s likely the reason for the increase in cases. Federal experts say the new boosters, including Paxlovid and Veklury, will still prevent severe illness.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has put a new policy in place that says employees and their relatives can’t participate in its limited-release lotteries. The ban comes after a former board member and four of the agencies’ top executives got first dibs on buying bottles left over from lotteries three years ago, before the public was aware of any bottles were still available to buy. The chief council for the PLCB says the agency is within its rights to impose such a policy, despite vocal protests from employees.
Pennsylvania American Water rates are set to increase next month. The average water bill will go up by around nine dollars per month beginning January 28th. Wastewater fees are also headed for a monthly hike, going up by around 30 dollars. Utility officials say they plan to expand low-income discounts in response to the higher costs.
Governor Tom Wolf says Pennsylvania is going to get over six-and-a-half-million dollars from President Joe Biden’s “Internet for All” initiative. The funds will be managed by the state’s new Pennsylvania Broadband Authority. In announcing the funding Monday at the state capitol, the governor said the grants will help the state achieve high-speed Internet service for all residents, but especially for people who live in what he calls unserved and underserved areas.
Four-hundred-million dollars will be up for grabs tonight. That’s the current estimated top-prize jackpot in the Mega Millions lottery game. Numbers are drawn at 11 tonight.