The Tri-County Report for May 18th, 2012...


A hiker continues to recover after falling nearly 25 feet while at McConnell's Mill State Park. The New Castle News says 28 year old Nick Lewis may have suffered a seizure before the fall near the Kildoo Falls area of the park. Lewis had to be transported to a nearby ball field so he could be flown to Pittsburgh. At last word he was in good condition. The accident took place Wednesday afternoon.


Two people suffered moderate injuries in a one car accident in Mercer County. State police say 38 year old Kim Sun of Pittsburgh was traveling on Interstate 79 when she lost control of the car while in the passing lane. The vehicle went off the road and rolled over in the median. Both Sun and a passenger, a 24 year old woman from Pittsburgh, had moderate injuries. Police say they were taken to Grove City Medical Center for treatment.


A state police fire marshal says a fire in Beaver County that killed a man is a case of arson. The fire took place Friday morning at a home in Baden. 54 year old David Klimowski was pronounced dead after being taken to Heritage Valley Sewickley hospital. The coroner's office says he died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Officials believe Klimkowski poured an accelarant on the dining room floor and set the fire.


Lawyers for former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky are asking a judge to throw out some charges in his child sex abuse case. The motion says there's not enough evidence to back charges connected to three alleged victims in the Centre County Court case. The former assistant coach faces 52 charges claiming he sexually abused ten boys over a period of more than ten years. Trial is set to begin on June 5th.


State Senator Elder Vogel Junior says he will introduce legislation that will alter the way vehicle emissions testing is done in Pennsylvania. Vogel's bill would exempt light passenger vehicles ten years old or newer and alternative fuel vehicles. He says the current system is a burden and not really needed because new vehicles are constructed under strict emissions standards. The bill would require what he describes as a visual anti-tampering inspection of emissions control components.


Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are looking into Tuesday's accident that saw a Georgia man being pinned beneath steel pipes in Beaver County. The accident took place at the IPSCO Koppel Tubular plant in Harmony Township. OSHA was called in because the accident took place inside the plant and officials say they are still gathering information to determine whether an investigation would take place. The man who was injured was flown to UPMC Mercy for treatment.


A father and daughter face aggravated assault, public intoxication, and a variety of charges for a weekend melee at PNC Park. Twenty-one-year-old Rachel George and her father Christopher are accused of assaulting a security guard during the Pirates-Astros game Saturday night. Security was trying to escort the young woman and her boyfriend from the park for smoking, and George's father joined the fight. When police arrived, the woman attacked them as well.


Authorities are looking for information after a theft in Mercer County's Wilmington Township. Somebody entered property belonging to Verizon Wireless and cut several cables before stealing grounding buses belonging to the company. The stolen property was worth more than 700 dollars but police say more than three-thousand dollars worth of damage was done. The theft took place along Mercer-New Castle Road. Anybody with information should call state police in Mercer.


The Secretary of the Air Force is scheduled to visit the 911th Airlift Wing, which is set to close next year. Michael Donley will review the base at Pittsburgh International Airport on June 4th. Area politicians, including U.S. Senator Bob Casey, have asked for more details on the rationale for closing the base, saying it's cheaper to operate than many others.