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E-mailSomerset woman dies
A Somerset County woman died Wednesday on the way to the hospital after a three-vehicle collision in Henry Clay.
State police at Uniontown identified the victim as Karen A. Metz, 65, of Confluence. Metz was the passenger in a 2006 Chevrolet Impala driven by her husband, George W. Metz, 69.
Police said the wreck occurred about 5:30 p.m. on Route 40, about 375 feet east of Fearer Road. According to police, Nora K. McKeel, 45, was traveling west on Route 40 in the wrong lane and struck the Impala head-on as it was traveling in the left lane of Route 40 eastbound.
McKeel's 2007 Pontiac G6 spun off Metz's vehicle and struck a Toyota Highlander driven by Cameron T. Villemaire, 18, of Reva, Va., in the right lane of Route 40 eastbound.
Police said Karen Metz died while being transported to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, when she died.
McKeel and George Metz suffered minor injuries in the crash, according to police.
Neither Villemaire nor his passengers, Debbie L. Villemaire, 46, Joseph B. Villemaire, 48, also of Reva, Va., and a 12-year-old male, were injured.
An autopsy was being handled by medical examiners in Charleston, W. Va. No results were available yesterday.
Uniontown
Suspected counterfeiter
faces additional charges
A 78-year-old Fayette County man, facing four forgery charges for allegedly printing counterfeit money in his basement, was charged Wednesday with providing the money to a Smithfield man who tried to use the fake bill at Uniontown Hospital.
Wayne Prinkey, of 335 Hawkins Hollow Road, Springfield Township, was arraigned Wednesday on two additional counts of forgery.
State police said that on March 25, Prinkey provided James Boord, 18, with a counterfeit $20 bill. Boord, not knowing the money was counterfeit, attempted to make a purchase in the hospital's cafeteria, state police said.
The cashier noticed the bill was counterfeit and rejected it.
Police have said Prinkey used a computer and a scanner-copier to scan real currency and print fake $5, $10 and $20 bills.
An informant told police Prinkey charged $25 for $100 in counterfeit bills and handed out the money to others, who would try to pass the bills at local businesses for Prinkey.
Prinkey remains in the Fayette County Prison.
PennDOT work
plan released
PennDOT District 12 announced the following tentative work plan for next week.
• Bridge crew will be performing bridge deck repairs on Route 1031 (Broadford Road).
• Shoulder cutting on Route 119 (Smithfield area).
• Crack sealing on Route 51 (Uniontown to Waltersburg area), Route 4003 (Albany Road), and Route 21 (Masontown area).
• Pipe flushing on Route 1055 (Dunbar Mountain area) and Route 4028 (Tippecanoe Road).
• Patching on Route 1027 (Prittstown area).
• Brush cutting on Route 4004 (Ralph -- New Salem Road), Route 4009 (Pleasant View Smock Road), and Route 4016 (Royal Road).
• Ditch cleaning on Route 1009 (White area).
• Bridge cleaning on Route 51 (Fayette City area).
• Side dozing on Route 40 (Farmington area).
• Signs will be updated, downed signs will be replaced, and work orders will be addressed on various routes throughout Fayette County.
PennDOT has a 24-hour toll free number for residents to call to report any road maintenance concern. This number can also be utilized to report locations of dead deer on state highways. The number is 800-FIX ROAD (800-349-7623). PennDOT District 12 Web site is at www.penndot12.com.
All maintenance activities are conducted on a weather-permitting basis. Motorists should drive with caution throughout all work areas and be alert for signed work zones requiring the usage of headlights.
Local students'
artwork on billboards
As Pennsylvania continues to improve and expand its transportation system, motorists will be encountering more work zones during their daily travels.
PennDOT District 12 wants to remind motorists that the two main reasons for work zone crashes are speeding and inattentive driving. Most work zone fatal crashes are caused by motorists failing to slow down when approaching or entering the work area.
In an effort to bring added attention to safety in work zones, the Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania sponsored a billboard campaign featuring children's artwork stressing the importance of work zone safety. These drawings, from children ages 5 to 12, were the winning entries selected for CAWP's second annual Kids Construction Safety Calendar Contest. The contest was open to children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of CAWP Contractor members.
Two winning entries are being displayed on billboards in the area. One billboard is located on Route 119 in Fayette County just north of Marion Motors outside of Connellsville. The second billboard is located on Interstate 70 approximately 1/2-mile west of the Smithton Exit (No. 49) in Westmoreland County. The Route 119 board was drawn by Mackenzie Miller from Normalville. The Interstate 70 board was drawn by Troy Stahl from Smithton.
Between 2004 and 2008 in Pennsylvania, 116 people were killed in work zone crashes. In 2008 in Pennsylvania, there were 1,415 work zone crashes that resulted in the deaths of 23 people; many of these deaths and injuries could have been prevented if motorists would have simply obeyed the law and driven cautiously.
Connellsville
Copper, tool thief
sentenced to prison
A Fayette County man accused of tool and copper thefts at Connellsville residences was sentenced Thursday to two to four years in prison.
Kory Ray Adams, 33, of 511 Johnson Ave., was sentenced yesterday before Judge Gerald R. Solomon as per terms of a plea bargain. Adams last month pleaded guilty to burglary, theft, receiving stolen property, criminal conspiracy, criminal trespass and criminal mischief.
Police said Adams entered vacant houses at 635 Highland Ave., 123 W. Apple St., 502 E. Crawford Ave. and 121 E. Apple St. and removed copper pipes, tools and other items. In addition, he is accused of possessing tools that were reported stolen from 511 Johnson Ave.
Charleroi
Students compete for
scholarships, awards
Students from 10 area high schools will compete for scholarships and awards as they match their motoring skills and knowledge of traffic laws during a driving competition sponsored by AAA Insurance Agency, SW Regional Traffic Safety Network and PennDOT District 12-0.
The schools are located in Washington, Greene, Fayette and Westmoreland counties.
According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 984 people were killed in Pennsylvania between 1998 to 2007 in crashes involving young drivers (15-17 years old). The driving competition is a fun activity to promote awareness of correct driving procedures while reinforcing safety tips, officials noted. It will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Monday at Trinity Middle School, 50 Scenic Drive, Washington, Pa.
-- Staff reports
