Morning Roundup: Sandcastle to open after major upgrades, new rides

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, May 25:

Sandcastle to open with new slides, pools

Sandcastle, Pittsburgh’s big water park, is set to open for the season on Saturday.

Park officials are touting upgrades including a new waterslide and improved pools.

Located in West Homestead along the Monongahela River, the park’s new waterslide is Bomb’s Away, which features a 305-foot-long freefall. Makeovers also were done on the Dragon’s Den ride and the Mon Tsunami and Mushroom Pool, which added a waterfall element.

“We are looking forward to welcoming guests to the brand-new Sandcastle this season, with eye-catching upgrades throughout the entire park,” said Assistant General Manager Zach Zapf in a statement. “The team has been working hard to elevate the park experience in every way. Our guests are sure to be wowed by all the improvements.”

The park also will debut the Sandcastle Bridge Bar and Grill, where guests can soak up a new beach-themed atmosphere and play cornhole.

Sandcastle was named one of the best waterparks in the United States earlier this year by U.S. News and World Report. It will have a series of special events throughout the season, including a belly-flop contest on Father’s Day.

Sandcastle is located at 1000 Sandcastle Drive in West Homestead.

Pittsburgh woman arrested in fentanyl death of baby

Pittsburgh police arrested a city woman Wednesday on charges of involuntary manslaughter in her 4-month-old baby’s death from fentanyl toxicity.

Katie Lynn Grimes, 33, of Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood, is also facing charges of endangering the welfare of children and drug possession.

On Jan. 25, police were called to Grimes’ Brownsville Road home, where her baby was found unresponsive, according to a criminal complaint. Grimes told police that she fell asleep and woke up to the baby not breathing, called 911 and attempted to resuscitate the infant.

First responders also attempted to resuscitate the child when they arrived and then transferred the baby boy to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he died, according to the complaint.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office determined in March that the infant’s blood contained 0.3 nanograms of fentanyl per milligram of blood. This month, the office ruled that the child died accidentally of fentanyl toxicity, according to the complaint.

1 hospitalized after crash involving a bus on McKnight Road

A car overturned Wednesday afternoon in a crash involving a school bus on McKnight Road in Ross. The driver of the car was taken to a local hospital, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV.

The vehicle was overturned at McKnight and Siebert roads, the station reported.

The severity of the driver’s injuries were not immediately known.

The school bus did have students on board, but no one on the bus was reportedly injured.