Justin Vellucci stories, Page 37
Allegheny County combats opioid abuse through ‘harm reduction’ campaign
Stacie Brown remembers the date her life came crashing down — and when she started to take it back. “June 1, 2012, is the day I overdosed and stopped using,” said Brown, 51, of Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill, an overdose outreach coordinator for Allegheny County Health Department. “I remember I was...
A town derailed: ‘Shell-shocked’ East Palestine residents seek normalcy after train
For many people in and around East Palestine, Ohio, life changed when a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed Feb. 3 near the Pennsylvania border. The controlled burn of toxic chemicals that followed sent a large plume of black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles....
Former Pittsburghers in Israel protesting judicial reform alongside other Israelis
Kally Kislowicz, a former Pittsburgher who now lives in Israel, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is popular in her conservative West Bank settlement of Efrat. But she said that doesn’t make Netanyahu, known as “Bibi” to most Israelis, above reproach. Controversial judicial reforms proposed by Netanyahu have triggered protests across...
4 Pittsburgh police officers get new ranks, responsibilities
Pittsburgh police promoted four of their own officers Thursday in a ceremony at City Council chambers Downtown. Sgt. Andrew Baker was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, while Detectives Anthony Barber and Gino Macioce and Officer Sean Gavin advanced to the rank of sergeant. “These individuals have proven their knowledge,...
Bicyclist shot and killed in Bloomfield identified as former Pittsburgh city intern
Pittsburgh officials on Tuesday mourned the loss of a former city intern who was shot and killed while riding his bike through Bloomfield. Alexander Yerkey, 26, whose home address was listed as Bethel Park, died shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday after being shot in the head, the Allegheny County Medical...
Pittsburgh man who pleaded guilty to assault, car robbery in McKees Rocks arrested
A Pittsburgh man wanted on three different warrants has been taken into custody, Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus said Tuesday. Troy Royster, 28, from the city’s Homewood neighborhood, pleaded guilty in March 2022 to a number of charges in McKees Rocks, including aggravated assault and robbery of a motor vehicle. Royster...
Charges dropped against Wilmerding man accused of being part of alleged McKeesport drug ring
Charges were dropped Monday against a Wilmerding man who had been accused in a case against what the state Attorney General’s office called a major drug ring in Allegheny County. District Judge Eugene F. Riazzi Jr. withdrew all three charges against Kaleb Howard, 33. He had faced two felony charges...
Attorney: Cranberry woman to tell judge she killed boyfriend in self-defense
A Cranberry woman will tell a judge she shot and killed her boyfriend Feb. 12 in self-defense, her attorney said Monday. Amanda Mariah Hughes, who turns 27 on Friday, faces one count of criminal homicide and is being held without bail in Butler County Jail. She is set to be...
Passengers caught with 2 loaded guns at Pittsburgh International Airport
The Transportation Security Administration said officers prevented two Pennsylvania residents from bringing handguns in carry-on bags through a security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday. The weapons were the fourth and fifth guns to be stopped at the Findlay airport this year. A Pittsburgh man was caught with a...
Man pleads guilty to stealing unmarked FBI car, agent’s weapon
A Pittsburgh man on Wednesday pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing an FBI agent’s unmarked car in 2021. Lashawn Norwood, 57, of the Hill District, was charged with theft of government property. He pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak. Prosecutors said an unmarked SUV owned...
Sheriff’s office says it caught Braddock man on the run for 3 years
A Braddock man wanted on gun and drug charges since 2020 has been captured, Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus announced Tuesday. Christopher Schrock, 28, was supposed to go on trial in June 2020 on charges out of McKeesport, but he forfeited his bond and failed to show up in court, Kraus...
TSA finds 2 handguns at Pittsburgh airport checkpoint
Transportation Security Administration officers stopped two Pennsylvania residents — one of them an employee — from bringing guns through the security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport over the weekend. On Saturday, the airport employee, whom the TSA did not name, was caught with a 9 mm handgun loaded with 10...
U.S. Steel ready to close 3 of 10 batteries at Clairton Coke Works
U.S. Steel announced it will shut down three of Clairton Coke Work’s 10 coke batteries this month, which it projects will reduce emissions from the plant. The decision to close the site’s three oldest batteries at the Mon Valley’s biggest source of airborne pollutants originally was announced two years ago...
Morning Roundup: Weekend forecast to include rain, cold, maybe snow
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, March 17, 2023: Weekend forecast to include rain, cold, maybe snow The weekend ahead in Western Pennsylvania will be a little bit of a sometimes-wet, sometimes-cool situation, with a small chance of snow Saturday. Rain is expected Friday...
Woman arrested after kids injured in car crash in Elizabeth Township
A woman was arrested and two children were taken to the hospital after a crash in Elizabeth Township on Thursday. The crash took place in the 800 block of McKeesport Road, Elizabeth Township police told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. Police said they took the driver, Kristi Assenti, into custody on...
Norfolk Southern CEO: ‘I understand my responsibility’ in Ohio derailment cleanup
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw confidently chugged a glass of East Palestine, Ohio, tap water in front of a group of reporters Thursday as he promised to clean the site of a fiery train derailment and invest in local rebuilding efforts. “We’ve been not only engaged here ever since the...
Butler security guard tries to thwart theft of Easter decorations, gets dragged by car going 35 mph
A Butler County mall security guard was dragged by a vehicle Wednesday afternoon while trying to stop the theft of Easter decorations. State police said they responded to Clearview Mall in Center Township around 3:45 p.m. after receiving a report that people had stolen a 3-foot foam carrot and piñata...
Kennywood pits rides against each other a la March Madness
Kennywood is asking fans of the West Mifflin amusement park to pick their favorite park rides, March Madness-style. The park recently announced its bracket-driven competition on social media. Twitter users “get to help crown our fan-favorite ride” over the course of three rounds and a championship, the park wrote while...
Morning Roundup: 2-alarm fire at Turtle Creek duplex
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, March 16, 2023: 2-alarm fire at Turtle Creek duplex First responders were called to the scene of a two-alarm house fire in Turtle Creek early Thursday. The call about the fire came in at 3:53 a.m., Allegheny County...
Fire destroys Sewickley Township home; no injuries reported
A fire destroyed a home in Sewickley Township, Westmoreland County, late Wednesday night. Calls about the fire, located in a rural area on Orchard Drive near Herminie, came in at 11:08 p.m., according to Westmoreland County Public Safety. The house was fully engulfed shortly after 11 p.m., Tribune-Review news partner...
First responders called to rollover crash in North Huntingdon
Emergency responders were called to a rollover crash in Westmoreland County early Wednesday. The crash happened at about 1:45 a.m. near the intersection of Route 30 and Cherry Lane in North Huntingdon. Westmoreland County 911 said it was unclear if there were any injuries. Tribune-Review news partner WPXI reported a...
Man arrested in Allegheny General Hospital attack
A 43-year-old man was arrested this week after police said he went on a rampage in a hospital emergency room and attacked at least three people, punching them and throwing a computer at a nurse. Michael Robert Johnson, whose home address is unknown, faces three counts each of aggravated assault,...
Aspinwall ramp off Highland Park Bridge to be closed Wednesday
One of the ramps off the Highland Park Bridge will be closed today. The ramp from the northbound side of the bridge to northbound Freeport Road — the Aspinwall exit — in Sharpsburg will close to traffic from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, weather permitting, PennDOT said. Crews will...
Morning Roundup: Person injured in crash in North Huntington
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, March 15, 2023: Person injured in crash in North Huntington An overnight car crash in North Huntington injured one person and caused a power outage in the area. The crash occurred around 11:45 p.m. at Turner Valley Road...
Sandcastle named one of top waterparks in U.S.
Sandcastle has been named one of the top waterparks in the U.S., according to U.S. News and World Report. The publication handed the West Homestead waterpark the honor over the weekend, calling Sandcastle a “nostalgic treat.” Sandcastle was one of 36 parks nationwide and one of four in Pennsylvania to...
