Daily report

Oct. 27, 2015

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Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh: McKeesport teacher charged in sexual assault case

Michelle Mellinger, a special education teaching assistant at McKeesport High School, has been charged with having sex with four students between the ages of 15 and 17. The charges include institutional and statutory sexual assault as well as corruption of minors and unlawful contact with minors. Pittsburgh: Port Authority considering additional transit service

The continuing fall in gas prices prompted Port Authority to begin reviewing formal requests for additional transit services to begin next year. Lower prices have meant remaining funding. York: Hospital warns of possible exposure to infection

Eight patients, four who later died, at the WellSpan York Hospital were apparently infected by contaminated water that formed in the heating-cooling devices used with bypass machinery.

Daily report

Oct. 24, 2015

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PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh: Housing Authority to replace units in disrepair

The Housing Authority Board is allotting $16 million to replace housing for elderly and disabled tenants in the Northview Heights building. The board says the work will be complete in 18 to 24 months. Pittsburgh: Firefighter arrested for club theft

Authorities arrested a city fireman on charges that he stole $1,000 from a safe in the Carrick Lit Club. The club’s owner and the fireman had been friends and previously worked as business partners. Eastern Pennsylvania: ACLU sues for quicker treatment

The American Civil Liberties Union and a Washington, D.C., law firm are suing the state to speed up the restoration process that patients with mental illness are required to go through to be deemed fit for trial.

Daily report

Oct. 23, 2015

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Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh: Could Pittsburgh passengers see fewer layovers? The Allegheny County Airport Authority is looking at more nonstop flights to the West Coast and Europe for Pittsburgh travelers. Although Pittsburgh International Airport already has direct flights to San Francisco, Los Angeles and seasonal flights to Paris, they hope to expand this service and convince California cities and Seattle to provide more nonstop flights to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh: The mold crisis continues…

A Pittsburgh law firm is investigating the deaths of two more UPMC patients who possibly died from the hospital’s mold outbreak after contracting infections following transplants. They also represent a man recovering from an infection.

Daily report

Oct. 22, 2015

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PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh: Point Park partners for journalism program

Point Park University is teaming up with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and the Allegheny Foundation to fund a new journalism center downtown. The $2.5 million Center for Media Innovation is scheduled to open in 2016. Pittsburgh: United Way gets education grant

The First Niagara Foundation gave $125,000 to the charity organization for its “Be a Middle School Mentor” program, which pairs middle school students with adult mentors. The money will be used to pay for school supplies and field trips. Pittsburgh: App helps the visually impaired

Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and IBM teamed up to create NavCog, a free app that works like a GPS to help people who have impaired vision.

Daily report

Oct. 21, 2015

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Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh: Highmark drops plan for statewide network

Highmark has dropped a plan to create a statewide network that would allow doctors to access medical records regardless of the hospital in order to get quicker access to records. The company said that they instead are going to build closer relationships with healthcare providers. Hulton Bridge now open

The first cars drove across the new $65.7 million Hulton Bridge that links Harmar and Oakmont on Tuesday. The long-awaited bridge stretches over the Allegheny River.  

Somerset County: Tiny Town defunds cops

The small borough of Boswell opted to defund its two police officers in order to pay utility bills.

Daily report

Oct. 20, 2015

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Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh: Loaded gun found at airport

Pittsburgh International Airport TSA arrested a 19-year-old Oklahoma woman after finding a loaded .38 caliber Ruger handgun in her carry-on luggage. Officers have found 14 guns at the airport just this year. Pittsburgh: CMU addresses college sex assaults

Carnegie Mellon University(CMU) officials got together Monday in a meeting hoping to promote dialogue with a forum regarding sexual assaults on campus. The meeting was the first of three, and they discussed results of a newly released survey revealing statistics of assault, including that 26 percent of CMU’s undergraduate women experienced some sort of sexual assault since their enrollment. Pittsburgh: New practices for concussion injuries?

Daily report

The Daily Report: Oct. 19, 2015

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Oct. 19, 2015

PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh: Greenfield Bridge goodbyes

It’s the beginning of the end for the 90-year-old Greenfield Bridge. Local residents celebrated on the bridge over the weekend, in part to show support for the businesses that will be affected by the closure. The $17.5 million replacement is expected to take 18 months to complete. Pittsburgh: Trib’s local papers have a buyer

Trib Total Media announced that a Huntingdon, Pa., publishing company will buy two daily newspapers and six weekly publications.

Daily report

Oct. 17, 2015

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PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh: Senate healthcare subcommittee addresses heroin epidemic

Sens. Bob Casey, a Democrat, and Pat Toomey, a Republican, listened as a panel of experts convened at Allegheny Health Network to address the problems of inappropriate and overprescribing of opioid painkillers, one of heroin’s gateway drugs. Drug Enforcement Administration officials will hire drug diversion investigators in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh: City Paper’s ‘Best Of’ edition

From athletes to drag queens, bars to pet shops and furniture stores to nonprofit organizations, City Paper released its “Best of Pittsburgh” annual readers’ poll roundup. Harrisburg: Countdown to AG Kane’s suspension

Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s law license goes into indefinite suspension Thursday, and her office staff doesn’t seem to know what her duties will be when that happens.

Daily report

Oct. 16, 2015

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Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh: IBM and CMU building app to help blind

Scientists from IBM Research and Carnegie Mellon University are teaming up to create technology to help the blind navigate without human assistance. The new app, NavCog, is being tested on CMU’s campus and will guide users by analyzing Bluetooth signals from beacons in walkways and smartphone sensors.  

Pittsburgh: Woman suing Cosby alleges sexual abuse, defamation

Renita Hill, 48, of Baldwin, alleges she was sexually abused by Bill Cosby after meeting him on the set of a TV show as a teenager. She is now suing him for defamation because of comments Cosby has made about women accusing him of abuse. Lewisburg: Union County federal prison sees third death

Officials are investigating the death of Gerardo Arche-Felix, an inmate of the U.S. Penitentiary at Lewisburg who was reportedly involved in a fight with a cellmate.

Daily report

Oct. 15, 2015

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PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh: City to revert to self-insured health care

Officials announced a plan that would have Pittsburgh pay for health insurance claims instead of putting that responsibility on insurance carriers. The switch is scheduled for Jan. 1, and will include continued coverage for Highmark and Aetna providers. Pittsburgh: Senior center funds halted

The Parks and Recreation Department froze accounts funded by seniors for senior citizens’ centers in order to investigate “unusual” transactions last week. Director Jim Griffin says the city will try to lift the hold by the end of the week.