Emergency responders were called to the scene of a train derailment in Lawrence County. The incident was reported near Montgomery Avenue in the City of New Castle just after 11:00 o’clock last night. Lawrence County Emergency Management reports no hazardous materials have been spilled and there is no danger to the public. Norfolk Southern officials have been called to the scene.
Police in Mahoning Township have charged a Youngstown woman in connection with a fatal accident from August of 2021. WFMJ-TV reports 33-year-old Shasta Dawn Sapp was charged with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, endangering children, and reckless driving. Sapp was seriously injured in a three-car, chain-reaction crash, which claimed the life of 82-year-old Nancy Black of Pulaski. The crash took place on West State Street. Black was taken to UPMC Jameson Hospital where she later died.
An analysis of federal data released Tuesday shows 12 facilities in Pennsylvania are responsible for about a fifth of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. One of the top polluting facilities is a steel plant, the others are power plants. The study by an advocacy group called PennEnvironment shows the decline greenhouse gases in recent years is largely due to natural gas being used for power generation and cutting coal usage in half. The group says it used information from the EPA to come up with its findings.
Hopewell Area School District is meeting with families to discuss safety after recent swatting calls. Parents met with administrators at Hopewell Elementary yesterday for the first of several planned talks. Superintendent Jeff Beltz says the district wants to get feedback from parents prior to reviews of emergency procedures this summer. Additional sessions with the community are scheduled over the next two weeks.
Fire crews are investigating an fire at a steel plant in Butler County Tuesday night. The fire happened just after midnight at the Cleveland Cliffs Butler Works in Lyndora and is believed to have started in the melt shop. The plant had a large fire break out in March of 2022. No injuries were reported in the fire.
State Police in Lawrence County report a two vehicle accident in Little Beaver Township. According to police 57 year old Brenda Spence of Enon Valley was stopped at the intersection of Kerr Road and Route 351 when she pulled into the path of a vehicle operated by 26 year old Kaleigh Maxwell of Poland Ohio. Spence and a passenger were both taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Youngstown. Maxwell was not hurt.
A North Carolina man was taken to the hospital following a tractor-trailer accident in Mercer County. State Police report 54 year old Trenton Allman of Salisbury North Carolina, was southbound on Interstate 79 in Jackson Township, when he lost control, traveled into the medium causing the truck to roll over onto it’s side. Allman was taken to the Allegheny Health Network in Grove City for treatment.
Norfolk Southern is setting up a fund to help Ohio homeowners impacted by February’s train derailment. A train carrying hazardous materials derailed in the community of East Palestine not far from the border with Pennsylvania. With the fund, homeowners who sell their home for less than the value it was worth before the derailment will be compensated for the difference. Norfolk Southern C-E-O Alan Shaw says he expects the funds will benefit homeowners within a five mile radius of the accident.
A new alliance of trade associations and retailers wants state laws expanded for spirits-based, ready-to-drink products. Groups such as the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry say they’ve formed a coalition to pull together to change the liquor laws. Proposed legislation would allow licensed retailers to offer ready-to-drink cocktails with an alcohol volume of 12-and-a-half percent or less. They would be sold in the same places as beer, wine and hard seltzers. Coalition members say residents have told them they want to be able to buy similar products at the same location without having to make an extra trip.