Pennsylvania
Severe Storms Turn Deadly In Pennsylvania | Weather.com
Severe storms that stretched from Texas to New York on Tuesday have left at least two people dead in Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh Public Safety announced that a man was electrocuted by live wires in the South Side Slopes area of the city, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. In State College, police said a 22-year-old man was electrocuted while trying to put out a mulch fire started by downed power lines.
The storms caused widespread damage across the Pittsburgh area, with the city’s 911 system experiencing a temporary outage. Allegheny County reported more than 5,000 calls per hour to its regional 911 centers as the storms brought down trees and power lines.
More than 450,000 customers were still without power across Pennsylvania early Wednesday, according to PowerOutage.us. Multiple school districts have delayed opening or will stay closed on Wednesday. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said cleanup and restoration efforts were underway, and he urged residents to stay off the roads unless travel was essential.
In the Pittsburgh suburb of Brackenbridge, a downed tree caused a power line to catch fire right next to homes. Kenneth Edward Kissel recorded the video from inside his home and shared it on X.
Pittsburgh Internatinal Airport reported a wind gust of 71.3 mph Tuesday evening and according to the National Weather Service that was the third strongest gust ever recorded at the airport. There were more than 300 reports of severe weather from North Texas up to New York on Tuesday, including likely tornadoes, wind gusts surging past 100 mph, hail and heavy rain that caused flash flooding.
For a look at where the severe threat is today, get our complete forecast here.
A Pennsylvania court ruling is reshaping abortion access in the state, striking down a decades-old ban on using Medicaid to pay for abortions and declaring that the Pennsylvania Constitution guarantees a right to abortion.
The decision came Monday from the state’s Commonwealth Court. In a 4-3 vote, judges ruled in favor of abortion rights in Pennsylvania and invalidated the state’s restriction on Medicaid-funded abortions.
Local abortion-rights advocates praised the ruling as a major step toward protecting access for low-income residents. Adrienne Daily, co-founder of Johnstown for Choice, said, “Everybody should have the right to that. If you restrict the coverage, you’re obviously discriminating against those that have lower income.”
Opponents of abortion rights called the decision a dramatic expansion of the court’s power and warned it will force taxpayers to pay for procedures they oppose. Michael Geer, president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, said, “Taxpayers now in Pennsylvania will have no choice under this court ruling to fund abortions. And there are many, many millions of Pennsylvanians who think abortion is wrong. It’s the taking of an innocent human life and to force taxpayers who conscientiously object to abortion to then fund it is just plain wrong.”
Abortion-rights advocates pushed back, arguing abortion access is healthcare and a personal decision. Daily said, “This is a family issue. This is a personal issue. This is a bodily autonomy issue.”
Pro-life leaders also warned the ruling could have broader implications for other abortion-related laws. Geer said, “It is sweeping and there’s no question it’s judicial overreach.” He added, “If this ruling stands, it will invite attacks on every remaining pro-life safeguard that has been put into law by lawmakers at the behest to the people of Pennsylvania over decades.”
The case could still be appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. That decision lies with Republican Attorney General Dave Sunday. His office has not provided a response, but the Associated Press reported a spokesperson said the office is reviewing the decision and did not say whether it will appeal.
Johnstown, Pa. (WJAC) — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just released this year’s list of inductees, and a new clothing store just opened in the Johnstown Galleria.
What do these two things have in common?
If you grew up listening to 90’s hip-hop, then you’re probably familiar with the Wu-Tang Clan.
Wu-Tang Clan member opens clothing store in Pennsylvania (WJAC)
They said, “We’re in the building right now, we’re out in Johnstown making it happen, fashion and rapping, and Wu-Tang, you already know Wu-Tang is the witty, unpredictable talent and natural game. So, it’s all grassroots with us, man. We do everything from scratch.”
They’re being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, and Darryl Hill, aka Cappadonna, and manager Al “Heck” Felder are opening the Pillage, a clothing store in the Johnstown Galleria, selling apparel with a purpose.
Cappadonna said, “‘Cappadonna,’ that stands for ‘Consider All Poor People Acceptable, Don’t Oppress Nor Neglect Anyone,’ and we stand on that.”
They were introduced to mall owner Leo Karruli through Mustafa Curry, a childhood friend from New York, who owns a store on Main Street in Johnstown.
Heck said, “BK Styles, I’ve got to give a shout out to my boy, Mustafa. They’ve got some apparel down there, too. We’re all over. We’re spreading the word and we’re spreading the love.”
Wu-Tang Clan member opens clothing store in Pennsylvania (WJAC)
Their other clothing line, Angry Elephant, promotes being good stewards of the Earth, with a portion of the proceeds protecting the animals from poachers.
They said they believe in always putting God and family first.
Cappadonna said, “When you recognize the God in us, then you can see the God in you.”
They said they want kids to know that violence is not the answer, and it doesn’t cost anything to be kind.
Cappadonna said, “We just want to say that it’s nice to be important, but it’s even more important to be nice.”
A mother and her six children died when their Central Pennsylvania home exploded and caught on fire Sunday morning, state police said.
The explosion and fire happened at around 8:30 a.m. at a home on Long Run Road in Lamar Township, Clinton County, which is roughly 35 miles from State College. Crews arrived on the scene and found the home fully engulfed in flames, with the mother and her six children trapped.
State police identified the 34-year-old woman who died in the fire as Sarah B. Stolzfus. Her 11-year-old son, 10-year-old son, 8-year-old daughter, 6-year-old daughter, 5-year-old son and 3-year-old son also died in the blaze, according to state police.
A propane leak inside the house might’ve caused the explosion and fire, state police said. Propane tanks outside the home did not explode or contribute to the fire, according to state police.
The explosion and fire are under investigation by state police.
-
Technology8 minutes agoThe Vergecast Vergecast, 2026 edition
-
World14 minutes agoMexico pyramid shooter who took hostages and killed 1 is identified
-
Politics20 minutes agoByron Donalds cracks down on persistent border blind spot leaving US vulnerable to overstays
-
Health26 minutes agoHealthy diets spark lung cancer risk in non-smokers as pesticides loom
-
Sports32 minutes agoPGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule
-
Technology38 minutes agoAlexa+ lets you order food like a real conversation
-
Business44 minutes agoNew lawsuit alleges Uber is violating drivers’ rights. Here’s how
-
Entertainment50 minutes agoReview: Trigger warning? ‘For Want of a Horse’ gives new meaning to the term ‘animal lover’