PITTSBURGH - WPXI News Director Corrie Harding relieved former WPXI Chief Meteorologist Mike Lapoint of his command today. LaPoint remains employed by the station, pending an internal investigation over charges that LaPoint “broke down” in the face of a cold front that brought frozen precipitation and the coldest air of the season to the Pittsburgh region. According to a WPXI employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, LaPoint “cracked up” when Doppler Radar detected a solid band of lake-effect snow showers moving into the area late Monday evening. “The Chief began shaking, and he couldn’t stop,” said the source. “He was frothing at the mouth. He started running around the set. At one point he grabbed Peggy Finnegan by the shoulders and began shouting, 'What are we going to do? What are we going to do?'" Anchorman David Johnson and WPXI sports director John Fedko were eventually able to subdue LaPoint, but not before he bit Johnson. Johnson was treated at Allegheny General Hospital for a minor wound. As a precaution, he was given a series of shots to test for rabies. Mr. Harding blamed LaPoint’s behavior on “fatigue, and the stress of dealing on a day-to-day basis with the unrelenting pressures of preparing winter forecasts for a meat-and-potatoes market like Pittsburgh .”
Harding offered get well wishes for his former Chief Meteorologist. “We are all hoping that Mike has a speedy recovery.” Harding named Weather Plus Meteorologist Scott Harbaugh Interim Commander of Storm Team Eleven. He set no timetable for the selection of a new Chief Meteorologist.
