Amtrak Train Sped Up Before Frankford Curve

In the seconds before Amtrak train No. 188 derailed at Frankford Junction, the train’s speed surged from 70 m.p.h. to 102 m.p.h. – more than twice the speed limit on the dangerous curve, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Thursday.

Just before the crash, with the train traveling at 106 m.p.h., the train’s engineer, Brandon Bostian, hit his emergency brakes, NTSB officials said. But it was too late.

Two days after the deadliest train crash on the Northeast Corridor in three decades, the revelations on the train’s acceleration – while providing the most detailed account yet of the moments before the derailment – raised new questions about the 32-year-old engineer’s actions.

Officials involved in the investigation told The Inquirer that Philadelphia police earlier Thursday had obtained a search warrant for Bostian’s cellphone records. Those records would help investigators determine whether he could have been distracted – whether the phone had registered any activity in the moments before the crash.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150515_Sources__Investigators_get_warrant_for_Amtrak_engineer_s_cellphone_records.html#yp1F7IXGDQrK35MJ.99

Amtrak Derailment Death Toll Rises In Phildelphia

The death toll in the derailment of an Amtrak train in Port Richmond rose to seven Wednesday and could go higher as a team of federal rail experts begins an investigation to determine what caused the engine and all seven passenger cars to jump the tracks at a curve.

People close to the investigation in the meantime tell the Inquirer the train apparently was traveling well above the speed limit when it entered the sharp curve at Frankford Junction Tuesday night.

Officials said Wednesday more than 200 people were injured in the crash and taken to city hospitals and at least eight of them remained in critical condition.

The seventh fatality was found in the wreckage late Wednesday morning. No other details were immediately available.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20150514_Investigators_headed_to_Port_Richmond_to_probe_deadly_derailment.html#XFCsue8rITcXdqvA.99

Winter Storm Brings 2 Feet Of Snow, Kills At Least 9

BOSTON — A storm dropped a blanket of light, powdery snow across the Northeast and ushered in frigid temperatures Friday that were unusual even for cities accustomed to blasts of winter weather. The storm, which shut down major highways temporarily and grounded flights, was blamed for at least nine deaths in the eastern half of the country.

The nor’easter was accompanied by plummeting temperatures that on Friday morning reached 8 degrees below zero in Burlington, Vt., with a wind chill of 29 below and 2 degrees in Boston, with a wind chill of minus 20. It dumped 23 inches of snow in Boxford, Mass., and 18 inches in parts of western New York near Rochester. Thirteen inches of snow fell in Boston, while Lakewood, N.J., got 10 inches and New York City’s Central Park got 6.

On a mostly empty Main Street in Concord, N.H., Kathy Woodfin hustled to work, a tall iced coffee turning to caramel-colored slush in her left hand. It was 7 degrees at 9 a.m. and the wind zipping through alleyways blew a fine, stinging snow in her face.

“I just run from heated car to heated building,” the New Hampshire native said. “It’s just like down South, where they run from air conditioned car to air conditioned building.”

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140103/winter-storm-brings-2-feet-of-snow-kills-at-least-9

Governor: 4 Dead, 63 Hurt In NYC Train Derailment

Map of New York Highlighting New York City (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NEW YORK — A Metro-North train derailed on a curved section of track in the Bronx on Sunday morning, coming to rest just inches from the water and leaving four people dead and 63 injured, authorities said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the deaths at a news conference at the site of the crash near the Spuyten Duyvil station. He said authorities believe everyone at the site has been accounted for and that the National Transportation Safety Board is en route.

Eleven people are believed to be in critical condition, authorities said. The train operator was among the injured, Cuomo said.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said the big curve where the derailment occurred is in a slow speed area. The black box should be able to tell how fast the train was traveling, Anders said.

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/news/1023495/Governor:-4-dead-63-hurt-in-NYC-train-derailment

Officials Say Heroin A Huge Problem In Pa.

English: Modified IM/IV syringe used for “plugging” heroin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HARRISBURG — Heroin is a growing epidemic in Pennsylvania, and Luzerne County is no exception.

State police Commissioner Frank Noonan told the state House Judiciary Committee this week that the drug is dangerous because users become adjusted to the high it produces. As a result, users have to inject more of the drug, which leads to a higher risk of overdose.

He said users will also typically mix the drug with others in an attempt to achieve the same high.

The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee held a public hearing to discuss the heroin epidemic this week. Afterward, committee member state Rep. Tarah Toohil provided data on the number of heroin deaths in Luzerne County. So far this year, 20 people have died form using heroin with other drugs — users often take multiple drugs. There were 31 deaths in 2012.

Read m0re: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/1001824/Officials-say-heroin-a-huge-problem-in-Pa.

Six Killed In Allegheny National Forest Collision

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting McKean County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

State police in Kane, PA are trying to determine what caused a woman driving an SUV to cross the center line, striking a car head-on and killing six people, including two children.

Kathy Douglas, 36, of Kane was driving south on State Route 219 in the Allegheny National Forest about 4:30 p.m. Saturday when she struck a Pontiac Bonneville carrying four people, state police said on Sunday.  The Pontiac was torn apart and Ms. Douglas’ car spun clockwise until it stopped along the road.

Ms. Douglas’ 12-year-old daughter, Olivia Douglas, and 6-year-old nephew, Jarrett Costanzo, died at the scene.  Ms. Douglas and her 10-year-old son, whose name has not been released, were flown to local trauma centers.

All four occupants of the car died at the scene as well.  They were identified as Gary Beimel, 62; his wife, Elaine Beimel, 55; Ms. Beimel’s brother, David Cuneo, 54, and their aunt Florence Donachy, 81.  All four were from St. Marys, Pa.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/region/six-killed-in-crash-in-kane-701643/#ixzz2dl6chHz1

Woman Found Alive | 6 Dead | 14 Hurt Cleanup Underway

English: Center City viewed from West Philadelphia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Though the rubble is being cleared, the collapse of two buildings in Center City that left five women and one man dead, in addition to the dramatic late night rescue of a survivor, will surely go down as one of the biggest tragedies in Philadelphia’s history.

City officials were still grappling with the events of yesterday early this morning.  They have yet to make an announcement as to what may have gone wrong at a demolition site that led to the destruction.

A search and rescue operation that was expected to continue today has apparently been suspended.  Early this morning, firefighters were standing by, not actively combing the site.  The ambulances that lined Market Street for much of yesterday are gone.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/6_dead_in_Philadelphia_building_collapse.html#18GCkOqYMexevE2F.99

5 Dead In Tornado In Oklahoma City Area, 75 Hurt

El Reno Oklahoma Tornado (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

OKLAHOMA CITY – Tornadoes rolled in from the prairie and slammed Oklahoma City and its suburbs, trapping people in their vehicles as a storm swept down an interstate highway while commuters tried to beat it home.

Five people were killed, including a mother and baby killed near Union City.  Another person died at El Reno, the first city struck by the storm, said Amy Elliott, a spokeswoman for the state medical examiner. Circumstances involving the other two deaths weren’t immediately known, Elliott said.

About 50 people were hurt, five critically, hospital officials said.

Meteorologists had warned about particularly nasty weather Friday but said the storm’s fury didn’t match that of a deadly twister that struck suburban Moore last week.  Violent weather also moved through the St. Louis area, ripping part of the roof off a suburban casino.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20130531_ap_5deadintornadoinoklahomacityarea50hurt.html#P5L07QlmqWsQrlVV.99

4 Kids, 2 Adults Die In Pottsville House Fire

View of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Six people are dead after flames tore through a single home in Pottsville around midnight Sunday.

Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner Joseph Pothering identified those killed as Eric Brown, 30, and his children Joy Brown, 8; Jeremiah Brown, 7; Emily Brown, 3; and, Elijah Brown, 2.

Also killed was Christina Thomas, 26, the children’s aunt and sister-in-law of Eric Brown.

Read more:  http://citizensvoice.com/news/4-kids-2-adults-die-in-pottsville-house-fire-1.1488375

Shots Ring In New Year; 2 Killed, 2 Hurt In Reading

A 1947 topographic map of the Reading, Pennsylvania area. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Reading did not see sunlight in 2013 before police were investigating two killings on city streets.

Two men were also wounded in the separate shootings about 80 minutes apart early Tuesday, police said.

Police identified the dead as Luis Medina, 19, of South Third Street and Najeebie Johnson, 34, of Robeson Street.

The killings marked a rough start to a new year in a city that has seen a resurgence in violent crime.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=440251

Sandy’s Lehigh Valley Impact: Two Deaths, Power Outages, Damaged Trees, Closed Roads

Hurricane Sandy left about 400,000 homes and businesses in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos regions in the dark and without as many trees and has been blamed for the death of a 17-year-old Wind Gap boy and a Berks County man.

Robert Mills of 81 Eighth St. died in Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest after crashing an all-terrain-vehicle into a fallen tree about 9:30 p.m. Monday in Plainfield Township, Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim reported. Grim said Mills was thrown off the ATV when he drove into the tree which had fallen on W. Center Street near Route 33, and he suffered fatal head injuries.

A fallen tree also caused the death of a 62-year-old Berks County man Monday night.  The Berks County coroner’s office said Gerald Witman was killed when a tree fell on his home in Pike Township near Boyertown,

Local officials did not report any significant damage to buildings or public structures except for three house fires Monday night in Buck County in the 1300 block of Old Bethlehem Pike near Quakertown and in Tinicum Township and Chalfont.  Though it was not immediately clear if they were linked to the storm, an emergency radio dispatcher said no injuries were reported in the fires.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-superstorm-sandy-allentown-lehigh-valley-storm–20121030,0,2995804.story

Pottstown Crash Deaths Focus Shifts To Drug Sale

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN, Pa. — The investigation into a Monday night crash that killed two people and critically injured a third shifted Thursday to a downtown store that allegedly sold synthetic marijuana to one of the crash victims.

According to court documents obtained exclusively by The Mercury Thursday, members of Pottstown’s Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at 315 and 317 E. High St., which houses a convenience store called the Achi Store.

As investigators were searching Tuesday for Roger Tracey Malloy, 27, of 303 N. York St., Pottstown, the driver in the fatal wreck, authorities learned that one of Malloy’s passengers, 16-year-old Kendall Harper, of Pottstown, had purchased K2, or synthetic marijuana, from the Achi Store, according to court papers filed seeking the warrant.

According to court papers, authorities learned in their investigation that Malloy has been smoking K2 and drinking before the crash occurred.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120525/NEWS01/120529577/search-warrant-for-drugs-served-on-pottstown-store-&pager=full_story

Central PA Flooding Claims Five Lives

Flood waters have claims five lives in the midstate and two people are missing.  Dauphin, York, Lancaster and Lebanon counties all reported deaths related to flooding.

Front Street in Harrisburg has flooded.  The Shipoke section of Harrisburg was evacuated along with the Governor’s Mansion.  Several blocks in Midtown had power shut off to force residents to evacuate.  An 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew has been issued by the mayor’s office.

The Susquehanna River at Harrisburg is predicted to crest at 26.5 feet at around 8 p.m. this evening.

Irene Leaves More Than Two Dozen People Dead In U.S.

Irene claimed 27 lives in eight states according to CBS.

New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority has begun rebooting their massive system which was entirely shut down for the first time in its history due to weather.

13,000 flights were cancelled, nearly 5 million homes and business lost power at some point during the storm and damage is estimated at $7 billion dollars.

Already people are pointing fingers and crying overreaction.  I say better to overreact and save lives.  Things could have been much worse and we should be thankful for that.