December 27, 20229:03 am
Police in Neshannock Township report a driver hit and killed a man out jogging last Friday morning. Neshannock Township police said they were called to the intersection of Wilmington and Nesbitt roads just before 5 a.m. for a man laying in the roadway. He was taken to a hospital in Youngstown and later died. Investigators learned the 67-year-old had been jogging when Zachary Patrick’s vehicle hit him. Patrick’s vehicle left the road, hit a fire hydrant and ended up against a wall. Charges are pending.
A fire that burned a Butler County grocery store down to the ground on Christmas Day remains under investigation. The fire at Thompson’s Country Market on Route 308 in West Sunbury was first reported Sunday morning shortly after 10 a.m. Officials say everyone was evacuated from the building, including apartment residents upstairs of the store. One person who lives upstairs is reported in stable condition after receiving burns.
Nearly 60 residents of an apartment complex in Farrell had to be evacuated on Christmas Eve. WFMJ-TV reports the Farrell Fire Department assisted with the evacuation after a water pipe break, which caused about 12 inches of flooding on the first floor of the apartment building. Due to structural damage throughout the building, the department evacuated second and third-floor residents. A majority of the residents were taken to a hotel in Hermitage.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is touting the efforts of their “Don’t Gamble with Kids” campaign. The program tries to keep parents from leaving their kids unattended in hotel rooms and cars in parking garages while they go to casinos and other gambling outlets. The Gaming Control Board says an increased awareness of the problem has led to much more reporting of the incidents, mostly by alert casino patrons and workers. Since the start of this year, they Gaming Control Board has recorded nearly 300 incidents.
Pennsylvania’s attorney general is asking the federal government to strengthen protections for airline travelers. Current State Attorney General, and governor-elect, Josh Shapiro says as more residents are getting back to air travel, the airlines need to do right by customers. This means the companies would need to adhere to their cancellation policies, keep flights on time, not overbook trips and adjust ticket refunds. Shapiro is joining attorneys general from 37 other states as they call on the U.S. Department of Transportation to make changes.
U.S. Senator Bob Casey is pointing out funding for Pennsylvania projects included in the federal omnibus bill. Around 33-million dollars is earmarked for initiatives in Southwestern PA communities. Pittsburgh Regional Transit is set to receive five-million for Station Square upgrades and improved light rail and bus line connections. The Braddock Carnegie Library is getting four-million dollars to cover restoration work.
Life-changing money is up for grabs in tonight’s Mega Millions lottery drawing. The estimated jackpot currently stands at 565-million dollars. The last jackpot-winning ticket in the game was purchased by a player in California who hit for more than 500-million dollars on October 14th.
A Beaver County child care center owner is looking for the driver responsible for damaging the property on Saturday. Joanne Fenchak with Joanne’s Child Care says a motorist destroyed a light pole after 11:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, leaving tire tracks in the snow. She is asking anyone in Conway Borough who may have video footage of the vehicle in the incident to contact her. Fenchak claims a wheel came off a vehicle in the same area a few weeks ago after that driver slammed into a curb.