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4 dead, 1 missing after apparent house explosion in Pennsylvania: Officials

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4 dead, 1 missing after apparent house explosion in Pennsylvania: Officials


Four people have died and one remains missing after an apparent house explosion in Western Pennsylvania Saturday morning that destroyed several homes, officials said.

Three people were also injured in the incident and transported to local hospitals, according to officials.

One patient remains in critical condition while the other two were treated and released, emergency officials said in an update Saturday evening.

Due to severe weather happening in Pennsylvania, recovery operations have been stopped for the day, officials said they are planning on resuming on Sunday morning.

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Police received a 911 call reporting a house explosion and house fire at approximately 10:22 a.m., Allegheny County officials said.

One house appears to have exploded, with two others becoming engulfed in flames, according to Allegheny County spokesperson Amie Downs.

Three structures have been destroyed and at least a dozen more are damaged, including with windows blown out. Debris was scattered over lawns and the street in the area.

First responders found people trapped under debris, Downs said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Imbarlina said. Police are investigating the incident, he said.

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The incident occurred in the borough of Plum, in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Video captured at the scene showed several homes on fire in the community of Rustic Ridge.

The borough of Plum urged people to stay away from Rustic Ridge in the immediate aftermath of the explosion.

Crews were working on extinguishing nearby structures and securing gas lines, Downs said.

Eighteen fire departments responded to the scene, which remains active. Allegheny County Emergency Management officials and the Allegheny County Fire Marshals are at the scene as well.

A woman filming a game at the municipal baseball fields shortly after 10:20 a.m. captured the boom of the explosion, a little under a mile away, according to footage she posted on Facebook.

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Plum is located about 18 miles east of Pittsburgh.

ABC News’ Peter Charalambous, Victoria Beaule and Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.



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Pennsylvania

Shapiro threatens to pull Pennsylvania out of PJM over electricity prices

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Shapiro threatens to pull Pennsylvania out of PJM over electricity prices


Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) is warning regional electricity grid operator PJM that the state will consider leaving the organization if it doesn’t do more to protect consumers against soaring power prices.

Shapiro’s letter marks a sharp escalation of his dispute with PJM, the largest U.S. wholesale power market and transmission coordinator, serving 65 million people from the Atlantic Seaboard to Chicago.

The risk of more power price escalation “threatens to undermine public confidence in PJM as an institution,” Shapiro said in his letter to Mark Takahashi, chair of PJM’s board of managers.

In a statement Tuesday, PJM said, “We appreciate the governor’s letter and have reached out to his office to discuss next steps.”

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Group weighs potential and peril of performance funding for Pa. universities • Pennsylvania Capital-Star

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Group weighs potential and peril of performance funding for Pa. universities • Pennsylvania Capital-Star


A group of lawmakers, university administrators and the head of the Department of Education heard Tuesday about the possibilities — and perils — of tying public funding of state-related universities at least in part to their performance and students’ academic outcomes.

The Performance-Based Funding Council was created by the General Assembly last summer and tasked with making recommendations on a performance-based funding formula by the end of April. Members include four lawmakers, Interim Acting Secretary of Education Angela Fitterer and three non-voting members from the state-related schools that would be affected: Penn State, Temple University and the University of Pittsburgh. Lincoln University, an HBCU and a fourth state-related university, would not be affected.

Currently, the three state-related schools collectively receive more than $550 million in state funding annually. The move to a performance-based funding formula has been supported by lawmakers from both parties, as well as Gov. Josh Shapiro.

“These legislative hearings offer a unique opportunity to fundamentally reassess how we align public resources and educational outcomes,” said Rep. Jesse Topper (R-Bedford), the council chairperson. “I believe we need to show the public how those resources are used and why — why we invest in higher education.”

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More than 30 states already use a performance-based funding model. According to testimony heard by the council, the most common academic targets in states with performance-based funding models include graduation rates, student retention and degree or credential completion. But a potential formula could also take into account factors like research output, administrative efficiency, and employment rates of graduated students.

While policies vary greatly around the country, about 10% of money sent to four-year schools in states with performance-based funding formulas is based on the targeted metrics, according to testimony by Andrew Smalley, a policy specialist who focuses on higher education at the National Conference of State Legislatures.

But experts warned that coming up with a comprehensive formula can be “daunting.”

“Everyone knows that colleges and universities subject to these formulas find themselves in a bit of a Catch-22,” said Charles Ansell, vice president of research, policy and advocacy at Complete College America, a nonprofit focused on best practices in higher education. “They need funds for their performance and improved graduation rates, but they cannot access funds without demonstrating improvement first.”

One potential solution, another expert testified, could be awarding funds based on improvements at an individual school over time instead of an arbitrary benchmark, like graduation rate, that applies to all schools.

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Experts also warned that some performance-based funding models can exacerbate disparities in educational outcomes between high- and low-income students, and between white and minority students.

“Performance funding is typically tied to advantages for the advantaged students and disadvantages for the disadvantaged,” said Justin Ortagus, an associate professor of higher education administration and policy at the University of Florida. Though he noted that a funding formula can take these pitfalls into account by incentivizing enrollment and degree or certification attainment for students in impacted groups.

Speakers also highlighted the benefits of performance-based funding models. Ortagus noted that they can promote institutional accountability.

It could also provide predictability when it comes to school budgets.

As it stands, Pennsylvania’s method for funding these universities requires a two-thirds vote of the legislature, which has led to months-long delays in the past. Creating a predictable funding formula that would be distributed through the Department of Education would mean future appropriations would only require a simple majority.

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Moreover, lawmakers could use performance metrics to encourage specific educational outcomes. Part of the funding formula, for example, could rely on students enrolling or graduating in programs of study that would lead to them entering high-demand fields in the job market.  

The state could also target specific outcomes based on goals like increasing low-income, veteran or minority student graduation rates, encouraging adult education and incentivizing students to enter high-demand jobs by focusing on particular majors. And the formula can be adapted when new needs or issues arise.

“It’s very common for states to revise these frequently,” Smalley said.

The council expects to hold three more hearings, some at the campuses of affected state-related universities.  Its recommendations are due to the legislature and governor April 30.

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High levels of respiratory illness reported across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware

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High levels of respiratory illness reported across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware


NEWARK, Del. (WPVI) — If you feel like everyone around you is coughing and sneezing, it’s not your imagination.

The CDC says the level of respiratory illness, including flu, COVID, and RSV, is classified as “high” in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, while Delaware is classified as “very high.”

Doctors say they’re seeing it all.

“Everyone is sick. We have RSV going on. We have flu. We have COVID going on. We have GI distress. Essentially, you’re getting sick in some fashion,” said Dr. Theresa Metanchuk, the Regional Clinical Director for ChristianaCare.

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Dr. Claiborne Childs, the vice president of medical affairs at Riddle Hospital, is seeing the same thing.

“It’s sort of a confluence of all the different viruses all together. We’re seeing an uptick all around the hospital,” Childs said.

We’re at the center of the respiratory illness season.

“We still have some time to go. We have the rest of the month of January, February and early March,” said Dr. Childs.

That means there is still time to protect yourself with vaccines.

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Dr. Metanchuk said the latest statistics show this year’s flu shot is 40% beneficial, which she said is “better than nothing.”

“They’re meant to keep you out of the hospital. They are meant to limit how severe the illness makes you,” she said.

As people heal from those illnesses, their bodies are at greater risk.

“Whenever you get sick, our immune system has to get a chance to recuperate, bounce back, so we’re more likely to get sick with something else,” said Dr. Metanchuk.

Staying hydrated, working out, and eating healthy – common New Year’s resolutions – are good ideas for preventing these illnesses too.

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