Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh has rainiest March in nearly 60 years as flooding causes issues across area
Several areas across western Pennsylvania were hit by flooding as overnight rainfall pushed Pittsburgh past a nearly 60-year-old record.
Pittsburgh has recorded 6.18 inches of rain in March, breaking the record of 6.10 inches, which was set in 1967. The rain caused issues in several communities on Friday, including some in Washington and Westmoreland counties.
Major road flooded in Washington County
Communities across Washington County spent Friday cleaning up after flooding from Thursday night’s storms.
Roads were closed, and ballfields were wrecked because of the rain. Ponds that aren’t supposed to be there could be found all over the county.
“As long as it rains and the creek is flooded, then the road is flooded,” Ruth Mahoney, the owner of The Glass Place in Cecil Township, said.
Georgetown Road in Cecil Township turned into a lake at the bottom of a hill and underpass. Dispatchers said the driver of a car stuck in the water didn’t have to be rescued or taken to the hospital. The flooding ties up the area as the road connects Interstate 79 to Route 19.
“It’s a main artery,” Mahoney said. “Tons of cars come down here every day.”
North Strabane Township saw more of the same. The Lindenwood Golf Club had some new water hazards on the course on Friday. As the water receded into the Linden Creek, a mess was left behind.
It was the same story in Houston.
“When I looked out the window, I was like, ‘woah.’ It’s just rising fast,” said Rogelio Esteris. “My daughter was here playing baseball yesterday because she’s on the softball team and now the field is ruined.”
South Strabane Township had a landslide on Locust Road as well. Mother Nature didn’t take it easy on Washington County. Mahoney said it’s affecting her business.
“When people call, they want to know how to get here,” she said. “You have to tell them, you can’t come because it’s closed today or there’s a backroad, but they don’t understand how to come on the backroad.”
Mahoney said the water should take about a day to recede. Officers told KDKA the car would have to wait to be towed until the water goes down.
Loyalhanna Creek rises, flooding yards
As dawn broke on Friday morning and the rain from the previous night began to cease, some residents of Westmoreland County who live close to the Loyalhanna Creek saw flooding around their homes and along their local roads.
Paul Faust, who lives in the Darlington area of Ligonier Township, has a small tributary to the Loyalhanna Creek in his backyard, but on Friday, that run was acting less like a stream and more like a moat.
“I was up probably about 5 a.m., and it was high,” Faust said. “But it wasn’t over the bank like this and then the next following two hours it started going up. But that is always how it is after it rains.”
Faust says that he and his wife have a system for when their area floods, including tying down outdoor furniture and moving their cars to the top of their driveway.
Many people that KDKA spoke with in Ligonier Township on Friday who live in low-lying areas said they are used to this type of thing and while this flash flood was unexpected, it was not out of the ordinary.
Some water had already begun to recede by Friday afternoon, but Ligonier Valley Police Chief Michael Matrunics still wanted to urge caution, especially for people driving on side roads that may still be flooded around the township.
“It might not look it, but it could be deeper than you expect,” Matrunics said. “And keep in mind, if you go past signs that are posted here, you could be cited for that. Also, if emergency services have to come out and rescue you or tow companies, you’re responsible for the cost. And your safety. Let’s put that at number one. So don’t drive through standing water on these bad weather dates.”
Pittsburg, PA
Steelers insider just poured gasoline on the Aaron Rodgers fire following latest report of what he was doing in Pittsburgh
Aaron Rodgers was supposed to be in Pittsburgh over the weekend, with the thought that a deal would get done. One Steelers insider backs the report, but adds details that only compound a messy situation.
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
At this point, the events of the past two seasons between Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers could probably be a book or movie. Everything from walks on the beach, to him throwing with DK Metcalf before signing, to someone capturing him driving a rental car into Pittsburgh has made waves.
This offseason was supposed to be different, and a decision from Rodgers was supposed to come much earlier. However, the Steelers remain in a holding pattern, and one that many believed would end over the weekend, after it was reported that Rodgers would be in town to sign a contract. Well, that seems to be true, but like much of this saga over the past two years, there seems to be a holdup.
Aaron Rodgers 2025 stats
- 3.4 TD to INT ratio.
- 3,322 passing yards.
- 65.7% completion percentage.
Aaron Rodgers visited Pittsburgh, but not the Steelers over the weekend
“Aaron Rodgers has been in town for a couple days, but the Steelers have not met with him yet and instead have been talking with his agent. Rodgers has stayed away from the team’s South Side facility while the three-day rookie minicamp has been going on.” – Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The news from Dulac comes on the heels of the report from 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh that Rodgers would be visiting the Steelers over the weekend, with the intention to sign his deal.
That report was backed up nationally by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, but some in Steelers media (Mark Kaboly) said that if Rodgers was going to be in town, that was news to the team.
Omar Khan said as much during a radio hit after the reports surfaced, saying that he didn’t know where Rodgers was, but that talks remained fluid. Of course, general managers, including Omar Khan, have been known to bend the truth, which seems to lie somewhere in the middle here.
The bottom line with Aaron Rodgers
It’s obvious to me that the Steelers and Rodgers are held up over money. I know that it was said to not be the case, but you don’t intentionally avoid meeting with a team and have your agent talk to them, just days after they use a tender that determines your 2026 salary, if you’re just going to sign.
I would be surprised if Rodgers doesn’t sign at this point, but it doesn’t change the monetary situation that needs to be worked out here.
Kennywood honored two longtime employees Saturday who together have worked at the park for a combined 100 years.
Larry Russ and Bobby Trygar started working at Kennywood in 1976.
Russ began his Kennywood career as a games employee, working at the Big Apple dart game. In 1980, Russ applied to the security team and has held positions there ever since, including roles as a corporal, lieutenant, chief, and captain, according to a press release provided by the park.
Trygar began his time at Kennywood by working in the Parkside Café. Since he joined Kennywood, he has helped to maintain some of the park’s most iconic attractions, including the Racer, Log Jammer, and Merry Go Round.
“This is something you dream about. It’s so amazing,” Trygar said. “One of the best things when I worked out here was when I met my wife on the Racer. I was the mechanic. It’s just a great feeling to come here every day, see smiles on people’s faces, it’s tremendous. It gives you that extra boost and happiness.”
“I was planning on going into the mill, like everyone else was during my era,” Russ said. “Of course, the mill shut down. My father told me, ‘You don’t want to [work at the mill]. This place isn’t going to be here that much longer,’ and he was right, so I stuck it out here. I got a full-time position in 1980, and the rest is history.”
The park also dedicated two benches in their honor.
The new policy requiring anyone under 18 to be accompanied by someone over 21 in Market Square may not be as firm as some first thought.
KDKA observed unaccompanied kids in and around the square in Pittsburgh on Saturday evening, but in very small numbers, especially compared to the hundreds of kids who gathered as recently as during the NFL draft last month. Many of the kids were walking through the square or to restaurants like Chipotle.
It was the kids who lingered on Saturday evening who were approached by either youth outreach teams, private security or officers.
Von Madden — the founder of AIM, a youth outreach group — said it’s when kids start gathering in large numbers that they’ll be asked to leave.
“I don’t think they are going to be kicked out of the space for buying food or walking by,” Madden said. “The policy was so they’re allowed to hang out, but if they’re causing disruption, they were asked to move.”
Outreach workers within the square on Saturday evening said they’ve been approaching kids to make sure they are aware of the rules, but aren’t forcing them to leave. Some workers suggested alternative places they could go, as they work to form relationships with the kids
Madden, who was not at the square on Saturday, said in theory, enforcement works by private security engaging kids first, and then if that doesn’t work, outreach staff comes over. Only as a last resort are police officers brought in.
KDKA watched as a group of about 15 to 20 kids formed along Market Street steps away from a police SUV on Saturday evening. A member of the private security approached the kids first, pointing toward the exit of the square. Once more kids gathered, a group of five to 10 officers walked over, and the group dispersed toward Liberty Avenue.
A group of teenagers near Chipotle told KDKA that officers told them they had to leave if they weren’t actually going to the restaurant. Madden said the policy, which is in effect from Thursday to Sunday from 3 p.m to midnight, has worked well this week.
“It was phenomenal. Thursday was great,” Madden said. “The kids came, a lot of kids. They were absolutely excited about everything going on.”
Thursday was the first night for the temporary roller rink in Market Square, and a rainy Friday kept many people away. People enjoying their Saturday evening in the square gave mixed reviews about the policy.
“I think it’s definitely necessary,” Cristina from Butler told KDKA. “It keeps the community safe, and it allows adults and parents to know that their kids are safe as well, and just a more controlled environment.”
Danielle Graham from Robinson said she’d been observing kids interacting with police and believes kids aren’t welcome in Market Square, even if they are not being disruptive. She said there was a discrepancy in what private security and officers knew about the rule, adding that police asked her if the child she was chaperoning was her legal guardian.
She said she offered to chaperone kids to allow them to enjoy the square and so she could observe what was going on.
“There’s no clear understanding from the people that are supposedly enforcing it,” Robinson said. “You just put more vulnerable kids in front of law enforcement, things can go wrong.”
Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Barb Warwick shared her own criticism of the policy during a meeting last week.
“Not only does this feel highly unwelcoming to families with teens, it also seems questionable in terms even of enforcement,” Warwick said. “I don’t know that there’ll be like a private security, what are we checking IDs like, you know? How is this working? My understanding is it’s on an event permit.”
KDKA-TV did not observe any IDs being checked on Saturday and saw at most 12 officers in the square at once, along with the private security.
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