Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Dec. 15:

Jeannette Rite Aid to close

The Rite Aid on Clay Avenue in Jeannette is set to close Jan. 11, according to a company spokesperson.

The closure will add to others in Westmoreland County and the region under the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

“In connection with the court-supervised process, we notified the court of certain under-performing stores we are closing to further reduce rent expense and strengthen overall financial performance,” the spokesperson said.

A Rite Aid store on Route 30 in Hempfield across from Greengate Centre and the Murrysville store on William Penn Highway both closed in October.

The company filed for bankruptcy protection during its restructuring while navigating losses and opioid-related lawsuits, according to the Associated Press. Stores that remain open will continue to fill prescriptions and customers can visit stores or shop online during the process.

At the closing stores, customer prescriptions are being moved to other pharmacies and employees are being transferred to other Rite Aid locations when possible.

Stranded sea turtles recovering at Pittsburgh Zoo

Seven sea turtles are recovering at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium after being found stranded and cold-stunned on the coast of Cape Cod, according to a post on the zoo’s social media.

The reptiles were flown from the New England Aquarium by volunteer pilots with Turtles Fly Too. According to the post, the sea turtles will undergo months of rehabilitation in anticipation of potentially being re-released into the ocean.

The zoo’s Sea Turtle Second Chance Program has been operating for about 10 years. A second set of seven sea turtles were released in February into waters off Florida after arriving in Pittsburgh in December 2022 for help from being cold-stunned, according to the website.

Arrest at Rivers Casino

A Pittsburgh man is free on $20,000 unsecured bond after Pennsylvania State Police said he stole a gun and other items from a vehicle parked outside Rivers Casino on the city’s North Shore.

Christopher J. Motta, 27, is charged with weapons violations, theft and related offenses.

Troopers said in a news release that Motta was escorted out of the casino at 4 a.m. Dec. 9 because of a lifetime ban. Police watched through video surveillance as Motta broke into a Jeep Grand Cherokee and ransacked it. He ran from troopers onto Reesdale Street but eventually was apprehended.

Police said a loaded handgun, holster and other items taken from the SUV were recovered.

Gun violence incident investigated in Indiana County

Authorities in Indiana County were investigating at least one report of gun violence Thursday afternoon in Indiana Borough, though police said in a news release they weren’t able to confirm the report.

Borough police said investigators fanned out to multiple locations around town to follow up on information received by Indiana County 911.

“At this time, there is no evidence the reporting was truthful,” police said in a news release.

INDIANA COUNTY: Sharing a message from the Indiana Borough Police Department. pic.twitter.com/CZWitrW9EO

— Troopers Steve Limani & Cliff Greenfield (@PSPTroopAPIO) December 15, 2023

Anyone who saw suspicious activity in the borough was asked to call 911.

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