Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing overnight inspection activities on the McKees Rocks Bridge (Route 3104) in McKees Rocks Borough, Allegheny County will occur Thursday night, February 9 weather permitting.

Single-lane alternating traffic will occur on the McKees Rocks Bridge over the CSX Railroad tracks from 9 p.m. Thursday night to 5 a.m. Friday morning. Crews from the Gannett Fleming will conduct routine bridge inspection work.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing the reopening of the ramps from Route 65 to southbound I-79 at the Neville Island Bridge in Glenfield Borough, Allegheny County.

The ramps that carry traffic from northbound and southbound Route 65 to southbound I-79 closed on January 18 to allow crews to conduct paint containment removal work. The ramps are now open to unrestricted traffic.

The $43 million I-79 Neville Island Bridge Rehabilitation Project includes structural steel repairs, full structure painting, bearing and deck joint replacements, deck repairs and overlays, bridge barrier repair, substructure concrete work and drainage improvements.  The project also includes concrete roadway reconstruction, guide rail replacement and preservation work on four sign structures. Additionally, preservation work will occur on the I-79 bridge over Deer Run Road, north of the Neville Island Bridge.  Motorists will see ramp closures and single-lane and shoulder closures in each direction on I-79 during daylight off-peak and overnight hours. The overall project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2023.

The Trumbull Corporation is the prime contractor.

To help keep motorists informed as work progresses, PennDOT has created an email distribution list for the I-79 Neville Island Bridge rehabilitation including traffic advisories and construction updates. Enroll by sending email addresses to stcowan@pa.gov. Please write “Subscribe – I-79” in the subject line.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Harrisburg, PA – PEMA Director Randy Padfieldreleased the following update on the East Palestine train derailment:
“The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency continues to closely monitor the situation in Eastern Ohio and its effects on Southwestern Pennsylvania. As continues to be the case, no concerning air quality readings have been detected. For now, out of an abundance of caution, Pennsylvanians who were evacuated from their homes should continue to stay away from the site. We know how difficult it is to leave your home and thank Pennsylvanians for their continued cooperation. We are working with working with Norfolk Southern and our partners in Ohio to get people back in their homes as soon as it is safe to do so.
“Pennsylvanians who live within 2 miles of East Palestine where this derailment occurred should continue to shelter in place and keep their windows and doors closed. Pennsylvanians’ health and safety are our top priority. We will continue to update the public as information becomes available.”

FILE – President Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, March 1, 2022, in Washington. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via AP, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is ready to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation’s condition rather than roll out flashy policy proposals as he delivers his second State of the Union address. He’ll also be trying Tuesday night to overcome pessimism in the country and concerns about his own leadership. His speech before a politically divided Congress comes as the nation struggles with economic uncertainty, a wearying war in Ukraine and growing tensions with China. It’s Biden’s first speech to Congress since Republicans took control of the House in the midterm elections.

Frank Caltagirone, a sports book employee at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., counts money from his drawer Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. On Feb. 7, 2023, the gambling industry’s national trade group, the American Gaming Association, predicted that over 50 million American adults will bet a total of $16 billion on this year’s Super Bowl, including legal bets with sports books, illegal ones with bookies, and casual bets among friends or relatives. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The gambling industry’s national trade group predicts that 1 in 5 American adults will make a bet on Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. The American Gaming Association says over 50 million U.S. adults plan to bet on the game, wagering a total of $16 billion. But most of that will happen off the books — whether it’s people placing a bet with an illegal bookie, or filling out squares in an office. Sports betting is legal in 33 states plus Washington, D.C., this year, up from 30 states last year. Experts in addiction say aggressive advertising is contributing to a rise in problem gambling.

FILE – Bono speaks with Cathedral Canon historian Jon Meacham at the Washington National Cathedral on Dec. 5, 2022, in Washington. The Irish lead singer of U2 will be among the featured guests sitting alongside first lady Jill Biden at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Feb. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard, File)

Rock star Bono, the 26-year-old who disarmed a gunman in last month’s Monterey Park, California, shooting, and the family of Tyre Nichols will be among the featured guests sitting with first lady Jill Biden at Tuesday’s State of the Union address. The White House says the guests were invited because they personify issues or themes President Joe Biden will address in the speech, or they embody policies that are working for the American people. Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., is a guest, as she was last year. Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, has invited Ruth Cohen, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor from the Washington area as his guest.

MCKEESPORT, Pa. (AP) — A man has been charged with homicide in the shooting and killing one police officer, and wounding a second officer after they responded to a domestic disturbance call in western Pennsylvania. Thirty-one-year-old Johnathan Jermia Morris is charged in Allegheny County with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and attempted murder, and assault of a law enforcement officer in the shooting Monday afternoon in McKeesport. Authorities allege that he fired at officers responding to a domestic call, killing 32-year-old officer Sean Sluganski and wounding a second officer. Morris was shot in an exchange of gunfire with a third officer; court documents don’t list a defense attorney.

Representative Robert Matzie speaks with the press. Governor Tom Wolf joined by students, educators and elected officials in the Aliquippa School District in Beaver County to celebrate the administration’s historic $3.7 billion investment in public education. SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 – ALIQUIPPA, PA

AMBRIDGE, Feb. 6 – New grant funding of $178,300 will help fire companies in the 16^th Legislative District replenish resources and meet operating expenses, state Rep. Rob Matzie announced today.

Matzie, D-Beaver, said 12 fire companies will receive funding under the Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program.

“Fire and EMT companies are still feeling the impact of the pandemic as they struggle to deal with rising equipment costs and other operational expenses on extremely tight budgets,” Matzie said. “Securing this funding will help departments replace worn-out equipment, train crews, make needed building repairs and keep operations running.”

Matzie said the following grants were awarded:

 

Ambridge Borough Fire Department – Fire Company, $13,335.

Ambridge Volunteer Fire Department – Fire Company, $14,563.

Baden Volunteer Fire Department – Fire Company, $15,000.
Center Township Fire House No. 2 – Fire Company, $13,335.
Center Township Volunteer Fire Department Co. No. 1 – Fire Company, $13,826.
Center Township Volunteer Fire Department No. 3 – Fire Company, $12,598.City of Aliquippa DBA Aliquippa Bureau of Fire – Fire Company, $14,563.Conway Volunteer Fire Department – Fire Company, $14,317.

Freedom Volunteer Fire Department — Fire Company, $12,352.

Harmony Township Volunteer Firemen Inc. – Fire Company, $15,000.

Hopewell Township Volunteer Fire Department – Fire Company, $12,843.
Rochester Township Volunteer Fire Department No. 1 – Fire Company, $26,554.

The Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service Grant Program is administered by the Office of the State Fire Commissioner. Funding may be used for facility upgrades, equipment, debt reduction, training and certification, education and public outreach, and recruitment and retention efforts. Fire companies were also permitted to apply for savings accounts for new facility construction.

HARRISBURG– Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry today announced the filing of criminal charges against five individuals from Pennsylvania: Marc Brown, of Allegheny County; Raymond Shultz, of Beaver County; Abimael Valentin-Matos, of Lancaster County; Kevin Isovitsch, of Butler County; and Norman Aviles, also of Lancaster County, for the sexual assault and exploitation of children. In each case, all of the defendants and their victims were members of Jehovah’s Witness congregations. These arrests follow charges filed against four other members of Jehovah’s Witness congregations in October 2022.

“The details of these crimes are sad and disturbing, facts which are made even more abhorrent because the defendants used their faith communities or their own families to gain access to victims,” said Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry. “Our office will never stop working to seek justice for those who have been victimized, and we will continue to investigate and prosecute anyone who harms the most vulnerable in our society.”

The charges stem from the 49th Investigating Grand Jury and are charged by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Through the investigation, it was revealed that these men sexually abused and exploited minors with whom they had close contact, in some cases members of their own family.

The defendants are being prosecuted by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General for the following offenses:

• Marc Brown, 65, of Allegheny County, is alleged to have sexually abused two young sisters who were between the ages of ten and 13, and for whom he was the legal guardian. Brown has been charged with Aggravated Indecent Assault, Indecent Assault, Endangering the Welfare of Children, and Corruption of Minors.
• Raymond Shultz, 74, of Beaver County, is alleged to have sexually abused his granddaughters when they were between the ages of five and ten years-old. Shultz has been charged with Aggravated Indecent Assault, Indecent Assault, Endangering the Welfare of Children, and Corruption of Minors.
• Abimael Valentin-Matos, 42, of Lancaster County, is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 15 year-old girl, who he was supposedly “courting” to eventually marry even though he was twice her age. Matos has been charged with Indecent Assault, Indecent Exposure, Endangering the Welfare of Children, and Corruption of Minors.
• Kevin Isovitsch, 51, of Butler County, is alleged to have sexually assaulted his niece, who was nine years-old.  Isovitsch has been charged with Rape, Aggravated Indecent Assault, Indecent Assault, Endangering the Welfare of Children, and Corruption of Minors.
• Norman Aviles, 44, of Lancaster County, is alleged to have molested at least three young children between the ages of five and ten. Aviles was an elder in his congregation, which helped him gain the trust of many parents and afforded him access to their children. Aviles has been charged with Aggravated Indecent Assault, Indecent Assault, Endangering the Welfare of Children, and Corruption of Minors.

The charges in these cases have been filed in the corresponding counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Lancaster, and Butler. Brown, Shultz, Matos, and Isovitsch have all been arrested and detained, Aviles is still at large.

Anyone with information regarding child sexual abuse should make a report to ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313, and anyone with additional information regarding these cases should make a report to the Office of Attorney General’s hotline at 888-538-8541. These cases are being prosecuted by Chief Deputy Attorney General Christopher Jones. All charges are allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.