Laurels & lances: Winter weather & water woes
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Laurel: To finding the upside. It’s hard to locate the silver lining in sub-zero temperatures, but bug experts gave Pennsylvanians a ray of hope.
You might not like the deep freeze that settled across the state this week, but neither do spotted lanternflies. The invasive pest has been the bane of the Keystone State for several years. They are a pain from the moment the eggs hatch in the spring and the nymphs emerge, all the way to when the distinctively patterned adults seem everywhere over the summer.
According to Zach Lipniskis, operations manager for D-Bug Pest Control Inc. in Unity, the bitter cold could help limit that population next year by killing off some of the eggs.
Sadly, it won’t help squelch the number of ticks, which tend to burrow deep enough to avoid the negative consequences of the winter. But fewer lanternflies to stomp this year? Hey, we will take what we can get.
Lance: To increased costs. While everyone was worried about the price of eggs and gasoline, another cost hike has slipped into the conversation.
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers will see their bills jump 9.5% starting in April.
According to authority officials, the increase was due to its own higher costs for energy, chemicals, construction materials and anticipated borrowing for infrastructure upgrades.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because the authority raised rates 9% in 2024 for similar inflation-related costs.
“Our rates are still considerably lower than other water providers. We are still the most affordable,” said manager Michael Kukura.
That may well be true, but it doesn’t make yet another increase from yet another household bill any easier to swallow.
Laurel: To going to extremes. Firefighters don’t get to pick their working conditions. Flames aren’t going to wait for a nice day. In fact, they are frequently the product of less favorable weather, like a lightning strike or a drought.
On Monday, a South Greensburg fire proved challenging as temperatures dropped to single digits. It rekindled Tuesday when it was even colder.
“You get all soaking wet and turn into a big ice cube,” said South Greensburg Fire Chief Matt White. “An the water’s an issue, the hydrants are moving a little bit slower and they get frozen. Fortunately, we had what we needed.”
What they needed included other first responders like North Huntingdon EMS and Murrysville Medic One working to keep the firefighters warm enough to keep doing their job.