Megan Guza stories, Page 46
Little Sheetz fan gets big surprise as ‘youngest employee,’ free slushies through childhoodVideo
A little Sheetz fan in Virginia got the surprise of his young life last week when the founders of his favorite store paid him a visit. At 8 years old, Dylan LaMotte is an honorary Sheetz employee at his local store in Lynchburg, Va., according to a release from Planit,...
Ex-Pittsburgh priest accused of sexually abusing child has conviction tossed
A judge on Monday tossed out the conviction of a retired Catholic priest for sexually abusing a child training to be an altar boy nearly 20 years ago. The Rev. Hugh Lang, the former schools superintendent of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, was sentenced Feb. 6 to nearly two years in...
Pa. man tried to have child porn processed at CVS photo center
A Lancaster County man will spend at least a year-and-a-half in prison after he tried to have child porn developed at a CVS photo center, a judge ruled Friday. Raymond McClenaghan, 50, took photos of a teenage girl who worked atthe same store that he was employed by, PennLive reported....
Pittsburgh airport ramps up sanitizing efforts as coronavirus spreads
As travelers worldwide place their plans on hold because of the growing threat of the coronavirus, officials at Pittsburgh International Airport said Friday that things there are business as usual. Bob Kerlik, a spokesman for the Allegheny County Airport Authority, said the airport has not received notice of flight reductions....
Robert Levin ‘coming back’ to save Levin Furniture
The former owner of Levin Furniture will come out of retirement to take over the furniture company that was at risk of going out of business, officials said Thursday. A statement from the company indicated a deal was struck Wednesday night in which Robert Levin will acquire the Pennsylvania and...
State-owned universities offering enhanced retirement program
More than 200 faculty members across Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities have signed on to a retirement incentive program, meeting the threshold required for the plan to go into effect, according to university officials. The incentive was laid out in January as a way to pare the number of employees at...
Allegheny County health officials emphasize calm with eye on likely spread of coronavirusVideo
Health officials continue to prepare locally for the likely spread of the coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 worldwide, but they cautioned that there are still no known cases in the region. “We expect to see some (cases) as we expand testing,” said Dr. Kristen Mertz, an epidemiologist with...
Allegheny County health officials emphasize calm with eye on likely spread of coronavirusVideo
Health officials continue to prepare locally for the likely spread of the coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 worldwide, but they cautioned that there are still no known cases in the region. “We expect to see some (cases) as we expand testing,” said Dr. Kristen Mertz, an epidemiologist with...
Allegheny County health officials to give update on coronavirus prep
Allegheny County health officials will give an update Monday on preparations for what experts say is the inevitable spread of the coronavirus into the Pittsburgh region. The 10:30 a.m. news conference will include remarks by Allegheny County Health Department officials. Allegheny County and Pittsburgh public safety officials will also be...
Wilkes-Barre native reportedly contracts coronavirus on cruise ship in Japan
A Wilkes-Barre native is on life support in Japan after contracting the coronavirus while on vacation, according to WNEP, an ABC affiliate in Luzerne County. Dan Fisher, who graduated from Coughlin High School in 1975, was on vacation in Japan earlier this month when he fell ill, Fisher’s childhood friend,...
Police: Fight over cigarette leads to McKees Rocks shooting; 14-year-old charged
A 14-year-old boy is charged in connection with a shooting last week in McKees Rocks that stemmed from the victim refusing to give the boy and two others a cigarette, according to Allegheny County Police. The shooting happened about 4:19 p.m. Saturday on Munson Avenue, Sgt. Todd Dolfi said. A...
Pittsburgh man pleads to voluntary manslaughter in 2018 slaying
A Pittsburgh man already serving time in federal prison for his part in a West End drug ring was sentenced Thursday to state prison time for the 2018 slaying of another man. Rashem Littleberry, 29, was sentenced to 4.5 to 9 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter...
Robert Morris cancels all study abroad trips as coronavirus spreads
Robert Morris University has canceled all trips abroad out of growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, a university spokesperson said Thursday. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have canceled all study abroad trips planned for the spring semester, including those scheduled to leave in May,” spokesman Jonathan...
See how Pennsylvania students fared on SATs in 2019
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has released the average SAT scores at public schools across the state. The averages come from students in the class of 2019 who took the standardized test — about 2.2 million students nationwide, according to College Board, the institution that administers the test. The exam...
Pennsylvania couple awaiting adopted child get $20,000 gift on ‘Ellen’
A Philadelphia-area couple already expecting one life-changing moment received a second one this week, courtesy of TV talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres. Doug and Nick Roberts, of Media, are in the midst of an adoption process. They are also huge fans of the actress Kristen Bell. Somehow, DeGeneres heard about their...
Officials: Man ‘forgot’ he had loaded handgun in coat pocket at Pittsburgh airport
A Butler County man “forgot” he had a loaded handgun in his coat pocket when he went through security at Pittsburgh International Airport on Tuesday, according to security officials. Transportation Security Administration officials spotted the gun as it went through the checkpoint X-ray scanner in a bin, according to TSA...
Pitt suspends Delta Zeta sorority over hazing allegations
The University of Pittsburgh has suspended the Delta Zeta sorority after reports of hazing new members came to light, according to a university spokesman. The sorority was placed on interim suspension effective Feb. 11, meaning it must “cease all organizational operations until further notice,” spokesman Kevin Zwick said. He said...
Jurors didn’t hear key evidence in Wilkinsburg mass shooting case
Evidence that could have corroborated the sole eyewitness account placing suspect Cheron Shelton near the scene of the Wilkinsburg mass shooting was kept out of testimony because prosecutors weren’t presented with it until after the trial started, court documents show. The evidence showed that investigators searched a database for a...
Pier 1 stores in Ross, Washington among hundreds set to close
Two local Pier 1 Imports stores are among the more than 400 that will close this year, according to the retailer’s court filings this week. The locations on McKnight Road in Ross and Washington Road in Washington will close, though it was not immediately clear when, according to court documents...
Rider feedback saves 4 Port Authority bus stops in Pittsburgh from elimination
The Port Authority will keep four bus stops in Pittsburgh that were slated to be removed, officials said Thursday. The inbound and outbound stops at Penn Avenue at South Millvale Avenue were set to be eliminated as part of a larger culling of Port Authority stops in 2020. Since the...
NAACP, black community leaders call for Allegheny Co. judge’s ouster over alleged racist remarksVideo
Representatives from the state and local NAACP gathered Tuesday at Freedom Corner in Pittsburgh’s Hill District to denounce alleged racist remarks by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Mark Tranquilli. Tranquilli has been on administrative duty since Feb. 6. His alleged comments, including calling a black juror “Aunt Jemima” in a...
Attorney defends police, DA’s Office, saying he saw no misconduct during Wilkinsburg mass shooting probe
A former attorney for a man who alleged prosecutors paid him for information and encouraged him to lie in the Wilkinsburg mass shooting case denied he saw any misconduct from the District Attorney’s Office, according to a response filed Tuesday. Chris Eyster did not name Kendall Mikell in his nine-page...
Man sentenced to life in prison in beating death of refugee Pittsburgh cab driver
One of four men accused of beating a Somali refugee cab driver to death nearly three years ago in Pittsburgh was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison by an Allegheny County judge. Daniel Russell, 23, was convicted of second-degree murder in November for his role in the 2017 death of...
Jury acquits accused gunman nearly 4 years after Wilkinsburg backyard massacreVideo
As a man wept to his attorneys that he’d get to see his kids again, a woman left the Allegheny County Courthouse believing the person who killed hers was walking free. A jury on Friday acquitted Cheron Shelton of the 2016 mass shooting in Wilkinsburg that killed five adults and...
Man forced woman to be getaway driver after he robbed a bank on their 1st date
A Massachusetts woman will have to wait five years on the off chance she wants a second date. Christopher Castillo, 33, was sentenced this week to three years in state prison and two years in county corrections after pleading guilty to robbery and tangling with police during a 2016 first...
