Latest news with #JohnHawkins
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why a helicopter will be flying over central Pennsylvania
MIFFLIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A helicopter will be flying low over parts of central Pennsylvania soon as part of an effort to prevent power outages. A FirstEnergy subsidiary is using an aerial saw to trim trees along high voltage lines in the company's PenElec service area. The company says the work began recently and is expected to be done by the end of the year. This work is being done in numerous Pennsylvania counties, including Mifflin, Huntingdon, and Centre counties, as well as Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Cambria,, Clearfield, Elk, McKean, Potter Somerset, Tioga, Warren, Westmoreland, and Wyoming counites. 'Keeping our high-voltage power lines clear of potential interference from trees is an important part of maintaining system reliability,' John Hawkins, FirstEnergy President, Pennsylvania, said. 'The aerial saw is a specialized tool that allows us to cover hundreds of transmission miles every year in a safe, efficient manner.' The helicopter comes equipped with a saw on a boom suspended below. It is able to trim trees along transmission lines the company says are inaccessible to bucket trucks or other vehicles or are in environmentally sensitive areas. They can cover more area in a day than a ground crew might in a week, FirstEnergy says. Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV devices Maintaining clearances between lines and trees helps prevent power outages, the company says. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hospital bollard bill, sparked by KXAN, gets House hearing
This story is part of KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigation, which initially published on May 15, 2024. The project follows a fatal car crash into an Austin hospital's emergency room earlier that year. Our team took a broader look at safety concerns with that crash and hundreds of others across the nation – including whether medical sites had security barriers – known as bollards – at their entrances. Experts say those could stop crashes from happening. AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bill that would require crash-rated safety bollards at most Texas hospitals, sparked by a deadly crash at St. David's North Austin Medical Center last year and a series of KXAN investigations, is set to be heard Monday morning by the House Public Health Committee. For months, the proposal to mandate the vertical security barriers had placed a wedge between the state's nurses, which back the bill, and the lobbyist arm representing the hospitals paying them. 'The safety of nurses and hospital staff should be the highest priority of any healthcare organization,' the Texas Nurses Association previously told KXAN. 'Any and all protection should be considered to ensure our healthcare providers can come to work with confidence that they are protected and working in a safe environment.' While the bill has attracted bipartisan support, it has also found fierce opposition from the Texas Hospital Association — which called Senate Bill 660 a 'one-size-fits-all' mandate and an 'unreasonable administrative cost burden.' READ: Senate Bill 660 requires crash-tested bollards at most Texas hospitals 'Vehicle-into-building crashes are undeniably tragic, but we've yet to see any national studies or scientific evidence that show prevention of these incidents is a pressing, critical need for hospital safety,' THA CEO John Hawkins previously wrote. Since the bill already cleared the Senate, it would need to advance out of the House Public Health Committee and go to a full floor vote before it could be sent to the governor. If that happens, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission would have until Dec. 1 to adopt rules laying out how it would work. With the exception of rural areas, hospitals would have to comply as of Jan. 1, 2026. KXAN reached out to St. David's for comment but did not immediately hear back. We previously asked Ascension, Ally Medical, Baylor Scott & White, and Texas Children's Hospital if they supported the bollard bill. All attended a stakeholder meeting to give input on Austin's bollard ordinance last September. So far, none have responded. EXPLORE: KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigations led to legislative results KXAN began investigating hospital crashes — what cause them, how often they occur and how they can be prevented — following a deadly crash at St. David's North Austin Medical Center on Feb. 13, 2024. We learned there was no local, state or federal requirement for critical infrastructures, like hospitals, to have bollards. Using crash data from the Texas Department of Transportation, the nonprofit Storefront Safety Council, along with police, fire and media reports, we created our database revealing more than 400 crashes at or into medical-related sites across the country over the past decade resulting in more than 20 deaths — data KXAN shared with lawmakers and testified about in front of a Senate panel in March. Those statistics were cited by Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, who authored the bollard bill after a family injured in the Austin emergency room crash spoke out publicly to KXAN. 'We re-emphasize to the Bernard family: What happened to you is a tragedy and it shouldn't happen again in the state of Texas,' West told KXAN last October. 'And, I'm going to do everything I can in my power to make sure it doesn't happen again.' READ: St. David's statement on opposition to Austin's bollard ordinance The Texas Medical Association, which represents 60,000 physicians and medical students, has not taken a position on the bill but previously said what KXAN uncovered was a 'major problem' and, recently, presented us with an award for our coverage. 'If we can even save one life, and we can make sure it's safer for not only the people that are going to the hospitals, like our patients, but also all employees, I think it's a good thing to be doing,' TMA President Dr. Ray Callas previously said. The bill's latest hearing comes nearly six months after the Austin City Council unanimously passed its own bollard measure — also sparked by our investigations — requiring crash-tested bollards at new hospitals, urgent care clinics and stand alone emergency rooms. After the vote, public records KXAN obtained revealed St. David's, while publicly neutral, privately opposed the measure. Their lobbyist, records show, tried to quash it over St. David's objections that it, in part, 'selectively targets healthcare facilities based on an incident at one of our hospitals.' St. David's said it spent $500,000 last year installing additional bollards before the council's vote. It has repeatedly refused to say whether those barriers are crash-rated — something the ordinance requires of new medical facilities. Former Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly initiated that ordinance. She is expected to testify again in front of the House committee. In March, she told a Senate panel: 'This is not a partisan issue. This is a life-safety issue.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
More power outages reported after another round of storms hits area
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A busy Conemaugh Valley road was reopened to traffic, but another round of thunderstorms caused a reported resurgence in power outages across the region Thursday night. According to online outage tracker more than 15,500 Cambria County electricity customers were without power as of 11 p.m. Thursday. That was 10,000 more outages than were reported in the county eight hours earlier – and also exceeded the totals from Wednesday evening in an area still reeling from Tuesday's powerful storm. Outages could remain for 'days', barn destroyed in Portage area Cambria County's 911 Center didn't need its call logs to gauge the extent of the widespread issues caused by a Tuesday storm. Reports of downed trees and wires kept Cambria County 911 officials and emergency responders busy Thursday evening, a Cambria 911 supervisor said. As of 10 p.m. Thursday, St. Clair Road in the Johnstown area was closed to traffic. Other roads reopened Thursday. William Penn Avenue was reopened early Thursday. It had been closed for more than 36 hours near Keiper Lane in East Taylor Township after a row of power lines was disrupted by a wind-downed evergreen tree during Tuesday's storm. Repair work on those lines also helped get power restored to much of the East Taylor Township area as of Thursday afternoon. The community went dark around 6 p.m. Tuesday, township fire Chief Alan Buchan said. Utility crews were working across the region for much of the day Thursday to address downed lines and other outages caused by Tuesday's storm, mirroring a task repeated across much of western Pennsylvania. Outages impacting region, 911 center; barn destroyed in Munster Township Cambria County's 911 Center didn't need to check its call logs to gauge the extent of the widespread issues caused by a Tuesday storm. Much of Somerset County was spared the worst of Tuesday's storm. Outages were widespread in the northern tier of the county, but as of Thursday morning, fewer than 20 customers in the county were still without power, most of them in the Boswell area, Penelec's outage map showed. Rare damage Straight-line winds during Tuesday's storm caused havoc across western Pennsylvania. FirstEnergy officials reported Thursday that the strength of the gusts in at least one part of Cambria County hit rare levels. Citing National Weather Service estimates, they said winds might have reached 120 mph when they mangled a cellphone tower near Carrolltown. That's comparable to an EF-2 tornado's wind speeds, albeit without the rotation. National Weather Service officials reported to FirstEnergy that no other wind damage was visible adjacent to the damaged tower. 'The recent storm in the greater Pittsburgh area is our second-worst on record since 2009 in western Pennsylvania, ranking among the top storms in the company's history in terms of impact,' said FirstEnergy President John Hawkins, whose company's territory also saw severe damage in the city of Pittsburgh. FirstEnergy was working to restore power for approximately 100,000 homes across much of western Pennsylvania after restoring power to 275,000 more this week. 'Help is available' Cambria County Area Agency on Aging Administrator Veil Griffith reminded older residents that there is help available for those in need. Whether it's a hot meal or a bright, welcoming place to sleep at night, help is just a phone call away, Griffith said. She said the region's senior centers remain open all day across the county, with lunch offered. The Cambria County Area Agency on Aging's phone number is 814-539-5595. The Portage location was closed Wednesday due to the community's outage, but all nine Cambria County centers, spanning from Johnstown to Patton, were open as of Thursday to community members 60 and older. The county's senior activity centers are open Monday through Friday. But there are other avenues for support, too, Griffith added. Meals can be dropped off at residences. And for people who are uncomfortable spending another night in the dark, the Area Agency on Aging can arrange temporary lodging somewhere that has electricity, she said. 'If there is an older adult in need, whatever the need is, they can always call our area agency, even if it's something they don't think is very serious,' Griffith said. 'We're here to help.' She said the region is fortunate that temperatures have been so mild this week. Frigid conditions or intense humidity would have posed greater problems, she added. 'And with daylight savings time, it is light outside longer right now,' Griffith said. Water, ice provided Free water and ice were available to Pennsylvania customers who remain without power. Customers could visit participating Giant or Giant Eagle stores to receive two one-gallon bottles of water or one 24-pack of bottled water, and two seven- to nine-pound bags of ice or one 20- to 25-pound bag of ice, FirstEnergy officials said. FirstEnergy said customers should let the store know at checkout that they are a FirstEnergy customer without power. A list of participating stores was available online at The list included all three Giant Eagle stores in Greater Johnstown, as well as locations at 881 College Plaza in the Ebensburg area and 7 Cottonwood St. in Northern Cambria. Another round A new round of storms swept through the region late Thursday afternoon. The system was expected to bring wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph, and potentially higher in some areas, with an additional risk of scattered thunderstorms. FirstEnergy officials predicted the storm could slow electricity restoration efforts. Winds at 40 mph or greater aren't safe for crews working in bucket trucks, who often have to hoist team members toward treetops to make repairs. 'As we continue our efforts to restore power to every last customer, we urge everyone to prioritize safety. We deeply appreciate your continued patience and support of our field,' Hawkins said. Early forecasts for Saturday were also predicting a chance for additional thunderstorms.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thousands of Personnel Engaged in FirstEnergy's Power Restoration Effort in Pennsylvania and West Virginia
Crews continue working 24/7 to restore service to 150,000 customers following intense storm GREENSBURG, Pa., May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Power has been restored to more than 275,000 of the 380,000 FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) customers impacted by the April 29 storm that produced significant, widespread damage due to heavy rain and excessive winds in many parts of the service area. More than 4,750 internal and external resources are working 24/7 to restore power to customers who remain without service in the hardest hit areas of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. John Hawkins, President, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania: "The recent storm in the greater Pittsburgh area is our second worst on record since 2009 in western Pennsylvania, ranking among the top storms in the company's history in terms of impact. The widespread area of straight-line winds – such as the 110-120 mph wind speeds reported in Cambria County by the National Weather Service – caused hundreds of instances of broken poles, downed wires and equipment damage across our western and central Pennsylvania footprint. As we continue our efforts to restore power to every last customer, we urge everyone to prioritize safety. We deeply appreciate your continued patience and support of our field personnel." Company personnel are also preparing to respond to service interruptions caused by another severe weather system that is expected to bring strong wind gusts and potential thunderstorms this afternoon to portions of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. The system is expected to bring wind gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour – and potentially higher in some areas with an additional risk of scattered thunderstorms. The high winds could slow restoration efforts, as crews cannot safely operate bucket trucks when wind speeds exceed 40 miles per hour. Current outage updates as of 11 a.m. today include: West Penn Power: Approximately 197,000 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania customers in the West Penn Power service area lost power from the storm, and 78,500 remain without power. Penelec: Approximately 107,400 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania customers in the Penelec service area lost power from the storm, and 13,600 remain without power. Penn Power: Approximately 13,600 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania customers in the Penn Power service area lost power from the storm, and 2,300 remain without power. Mon Power: Approximately 36,300 Mon Power customers lost power from the storm, and 5,300 remain without power. Power will be restored to most customers by 11 p.m. this evening. Established while crews are restoring power and assessing the full extent of damages, the initial "global estimated time of restoration" (ETR) represents an estimate of when service will be restored to the majority of customers following major outage events. Many customers will have their power restored before that time. Work to restore power continues around the clock, and many customers will have service restored sooner, based on the level of damage in their area. Listed below are the ETRs by county for customers served by Penelec, Penn Power and West Penn Power. If your county is not listed, please log into your account at or text STAT to 544487 if you are registered for text alerts to get your specific outage ETR. Allegheny County – Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Armstrong County – Monday, May 5, by 3 p.m. Blair County – Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m. Butler County – Customers served by Penn Power are expected to have power restored by Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m. Customers served by West Penn Power are expected to have power restored by Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Centre County – Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Clearfield County – Many customers in the county are expected to have power restored by Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m.; customers in the hardest hit areas of the county expected to have power restored by Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Greene County – Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m. Indiana County - Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m. Mifflin County – Friday, May 2, by 11 p.m. Washington County - Many customers in the county are expected to have power restored by Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m.; customers in the hardest hit areas of the county expected to have power restored by Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Westmoreland County - Many customers in the county are expected to have power restored by Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m.; customers in the hardest hit areas of the county expected to have power restored by Monday, May 5, by 3 p.m. As additional information about necessary repairs is understood, more detailed ETRs will be provided. Customers can view their current individual ETR for their particular outage by logging into their account at texting STAT to 54487, or viewing the outage map at If they have not done so already, customers who are without power can call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or text OUT to 544487 to report their outage or click the "Outages" link on Free water and ice is available to Pennsylvania customers who remain without power. Customers can visit a participating Giant or Giant Eagle store to receive two 1-gallon bottles of water or one 24-pack of bottled water and two 7-9 pound bags of ice or one 20-25-pound of ice. Please let the store know that you are a FirstEnergy customer without power at checkout. A list of participating stores is available online FirstEnergy's Restoration Process: FirstEnergy follows a formal restoration process after severe weather, focusing on repairs that will address the largest number of customers before moving on to more isolated issues. The restoration effort typically begins with transmission and substation facilities and then prioritizes critical facilities like hospitals, communications and emergency response agencies. Additionally, hundreds of isolated issues affect individual or small numbers of customers. These are the most time-consuming repairs because they require our crews to go to each individual location to make the repairs. Many of the isolated issues include repairs to "service drops," which are wires attached to each home to deliver electricity from the neighborhood power line. These wires are often damaged by fallen trees and large branches. For updated information on the company's current outages, storm restoration process and tips for staying safe, visit FirstEnergy's 24/7 Power Center at To learn more about navigating the recently updated map, please visit Generator Safety Reminder: To ensure the safety of the home's occupants as well as that of electric company employees who may be working on power lines in the area, the proper generator should be selected and installed by a qualified electrician. When operating a generator, the power coming into the home should always be disconnected. Otherwise, power from the generator could be sent back onto the power lines, creating a hazardous situation for company workers. Locate the generator outside of your home and far away from windows, doors and vents. Never locate a generator inside your home. View additional generator safety information. FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at and follow FirstEnergy and its operating companies on X, formerly known as Twitter, @FirstEnergyCorp, @IlluminatingCo, @OhioEdison,. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Penelec completes system upgrades for Venango, Crawford Counties
(WJET/WFXP)– Penelec customers in Crawford and Venango Counties should see fewer disruptions in their power following upgrades made to a powerline that's been subject to plenty of issues over the past few years. Penelec announced they've completed a project upgrading a 13-mile powerline that helps supply power to people in Cochranton, Utica, Polk and nearby communities to reduce those interruptions, particularly during severe weather. More REAL ID Days planned for Erie, Crawford, McKean Mercer Co. Over the course of the project, Penelec said they replaced 42 poles, 53 crossarms and nearly 700 older porcelain insulators along with replacing two switches that allow line workers to isolate damage and temporarily reroute power to customers. Crews also installed a new remote-control switch to re-route power in the event of an outage so crews can make repairs when the previous equipment had to be operated on-site so outages could be dealt with. Car thefts dropped in 2024 but which cars were still stolen the most? 'Over time, severe weather takes a toll on exposed electrical infrastructure, and this project allows us to proactively address equipment that has served our customers well for many years but needed to be updated. Utility poles are the backbone of the distribution system, and this work should enhance the reliability of electric service for customers in these rural communities for years to come,' said President of FirstEnergy Pennsylvania John Hawkins. Work on the project started in November 2024 and is part of Penelec's $538 million Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan to make smarter, more secure grids that meet higher demands for electricity. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
