Authorities say that police were called to the 300-block of Mt. Pleasant Road in Pittsburgh at approximately 7 a.m. on Dec. 26 for a child that was unresponsive. Emergency responders attempted to resuscitate the baby, but were unsuccessful. Police in Pittsburgh are investigating the death of that 4-month-old baby.
A West Virginia University student has a traumatic brain injury and cannot communicate with his family after he fell down a flight of stairs. He has been fighting to survive for six weeks.
According to investigators, 22-year-old David Rusko’s friends didn’t call 911 for more than two hours after the fall.
Doctors have told the family they can’t do anything more for him and he needs to be admitted to a different hospital in Atlanta. His UPMC health insurance was accepted, but the health plan denied the transfer saying “the medical records they’ve received do not indicate a need for this service,” basically saying the level of care he’s getting there is the same as he’d get at another facility. In a statement to Channel 11, a spokesperson for UPMC said they could not provide specifics on this case, but they are seeing what can be done.
Rusko’s fall happened at the SAE fraternity, which has been suspended.
A 12-year-old boy in McKeesport was grazed by a bullet on the side of his face.
According to news at TribLIVE.com, it happened on Manor Avenue around 8:30 p.m.
McKeesport police are investigating.
Allegheny County leads the state for the highest number of retail theft offenses, according to a December report by Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System.
“People steal for a lot of reasons,” said Sgt. Aaron Scott, from the Frazer police station within the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills . “Maybe they need food or diapers for their kids. But then you have people who are pushing out four TVs. Some people are addicted to drugs and are stealing things to pawn off.”
This is in contrast to reports that retail theft is down across the state of Pennsylvania. “It might be down because it’s not being reported or because retailers are not reporting it because the court system is doing nothing about it,” said Barbara Staib, director of communications for the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, an organization that maintains that “shoplifting has become one of the most prevalent crimes in the U.S.” with roughly 550,000 incidents happening per day.
Shoplifting costs retailers nearly $778,000 per every billion dollars in sales.
Police found a vehicle about 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, which was in a trench on I-376, barely visible from the road. In it they found a Beaver County man who had been missing since Christmas Eve.
Police said 22 yr. old Rexford Rubinstein of Beaver, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was not wearing a seat belt and was speeding when his SUV left the roadway around a curve and struck a tree.
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