A new unit that will focus solely on domestic violence has been set up by Pittsburgh Police. The Nina Baldwin Fisher Foundation has given them a $500,000 grant that Mayor Bill Peduto says will help victims in desperate need of help.

Like so many other metropolitan areas across the country, Pittsburgh finds that domestic violence calls are among the most frequent and most dangerous for officers. The victims are also some of the most vulnerable and helpless.

The additional resources will be used to support the victims of domestic violence, including witnesses and those who file for protection from abuse.

A new unit that will focus solely on domestic violence has been set up by Pittsburgh Police. The Nina Baldwin Fisher Foundation has given them a $500,000 grant that Mayor Bill Peduto says will help victims in desperate need of help.

Like so many other metropolitan areas across the country, Pittsburgh finds that domestic violence calls are among the most frequent and most dangerous for officers. The victims are also some of the most vulnerable and helpless.

The additional resources will be used to support the victims of domestic violence, including witnesses and those who file for protection from abuse.

The usual organizers of the Women’s March in Beaver County were surprised….pleasantly… Someone had already applied for the permit and it was a 15 year old Blackhawk High School sophomore. Media chairwoman of the Southwest PA National Organization for Women chapter, Michele Morris-Donner, said they reached out to the student, Natalie Leslie, and pledged their support and assistance. “We said, ‘Listen, you can have it sister. We’re proud of you and happy to have our young sisters involved.’” The rally is scheduled to start at 11AM Saturday at the courthouse.

The DEP is asking Big Beaver Officials to submit an official sewage facility plan before they allow a permit for the Mount Airy Mini casino. The Borough did include in their last report that the sewage needs of Mount Airy Casino were being taken into account, but DEP spokeswoman Lauren Fraley said in an email that “….the DEP did not receive sufficient information from the borough to make a determination of the adequacy of the submission.” and returned the request as incomplete. The borough has been given permission to resubmit.

54 year old Brian McVicer’s neighbor said McVicer showed up at his house with a bottle of Yukon Jack liquor in one hand and a fire extinguisher in the other screaming, “They’re after me! They’re after me!” . This was after he set his rental home on fire Tuesday night in Ligonier Township, authorities said.

The home on Route 30 burned to the ground. Police said they are still trying to pinpoint why the man set the fire.

Several different weather systems that will impact you this week and into the weekend.

The first one is bringing a mix of freezing drizzle and very light snow across the area Wednesday morning. Watch for a light glaze of ice on untreated surfaces.

A quick-moving wave comes in Thursday afternoon and evening, bringing rain initially and perhaps a rain/snow mix that will change to snow showers as colder air moves in Thursday night.

One to 3 inches of snow are possible for counties north and east of Allegheny County,with little to no snow accumulation in our region until later Thursday night.

Finally, a larger storm system will move through the area over the weekend.

A changeover to snow is forecast for late Saturday night and into early Sunday morning as arctic air builds in.The Severe Weather Team 11 says that areas well north of Pittsburgh will most likely see more snow and could *possibly* see very heavy snow this weekend.

Keep in mind that this system has not even made its way onshore on the west coast yet, so model data will most likely change as they sample the storm over land.

The suspicions were true. A city of Pittsburgh spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that a salt truck did sideswipe some cars in Lawrenceville, but it wasn’t the plow that caused the damage. According to the city, an auger motor used to spread salt from the back of the truck apparently malfunctioned and was not tethered to the truck.

It’s unclear why the driver didn’t report the accident until Tuesday and the city will determine if disciplinary action is warranted.
In the meantime, this has cut into the livelihood of the victims especially one that also drives for Lyft.

A spokesman for the city said she needs to file a claim with the city and they will likely cover the damages.

WEATHER, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019

TODAY: Cloudy this morning. A few snow showers developing during the afternoon. Temps nearly steady in the low to mid 30s.

TONIGHT: Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 18F

THURSDAY Cloudy. Snow likely in the afternoon. High 33F.

It was announced in November that Bayer would reduce 12,000 jobs globally by 2021. Now we know how that will affect us locally. Bayer will be closing its administrative site in Robinson Township.

This will impact 569 positions and 96 contractors.
The site will be closed over a two-year period to “provide ample time for employees and operations to transition smoothly.”

The statement is as follows:

“For more than 150 years, Bayer has stood for quality and trust, making innovative products in health and nutrition that improve lives and make a contribution to society. Our employees around the globe work every day to find solutions to a growing and aging population.
“With the acquisition of Monsanto completed last year, we doubled the size of our business in the United States to more than $16 billion in sales, and we now employ more than 20,000 people in 300 locations across the country.

“As part of the work to bring our companies together and significantly improve productivity and profitability, Bayer announced in November 2018 that it will reduce 12,000 jobs globally by 2021.

“In the United States, we are beginning to implement this by consolidating administrative functions to best support our agriculture business, which is headquartered in St. Louis, and our healthcare businesses, which are headquartered in Whippany, N.J.

“As a first step toward this consolidation, we are announcing that we will be closing our administrative site in Robinson, PA, and informed employees at this site today. This decision will impact 569 positions and 96 contractors.

“This is certainly a difficult decision given the impact it will have on our colleagues and their families, and the important role the site has played in our company’s history. We have an extremely talented workforce in Robinson and a proud and rich history. We thank our colleagues for their hard work and dedication over the years.
“We will transition the site closing in a thoughtful, orderly manner over a two-year period to provide ample time for employees and operations to transition smoothly and to ensure that we continue to serve our customers and businesses effectively. We are exploring options where key work at the site will be performed.

“We have the utmost appreciation for the employees and their families affected by this decision, and we are committed to treating each employee with dignity and respect throughout this process. We know that changes like this can be uneasy and even a bit stressful for our employees – and for the community. That is why we will honor our commitments and continue to support important groups like non-profits and other charitable organizations in the region at the same level in 2019 and 2020.”

Shell spokesman Joe Minnitte said Monday that a 4.5-mile pipeline will soon be constructed that will feed natural gas to the Shell Chemicals ethane cracker plant in Potter Township where it will be used to fuel gas turbines to generate power from a cogeneration power plant on the Shell site.

National Fuel Gas Supply Corp. is going to be building that pipeline.

The project is expected to break ground later this month or in early February, and the new pipeline should be in service by July.

In the permit approval, DEP said the pipeline project will include 80.5 acres of earth disturbance as well as impacts to 770 linear feet of streams.