WEATHER THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2018
TODAY:A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 49F
TONIGHT:Rain. Low 44F
FRIDAY:Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Thunder possible. High 59F
SATURDAY:Overcast. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s.
SUNDAY:Morning clouds will give way to sunshine for the afternoon. High 41F
To those with a third conviction of driving with at least twice the legal limit of alcohol in their system, and for anyone with fourth DUI convictions, new legislation went into effect that increases penalties for repeat DUI offenders.
The law that went into effect just before Christmas is meaningful. Pam Ondash, a mother whose son was killed by a drunk driver in 2011 says, “Our lives don’t go back to normal because there is no normal to us anymore.” (The holidays are)”a time of celebration. But the flip side is it’s a time that people are uninhibited. They don’t think about their choices.”
Get caught and you can expect more severe penalties that include longer mandatory jail time.
First responders and public health officials in Beaver County are bracing themselves. Overdoses and overdose deaths are down substantially in Beaver County this year, officials said, and the county stands to see unprecedentedly low numbers of opioid-related deaths in 2018 — but it’s these last months of the year when expectations and stress of the holiday can prove too much for the thousands of people dealing with substance-abuse issues.
Kate Lowery, an administrator with Beaver County Behavioral Health, says it’s not uncommon around the holidays to see an uptick in services, if not right after.
For those in recovery, whether it be drugs or alcohol, the holiday season can be a big hurdle to cross. Part of it can be that people return to the people, places and things that were a part of their past,” Lowery said.
Bill Pasquale, operations manager for Medic Rescue in Bridgewater, said his department deals with mental health issues and overdoses on a nearly daily basis. That won’t change on Christmas Day, he expects.
“We have a culture of drinking around the holidays, and it’s a holiday of excess,” Lowery said. “Addiction is not necessarily specific to the drug you’re using. If your brain is addicted, you’re addicted.”
According to District Attorney, David Lozier, “Suicides can go up.” too.
Bags filled with gifts such as scarves, hats and canned food and a Christmas tree were left by a secret Santa under the 10th Street Bridge on the South Side of Pittsburgh for the homeless on Christmas eve. Julia Wainwright happened to be walking along a trail during her break from work when she noticed the tree with the bags of gifts. She said, “I was really surprised. It’s a really nice gesture to leave clothes out, especially this time of the year when it’s so cold.”
She said it got her in the spirit of giving.
“It’s like a chain reaction kind of thing when you see someone doing something nice. It makes you really want to do something nice for somebody else,.
Kennywood’s Holiday Lights spectacular is one of the nation’s top theme parks to visit during the holidays, according to a recent poll conducted by USA Today.
The West Mifflin park landed at the number seven spot out of 20 following a month of voting.
The park features nearly 2 million lights around the site, with Pennsylvania’s tallest Christmas tree (100 feet), and the new Thomas Town™ at Kennywood among its main attractions. Visitors can also enjoy a petting zoo, a model train display covering nearly 3,000 square feet, live shows and entertainment, and many of Kennywood’s signature family and children’s rides decorated in the spirit of the season.
The park is entering its final days of operations for 2018, with Holiday Lights open from 5-9 p.m. Dec. 26-30, weather permitting. Discounts range from free admission for military (active duty, retired and veterans) all week, plus online-only deals for guests 55 and older ($7 admission) and 4 for $40 offers for the rest of the family. Children 3 and under are free, and parking is free.
Details: kennywood.com/holidaylights
PITTSBURGH —
If you are heading to the East side of Pittsburgh, be reminded that returning on westbound (inbound) I-376 (Parkway East) in Pittsburgh you will run into a full closure of the inbound Parkway East between the Boulevard of the Allies/Liberty Bridge (Exit 72B) off-ramp and the Grant Street on-ramp from 6 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26 continuously through 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 30. All inbound Parkway East traffic must exit at the Boulevard of the Allies off-ramp.
All traffic will be detoured.
Cars
From westbound (inbound) I-376, take the Boulevard of the Allies/Liberty Bridge (Exit 72B) off-ramp
Take the ramp toward the Veterans Bridge (North 579 to 279)
Take the left-hand exit to Convention Center/7th Avenue
From 7th Avenue, turn left onto Grant Street
Follow Grant Street back to the westbound I-376 on-ramp toward the Fort Pitt Bridge/Airport
End detour
Trucks
From westbound (inbound) I-376, take the Boulevard of the Allies/Liberty Bridge (Exit 72B) off-ramp
Take the ramp toward the Liberty Bridge (to Routes 19/51)
Continue across the Liberty Bridge and through the Liberty Tunnel
Turn right onto North 51/Truck 19 toward the West End
Take the left-hand exit to Carnegie/Airport (West 376 and South 19)
For motorists continuing westbound on I-376, take the ramp to Carnegie/Airport (West 376)
For motorists heading back into downtown Pittsburgh, bear left towards Uniontown (South Truck 19/51)
Merge onto eastbound (inbound) I-376 Parkway West and follow through the Fort Pitt Tunnel
End detour
Additionally, the following ramps will close to traffic:
The Boulevard of the Allies on-ramp to westbound (inbound) I-376
The westbound (inbound) I-376 Second Avenue (Exit 71B) off-ramp
The westbound (inbound) I-376 Grant Street (Exit 71A) off-ramp
PennDOT will work with the City of Pittsburgh Police to assist motorists at key intersections on the detour route.
To avoid potential lengthy delays on the posted detour routes, PennDOT also suggests taking the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Monroeville to the Allegheny Valley (Exit 48 – New Kensington/Pittsburgh) interchange and following southbound Route 28 to downtown Pittsburgh.
Travelers may also consider taking the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Monroeville to the Cranberry (Exit 28 – Pittsburgh/Erie) interchange. Motorists heading into Pittsburgh can follow southbound I-79 to southbound I-279 (Parkway North). Motorists heading to the Pittsburgh International Airport or points west of Pittsburgh can follow southbound I-79 to I-376 (Parkway West).
Motorists familiar with the area should consider exiting at the Wilkinsburg (Exit 78B), Edgewood/Swissvale (Exit 77), Squirrel Hill/Homestead (Exit 74), or the Oakland/Glenwood (Exits 73A-B) interchanges to avoid the detour route.
No work will occur in the outbound direction of the Parkway East.
Crews will conduct roadway reconstruction work between the Allegheny County Jail and the Grant Street interchange. Bridge dam replacement work will occur on the I-376 structures near the jail and the Birmingham Bridge. Additionally, concrete patch work may occur in the bathtub area of inbound I-376.
Motorists should use caution when traveling through the area.
When the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department opened a suitcase in a Rostraver home, they didn’t find any clothes. Instead, they say they found a wanted fugitive.
Terri Downs-Hayes is a woman with a significant criminal rap sheet who has been on the run since October. The sheriff deputies got a tip she was hiding out in this home Westmoreland Co.
Doors were barricaded with heavy timber, but once inside deputies found three occupants all saying they didn’t know where Terri Downs-Hayes was.
The deputies had two pit bulls, strategically positioned in front of a closet door, removed. Inside was a heavy, awkward suitcase…..soon, Terri Downs-Hayes emerged. The 43-year-old woman was wanted by authorities after she failed to show up for several hearings related to serious drug charges she was facing. Downs-Hayes is being held on multiple felony counts, and the individuals who were inside the house who police say were not cooperative, could be facing charges as well.
Have you noticed how rarely we see the sun in the beautiful city of Pittsburgh?
“What you’re feeling isn’t just the blues.” according to WPXI Meteorologist Scott Harbaugh.
Especially from November through March, Pittsburgh is one of the grayest places in the US, ranking fourth among major cities for the number of cloudy days a year. We are seriously lacking vitamin D more than half the year as clouds cover 75 percent or more of our sky 203 days a year. If we include days with 25 percent cloud cover, that number jumps to 306 days.
Well, at least it’s not Seattle, Portland or Buffalo.
This is the fifth year that Police officers in Monaca played “Santa Cops” delivering more than 500 presents to some very deserving kids.
More than making a child happy on a holiday, the police are hoping to build long lasting relationships.
“The kids get to see the police aren’t always coming to their house for a bad situation. They get to see us in a different light,” Officer James Ball, of the Monaca Police Department, said.
“I want to tell them all, ‘Thank you all very much. You’ve made a little boy very happy. You’ve made his parents very happy seeing him happy,'” Jaime Koser said.
Monaca police said it would not be possible without donations from the community.
Dominique E. Jones, 27, admitted to stabbing 25-year-old Tre Montel McCargo at Holiday Inn Express in South Union Township, according to state police.
McCargo ran from a room into the hotel lobby bleeding from a stab wound to his neck. State police and EMS rushed to the scene , but McCargo succumbed to his injuries.
Jones was cooperating with the investigation, state police said.