Weather Tuesday, December 18, 2018

TODAY: Cloudy early with peeks of sunshine expected late. High 37F.

TONIGHT: A clear sky. Low near 25F.

WEDNESDAY: Partly cloudy. High near 45F

Giant Eagle has removed a specific brand of red and green leaf lettuce from its stores’ produce departments and advised any customers making recent purchases to dispose of the lettuce, due to concerns about potential E. coli contamination.

There have been no local reports of illness, but it “is conducting this voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution.”

The affected products are from a California supplier, Adam Bros. Farming Inc., and are identified on labels as PLU 4076 for green lettuce and PLU 4075 for red. The products were removed from store shelves as of Friday morning, according to a Giant Eagle spokesman.

The company said sediment from a reservoir near where the produce was grown had tested positive for E. coli, and water from the reservoir may have come in contact with the produce. It also said it knew of no illnesses connected to the products.

Giant Eagle said in a news release that customers with either of the lettuce products identified should either dispose of it or return it to the supermarket, and they should bring any grocery receipts to assist with a refund. Customers with questions may call Giant Eagle’s customer service department from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays at 800-553-2324.

Bill Fralic, the former Penn Hills, Pitt and NFL offensive lineman died Thursday of cancer. Players not even born when Mr. Fralic was flattening opponents during his All-Pro NFL career saluted him during a parade and rally held in Penn Hills. They were celebrating the state championship won on Dec. 7.

In his final days, Mr. Fralic made one more great play for his alma mater: taking care of the hotel bill so that all 62 players and the coaching staff could spend the night before the championship game in Hershey. Without his help, the team would have had to make the four-hour drive on game day.

Mr. Fralic also had donated and raised much of the money to build the high school’s $1 million Bill Fralic Athletic Center, which includes a weight room, locker room, training room and 50-yard practice field.

Sgt. Jason McClary, 24, was injured by the same IED that killed Hookstown native Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin on Nov. 27. McClary died Dec. 2 at a hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.
The funeral service will be held on Tuesday at Cornerstone Ministries in Export.

Sgt. Jason McClary will be buried with full military honors at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township.

At 10 a.m. on Friday, The Beaver County Times annual Toys for Tots drive had collected $865 and 149 toys. The goal of $2,700 seemed unreachable in the 3 hours remaining.

Then the Son of late local labor leader Edwin Hill showed up with a $2,000 donation from Hill’s estate.
“My father was from Beaver County, retired in Beaver County and always had an affinity to this area,” Hill’s son said Friday. “He would take what he could and help Beaver County residents. That’s what we plan to continue to do.”

Hill’s contribution, along with others from dozens of readers and Times’ employees, has helped Beaver County’s Toys for Tots program provide more than 20,000 Christmas presents to local children in recent years.

A single father with 7- and 8-year-old sons owned his own business and works full time as a restaurant manager. Then…An accidental fire in his home left him with injuries that prevented him from working for several months. The house was saved the house, but not his body. Even though he tried to go to work at his business in bandages, he and his partner had to close their doors.

While he is very thankful for the support of his boss and co-workers at the restaurant job, his wages do not cover expenses and debts accumulated while recovering.

Then, the eviction notice came, so this young father has gone to the Salvation Army for help. There his family is finding aid and hope.

Give-a-Christmas is a program that provides a holiday meal, warm clothes and presents. It can show this family that others care, too. All donations help needy neighbors right here in Beaver County. Christmas is fast approaching, so please give.

There’s a mixed bag of findings according to Scott Beach, interim director of University of Pgh. Center for Social and Urban Research which produced the “Pittsburgh Regional Quality of Life Survey” report with Pittsburgh Today.

More Allegheny County residents are better off financially than they were seven years ago and more feel better about the region as a place to live. Asked about their personal happiness, the results show a slight decrease.

68 percent of those responding now say this region is an excellent or very good place to live, versus 60 percent in 2011. Even with that, the report says, “the perspectives of residents often depend on who is asked,” with responses sometimes diverging based on race and household income.

The survey asked 101 questions about the region’s quality of life, such as environment, arts and culture, government, education and housing and then they were matched against responses to a similar survey done in 2011.

Among the other findings: 73 percent consider political gerrymandering a problem; 62 percent favor legalizing recreational use of marijuana; and 57 percent believe the quality of our roads and bridges is “a severe problem,” compared with 32 percent who responded that way seven years ago.

A University of Pittsburgh spokesman, Joe Miksch, confirmed that a student was found dead Saturday on a dormitory roof, but he said there was no evidence of foul play.

The male student’s body was discovered on the roof of Lothrop Hall and is considered to be an “isolated incident.” No additional details were provided out of concern for the family’s privacy.

The statement said “The University community is deeply saddened by the sudden death of our student and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and all who knew him,” .

It was posted to Twitter by NFL Network reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala that Patriots owner Robert Kraft flew into Pittsburgh early Saturday morning to pay his respects at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, the location of an October shooting where 11 were killed and six were injured, including four police officers.

Kraft then attended religious services at Rodef Shalom. He was invited to speak by the rabbi and it was reported that Kraft spoke partly in Hebrew.

WEATHER. MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018

TODAY:A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s.

TONIGHT: Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 27F.

TOMORROW: Partly cloudy. High near 35F.