The Lawrence County Department of Public Safety is giving an update on the train derailment in New Castle. A Norfolk Southern train derailed near Montgomery Avenue just after 11 p.m. Wednesday night which led to nine cars leaving the tracks. The Department of Public Safety says people have been reporting a white powder spilling into the water and strange smells in the area, but assures the public they are safe. They say the only product that spilled from any of the train cars was soy beans and the only hazardous material in one of the cars was paraffin wax, which was not spilled. There is still no threat to the public and no issues with drinking water.
A Buffalo Township man who is accused of terrorizing his ex will soon be heading to trial. Police say 34-year-old Nicholas Brown was inside his ex’s home when she arrived home from work last month. As tensions rose throughout the night, the woman locked herself in her bedroom. Brown allegedly broke the door lock and pinned the woman and began to threaten to kill her and said he was getting a knife because one of them was going to die. Eventually police arrived on the scene and were able to apprehend the man. An arraignment is scheduled for June 20th for several charges including making terroristic threats and criminal mischief.
A Beaver County nurse is facing charges after he allegedly assaulted an eleven-year-old special needs student. The incident happened back in September, when a video showed Craig Schmersal allegedly pushing on the area of the child where a device is implanted to help prevent seizures. The child’s mother, Jennifer Gorzock, is calling for the nurse’s license to be revoked. Schmersal’s license was renewed two months after the incident, even though he has an ongoing case for the alleged assault against him.
A man facing charges related to the alleged sexual assaults of two teenagers is now facing new charges, accused of trying to intimidate witnesses in the case. State Police in Mercer County report 23 year old Shane Slicker along with his parents Stephanie White and Michael Slicker and brother Morgan Slicker, are facing charges of criminal solicitation and conspiracy — retaliation and intimidation against a witness or victim. All four were arraigned and a preliminary hearing is set for May 25th.
Financial analysts are warning of dire consequences for employment situations in some states if the U.S. defaults on its debt for an extended period of time. CNN says economists with Moody’s Analytics have found that Pennsylvania is one of the states that could suffer the most because it has a large number of federal workers whose paychecks would likely be delayed. If there’s a long-lasting default situation, Moody’s estimates that the commonwealth could lose about 200-thousand jobs.
The acting director of the state Department of Human Services is encouraging people who get Medicaid to reapply to keep their coverage. Doctor Val Arkoosh says recipients will need to start filling out the paperwork soon because a federal program that was in place during the pandemic ended in March. She says the state is trying to contact residents far in advance of their renewal deadlines to make sure they know about the changes and how to reapply for benefits.
The Shell Polymers Monaca Plant in Beaver County finds itself today the subject of a federal lawsuit. The Environmental Integrity Project and Clean Air Council want strict penalties assessed against Shell for what it says are repeated violations of pollution limits. Shell has not responded publicly to the suit.
The Senate State Government Committee has approved a bill which would protect important
documents. Senator Cris Dush says the bill would make the intentional destruction or alteration of documents which are subject to a Right-To-Know request a third degree felony. (CUT 2)
Dush says the Right-To-Know law holds public officials accountable. The bill now goes to the full Senate.