Shenango Township Department of Emergency Management has announced the closure of Snake Run Road and Lower Boyd School Road due to storm related damage. According to the department’s Facebook page Snake Run Road is closed over McKee Run between Union Vallet Road and Sankey Hill Road. Lower Boyd School Road is cloased between Snake Run Road and Greenhouse Road. Roads will be repaired as soon as authorization is provided by PennDot.
The New Castle News is reporting State Police have filed charges against an East Side woman who they say was driving the SUV that struck a motorcycle, killing a Scott Township fireman and injuring his son. 76 year old Gail Newtzie of Beckford Street is charged with a misdemeanor offense of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the collision that occurred on June 17th on Harlansburg Road in Scott Township. . Her vehicle struck a motorcycle that was driven by 49-year-old Travis Bintrim Sr. 14 year old Brayden Bintrim was riding on the back of the bike and thrown from it. Travis Bintrim was taken to UPMC Jameson Hospital where he later died. Brayden Bintrim was transported to UPMC Children’s Hospital for treatment.
The jury in the Tree of Life synagogue case has found that convicted mass shooter Robert Bowers is eligible for the death penalty. Now, the same panel will decide whether he should be put to death. The jury on Thursday agreed that the 46-year-old Bowers could receive a death sentence for shooting and killing 11 people at the Pittsburgh-area synagogue five years ago. And it’ll be the same jury members who now will hear evidence in the second phase to decide whether Bowers should die.
Both chambers of the General Assembly have now officially left Harrisburg for the summer. Lawmakers in the House and Senate won’t reconvene until mid-to-late September, leaving a 46-billion dollar state budget deal undone until then. On Wednesday, the House released a memo indicating it would not return before September 26th, meaning the budget will be three months late. Without a new spending plan in place, school districts, county agencies and other programs won’t be able to operate when their funding dries up.
An Aliquippa woman has been sentenced to to one day in prison and three years of supervised release on her conviction of bank fraud and conspiracy. U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan announced 45 year old Lee Ann Benninghoff owned and operated Complete Escrow and Bella Casa Realty. From February 2014 through March 2017, Benninghoff used her position and connections in real estate financing, and conspired with others in the industry, to submit fraudulent gift letters in support of mortgage loan applications. The gift letters misrepresented the source of the funds and their purported purpose.
Even though both the House and Senate aren’t planning to be back for two months, some work is still going on at the state capitol. A handful of meetings and hearings are scheduled. For instance, there’s a public hearing today for the Independent Regulatory Review Commission. Items up for discussion include lifeguard certification, and private testing for facilities of the state gaming board, among others.
Operators of Kennywood are second-guessing a previous decision that had the park shutting down on Tuesdays. A spokesperson says they are updating the schedule due to increased demand. Planners now intend to have the West Mifflin operation up and running each day through August 20th. Hours posted on the park’s webpage show gates opening each Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. through August 8th, then shifting to an 8 p.m. closure for the 15th.
State Police in Mercer County report a one vehicle accident in West Salem Township that sent a woman to the hospital. According to police 51 year old Theresa Zachrich of Greenville was traveling east on Jamestown road and went off the roadway and struck a guardrail. Zachrich was taken to UPMC Greenville for treatment. Police said the investigation into the accident is ongoing.
Many Western Pennsylvania residents are cleaning up from severe storms that moved through the region last night. The National Weather Service says high winds downed trees and damaged powerlines through Allegheny, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. Duquesne light initially reported roughly ten-thousand customers without power, with another 15-thousand West Penn subscribers in the dark.