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Monday, January 3, 2022 at 9:11 AM
Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing lane restrictions on Route 65 in North Sewickley and Franklin townships, Beaver County, will begin today, Monday, January 3 weather permitting.

Emily Scott, Keystone News Exchange

As Pennsylvanians move into winter, the state’s top utility agency offers some tips on keeping bills down during the peak energy-use season.

Three main factors contribute to heating costs: the amount of energy used, its price, and the weather.

Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, said one way to manage costs is to shop for competitive electric and natural gas suppliers. Depending on the time of year, the national energy market and personal preferences, you might find a cheaper plan.

He listed some other energy-saving tips that can make a big difference.

“Simple things, like paying attention to your thermostat,” Hagen-Frederiksen suggested. “In the winter, depending on your home and your heating system, a one-degree change in your thermostat can impact your bill by up to 3%. Turning down the thermostat when you’re away can add up to a large amount of dollars at the end of the month.”

Homeowners and renters can shop for electric and natural gas suppliers online, at PAPowerSwitch.com and PAGasSwitch.com. Other ways to save on energy bills include keeping furnace filters and ducts clean and winterizing your home with insulation and storm doors.

For some families and small business owners, affording energy bills is a real concern. If you are in a difficult financial situation, Hagen-Frederiksen recommended calling your utility company to see if you qualify for assistance.

“Your utilities understand all of the programs that are available to them,” Hagen-Frederiksen explained. “They may be utility-run consumer assistance programs. There are hardship funds, charitable programs. There are federal programs like LIHEAP. There’s COVID-related rental and energy assistance
.”

Utility assistance programs reached 293,000 electric customers and 167,000 natural gas customers in the state last year, helping them reduce monthly energy bills.

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(Harrisburg, Pa.) The House Majority Policy Committee, chaired by Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter), will host a public hearing at Town of McCandless Town Hall, 9955 Grubbs Road, Wexford tomorrow, January 4, 2022, at 4 PM to discuss the community impacts of the House redistricting map given preliminary approval by the Legislative Reapportionment Commission in mid-December. Testifiers at the hearing will include Allegheny County Councilwoman Cindy Kirk, Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes, McCandless Township Councilmember Jason Singer, Shaler Township Manager Timothy Rogers, Harrison Township Commissioner Charles Dizard, Moon Township Supervisor Allan Bross and others.
LIVE WEBSTREAMING: Barring technical difficulties, the hearing will be streamed live at www.PAHouseGOP.com and www.PAGOPPolicy.com.

(New Castle, Pa.) 36-year-old Kirshna James of Hubbard, Ohio was arrested on Saturday after authorities say that James walked into the New Castle Fire Department with a gun around 7:15am and struck a door with an ax damaging the door before being escorted out of the building by firefighters
He was then seen later in the day on camera at the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership Building where he allegedly discharged his handgun at the security system.
James was also seen trying to enter an ambulance station, and was later apprehended by police after an incident at a local apartment complex.
James is being held at the Lawrence County Jail on a $100,000 bond. He is facing several charges including burglary and criminal trespass.

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(New Castle, Pa.) State police in New Castle have charged 31-YEAR-OLD Eric Joseph Prothero, of Rochester with charges of one count of rape of a child, one count of involuntary sexual intercourse with a child, three counts of indecent assault of a person under age 13, and three counts of corruption of minors involving an incident with three juveniles at a Little Beaver Township residence.
State police launched a child assault investigation Dec. 20 after receiving a series of Childline reports about suspected child abuse. The reports identified three juveniles whose ages are 12, 15 and 16. The three were then brought in for a series of forensic interviews at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Lawrence County. According to a report, all three identified Prothero as the person who had assaulted them.

As of  late last week, Prothero was not in custody.

The forces that have scrambled thousands of flights since Christmas Eve could ease in January, but that’s cold comfort to the millions of flyers with New Year’s plans. And if 2021 has taught us anything, it’s that 2022 will likely be just as unpredictable. Airlines weren’t spared from the spread of the omicron variant, and bad weather took a toll. Here’s a look at the forces that have mucked up flights for thousands of people this holiday season, and what could happen over the next few weeks.

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has shortened the prison sentence of a truck driver convicted in a deadly explosive crash to 10 years, drastically reducing his original 110-year term that drew widespread outrage. The decision Thursday on Rogel Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence was among several end-of-the-year commutations and pardons issued by Polis. The move comes days after a judge scheduled a hearing for next month to reconsider the sentence at the request of the district attorney, who had planned to ask that it be reduced to 20 to 30 years. The 2019 crash killed four people.

NEW YORK (AP) — The annual New Year’s Eve ball drop in New York City’s Times Square will come just as the year prior began, with the pandemic clouding an already uncertain future. The city said it would limit the number of people Friday to about 15,000 in-person spectators. That’s far fewer than the 50,000 revelers initially envisioned. Doubts swirled whether New York would have to cancel this year’s bash as the city posted record numbers of COVID cases in the days leading to it. Incoming Mayor Eric Adams is scheduled to take his oath in Times Square soon after the ball drop.

SUPERIOR, Colo. (AP) — Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle says Friday at least 500 homes were likely destroyed and there were no known deaths in a wind-fueled wildfire outside Denver. Tens of thousands of Coloradans driven from their neighborhoods by wind-whipped wildfires are anxiously waiting to learn what’s left standing of their lives after the flames burned homes, a hotel and a shopping center. The fires erupted Thursday outside Denver, following an extremely dry fall and a winter so far nearly devoid of snow. At least one first responder and six other people have been injured, and the sheriff says there could be more hurt — or dead.