When friends paid for Michelle Manuel and her wife, Rose Johnson to take a cruise to the Bahamas they never expected one of them to end up in the emergency room. The life or death situation became even more precarious when the two realized that, because they are on Medicare, the cost of the treatment wouldn’t be covered in the Bahamas.
Neither woman took their passports because the cruise line only asked for a birth certificate to travel. The hospital requested $2,000 or they weren’t going to even see the patient, so friends & family are helping out. They are stressed over the prospect of getting back home, which the pair hope to figure out with the help of the U.S. Embassy. Manuel hopes to be able to get home before Christmas.

At least one person was taken to the hospital after a vehicle overturned and caught fire on Interstate 79 early Tuesday morning.

The crash happened around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday in the southbound lanes in Worth Township, near the 106 mile-marker.

Crews had the southbound lanes of Interstate 79 shut down until about 5 a.m. while they responded to the scene.

The cause of the crash has not been determined.

A lawsuit by Richard Bieranowski alleges fraud, conspiracy and constructive conspiracy on the part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and its two most recent bishops, David Zubik and his predecessor, now-Cardinal Donald Wuerl.

The suit says a former priest sexually abused him in 1981 and 1982. The lawsuit said Mr. Bieranowski only learned of the extent of the diocese’s alleged cover-up with the August release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report on seven decades of abuse and cover up within Pittsburgh’s and five other dioceses.

The Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese has outlined plans to compensate victims of clergy sex abuse.

The lawsuit noted the diocese never publicly explained frequent assignment shifts for that priest which is a feature of the assignment records of some priests facing accusations.

A kind of revenge faced 38-year-old entrepreneur and lifelong Steelers fan David Eldridge after Pittsburgh’s 17-10 win on Sunday, when he found himself out $11,000 — the amount he bet (and lost) wagering on New England to beat his hometown team. The bet made the news because it was among the first placed on sports at Rivers Casino.

But Mr. Eldridge, of Gibsonia, was feeling fine Monday, and said in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he’s neither upset with the sum he lost or the outcome of the game. Mr. Eldridge said. “I gamble quite a bit. That wasn’t the largest gambling endeavor I had. ”

And that’s what led him to quietly root for the Patriots at an office Christmas party on Sunday, where he watched some of the game with colleagues.
But he did say that if the Steelers make the playoffs, he won’t bet against them. That’s a promise, he said.

It’s the biggest free fitness program in the nation, offering unfettered access to gyms and health clubs to millions of seniors.

The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, citing financial strains and changing reimbursement rates, will no longer participate after Jan. 1, 2019, leaving seniors to look elsewhere.
Most gyms and health clubs in our region continue to honor the program; and while United Healthcare is dropping Silver Sneakers in some states, Highmark is still providing the benefit.

UPMC insurance is actually transitioning from its current Silver and Fit program into Silver Sneakers.

As of now, the Beaver County YMCA is still accepting Silver Sneakers, but it is no longer available at the Sewickley location

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.